The Existence of God

Question 1

Theist

Answer 1

Someone who believes in a God or Gods

Question 2

Monotheism

Answer 2

Belief in one God

Question 3

Polytheism

Answer 3

Belief in many Gods

Question 4

Atheist

Answer 4

Someone who believes there is no God

Question 5

Agnostic

Answer 5

Someone who believes it is impossible to know if God exists

Question 6

Design Argument

Answer 6

The belief that the world is so complicated it must have had a designer

Question 7

First Cause Argument

Answer 7

The belief that there is a first cause that started everything else off - this cause was uncaused and is God so he was the cause of the universe.

Question 8

Moral Argument

Answer 8

The belief that everyone has certain rules inside of them that have been given to the by the universal law giver - God. Kant believed that everyone has a sense of morality, God gave us moral sense when we are born. In addition Aquinas thought God had given everybody a conscience.

Question 9

Infinite Regression

Answer 9

The belief that time has no beginning or end

Question 10

Incompetent Design

Answer 10

If there was a designer of the world then it is not a very good designer as the world is so badly designed - e.g. earthquakes etc.

Question 11

Problems with the Design Argument

Answer 11

• Surely a loving designer would not have designed a world where people could not hurt or hurt by creation.
• Why are there disease and natural disasters?
• They are explanations such as:
• The designer is cruel - and didn’t want a design a perfect world
• The designer is incompetent - and didn’t have the power to create a perfect world.
• There is no designer
• Points to natural evolution - one that doesn’t involve a God?

Question 12

Problems with the First Cause Argument

Answer 12

• Who’s to say that the world has a cause? Why could the existence of things not go back forever - before the world there were other things that existed.
• Hindu’s believe that time is like a wheel - no beginning or end - showing there is no first cause
• Dawkins asks, why if we think that God cannot be caused, can the universe also not have a cause - God is not necessary.

Question 13

Problems with the Moral Argument

Answer 13

Kant thought everybody had a sense of morality but why do different people in different countries have different idea about what is right and wrong.

Question 14

What do women in Islamic countries have done to them if the commit adultery?

Answer 14

They are stoned to death. Many british people would think that it’s wrong yet in Iran considered to be right.

Question 15

Social Conditioning

Answer 15

Idea that morality is learnt, from parents, teacher and the government for instance rather than being given this sense of God; therefore God need not exist as Kant claims

Question 16

Against God existing - The God of the Gaps

Answer 16

Richard Dawkins is a scientist and an atheist. He believes that everything has a scientific explanation, however at the moment at the moment there are gaps in our scientific knowledge. Dawkins believes that in the future these gaps will be filled with more research and experiments carried out. Some people use God to explain these gaps.

Question 17

Problems with the God of the Gap Argument

Answer 17

• Some people for example St. Bernadette, St. Paul or Nicky Cruz had experienced God either through visions or other forms of revelation. For them God is not just a fictional idea but real.
• Many argue that science and religion answer many different questions, how and why? Einstein said ‘Religion without science is blind and science without religion is lame’