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DCT: Knowledge of Gods existence - Coggle Diagram
DCT: Knowledge of Gods existence
Natural Knowledge
God's existence as an innate human sense of the divine:
Roman philosopher Cicero noted all cultures have a sense of an infinite being that is in control of the universe.
Human beings are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27)
Catholics use the latin term 'imago dei' to describe the relationship between God and humans.
Many scholars use this belief to argue that because humans are created 'imago dei', they have an inbuilt desire to know God.
This includes human openness to beauty and goodness as aspects of God.
John Calvin:
It is argued that we naturally recognise and understand that beauty comes from God.
In the 16th century, John Calvin claimed we have an innate sense of the divine.
He made this claim in Institutes of the Christian Religion.
Calvin coined the term 'sensus divinitas'. This can be translated as a 'seed of divinity', or an innate sense of God.
Sensus divinitas can be experienced in 3 ways:
The conscience, beauty and intellectual ability.
Innate knowledge:
This means humans have an intellectual ability to reflect on and recognise God's existence.
Calvin took the view that the beauty of the world is clear evidence of the existence of God.
This shows our human openness to beauty and goodness as aspects of God.
Calvin argues every human being is born with a knowledge that God exists and that we are accountable to him.
Calvin learned the concept of innate knowledge of God from St. Paul, especially from the first two chapters of Romans.
Thomas Aquinas:
In the 13th Century, Thomas Aquinas put forward the cosmological argument.
This looked at the chain of cause and effect in the world.
In particular, Aquinas looked at the cause and effect seen in the order of creation.
He concluded that natural theology was important in demonstrating reasonability in Christian belief.
Because the universe exists, something must have caused it to exist. Aquinas argued that God created existence.
The Bible:
The Bible also offers the view that the natural world demonstrates truths about God.
In the book of Psalms, the writer looks up at the night sky and sees clear evidence of the existence of God and God's relationship with humanity.
Richard Swinburne:
Argues that our human reason and powers of observation support the probability that there is a God.
Revealed knowledge in faith, grace and Jesus Christ
Revelation:
Used in religion as a term to describe God revealing himself to humanity.
Grace is God's gift of knowledge of himself through the Holy Spirit.
According to Augustine, all humans are sinful and have a finite mind.
Augustine bases his belief on the book of Genesis and 'The Fall' of man.
So, natural knowledge is insufficient to gain full knowledge of God. Knowledge of God is possible through faith and grace.
Knowledge:
Thomas Aquinas wrote about faith and the ways in which it complements and differs from other kinds of knowledge.
In 'Summa Theologica', he explores how empirical knowledge (scientia) is certain.
He sees this as certain because we can see the evidence in front of us, either through our senses or by using reason.
Faith:
Unlike knowledge, faith does not have this firm self-evident certainty.
So, faith is a voluntary choice: 'An act of the intellect assenting to the truth at the command of the will'.
Aquinas argued that we cannot have faith and scientific knowledge about the same thing.
Faith is about those things where certainty is not readily available.
Science is about the things we can test and confirm for ourselves.
Opinion:
Faith differs from opinion because opinion does not have the certainty that faith does.
Like faith, opinion is a matter of choice.
This is because the evidence is not clear in supporting one view or another.
But, opinion is open to change as people might be persuaded to change their opinions.
Faith has a certain and solid commitment that does not have elements of doubt.
Jesus Christ:
Full and perfect knowledge of God is revealed in the person of Jesus Christ and through the life of the Church and the Bible.
It is Christian belief that Jesus was the incarnation of God, meaning God in human form.
According to John's gospel, Jesus was the 'word made flesh'.
For this reason, Jesus' words are believed to be the very words of God.
Jesus' actions and sacrifice on the cross are believed to be the actions and sacrifice of God, revealing God's omnibenevolent nature.
In Christian thought, Jesus' miracles reveal the nature of God in different ways.
Jesus calming the storm reveals God's omnipotence over the laws of nature.
Jesus healing people from leprosy, blindness and paralysis reveals God's grace in restoring people.
Jesus feeding the 5000 shows God is the giver of everything people need for their lives.
Jesus raising Lazarus reveals God as the giver of life after death.
Revealed knowledge in the Bible and Church:
Salvation:
In Christianity, salvation is the saving of human beings from death and separation from God through Christ's death on the cross and resurrection.
Salvation is also called deliverance or redemption.
It is clear throughout the Bible that God speaks to his people directly.
This is through visions and the work of key figures.
God becomes known to people in the Bible through his direct revelation to them.
Direct revelation:
A Biblical example of direct, immediate revelation is that of St Paul, whose previous name was Saul.
Saul travelled to Damascus to arrest Christians there.
As he did so, Jesus appeared from the heavens in a flash of bright light to ask him why he was persecuting the Christians.
He was struck blind and Saul proceeded to Damascus where he fasted and prayed.
In a vision, Jesus told his disciple Ananias to find Saul and restore his sight.
Saul's sight was restored and he became a disciple of Christianity.
He became a pivotal figure in the Christian Church and wrote over half of the new testament.
Through Paul, many Christians gain revelation of God through the Bible and his stories.
Interpreting the Bible:
Fundamental Christians will take the Bible as the Word of God that cannot be wrong.
They will take the genesis story as a literal account of creation.
Non-literalists will see the Bible as an inspired text that still holds authority.
But, they may see the Bible as an account of how God has worked through the lives of different people.
Church:
The Catholic Church thinks that God has not left us with just the Bible, but a Church. The Church is the 'Body of Christ' which passes on truth and teachings.
In 325 BCE the Bishops of the Church met as Nicaea to discuss what the official teachings of the Church should be.
They came up with the Nicene Creed: numerous Catholic beliefs about the Holy Trinity.
Reason and belief in God:
Karl Barth:
Karl Barth believed that it was a form of arrogance to imagine that fallible human reason could lead people into any knowledge of God.
Revelation only happens when God decides.
The statement 'can God be known through reason alone' begs too many questions as to what 'knowledge of God' actually means.
If it means that some people believe that God exists, then this is not innate knowledge.
This is because it could be taught through schools, parents or culture.
If this means knowledge of God is intrinsic but not everyone knows this explicitly, then the claim is worthless.
The statement is untestable. It is simply not possible to know whether all people have knowledge of God.
Christian teaching is that the Fall was marred the image of God.
So, nobody can know God through their own will, reason or desire.
Augustine was a firm believer in human reason being flawed.
If this is so, certainly human reason cannot be used to gain knowledge of God.
However, it is not unreasonable to believe that a loving God who created humans would have made some way for those humans to contact Him.
Faith:
Roman Catholics see faith as being something that works alongside reason.
It is about 'buying in' to something that you have reasoned to be true.
Thomas Aquinas wrote about the nature of faith and the ways in which it complements and differs from other kinds of knowledge.
Thomas Aquinas:
In Summa Theologica, Aquinas explores how empirical and logical knowledge 'scientia' is certain because we can see the evidence in front of us.
This could either be through our senses or by using reason.
Faith, in contrast, does not have this firm self-evident certainty.
So, faith is a voluntary choice; "an act of the intellect assenting to the truth at the command of the will."
Arguments against faith:
Richard Dawkins:
Richard Dawkins and other atheist thinkers believe that faith provides insufficient reason for belief.
Moreover, he would argue that faith is actually harmful.
It encourages people to be lazy in their thinking and avoid trying to reach any kind of certainty.
He believes religion is a virus and prevents us from gaining scientific knowledge.
David Hume:
Claimed "A wise man... proportions his belief to the evidence (An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, 1739-40)
The Fall and Trust in God:
There are debates over whether or not the Fall has completely removed all natural knowledge of God.
Arguments to support:
Augustine argued that original sin prevented people from being able to know God.
This is because they had become corrupt in their free will.
So, they could never be holy enough to gain knowledge of God through their own efforts.
Karl Barth was a Swiss protestant theologian of the 20th Century.
He argued that God reveals himself to us as and when he wants to.
All our attempts to attain knowledge of God on our own will fail.
Arguments against:
Aquinas counterargued that God gave us the ability to use our senses and our reason for a purpose.
God also gave us revealed knowledge, and both can be used.
The Bible suggests that humans can gain natural knowledge of God.
If God reveals the Bible, this revelation suggests we can learn truths naturally.
So, perhaps both natural and revealed theology are helpful.
Is belief in God's existence sufficient to trust in Him?
Arguments for belief - Anselm:
Many would say belief in God is enough to put one's trust in him.
Anselm, in his ontological argument, expressed the view that God exists necessarily.
Many pray to God in terms of need, trusting that he will watch over them in the same way.
Even Freud, the psychologist and prominent atheist, claimed believers would put their trust in God in to help them.
He commented that believers think God will help them overcome the external and internal forces of nature.
Arguments for belief - Paul:
People have put their faith in God for centuries.
St Paul refers to this in the Bible in the book of Acts.
Paul comes across the thinkers of Athens who have built an altar to worship an unknown God.
Paul believes they were worshipping the Christian God without knowing it.
Arguments against belief:
Other would say belief is not enough.
Dawkins rejects faith and religion altogether
He believes it prevents the progress of science and is a hindrance to society.
He says, "Faith is a great cop out".
The philosophical argument was originally put forward by Epicurus and furthered by Mackie.
It states that the problem of evil in the world shows that human beings should not put their trust in God.
The ontological argument:
Anselm's argument (1st form):
God is that which nothing greater can be conceived.
Even the atheist can have this definition in his understanding (in the mind).
If this is the case, there must be a greater being who exists both in the mind and in reality.
So, by definition, God must exist in both the mind and in reality.
Another way of saying this is that it is self-contradictory to be capable of conceiving something that nothing greater can be thought, and at the same time to deny that something really exists.
Anselm's argument (2nd form):
The second form of the argument is developed to show the impossibility of conceiving of God as not existing.
God cannot not be. Any lesser form of existence where it was possible not to be would not fit with the definition of God.
God is that which nothing greater can be conceived (1st form)
It is greater to be a necessary being than a contingent being.
If God exists only contingently, it would be possible to imagine a greater being who exists necessarily.
So, God must be a necessary being and exist in reality.
It is important to note that this is logical necessity and not factual necessity (the kind of necessity arrived at in the cosmological argument).
Critisms of the ontological argument:
Gaunilo's counter-argument:
Gaunilo constructed a reductio ad absurdum argument (disproving an argument by showing it's absurd) to show the flaw in Anselm's argument.
Imagine a lost island - the most excellent of all islands.
You can form the idea of this island in your mind.
So according to Anselm's logic, the island must exist in reality.
But this is absurd, and so is Anselm's argument.
Anselm replied that islands are contingent things and so do not have necessary existence, whereas God does.
Kant's counter-argument:
Kant argued that, "It would be self-contradictory to posit a triangle and yet reject its three angles, but there is no contradiction in rejecting the triangle together with its three angles.
In other words, if God exists he must be necessary, but only if. Definitions can only tell us what God would be like if he existed.
Kant says that existence is not a real predicate. It does not give us any information about an object. 'To exist' merely means that an object is actual.