The existence of God Flashcards
What does Occam’s razor say
It is more likely that the simplest explanation of a set of circumstances is correct
Theism definition
The belief that there is a personal God
Deism definition
A god who create them left
Atheism definition
Someone who doesn’t believe in God
Agnostic definition
Literal meaning of “not knowing” unsure of Gods existence
Who was the key thinker of the cosmological argument and give a quote
St. Thomas of Aquinas - “Why is there something rather then nothing
Who first proposed the idea of the big bang
The idea was first proposed in 1927 by George Lemaitre who was a Belgium Roman Catholic priest
What does Aquinas believe?
There must be a first un caused cause and for him this is God
Who is the key thinker in the teleological argument
William Paley
Big bang theory
13.7 billion years ago, the universe began as an infinitely small but dense point. Since then it has been expanding and cooling. We can measure its expansion (red shift) and detect the left over heat (cosmic microwave background radiation)
What is the main argument of the teleological argument (part 1)
A watch would imply a watch maker as it is intricate and complex and has a purpose
So an eye could imply an eye maker
A world implies a world maker
A universe implies a universe make (God)
What is a criticism of the cosmological argument
The big bang theory
What is a criticism of the teleological argument
Evolution
What key thinker criticises religion
Richard dawkins
Explain a bit about Darwin
Darwin wrote “The Origin of Species” in 1859 after his voyage around the world on “HMS Beagle”. He visited the Galapagos islands and observed the finches
Explain teleological argument (part 2)
The anthropic cosmological principle (the goldilocks effects)
These values must be what they are otherwise we wouldn’t exist
e.g. 6.7 x 10 -11 ( the strength of gravitational constance )
Some philosophers therefore some agent (God) must have made the precise numbers
Who is the key thinker of the moral argument
Kant (lived in the 18th century)
Explain the moral argument
Kant believed life should be fair but it often isn’t… so in the after life he needs to be rewarded by God
What idea is the moral argument similar to
It is similar to Newman’s view on the conscience described as the voice of God
Who was the key thinker of the ontological argument
This argument is associated with Anselm of Canterbury who lived in the 12th century and he was a monk
Explain the ontological argument
- Reality is better then the idea
- God is “that than which nothing greater can be conceived” (the best thing)
Therefore God must exist
What is a criticism of the ontological argument
Is it better to exist in reality than just an idea ?
Give 2 quotes the relate to the existence of God
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” Genesis 1:1
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us “ John 1:14
Explain the idea of the experience argument
God exists because people have experienced God
