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t&p > theme c- the existence of God and revelation > Flashcards

theme c- the existence of God and revelation Flashcards

1
Q

why might people believe in God?

A
  • to seek comfort from a higher power
  • to gain advice
  • to feel less alone
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2
Q

for what reasons might someone not believe in God?

A
  • they dont know about God
  • they may believe God isnt helping/ listening to them
  • they may believe that there is no proof of God so therefore He cant be real
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3
Q

what was Aristotle’s theory for the existence of God?

A
  • Aristotle said that the universe must have been made by something- e.g. paintings only exist because someone painted them
  • someone must have created the world (God)- Aristotle said that the one thing that was not created by something else
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4
Q

what is Anselm’s theory for the existence of God?

A
  • God was the greatest thing ever- so great that nothing else could possibly be greater
  • part of the reason that something is the best is that it actually exists- e.g. an imaginary cake is not as good as a real cake
  • if God is the greatest thing ever, he must exist
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5
Q

what was Thomas Aquinas’ theory for the existence of God?

A
  • everything in the world is so amazing and complex- shells have beautiful designs
  • looking at the world proves that a great, supremely intelligent being must have made everything in the world (God)
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6
Q

what is Blaise Pascal’s theory for the existence of God?

A
  • either God exists or he does not
  • if we cannot prove God exists, we are better off believing in Him
  • if we believe in God, we will go to Heaven- if there is not a God, then it does not matter
  • if we do not believe God exists and it turns out that he does, we will then have a lot of explaining to do when we meet our creator
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7
Q

what is the Design Argument?

A

everything in the universe is so intricately made, it must have been created by God- therefore God exists

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8
Q

what is an example of the way the world works that shows God must exist?

A
  • the way humans grow from a tiny blueprint of DNA
  • the way the complex mechanism of the eye allows humans to see
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9
Q

what would atheists believe about the creation of the world?

A

the universe was not created but evolved naturally

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10
Q

what do agnostics believe about the creation of the universe?

A

there is not enough evidence that God exists or not, or that God created the universe or not

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11
Q

what is the Design argument also known as?

A

the Teleological Argument

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12
Q

what does Aquinas say about the laws of nature?

A
  • the laws of nature determine what happens in the natural world
  • however, there must have been an intelligent designer to establish these natural laws
  • the laws of nature function regularly & predictably
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13
Q

what is Newton’s theory of the Design argument?

A
  • the thumb allows humans to be precise and have delicate movements which are only found in humans
  • every thumbprint is different
  • the design of the thumb is enough evidence of God’s existence
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14
Q

what is William Paley’s theory of the Design Argument?

A
  • if we found a watch and did not know its function- its intricate workings would show that it was put together for a purpose- someone must have designed it and made it just right for the purpose- that designer is God
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15
Q

what is F.R Tennnant’s theory towards the Design Argument?

A
  • God designed the world so everything in it was just right for human life to develop- if everything was just a tiny bit different, life would not exist
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16
Q

why might some people object to the Design Argument?

A

chance, evolution, people suffering

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17
Q

what is the First Cause Argument?

A

there must be an uncaused cause that made everything else happen

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18
Q

what is the logical chain of reasoning for the First Cause Argument?

A
  • everything that exists/ begins to exist must have a cause
  • as the universe exists & had a beginning, it must also have a cause
  • there must be something existing with no cause to cause everything else to exist
  • that eternal first cause must be God
  • this means that God must exist
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19
Q

what is the First Cause Argument also known as?

A

the Cosmological Argument

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20
Q

why can God not have a cause?

A

He is supreme and a higher power

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21
Q

what is Figgerson’s argument to the Cosmological Argument?

A
  • perhaps nothing caused the universe to exist- perhaps its existence is just a brute fact
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22
Q

what is the argument for miracles proving God’s existence?

A

these actions cannot be explained by science so therefore they must be the result of God’s intervention

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22
Q

what do Theists believe miracles are?

A

the action of God and prove His existence

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22
Q

what do miracles show?

A

God’s love and help to strengthen a believer’s faith

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23
Q

what do Atheists believe about miracles?

A

they are no more than happy coincidences and they can be explained by science or people being delusional and lying

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24
Q

what do Theists believe about miracles?

A
  • if there is no scientific explanation for an event, it must be caused by something outside nature
  • God is the only thing that exists outside nature
  • these events must be the result of God’s intervention in the world
  • therefore, God must exist
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25
Q

what would Atheists and Agnostics believe about miracles?

A
  • miracles are no more than luck coincidences
  • they may have scientific explanations we don’t know about yet
  • miracle healings could be the result of mind over matter or misdiagnosis
  • some miracles are deliberately made up for fame or money
  • therefore, what appears to be a miracle has nothing to do with God- therefore they cannot prove God exists
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26
Q

problem with miracles: (mistakes)?

A
  • all miracles require you to believe in eyewitnesses
  • people can be mistaken about what they have seen and heard
  • some people will tell lies if it is to their benefit
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27
Q

problems with miracles: suffering?

A

if God performs miracles, why doesn’t he use a miracle to feed all starving people?

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27
Q

problems with miracles: science?

A

science can now explain many miracles so perhaps in the future, it will be possible to explain all miracles

27
Q

how might miracles affect a religious believers attitude towards God?

A
  • they may be more devoted to God
  • devote their life to God
28
Q

what criteria do miracles have to follow?

A
  • time span
  • severity
  • making sure the preexisting conditions beforehand was diagnosed
  • evidence (medical) to show the evidence of the heal
29
Q

what are Muslim responses to miracles?

A
  • miracles are not significant/important today
  • the most important miracle is the Revelation of the Qur’an
29
Q

what would Christians and Muslims respond to the existence of God being challenged by evil & suffering?

A
  • there does not need to be conflict between religion & science
  • evil and suffering exist because of free will
29
Q

what is the Inconsistent Triad?

A

1) God is benevolent- but if God is good, why does he want evil & suffering in the world?
2) God has the power to do anything (omnipotent) but if God is powerful, he must be able to get rid of evil & suffering
3) there is suffering in the world so either God is not good, or all-powerful or God does not exist

30
Q

what would some Christians believe about the problem of evil & suffering? q

A
  • the Garden of Eden- Adam and Eve’s mistakes have caused human suffering & death
30
Q

how can religion and science coexist: different spheres of human life?

A
  • religion- feeling
  • science- knowledge
30
Q

how would Christian’s respond to the problem of evil & suffering?

A
  • evil & suffering helps people to grow develop
  • we would not know what good is if we do not experience evil
  • free will
31
Q

what are some reasons why science & religion can coexist?

A
  • science is one of human’s greatest achievements- God’s greatest gift given to humans
  • religion & science can make a great partnership
  • science & religion should work together
32
Q

what would some Muslim responses be to the problem of evil and suffering?

A
  • same as Christians (not Garden of Eden)
  • suffering is a test from God to see if you will give into the Devil/ stop believing in God
32
Q

what would an Atheist approach be to humans having thumbs?

A
  • humans evolved from chimps- hands to fingers/ thumbs
  • happened naturally
32
Q

science & religion coexisting: the world?

A

science helps Christians to reach a more complete understanding of the universe that God created

33
Q

science & religion coexisting: the Bible?

A

the Bible talks about the same reality as described by science, history, politics & other social sciences

33
Q

what would an Atheist approach be to everything is just right for human life to develop?

A

humans have developed to match the Earth

34
Q

what reasons might God have to interact with people?

A
  • to help people if they are struggling
  • God can give advice
35
Q

what is special revelation?

A

a form of revelation where God reveals themselves through remarkable experiences usually only open to one or a small group of people- often through a religious experience

35
Q

what are Muslim beliefs around special revelation?

A
  • Muslim’s have no concept of special revelation
  • divine revelations are only for the prophets and messengers- the last of which was Muhammad
  • Muslim’s believe it is possible for God to send angels as a spiritual experience but nobody can claim to be a prophet/ messenger
35
Q

what are some forms of special revelation?

A

visions, dreams, miracles or hearing God’s call directly

36
Q

what is general revelation?

A

God making himself known through ordinary experiences

36
Q

what is a vision?

A

seeing something that shows something about the nature of God or the afterlife

36
Q

what might be the alternative explanations for special revelation and visions?

A
  • hallucinations/ dreams
  • drugs/ alcohol
  • mental health issues
37
Q

what is enlightenment?

A
  • how to end suffering and achieve happiness
  • this will ultimately allow Buddhist’s to escape the cycle of birth, death & rebirth
37
Q

what might the natural world tell us about God?

A

the world is so large that it shows how powerful God is

38
Q

what is general revelation closely linked to?

A

the Design Argument

39
Q

what are 4 ways in which Christians can get general revelation?

A

1) seeing God’s presence in nature
2) when they worship God
3) read the scriptures- Bible
4) through the lives and work of religious leaders

40
Q

how might Christians believe that nature reveals the divine?

A
  • the beauty & order of the natural world
  • nature gives believers an insight into God
  • by looking at the world, believers might think that God is creative, powerful etc
41
Q

how might Muslims believe that nature reveals the divine?

A

the Qur’an has many verses that speak of the natural world as a sign of God’s power and his love for his creation

42
Q

what do Christians and Muslims believe about scripture?

A
  • scripture shows what God is like
  • how God acted in the past
  • how God wants people to live
43
Q

what are some examples of special revelation?

A
  • receiving a prophecy from an angel
  • seeing Jesus during a near death experience
  • experiencing a healing miracle
44
Q

what do Christian’s and Muslim’s see God as being?

A
  • omnipotent
  • omniscient
  • omnibenevolent
  • personal
  • impersonal
  • immanent
  • transcendent
45
Q

what does omniscient mean?

A

all knowing

46
Q

what does personal mean?

A

God is an individual whom people are able to have a relationship or feel close to

47
Q

what does omnipotent mean?

A

almighty, having unlimited power

48
Q

what does omnibenevolent mean?

A

all- loving, all-good

49
Q

what does immanent mean?

A

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

50
Q

what does transcendent mean?

A

God is beyond and outside life on earth and the universe

51
Q

what does God being impersonal mean?

A

God has no human characteristics, is unknowable and mysterious

52
Q

what are some of the 99 names of Allah?

A
  • the All Mighty
  • the Protecting Friend
  • the Most Just
52
Q

can God be present in the world & separate from the world at the same time?

A

Yes- God is God so can do anything & everything

52
Q

should God act within the world?

A

yes- if He created the world he should be able to act within it

53
Q

can God be both personal and impersonal, immanent and transcendent? (Christianity)

A
  • God is not bound by human constraints
  • God can be everything
  • God can be many different things at once- (The Trinity)
54
Q

can God be both personal and impersonal, immanent and transcendent? (Islam)

A
  • the 99 names of Allah- all apparent differences in God’s personality/ nature- explains the diversity & differences of Allah
55
Q

why might revelations be hard to prove?

A

they are subjective, personal experiences

56
Q

how might Christians and Muslims respond to the claims of people making up religious experiences?

A

they may believe it is sinful as it is lying and not being truthful to God- which you should not do

t&p (17 decks)

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