Theme C - The Existance Of God And Revelation

Question 1

Theist

Answer 1

A believer in god

Question 2

Atheist

Answer 2

Someone who doesn’t believe in God

Question 3

Teleological argument

Answer 3

Trying to prove the existence of God by looking at the natural world around us

Question 4

Qua regularity

Answer 4

The world is full of patterns, must be a God keeping everything in order

Question 5

Qua purpose

Answer 5

The world is made up of complex parts that work together, there must be an intelligent designer of the universe - God

Question 6

Fibonacci sequence

Answer 6

A series of numbers where each number is the sum of the two preceding numbers

Question 7

Analogy of the watch

Answer 7

A watch is made of complex parts in order to work correctly and must have a complex designer, therefore so must the universe

Question 8

Cosmological argument

Answer 8

Everything in the universe has a cause, the universe exists so must have a cause, the cause must be out of this world so must be God

Question 9

Cosmos/cosmology

Answer 9

The universe/study of the universe

Question 10

First cause

Answer 10

The cause of the universe

Question 11

Miracle

Answer 11

A seemingly impossible event which cannot be explained + is thought to have come from God

Question 12

Lourdes

Answer 12

A small town in France where Catholics believe many miracles have taken place

Question 13

Principle of testimony

Answer 13

‘In general, it is reasonable to believe what someone tells you unless you have specific reasons not to’ - Richard Swinburne

Question 14

Principle of Credulity

Answer 14

‘In general what we think we experience, is the case in reality’ - Richard Swinburne

Question 15

Natural evil

Answer 15

Evil and suffering that is not directly caused by humans

Question 16

Moral evil

Answer 16

Evil and suffering which is caused by humans

Question 17

Problem of evil

Answer 17

God cannot be omnipotent and omnibenevolent as evil is seen in the world all the time and can be proved

Question 18

Inconsistent triad

Answer 18

You can’t have God being omnibenevolent and omnipotent with the presence of evil

Question 19

“Rock of atheism”

Answer 19

Said by David Hume - the problem of evil is the main proof for atheists that God doesn’t exist

Question 20

Theodicy

Answer 20

Any argument which tries to show that God exists despite the evil and suffering in the world

Question 21

Augustinian theodicy

Answer 21

Evil and suffering are the consequences of the fall (when Adam and Eve disobeyed God). Therefore evil and suffering is the fault of humanity as God created the world and ‘it was good’.

Question 22

According to st Augustine, moral evil is the result of…

Answer 22

Human kind straying away from God

Question 23

According to St Augustine, natural evil is caused by….

Answer 23

Angels who disobeyed God and disrupted the harmony and balance that God created

Question 24

Irenaean theodicy

Answer 24

God purposefully allowed evil into the world to help us learn to love and forgiv- be like him as we are made in his image. Evil is ‘soul making’ so allows us to appreciate the good and learn from mistakes and help others.

Question 25

“Soul Making”

Answer 25

Evil is soul making and allows us to achieve moral goodness and good qualities

Question 26

Argument from science

Answer 26

There is better understanding of the universe so no need for God, science can provide proof but religion can’t, science has proof of actions that were previously explained by God

Question 27

Big Bang theory

Answer 27

How scientists explain how the world began

Question 28

Evolution

Answer 28

the change in the characteristics of a species over several generations - has been approved by most Christians now

Question 29

Revelation

Answer 29

God revealing himself to a person

Question 30

Special revelation

Answer 30

God revealing himself directly to a person in a specific event e.g. a vision, hearing, miracles

Question 31

General revelation

Answer 31

God revealing himself to people through everyday experiences. ‘The Heavens declare the glory of God.’ (Psalm 19)

Question 32

Vision

Answer 32

Special revelation, an encounter with God

Question 33

Conscience

Answer 33

Immanuel Kant argued that it’s an example of general revelation and the internal struggle between what we know is right and wrong is the voice of God

Question 34

Verbally inspired Bible

Answer 34

The Bible is literally word for word from God, Bible is inerrant, God directly told the Bible writers what to write - example of special revelation

Question 35

Divinely inspired Bible

Answer 35

Bible writers may have been inspired by God or faith but wrote the words themselves, Bible reflects the attitudes and opinions of the time, Bible is therefore not totally inerrant - example of general revelation

Question 36

Omnipotent

Answer 36

Capable of doing anything

Question 37

Omnibenevolent

Answer 37

All-loving and all-good

Question 38

Immanent

Answer 38

God is present in the universe and involved with life on earth

Question 39

Transcendent

Answer 39

God is not part of the world we know and cannot be fully grasped by human beings

Question 40

Personal nature

Answer 40

God has human characteristics like being compassionate and that he loves and cares about every human being

Question 41

Impersonal nature

Answer 41

God doesn’t have human characteristics and is only understood in terms of itself (like a force)