Prolegomena Flashcards
Rational proofs for the existence of God
- Ontological
- Cosmological
- Teleological
- Moral
- Historical/Ethnological
Cosmological Argument
Every existing thing in the world must have an adequate cause; and if this is so, the universe must also have an adequate cause, that is a cause which is indefinitely great.
-But Kant pointed out that, if every existing thing has an adequate cause, this also applies to God, and that we are thus led to an endless chain. Moreover, the argument does not necessitate the assumption that the cosmos had a single cause, a personal and absolute cause,—and therefore falls short of proving the existence of God.
Ontological Argument
Anselm argues that man has the idea of an absolutely perfect being; that existence is an attribute of perfection; and that therefore an absolutely perfect being must exist. “I have an idea of God, therefore I have an experience of God.”
-But it is quite evident that we cannot conclude from abstract thought to real existence. The fact that we have an idea of God does not yet prove His objective existence. Moreover, this argument tacitly assumes, as already existing in the human mind, the very knowledge of God’s existence which it would derive from logical demonstration.
Teleological Argument
The world everywhere reveals intelligence, order, harmony, and purpose, and thus implies the existence of an intelligent and purposeful being, adequate to the production of such a world.
-It is superior to the cosmological argument in that it makes explicit that the world contains evidences of intelligence and purpose, and thus leads on to the existence of a conscious, and intelligent, and purposeful being. That this being was the Creator of the world does not necessarily follow.
Moral Argument
Kant inferred the existence of someone who, as lawgiver and judge, has the absolute right to command man. In his estimation this argument is far superior to any of the others. It is the one on which he mainly relies in his attempt to prove the existence of God.
- Some argue from the disparity often observed between the moral conduct of men and the prosperity which they enjoy in the present life, and feel that this calls for an adjustment in the future which, in turn, requires a righteous arbiter.
- Modern theology also uses it extensively, especially in the form that man’s recognition of a Highest Good and his quest for a moral ideal demand and necessitate the existence of a God to give reality to that ideal.
- While this argument does point to the existence of a holy and just being, it does not compel belief in a God, a Creator, or a being of infinite perfections.
Historical/Ethnological Argument
Among all the peoples and tribes of the earth there is a sense of the divine, which reveals itself in an external cultus. Since the phenomenon is universal, it must belong to the very nature of man. And if the nature of man naturally leads to religious worship, this can only find its explanation in a higher Being who has constituted man a religious being.
-However, this universal phenomenon may have originated in an error or misunderstanding of one of the early progenitors of the human race, and that the religious cultus referred to appears strongest among primitive races, and disappears in the measure in which they become civilized.
Forms of Biblical criticism
- FORM
- REDACTION
- STRUCTURAL
- READER-RESPONSE
- textual
- literary-source
- historical
- comparative religions
Form Criticism
- (“Form history”) Seeks to get behind the written sources to determine the growth of the tradition in the preliterary or oral period. (There was a conviction that behind the written sources were oral traditions and they attempt to get at these oral forms and trace the history of their development.)
- Rudolf Bultmann: not sure if a single word of Jesus has any evidence
- Form criticism, when its presuppositions are not contrary to the perspectives and positions of the biblical authors, is able to help confirm some of the basic assertions of Scripture
- But assumes the biblical authors are not reliable, not interested in history
Redaction Criticism
-believes the Gospels grew out of a theological concern, rather than historical concern (expanding, compressing, omitting, and creating material for their account in keeping with their theological purposes)
Structural Criticism
An attempt to apply new categories to the analysis of Scripture (looks vertically to different depths of structures within the text)
-This attempts to investigate the relationship between the surface structure of the writing and the deeper implicit structures that belong to literature as such
Source Criticism
The effort to determine the various literary sources on which books of the bible are based or from which they derive (i.e. JEDP, Q document, etc.)
Truth
This is found in correspondence; truth is what corresponds to its object (referent); it is telling it like it is
Philosophical Proofs of Truth
Non-correspondence views of THIS are self-defeating. Lies are impossible without a correspondence view of THIS.
Biblical Truth
- 9th Commandment is “do not bear false witness” Ex. 20:16
- Examples of lying in Bible: Serpent in Gen. 3, Ananias and Sapphira Acts 5, False Prophets Deut. 18:22
- “I am the truth” (John 14:6)
Equivocal Language
Totally unlike what God is - but: it is self-defeating, by saying we cannot know about God using human language, some non-equivocal language is always assumed - the Bible declares that we can know about God and is, in fact, an attempt to inform us about God - human language has always been assumed to be capable to express truths about the trancendant god
