Theme C - The existence of God and revelation

Question 1

The existence of God; for and against.

• Design argument (including strengths and weaknesses)
• First Cause argument (including strengths and weaknesses)
• Inconsistent Triad
• Miracles (including strengths and weaknesses + 2 examples of a miracle)
• Science

Answer 1

God Created the world:

AGREE: Muslims
- Allah created the world - it is in the Qu’ran ‘‘Creator of all things’’ - He omnipotent and omniscient.

AGREE: Christians - fundamentalists
would use the Design argument - The world works way as it is designed in a specific way - perfect so must have been created by an uncreated an infallible being. ‘‘In the beginning was the Word and the Word was God and the Word was with God’’.

• also weave in miracles - if God didn’t create the world, why are there miracles happening on Earth - events that break natural laws that science cannot fathom?
• First Cause argument - everything in society has a cause for its existence, including the world - this cause must have been God.

DISAGREE - Humanists may disagree - Inconsistent Triad by J.L Mackie - if God really created the world and he is omniscient and omnibenevolent, why is there evil and suffering?

DISAGREE - Liberal Christians - God may not have created the world and what they Bible may say is false - Bible written by man who has Original Sin and unlike God who is a God ‘‘without iniquity’’, humans are flawed, so may argue the Creation Story saying God created the world may also be flawed.

EXAMPLES OF MIRACLES

• Prophecies being fulfilled.
• Terminally ill individual recieving healing.

Question 2

Ways to understand the divine:

Special revelation
Enlightenment
General revelation

Examples

God is:

• omnipotent and omniscient
• personal and impersonal
• immanent and transcendent.
• what are the ‘strengths’ and ‘weaknesses’?

ie

• God is infallible so revelation must be true
• Only Christians/Muslims can understand
• People may be lying
• Hallucination
• Mistaken

Answer 2

How can we understand the divine and God?

• Special revelation (experiencing God directly)
• Enlightenment (gaining true knowledge about something)
• General revelation (experiencing God indirectly through the natural world).

What do these teach about God?
- Omnipotent (perfection of the earth)
- Omnibenevolent (loves earth so much he made everything including humans in ‘‘His image’’)
- Immanent - within man
- Transendent - outside of terrestrial time.

How can some revelations be disputed?

• Hallucinations
• Psychological issues
• Mistaken
• Lies
• Coincidences

Scriptures about revelations.

'’Where two or three are gathered there I am with them’’

'’Kind and Merciful’’

'’God created man in his own image’’

'’He is the God of faithfulness without injustice’’

EXAMPLES OF THESE TYPES OF REVELATIONS:

• Visions
• Prophecies being fulfilled
• Miracles
• Observing nature and experiencing awe and wonder from it (GENERAL REVELATION).

Question 3

Arguments for the existence of God.

Answer 3

• Design and First cause argument
• The Qu’ran says Allah is ‘‘The Creator of all things’’

Question 4

Arguments against the existence of God.

Answer 4

• Inconsistent Triad
• The Bible written by man
• Big Bang Theory

Question 5

What is meant by special revelation?

2 ways it influences religious ppl.

Answer 5

When people experience God through direct events eg a vision or a prophecy being fulfilled.

HOW DOES IT INFLUENCE RELIGIOUS PPL?

• Allows them to know God more as they directly experience Him through miracles and visions etc.
• Allows for their relationship with Him to be strenghtened as they know His existence is true.

INFLUENCES TO TRUST IN HIM MORE, TO LOVE IN HIM MORE.

Question 6

What is meant by general revelation?

How does this influence religous believers?

Answer 6

The way God is revealed through the natural world - this results in awe and wonder.

How does this influence religous believers?

Allows them to feel awe as they can see God’s perfection through His creation.

Grow closer to Him as they are comforted that God is all around them through nature.

Question 7

What is meant by enlightenment?

How does this influence religious believers?

Answer 7

The gaining of true knowledge about God, self or the nature of reality.

• They grow closer to God as they know his existence is true.
• They experience awe and wonder as they are made aware of his presence through enlightenment.

Question 8

'’To know God one must be enlightened’’ evaluate this statement

Answer 8

CHRISTIAN F - Enlightenment through special revelation: ‘‘I speak to them in dreams’’ eg visions - this show’s God’s immanence and transcendence.

ISLAM F - When an individual is enlightened they are made aware of the power of God - omnipotence ‘‘Creator of all things’’

A - GENERAL REV Worship ‘‘Where two or three are gathered in my name there I am with them’’

A - GENERAL REV Zakah ‘‘This is my path leading straight so follow it’’ - follow to Jannah to meet God.