Unit 3 - The Existence of God

Question 1

List the KEY FACTS of:

THE NATURE OF GOD (Biblical View)

Answer 1

• Genesis 1: CREATING world in 6 days
• Genesis 1: Creates humans in His IMAGE and LIKENESS
• Genesis 2: Creating ADAM & EVE in Garden of Eden.
• Genesis 2: Humans have gift of FREE WILL
• Genesis 3: Adam & Eve eat from the TREE OF KNOWLEDGE of Good and Evil. This FALL FROM GRACE leads to ORIGINAL SIN. God is described as punishing Adam and Eve, who are exiled from paradise.

Question 2

List the ANALYSIS of:

THE NATURE OF GOD (Contemporary View)

Answer 2

God is viewed as being Omnipotent, omniscient and benevolent (loving). These can be challenged:

• SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATIONS of the world can lead a person to become AGNOSTIC (unsure of God’s existence) or ATHEIST.
• PROBLEMS WITH MIRACLES - can be explained by scientific advancements. Also, why does God allow miracles, but genocide in the world.
• UNANSWERED PRAYERS - why would such a God not answer a person’s prayers.
• EVIL & SUFFERING - Why would such a God allow disease, starvation, wars …

Question 3

List the ANALYSIS of:

THE NATURE OF GOD
Why people might BELIEVE

Answer 3

• Omnipotent - all powerful
• Omnipresent - everywhere
• Omniscient - Knows all things
• Immanent - near to people
• Transcendent - beyond the physical universe
• Creator - of everything
• Interventionist - God acts in the events of history

Question 4

List the ANALYSIS of:

THE NATURE OF GOD
Why people might DISAGREE

Answer 4

• Omnipotent - we were told in scriptures how God saved the Hebrews from Egypt. Yet why do we not see him
  helping the Ukrainians?
• Omni-Attributes - Yet evil and suffering exists in world
• Big Bang theory and evolution disputes God as being creator of all things
• If God created the world as it is, you could argue that he has been cruel - poverty, war …
• Some people loose their faith when going through difficulties in life as God has not been with them

Question 5

List the ANALYSIS of:

THE NATURE OF GOD
Why existence of God is important

Answer 5

• If God is real, people may want to CONNECT with him
• If you decide God doesn’t exist, you can get on with your life without judgement
• If you decide God does exist, you may choose to change the way you live your life to please Him
• Knowing that God exists might help people to find meaning, value or purpose in life.

Question 6

List the EXAM PHRASES for:

THE COSMOLOGICAL ARGUMENT

Answer 6

• Aquinas’ Cosmological Arguments
• Counter-Arguments
• Science and the Cosmological Argument
• Viewpoints supporting / criticising

Question 7

List the KEY FACTS of:

THE COSMOLOGICAL ARGUMENT

Answer 7

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