The Existence of God: RE Year 10 🌍 Flashcards
What is the name of the 1st argument?
The Ontological argument
What does the word ‘Ontological’ mean?
By definition Ontological means ‘concerning being’ and this means that it is an argument about our being or existence
Who postulated (made) the 1st argument?
Anselm
When did Anselm, who created the 1st argument, live?
From 1033 to 1109
What was Anselm’s job?
He was a monk later turned Archbishop of Canterbury
What was Anselm’s basic theory behind the Ontological argument?
His theory was:
-if we can see levels of good in the world then there must be an
ultimate good
-we can picture an ultimate good thing in our imagination
-when he imagines an ultimate good he thinks of God
-therefore he must exist and so an ultimate good exists and the
ultimate good is God!
What do Theists think about the Ontological argument?
- they think there is logic in the theory
- agree that good in our world points to God
- some Christians however don’t like this argument
What do Atheists think about the Ontological argument?
- think it’s a weak argument
- just because one thing exists doesn’t mean another does
-eg. a person who goes on holiday to a good island cannot assume
that because they enjoyed a good island there must be a perfect
one in the world
What is the name of the 2nd argument?
The Cosmological argument
What does the word ‘Cosmological’ mean?
It means ‘the first cause argument!’
Who postulated (made) the 2nd argument?
Thomas Aquinas
When did Thomas Aquinas (creator of the 2nd argument) live?
From 1225 to 1274
What is Thomas Aquinas’s main theory behind the Cosmological argument?
-everything in existence has come about from something before it (a cause that produces the effect)
- argued that the cycle of life couldn’t have started by itself
- there is a first cause that explains everything in our universe
-because this first thing started everything else it must be eternal
and uncaused. That first cause is God
What do Theists think about the 2nd argument?
-see it as a credible argument
-makes sense to think that the cycle of life didn’t come out of
nothing
What do Atheists think about the 2nd argument?
- don’t see it as a credible argument
- doesn’t explain where God came from
-some would argue that the cycle of life could always have been in
existence as much as a God always being in existence
What is the name of the 3rd (and final) argument?
The Teleological argument
What does the word ‘Teleological’ mean?
The word Teleological comes from the Greek word ‘telos’ meaning end or goal, but later it came to mean the view that everything has a purpose!
DESCRIBE the meaning behind the Teleological argument
Paley’s Teleological argument is a theory that has come from looking at the world in a certain way. In other words it is a theory that maintains our world has been designed
Some people believe the world is too complicated to have started through a random chance, or “Big Bang” and believe that it was created!
Who postulated (made) the 3rd argument?
William Paley
When did William Paley live?
From 1743 to 1805
What is William Paley’s main theory behind the Teleological argument?
- A watch has certain complex features (it consists of parts,
each of which has a function, and they work together for a
specific purpose) - Anything which exhibits these features must have been
designed - Therefore the watch has been designed by a designer
- The universe is like the watch in that it possesses the same
features, except on a far more wondrous scale - Therefore the universe, like the watch, has been designed, except
by a wondrous universe maker God
What do Theists think about the 3rd argument?
-think this line of argument is logical because we have
experience in our world of designers making useful products
-naturally draw the link with the watch and the world with God
What do Atheists think about the 3rd argument?
-not convinced by this theory
-some argue that you cannot link things in the world which we
know have designer with other things that are not known
-eg. we have never had direct contact from God to know that there
is a designer behind our world
-therefore we can’t link the watch analogy because we can actually
meet watchmakers
