The Existence Of God

Question 1

Unitarianism

Answer 1

God is one being - Jesus only ‘son’
Jehovah’s witnesses - God is single being - Jesus had beginning so not eternal
Nicene Creed - Holy Spirit from Father AND Son - made through Son
Orthodox Church - HS from Father - Father source of all
‘Do not worship any other God’

Question 2

God’s relationship with world

Answer 2

God created world - creation story
God control seasons - created self sustaining life
God created world from nothing

Question 3

Relationship with humanity

Answer 3

Humans made in God’s image - ‘let us make man in our image’
Gave humans responsibility to look after creation
Provides Adam and Eve - blesses with children
Gives land to chosen people, laws and commandments, sacrifice animals for salvation (Old Testament)
Love through Jesus - taught God’s love, how to live, obedience
Sacrificed for human sin - fixed relationship - forgive
Keeps relationship through Holy Spirit
‘God is love’

Question 4

Challenged to God being involved with humanity

Answer 4

God is a temporal - outside of time + knows every event
Can’t relate to creation - respond to prayers
Catholic have priest for link - Protestants believe don’t need

Question 5

God as a good

Answer 5

Thomas Aquinas - God’s good nature shown in Bible
Creation - created everything - ‘it was very good’
God wants people to live good - gave 10 commandments
God judges after death - knows everything so fair
Sent son to sacrifice for human sin

Question 6

God and suffering

Answer 6

Evil from wrong decisions (A+E) - why did God create if knew would happen
Evil makes more aware of God - grow to perfection
But some suffering doesn’t help - terminal illness
Suffering is test of faith / punishment for wicked

Question 7

Design Argument

Answer 7

Teleological argument - God designed for purpose - order + complexity shows intelligent design
William Paley - world like watch - complex parts work together - designer
John Stuart Mill - cruelty mean bad design - why would God make bad?

Question 8

First Cause

Answer 8

Cosmological argument - Aristotle - everything has a cause
Like pushing domino - God was first push
‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth’

Question 9

Anthropic principle

Answer 9

F.R.Tennant - universe has perfect structure - life develops (evolution)
Polkinghorne - God created perfectly for human survival

Question 10

Moral consequence

Answer 10

Cardinal John Newman - God allows to know right and wrong - guilt is voice of God through conscience

Question 11

Social making and judgement

Answer 11

John Hick - meal decision develop soul - continues in afterlife
Doesn’t agree with judgement after death

Question 12

Value of God

Answer 12

Christians live obedient life - ethical

Buy recyclable goods, products that consider workers (Fair Trade), renewable energy, increase reforestation

Question 13

Inspirational people

Answer 13

Feel sense of God - inspired by faith

Mother Teresa - helped in Indian slums

Question 14

Scripture

Answer 14

Fundamentalists/Literalists - Bible is word of God
- Protestant + Charismatic - against science / Amish live by Bible
Conservative view - Bible inspired by God but made by humans - mistakes (myths)
- Bible still has authority - interpret views
Liberal view - Bible stories symbolic - apply meanings to own life

Question 15

Jesus Christ

Answer 15

God in human form as Jesus - shows love - teach people + sacrifice
Jesus fully human + fully God - absolute love + salvation
‘While we were still sinners, Christ died for us’

Question 16

Figures from Christian history

Answer 16

God works through people - hope does again in current world
George Cadbury (Quaker) - built housing village for factory workers

Question 17

Miracles

Answer 17

Jesus’ resurrection - central miracle - God can intervene in world
Healing miracles, miracles over nature, raising the dead, exorcism (remove evil spirit from person)
CC + CofE - God still does miracles - faith in personal relationship
- Lourdes - CC recognised 67 miracles

Question 18

Conversion

Answer 18

Direct encounter with God

Paul’s conversion - Jesus through flash of life, voice, miracle - changed attitude

Question 19

Mystical experience

Answer 19

Overwhelming sense of God
Prayer/meditation - nothing new but strengthened faith
People against - says Jesus’ revelation insufficient

Question 20

Visions

Answer 20

Believe to see/hear supernatural - no one else can

- Bernadette Soubirous - 18 vision of Virgin Mary at Lourdes

Question 21

Charismatic + Ecstatic

Answer 21

Charismatic church - people overcome by Holy Spirit - fall over
Ecstatic - intense emotions + spiritual feelings - less aware around
Glossolia - prophecy, healing, speaking in tongues
Pentecostalism - belief that Holy Spirit came to apostles

Question 22

Worship + sacraments

Answer 22

Liturgical worship - structure increases sense of presence

Charismatic service - freedom gives better connection

Question 23

Eucharist

Answer 23

Catholic + Orthodox - transubstantiation - bread and wine turn to blood and water
CofE - consubstantiation - real presence of God - bread and wine remain
Protestant - bread and wine symbolic - remembers Jesus’ detach + resurrection - ‘Do this in remembrance of me’
Penance - confess sins to priest - forgiven - closer to God
- CofE + Non Conformist against - can go directly to God