The Existence of God Flashcards
What does theist mean?
Someone who believes in God
What does atheist mean?
Someone who believes there is no God
What does agnostic mean?
Someone who isn’t sure whether or not God exists
Explain the cosmological argument.
The cosmological argument argues that everything happens because of something that happened previously; causing the next thing to happen (like the domino effect). Some say that if you trace everything back to the beginning of the universe, there must have been a first cause, which set everything in motion. This must be God, who must therefore be outside of space and time.
Explain the teleological(design) argument.
The design argument states that the world is so intricate, well designed and holds so much beauty, that it is impossible for it to be an accident. Therefore it must have a designer, who must be God.
Explain William Paley’s watchmaker argument.
William Paley argued that if you found a watch on an island that you believed held no life, after examining it carefully, you would have to come to the conclusion that an intelligent designer had made it. In the same way, he believed that - after a careful examination of the world, you could come to no other conclusions than ‘God designed it.’
What did Isaac Newton say about the design of the thumb?
“In the absence of any other proof, the thumb alone would convince me of God’s existence”
- Because it is so well designed.
What is the counter argument to the teleological argument?
Atheists would respond to the design argument by saying that
a) There are so many natural disasters that it cannot be designed
b) Charles Darwin found proof of evolution - and therefore we can’t have been designed and created by God; we must be an accident.
How do religious experiences lead to knowledge of the existence of God?
Many believe that they experience God through worship and prayer, in nature or the goodness of God’s love in others.
What does the moral argument say?
The moral argument states that because humans are mostly good, they seem to know right from wrong and have a conscience, and therefore this must come from God.
What did Sigmund Freud say in response to the moral argument?
Sigmund Freud, however, said that our sense of right and wrong comes from our parents and from society at a very early age.
