Unit 2: Section 1

Question 1

How can religious upbringing lead to belief in God?

Answer 1

• Christening - Parents promise to raise their children as Christians, the parents believe in God so the children have to reason to doubt he exists.
• Church - Seeing so many people praying and believing in God makes them feel God must exist.
• Faith Schools - Christianity is a normal part of school life, and people they respect will be Christians (teachers, clergy etc).
• Prayer - Speaking to God is normal/natural/important part of life, answered prayer will prove he exists.

Question 2

What are the four types of religious experience?

Answer 2

• Numinous - A feeling from a Holy building or looking at the stars, the feeling of the presence of something greater than yourself.
• Conversion - A great feeling that God is real, so the person changes their life/lifestyle to commit themselves to God (e.g. Nicky Cruz).
• Miracle - An event that breaks scientific laws so can only be explained by God (e.g. Jesus brought Jairus’ daughter back to life, walked on water, healed a paralysed man).
• Answered Prayer - Someone prays to God to help with a problem, and the problem is solved or disappears, so God must exist to hear the prayer and fix the problem.

Question 3

What evidence is there for design in the world?

Answer 3

• D.E.S.I.G.N
• DNA - Its structure/formation seem to indicate a design.
• Evolution - Complex life formed from simple life.
• Scientific Laws - Gravity, electricity, motion, magnetism.
• (Include Paley’s Watch).
• (God must exist - this evidence proves so).
• Natures Beauty - Appears to have been designed.

Question 4

What is the Paley’s Watch Argument?

Answer 4

• A watch does not appear by chance, it must have been designed by a watchmaker.
• The universe is more complicated, so must need a universe maker.
• Only God could’ve designed the universe, so God must exist.

Question 5

What are the problems with the Design Argument?

Answer 5

• Ignores the lack of design, e.g. natural disasters.
• All the evidence for design can be explained by science without mentioning God.
• Does not refer to the existence of dinosaurs. If they were designed then why did they become extinct?

Question 6

How can the idea of Causation lead to belief in God?

Answer 6

• If we look at things in the world, we can see they have a cause.
• Anything caused to exist must be caused by something else.
• So the universe must have a cause.
• Only God could cause the universe to exist.
• So God is the first cause and must exist.

Question 7

What are the problems with Causation?

Answer 7

• What caused God?
• Some think a better explanation is that the matter of the universe is eternal, meaning the process of causes goes on forever.

Question 8

What do agnostic/atheist people believe about the origins of the world?

Answer 8

• Science explains the origins of the world through the Big Bang and Evolution.
• Agnostics - See the scientific explanations that explain the worlds origins without God, and religion which says God created everything and they are unsure what to believe.
• Atheists - They are sure there is no God, as science explains the origins of people/the universe without referencing God.

Question 9

How do Christians respond to scientific explanations of the origins of the world?

Answer 9

• Most Christians believe that science proves God created the universe because:
• The Big Bang had to happen at exactly the right second.
• There had to be scientific laws for the matter of the universe to form solar systems, and only God could’ve made these laws.
• Life on Earth needs carbon to be able to bond with four other atoms and water molecules, and God must have ensured this happened.
• Some Christians believe that religion and science are correct.
• They say ‘let there be light’ is a direct reference to the Big Bang, and the order that God creates life is the same order as evolution.

Question 10

How do athiests argue that unanswered prayer proves God doesn’t exist?

Answer 10

• If God existed, and was omni-benevolent and omniscient, he would answer everyone’s prayer.
• People experience pain and suffering, and watch family/friends suffer and God seems to do nothing.
• Some people doubt God because they don’t feel his presence when they pray (no religious experience).
• Some people think there is no God to answer them.

Question 11

How do Christians respond to unanswered prayer?

Answer 11

• If what you pray for is selfish, e.g. ‘Help me pass this exam’ it would be unfair for him to help if you had not revised, so he is answering your prayer by encouraging you to work hard
• Parents give children what they need, not necessarily what they want. God is answering your prayer by giving you what you need not what you want.
• Christians believe God loves people and trust him to do what is best for them and answer their prayers in the best possible way, even if it doesn’t look like a direct answer as he is omniscient and benevolent.

Question 12

How do atheists argue that unanswered prayer proves God doesn’t exist?

Answer 12

• If God existed, and was omni-benelovent an omniscient then everyones prayers would be answered.
• Many people experience pain/suffering, or watch as loved ones suffer and God seems to do nothing.
• Some doubt his existence because they don’t feel his presence when they pray (no religious experience).
• Therefore they argue that there is no God to answer them.

Question 13

How do Christians respond to unanswered prayers?

Answer 13

• If what you pray for is selfish (e.g. ‘Please help me to pass this exam’) it would be unfair of God to help you pass the exam if you hadn’t revised, so he is answering your prayer by encouraging you to work hard.
• Parents don’t necessarily give children what they want, but give them what they need. God answers the prayer by giving them what they need instead of what they asked for.
• Christians believe that God loves people and that he is omniscient and benevolent. They trust him to answer their prayers in the best possible way, even if it doesn’t look like a direct answer.

Question 14

How do atheists argue that evil and suffering proves God doesn’t exist?

Answer 14

• If God is benevolent then he should not want evil and suffering in his world.
• If God is omnipotent then he should be able to get rid of evil and suffering.
• If God was omniscient then he wouldn’t have created a world with evil and suffering in it.
• But there is evil and suffering in this world, so either God is not benevolent, omniscient, and omnipotent, or he does not exist.

Question 15

How do Christians respond to the problem of evil and suffering?

Answer 15

• It is a result of humans misusing their free will.
• It is part of a test from God to prepare people for heaven.
• God knows why these things happen but we cannot, and we have to trust him.
• Jesus taught the need for prayer and good works, without evil and suffering we cannot do this.
• It was planned from the beginning after Adam and Eve disobeyed God and sin entered the world like a curse.

Question 16

What TV program encourages belief in God? How?

Answer 16

Songs Of Praise (Christian worship programme)

• Discusses conversion experiences (Les & Nightshift)
• Shows God and Christianity as relevant for the modern world, e.g. online churches.
• Shows Church members outreaching to their communities, so God must exist to make these people help strangers to change their lives for the better.

Question 17

What TV programme discourages belief in God? How?

Answer 17

The Most Hated Family in America (Westboro’ Baptist Church)

• They say God hates everyone, so why would people want to believe in a God likes this.
• If believing in God causes this behaviour then it can put a person off God.
• They show God as not benevolent, e.g. “God hates fags”, “God hates America” and protesting at soldiers funerals.
• If God was omniscient and omnipotent why would he let evil people like this exist?