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Question 1

what does monotheism mean?

Answer 1

belief in one god

Question 2

what does polytheism mean

Answer 2

belief in more than one god/many gods

Question 3

define omnipotent

Answer 3

all powerful

Question 4

define omniscient

Answer 4

all knowing/all seeing

Question 5

define omnibenevolent

Answer 5

all loving

Question 6

define transcendent

Answer 6

above and beyond

Question 7

define immanent

Answer 7

present in the world, capable of having a personal relationship with his creation

Question 8

who are the 3 members of the holy trinity?

Answer 8

father (creator), son (saviour) and holy spirit (sustainer)

Question 9

what are 5 imageries used for god?

Answer 9

shepherd, king, rock, fortress, father

Question 10

what is tawhid?

Answer 10

oneness, indivisible, no other gods

Question 11

what is shirk?

Answer 11

god cannot be represented, we shouldn’t represent other being and worship them as though they are god

Question 12

who are the 3 members of the trimurti?

Answer 12

brahma (creator), vishnu (preserver) and shiva (destroyer)

Question 13

define agnosticism

Answer 13

when you are not sure if god exists or not

Question 14

define negative atheism

Answer 14

where a person does not personally believe in a god or gods but does not go so far as to say that there are none

Question 15

define positive atheism

Answer 15

where a person asserts that there is no such thing as a god or gods- they do not exist

Question 16

what are some reasons why people might be atheists?

Answer 16

-science can explain aspects of the world without a need for god as an explanation
-there is no proof god exists
-all religions teach different things sbout god- they can’t all be right so are probably all wrong
-the problem of evil
-people may have been raised in non-religious homes

Question 17

what is the design argument?

Answer 17

1. the world is complex and orderly
2. this shows evidence of design
3. if it was designed it must have a designer
4. this is god

Question 18

what are the problems with the design argument?

Answer 18

-who designed the designer?
-could the order be the result of random chance?
-the world doesn’t always seem well designed
-evolution can explain the appearance without the need for god

Question 19

what is the argument from miracles?

Answer 19

1. miracles are violations of laws of nature
2. only god could be the cause of these
3. therefore god exists

Question 20

what are the problems with the argument from miracles?

Answer 20

-many apparent miracles can be explained by science
-reports of miracles are often untrustworthy
-if god intervenes on some occasions to perform miracles, why doesn’t he intervene at other times to stop evil?

Question 21

what is the big bang theory?

Answer 21

-the universe began from a singularity 13,7 billion years ago
-it underwent rapid, hot expansion and is still expanding today
-as the universe cooled stars, planets and galaxies started to form

Question 22

what are the problems with the big bang theory?

Answer 22

-since the universe had a beginning it must have a cause, this must be god
-since time and space began with the big bang the cause of the universe must be a timeless, transcendent being, this must be god

Question 23

what is the theory of evolution?

Answer 23

-organisms have adapted and changed to their environment over long periods of time
-survival of the fittest
-given enough time, natural selection can give rise to new species

Question 24

what is the problem with natural selection?

Answer 24

evolution could be a part of gods design- nature has been set up to produce complex beings through natural selection

Question 25

why does natural selection challenge the belief in design?

Answer 25

-it provides evidence that things have adapted to become more complex
-it does not require the belief in a designer to explain complexity

Question 26

define natural evil

Answer 26

suffering that is not due to human actions eg natural disasters

Question 27

define moral evil

Answer 27

suffering caused by human actions eg murder, rape, genocide etc

Question 28

how did theodicies explain why god allows evil?

Answer 28

-evil is down to human free will
-natural evil is a punishment for the sin of adam and eve
-evil can help us to grow and develop (soul-making)
-evil is due to satan

Question 29

what is the logical problem of evil (inconsistent triad)?

Answer 29

1. if god is all powerful he would be able to stop suffering
2. if god is all loving he would want to stop suffering
3. but evil exists
4. so either god is not all powerful, or not all loving, or he doesn’t exist at all.

Question 30

what is the evidential problem of evil?

Answer 30

the more evidence there is of intense and pointless evil in the world, the less likely it is that god exists