what is the design argument
the arguments suggesting that proof of God’s existence can be seen through the evidence of ‘design’ in the world - also known as the teleological argument
what are examples of design
- complexity - designed so intractely that it couldnt not have been a coincedence
- regularity - order and structure in world eg the seasons every year / time every day remains constant - had to be designed in such a way
- purpose
= all ties into watchmaker analogy - William Paley on how the watch has been specifciallly designed to have a purpose , has a complex structure and so there must be a designer who created this complex structure - like the watch must have a maker , the world must have a maker who has created such an intricately designed and consise design
what are the strengths of the design argument
CONSISTENT WITH CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURE : the bible teaches christians that they can see evidence of God’s design in the world around them - psalms teaches that the “ skies proclaim the work of His hands”
CONSISTENT WITH ISLAMIC SCRIPTURE :
Qur’an teaches muslims that there are ‘signs for people who use reason’ in the universe around them / eg order in universe like regularity of day and night
FR TENNANT’S ANTHROPIC PRINCIPLE:
tennant said the universe has been “ fine tuned” fir human life to flourish - there are 30 + perfect boundary conditions that must have been put in place. by God eg distance from Sun
what are the weaknesses of the design argument
- Science proves there is no designer :
Richard Dawkins ( atheist) say s that belief in God is delusion - the world was not designed for us , instead we addapted to it via evolution - he says “ natural selection is the blind watchmaker”
Problem of evil and suffering - the amount of evil and suffering in the world shows that we live in a “ designedly imperfect” world - the designer of this world lacks omnipotence and omnibenevolence otherwise they would’ve designed a world without so much suffering = disporves existance of God
what is the first cause argument
argument suggesting that God’s existence can be proved by logical argument and the evidence of a universal chain of causes and effects = the universe requires an uncaused cause at the start = must be God
what are the strengths of the First cause argument
- St Thomas Aquinas : “ it is necessary to arrive at a First Mover” - Thomas Aquinas wrote that “ whatever is in motion must have been put into motion” and there must be a “ First mover” who started everything = God
CONSISTENT WITH CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURE : the Bible teaches Christians that “ in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” - genesis = consistent with the belief that God is the “ First Cause” of the universe
CONSISTENT WITH ISLAMIC SCRIPTURE:
Qur’an teaches Muslims that God is “God the eternal” - surah = consistent with belief that God is the “ uncaused causer “ who is “ first cause” of the universe
what are the weaknesses of the First cause argument
Big Bang was the first cause :
no evidence / proof that God was the First cause - scientists believe that Big Bang was First cause of universe
if everything needs a cause - what caused God ? : First cause argument is bsaed on beief that “ nothing can come from nothing” = everything must have a cuase - if God doesnt need a cuase , then why does the universe
Fallacy of composition: Bertrand Russel argued thatjust because thinsg in universe have a cuase doesnt mean that universe must have a cuase = he says the universe is “ just there and that is all”
what are miracles
an event that contradicts the laws of nature and is usually thought to be impossible
what are strengths of miracles
- New Testament records 37 miracles performed by Jesus , eg feeding 5000 and the ressurection. = shows that miracles are an important part of Christians faith and onfirm God’s omnipotence - jesus taught that “ all things are possible with God”
Islamic religion began with miraculous revelation of Qur’an to Muhammad - who was illiterate but was able to recieive , recite and share the revelation of the Qur’an - it was taught to Muhammad with “ mighty powers and great stregnth” = confirms God’s omnipotence and importance of miracles
what are weaknesses of miracles
- Although miracles confirm God’s omnipotence, they raise questions about His omnibenevolence. / Why does God choose to perform miracles such as water into wine (Bible) but not stop save innocent children from natural disasters or illness? God’s omnibenevolence is challenged by the fact that He does not help all people, but only a select few.
Miracles could be misunderstandings of misinterpretations of naturally occurring events - just because we don’t understand what caused something, that doesn’t mean it is a miracle. Somebody could be mistaken or even lying. Richard Dawkins says they cannot prove God exists.
what is evil
a cause of suffering - the moral opposite of GOOD
what is natural evil
caused by nature
what is moral evil
caused by humans
what is the inconsistent triad
God cannot be both omnipotent and omnibenevolent when evil exists in world
how do Christians respond to evil and suffering
St Augustine: said evil and suffering exist because of Adam and Eve. Their
disobedience of God in the Garden of Eden caused Original Sin - because of this, we are all born sinful and experience suffering.
Free Will Defence Moral evil is explained by Free Will, which God lovingly gave to us. Evil is the price we have to pay for the greater good of free will.
Soul Making
Evil and suffering are catalysts for character development. St Paul said ‘suffering produces perseverance’ - they help us become good.
how do Muslims respond to evil and suffering
Trust in God’s plan
The Qur’an teaches Muslims that ‘God will not burden a soul with more than it can bear’. = that suffering may be part of a greater plan that God has for our lives, that we don’t fully understand. Muslims believe we must remain faithful and trust in His plan for us.
Strengthen faith Muslims believe that the response to evil and suffering should not be to question God but instead strengthen your faith in Him. The Qur’an teaches Muslims to ‘seek help through patience and prayer’.
what is the theory of evolution
scientific theory for the origins of human beings
what are special revelations / vision
an experience of seeing / experiencing something in the imagination or through a dream
what are the strengths of visions being true
- Visions are an important form of communication from God
The Bible teaches that God communicates with humanity through visions. For example, St Paul’s vision on the Road to Damascus which led to his conversion.
Islam - Visions are an important form of communication from God
The Hadiths teach that ‘A good vision is from God’. This shows that visions are an important from of communication from God. They emphasise God’s immanence - that He is involved within the world and close to humanity.
The Islamic religion began with Muhammad’s visions of Angel Jibril, during which the Qur’an was revealed to him.
what are the weakness of visions
Apparent visions may have alternative explanations. For example, somebody may have been hallucinating. They may be malnourished, sleep deprived or intoxicated. Some scholars think St Paul had epilepsy, meaning there was a neurological origin for his visions.
Somebody may be mistaken or lying
There is no objective evidence for claims of visions - they depend on personal testimony from the person. This is unreliable because somebody may be mistaken about what happened or could have made the story up. Therefore, visions are not credible evidence for the evidence of God.
what is enlightenment
state of spiritual awakening and gaining of deeper understanding of reality
how do christians gain englightenment
greater understanding about God through:
- Reading the Bible (contains God’s laws, rules, important messages for humanity).
- Learning about God (for example, from parents within a religious family).
- Praying (strengthens your
relationship with God and provides space for personal reflection on His plan for your life).
Christians would believe it is difficult to become fully enlightened during our lifetimes due to distractions, sin etc.
how do muslims gain englightenment
- Studying the Qur’an (the infallible word of God containing truth and guidance for humanity)
- Performing the Five Pillars (Shahadah, Salah, Sawm, Zakat, Hajj - which strengthen faith and teach you how to live a good life).
- Praying (fulfils a religious obligations, strengthens your relationship with God and helps you to strengthen your knowledge of God).
what is general revelation
the indirect revelatino about God , available to all people
