Donovan
Overall Article
Discusses whether we can use intuition to gain direct knowledge of God.
Owen and Baillie - the world is proof of God's existence; just as an individual's actions tell us about their personality, the world tells us about God. Therefore have a personal connection.
Buber - discusses the nature of our relationship with God, about whether it is an I-It relationship (objective and analytical) or an I-You relationship (personal). Religious experiences are the I-You element of the relationship.
Conclusion - religious experience is important to believer as it has personal value, however it cannot be used as proof of God's existence or a way of gaining knowledge.
Key Theme 1: Religious Experience
"Religious experience is a source of knowledge."
Believers feel they can gain knowledge of God through prayer and miracles. Allows them to develop a personal relationship with God.
Swinburne agrees - when we experience something in our daily lives, we hold it to be true, why should it be any different with religious experience (principle of credulity).
Mackie disagrees - religious experiences cannot be compared to verifiable experiences in normal life, therefore they are unreliable and do not give us knowledge.Similar to Ayer, who says that "the argument from religious experience is altogether fallacious."
Key Theme 2: Intuition
"Knowledge arises not from reason or argument but from intuition."
We can learn about God from our intuition and inner conviction.
Attractive to believers because it creates a personal relationship with God.
Kant Agrees - points out in Westphal's article that the kernel of religion is morality; God guides us to be a moral person and live life in a moral way to enter the afterlife. We learn what is moral through our intuitive knowledge of God.
David Hume disagrees - the only way to gain knowledge is through empiricism. We must witness and experience things for ourselves in order to be certain that they are true. Use of intuition is not a reliable source of knowledge as there is no way to verify it, therefore it could be wrong. Similar to Ayer, who only deals in verifiable propositions that constitute science.
Key Theme 3: Arguments (Design)
"We can know God through finite things."
God reveals himself to humanity through the world, and so believers use this as a basis for gaining knowledge about him.
Corresponds with believers' belief of a divine creator, therefore solidifying it.
Paley agrees - uses watch analogy to show that we can see order, purpose and design in a watch, implying a design. We see similar aspects of order and purpose in the universe, implying design and a divine designer.
Dawkins disagrees - too much randomness in the world to suggest that there is a creator, and it is logical to assume that order would eventually come about as a result of former chaos. Therefore this cannot be used as grounds to suggest God created the universe or that he even exists.
Implication for religious belief - believers are justified in their belief of God. Can trust their religious experiences to reveal God to them, and also allows them to have a personal relationship with him.
Implication for human life - we can trust our experiences to gain knowledge and so this justifies our relationships with other people. We do not need to feel obliged to empirically prove that our relationships are genuine and so we can enjoy them much more
Implication for religious belief - religious morality is justified. Having an intuitive sense of right and wrong allows them to feel that God is guiding them on the right path and that they are living moral lives.
Implication for human life - there is a difference between 'feeling certain' and 'being right' and so we can use intuitions, but we are also required to check those intuitions against other things that we know. Includes questions of morality, there is more to moral thinking than just 'feeling certain' that an action is right or wrong.
Implication for religious belief - God becomes more real for believers as they can see his work in their everyday lives, adding value and importance to their beliefs. Also consolidates the teachings of the Bible as a reliable source of information as the creation story can be seen as true.
Implication for human life - just as we can know God's existence through his creation, we can know other people by their actions. We can understand their personalities as their actions define them as individuals.