Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Existence of God and Revelation (The Design Argument (Design argument, the…
Existence of God and Revelation
The First Cause Argument
There has to be an uncaused cause which created everything otherwise there would be nothing now
Thomas Aquinas, everything we observe is caused to exist nothing can become something by itself. There is either an infinite chain of effects preceded by causes or, there is a first cause which was uncaused. An infinite sequence of effects is impossible because it would take an infinite amount of time to reach us therefore a first cause must have happened that cause being God
Objections
If everything has a cause what caused God
If you say God is eternal and has always existed why cant the same be true of the universe
Just because events or things have causes doesn't mean the universe does
The big bang was just a random spontaneous event
The religious creation stories are just myths
The Design Argument
Design argument, the argument that God created the universe as everything is too intricate to have happened by chance
William Paley's design argument. Watch in a field
Issac Newton, opposable thumb unique as well as thumb print
Thomas Aquinas, God causes everything to keep stay in alignment such as how the planets keep spinning
F.R Tennant God designed everything so that evolution could happen
Objections to the design argument
Evolutionary Theory
Why does God allow pain and suffering if he designed everything
Humans impose the order or structure in nature in order to explain it
Theist, a person who believes in God
Theists believe Genesis 1 is evidence for design as God planned the Universe
Atheist, someone who does not believe in God
Agnostic, someone who does not think there is enough evidence to believe in God
The Argument from Miracles
Miracle
A seemingly impossible event usually good
Cant be explained by natural or scientific laws and is thought to be the action of God
There are two types or miracles
One seems to break natural laws and cannot be explained
Others are just coincidences and luck
Objections
Lucky coincidence
There could be an undiscovered scientific explanation
An illness
They're just fakes
Further Arguments Against the Existence of God
Using Science
People used God to explain things they couldn't explain, now that we can explain and understand these things theres not a reason to believe in him
Some Christian scientists tried to combine both thoughts and said that God caused the big bang and let everything develop
Evil and Suffering in the World
If God was benevolent why would he let suffering happen
An argument against this is that God created human with free will and made sure we were not robots programmed to do good all the time
Special Revelation and Enlightenment
What is meant by the divine
Every religion accepts that there is an ultimate reality, a supreme and final fundamental power in all reality.
How may God be known
Most Christians believe that it is impossible to fully understand God due to our limited comprehension, they do believe that it is possible to understand certain aspects of him
Special Revelation
A direct personal expireince or unusual specific event
Visions and Enlightenment
Vision, seeing something in a dream or trance I.E St. Paul and his vision on the road to Damascus
Enlightenment, gaining of true knowledge about God or self through mediation or self discipline
General Revelation
Different Ideas About the Divine
Descriptions of God's nature
Omnipotent, all powerful
Omniscient, all knowing
Omni-benevolent, all loving
Immanent, God is involved with life on earth
Transcendent, God is beyond and outside life on earth
Eternal,
Compassionate
Can God be Immanent and Trancendant
God is personal, the idea that God is and individual that people can feel close to
God is impersonal, God is unknowable and mysterious more like an idea or force
How can God be both personal and impersonal
His personal side is displayed through Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit in the church. You can have a personal relationship with God through prayer
The Value of Revelation and Enlightenment
Value of Revelation
Proof of God's existence
Helps start a religion
Helps believers have a relationship with God
Help people to know how to live as God wishes
Revelation: Reality or Illusion
Revelations are difficult to prove however as people may see them differently as they are subjective
Revelations are less likely to be believed as real if they hold no correlation to our real world
If it contradicts the beliefs of a religion some people would say the revelation is not real
If the revelation drastically changes someone it may be genuine
Alternate explanations for revelations
Drink
Drugs
Mental Illness
Lying
Wishful thinking