Unit 1A - Existence of God

Question 1

What is a theist?

Answer 1

Someone who believes in the existence of God or gods

Question 2

What is an atheist?

Answer 2

Someone who does not believe in God or gods

Question 3

What is an agnostic?

Answer 3

Someone who believes that nothing can be known about the existence of God

Question 4

Who is the First Cause Argument associated with?

Answer 4

St Thomas Aquinas

Question 5

What are the key points of the First Cause Argument?

Answer 5

• Everything in the universe is part of a chain of cause and effect.
• Something must have happened to start this chain of cause and effect as infinite regress is impossible.
• This first cause must be eternal otherwise it would need a cause.
• This first cause or uncaused causer is God.

Question 6

What are the criticisms of the First Cause Argument?

Answer 6

• If God can be eternal, then you could argue the universe can be too (eg. Steady State theory)
• Aquinas cannot prove that infinite regress is impossible
• From a religious perspective, this argument reduces God to a distant being that simply created the universe

Question 7

What is the First Cause Argument also known as?

Answer 7

The Cosmological Argument

Question 8

Who is associated with the Design Argument?

Answer 8

William Paley and Isaac Newton

Question 9

What are the main points of the Design Argument?

Answer 9

• Paley made an analogy comparing the earth to a watch - if you found a watch on the moor you would see how all the springs and cogs work together to keep time - it would be natural to conclude the watch was designed by someone.
• He argued that in the same way a watch is incredibly complex, so is the universe - eg. the earth is the perfect distance from the sun, animals are adapted to their habitats

Question 10

What are the criticisms of the Design Argument?

Answer 10

• Complexity does not necessarily mean design - for example Darwin’s theory of evolution suggests all creatures came to be through random chance and years of natural selection.
• We cannot assume the world was designed by God.
• The world does not seem so well designed at times - eg. volcanoes and earthquakes. The existence of evil and suffering suggest God is not all good/powerful (see unit 3)
• David Hume argued the world was “only the first rude essay of some infant deity, who afterward abandoned it, ashamed of his performance”.

Question 11

What is the Design Argument also known as?

Answer 11

The Teleological Argument

Question 12

What are the strengths of the First Cause argument?

Answer 12

It is compatible with the teachings in the book of Genesis as well as the Big Bang theory

Question 13

What are the strengths of the Design Argument?

Answer 13

It is compatible with the teachings of Genesis

Question 14

Who is associated with the Religious Experience Argument?

Answer 14

Richard Swinburne

Question 15

What is the term for experiencing the presence of something greater?

Answer 15

Numinous experiences

Question 16

What is the Principle of Credulity?

Answer 16

If we normally trust our senses when judging if something is real or not, then we should also trust our senses if we have a religious experience (“we ought to believe that things are as they seem to be, until we have evidence that we are mistaken”)

Question 17

What is the Principle of Testimony?

Answer 17

If you normally believe what another person tells you then it is reasonable to believe what they tell you about a religious experience (“in the absence of special considerations the experiences of others are probably as they report them”)

Question 18

What are the criticisms of the Religious Experience Argument?

Answer 18

• The person making the claim could be mistaken - it could be a hallucination, an overactive imagination, mental instability or a wish projection
• Religious experiences are often subjective, personal and private so there is no empirical or verifiable evidence, making them difficult to prove or disprove
• We do not know if what we have experienced is God - it could have been a different phenomenon and is often impossible to prove one way or another
• Why would God only make himself known to some?

Question 19

What are the strengths of the Religious Experience Argument?

Answer 19

• Substantial numbers of people have had religious experiences that have had a profound impact on their lives
• Many examples of religious experiences have been thoroughly investigated and found to be credible eg. medical cures at Lourdes
• In some cases the religious experience has been shared by a number of people eg. the vision at Knock

Question 20

Who is the Moral Argument associated with?

Answer 20

St Thomas Aquinas and Immanuel Kant

Question 21

What are the main points of the Moral Argument?

Answer 21

• Humans are aware of good and evil
• The vast majority of people share this sense despite cultural differences
• In addition if we go against this sense we feel guilty, which is not a choice
• Therefore, there must be an absolute standard of goodness which has been given to all of humanity that comes from something more true, good and noble than humans
• This “External Lawgiver” must be God

Question 22

What is the principle of the summum bonus?

Answer 22

The ultimate goal of every human being is to bring about the “highest good” but this can only be created by God/the afterlife - this reward is what motivates moral behaviour

Question 23

What is the principle of categorical imperatives?

Answer 23

Just as there are natural laws there are moral laws - we have an inner sense telling us to do the right thing, which is not motivated by a reward

Question 24

What are the strengths of the Moral Argument?

Answer 24

There are many common approaches to morality - societies across the world will attach importance to family, protect the weak and vulnerable, respect others’ property and defer to authority

Question 25

What are the weaknesses of the Moral Argument?

Answer 25

• There are alternative explanations for morality eg. upbringing, education, culture, Richard Dawkins argued that humans have evolved a “lust to be nice” from living in close kinship groups
• If morality comes from God, it would be expected that there would be greater consistency of opinion on moral issues like abortion and child marriage
• The idea of categorical imperatives suggest that we do not have moral free will
• The summum bonum does not necessarily prove God