UNIT 1 REVISION

Question 1

“Atheists are just as moral as religious believers.” Do you agree with this statement? Give reasons for your answer”

Answer 1

• Atheism and humanism support this claim.
• Humans can be moral without holding religious belief, to state otherwise may be offensive.
• Different religions often provide different moral rules but cause moral confusion and conflct.
• Many charities are open to and are supported by those of all beliefs and none.

On the other hand:

• Theists disagree with this claim as God is the ultimate source of morality.
• It is essential to obey Divine commands in order to be morally good.
• Human morality without God is too subjective.
• Belief in the afterlife can shape morality for religious believers.

Question 2

Do you think it is wrong for religious believers to think of God in human terms? Give reasons for your answer.

Answer 2

• If God is transcendent and unknowable, then it is not appropriate to give God earthly/human characteristics.
• Describing God in this way limits God to the level of human understanding.
• If God created the universe and created human beings, then God is clearly different from/greater than everything on earth.
• Hinduism acknowledges multiple God images.

On the other hand:

• It is the tradition in many different religious traditions to use personal language to describe God.
• Christians believe that Jesus was God in human form.
• Within Christianity Jesus instructs his disciples to pray “Our Father in heaven…”.
• The Genesis account of creation says human beings were created in the image of God. * Giving God human qualities helps humans to relate to God.

Question 3

“It is difficult to accept God’s existence as there are so many beliefs about him.” Do you agree with this statement? Give reasons for your answer

Answer 3

• Different beliefs about God from different religions undermine the credibility of God’s existence.
• It is difficult to accept God’s existence and the existence of heaven reserved for people who worship God in a particular way. Will God exclude people whose beliefs are alternative in any way?
• Humanists would accept this claim and argue that all religions are false.

On the other hand:

• Most religions share common beliefs about God, e.g. God’s immanence, God is good, God is the creator.
• Different religions are different paths to the one God.
• God is bigger than human understanding so all religions are equally valid.

Question 4

“It is impossible to experience God in the twenty first century.” Do you agree with this statement? Give reasons for your answer

Answer 4

• We are in an increasingly secular society.
• Experiences of God such as visions and miracles are being challenged today.
• Atheism will not want to acknowledge any experiences of the divine.
• Humanity turns to science for what previously was attributed to God.

On the other hand:

• God continues to actively reveal himself to humanity, e.g. answered prayer.
• There is an increasing interest in spiritual experiences, e.g. mindfulness.
• Theism still exists and continues to have a powerful impact today.

Question 5

Do you think the only way to relate to the universe is through taking care of the environment? Give reasons for your answer

Answer 5

• The Genesis accounts detail humanity’s role in life is to care and take responsibility of what God has created, thus the best way to relate to the universe is through human stewardship.
• Humanity is given the role of stewardship as we do not own the world, we are looking after it for future generations.
• Humanity is asked to be responsible for the earth and all life within it, giving time, talent and treasure to protect the earth.
• All religions portray God as creator and therefore God and his creations should be protected and cared for.

On the other hand:

• We can also relate to the universe by taking care of others and treating people with equality/respect.
• We can relate to the universe by showing appreciation to God for the wonder of the earth/creation.
• We can relate to the universe by simply appreciating the beauty of the world around us

Question 6

“It is difficult for religious believers to accept the Big Bang theory.” Do you agree with this statement? Give reasons for your answer.

Answer 6

“It is difficult for religious believers to accept the Big Bang theory.” Do you agree with this * Christians believe that God is the creator of the universe.

• Arguments for the existence of God cite very convincing evidence. For example the evidence of design within creation, the need for a First Cause to the universe.
• The arguments for God’s existence answer the question why is there something rather than nothing?
• Many accept the Big Bang theory based on the premise that this is all part of Gods design plan. However believers do not accept that God’s creation led to chaos and destruction.
• From the Big Bang the integral workings of the planets came into being and these clearly reflect the work of God.
• Some people believe it is all part of the wider plan, of which humankind can only know a fraction of, but has responsibility to respect and care for it.

On the other hand:

• The Big Bang theory, discovered by scientists’ highlights that planets and galaxies are flying apart in chaos and were once close together in one dense mass.
• From the speed of this movement scientists have been able to gauge how old the universe is, but they cannot explain the disorder.
• Scientists believe that once the material cools it will begin to contract on itself, ultimately leading to the ‘big crunch’.
• However, scientists believe that the process of the big bang has a limit and it will eventually come to an end, leading to the question for theists – would God put limitations on his creation?statement? Give reasons for your answer.