Theme C God
- Created by: Sia11
- Created on: 27-09-21 16:53
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- Theme C God
- The design argument
- Also known as the teleological argument, meaning it is based on telos or purpose.
- It was put forward by the Christian William Paley who devised the Watchmaker Analogy. He said that a watch is complex, intricate and works towards a purpose and we wouldn’t think it could have come together by chance. We know there is a watchmaker.
- The human eye, and other natural things show the same features so we surely can’t think they came about by chance. Nature, life and the world must also have a designer – God.
- Strengths
- The analogy shows how illogical it is to think that complex things eg the human brain, solar systems etc could have come about by chance when we would never think the same thing about watches etc
- The Goldilocks Effect shows how fine-tuned our environment is for us to exist. Things like our distances from the Sun or gravitational pull are ‘just right’ for human existence and this can’t just be chance
- Weaknesses
- Evolution Theory by Darwin explains how things have come to be complex and work for a purpose over millions of years through natural selection. Dawkins calls this the ‘Blind Watchmaker’ we aren’t designed we have adapted.
- Hume argued that the world was badly designed. He asked why is the designer God? It looks more like an ‘infant deity’ who didn’t know what to do as we have natural disasters, blindness, disease etc.
- The first cause argument
- This is an argument also known as the cosmological argument as it is based on the cosmos (universe).
- It was put forward by St.Aquinas who observed that everything in our universe is caused by a prior event. Things can be traced back to prior causes in a chain.
- If everything has to have a cause the universe itself must have a cause to start the chain off.
- Strengths
- The Big Bang supports the idea that the universe has a starting point and didn’t always exist
- It is logical that God is the uncaused cause as He transcends time and space and is powerful enough to create it: infinite regress would result in nothing
- Weaknesses
- Hawking (a leading scientist on the Big Bang) has said “the universe can, and did create itself” science argues the cause was random
- Hume would say it is an inductive leap to claim God is the cause of the universe: why does it have to be God, or specifically a God of Christianity etc?
- Miracles
- A miracle is an extraordinary event which cannot be explained naturally and is believed to be caused by God. People who believe miracles have happened argued this proves that God must exist to have caused them.
- In the Bible
Jesus performed 4 types of miracle: nature, healing, exorcism and resurrection.
These proved the signs of the incarnation and that He is omnipotent, loving and
will triumph over evil.
- EG The Feeding the 5000 shows he will provide for followers and shows his power.
- Liberal Christians may see them as myths with a meaning.
- One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is the ability to heal. Faith healing is a key part of some Churches today. People are cured of illness.
- Jean Pierre Beley was cured of MS after visiting Lourdes. Since St Bernadette had a vision of Mary there many people have been healed from the water in the grotto. The Catholic Church have authorised 69 miracles and Beley’s was the most recent. He had sudden, long lasting and unexplained reverse to his MS symptoms eg able to walk again.
- Strengths
- Shows God’s immanence, love and personal qualities. Can comfort people.
- Evidence from revelation – this knowledge is trusted by religious people especially literalists. Jesus was God incarnate so had the power to perform them.
- Many people experience this first hand. The Churches are popular today.
- The Catholic Church has a board of professionals to certify whether a miracle is authentic – they use evidence and science cannot explain these events otherwise.
- Weaknesses
- God wouldn’t be so unjust as to choose to help some but not others so many religious people don’t accept miracles today.
- Empiricists don’t trust revealed knowledge and might say the stories could have been made up. Liberal Christians see them as a myth not absolute truth.
- Hume – people want to believe miracles happen so trick themselves that they have.
- Why would only 69 out of millions be cured by God? God of the Gaps also applies – perhaps one day science will be able to explain these events.
- The design argument
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