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Knowledge of Gods Existence - Coggle Diagram
Knowledge of Gods Existence
natural knowledge
the thinker tries to use reason and experience to understand gods nature and existence
the idea is that there is a point of contact between god and humans that can be discovered when analysing things around us
it is possible to use the tools we have around us to come to conclusions about god
innate human sense of the divine
many christians speak of there being some sort of spark of god or the divine in each person
the RC church says that 'the desire for god is written in the human heart' suggesting that imprinted in each person is a basic sense of god that gives them the capacity and desire to know god
john calvin
all people have an innate sensus divinitas that makes it possible for anyone to know god
he also spoke of the seed of religion that is found inside all people
calvin thought that people are not fully aware of the sensus divinitas because they are confused by sin - it is sin through human free choice that makes people unable sometimes to recognise god
examples of how humans experience the sensus divinitas:
the conscience - the feeling of guilt that we have inside us when we do something wrong is a voice inside us that provides innate evidence that god exists - suggests that humans are open to understanding goodness as an aspect of god
humans are aware of beauty - appreciation of aesthetics helps people to understand gods existence - we can use our reason to interpret this experience of beauty to understand that god is working in the world around us
intellectual ability and power to reason - this reason can help us to reflect on what we see around us such as the nature of objects, natural laws as well as the fine tuned design of the world to recognise gods existence
natural knowledge through order of creation
given the view that we have a basic understanding that beauty comes from god reflecting on the beauty of creation - according to natural theologians - is a way of us experiencing something that leads us to god
design arguments for the existence of god challenge us to use our reason to see if we can deduce that god exists from the beauty and intricacies of the world around us
calvin sees the idea of the beauty of the earth as being like a mirror of god reflecting his nature through the world
design or teleological arguments also reflect on the idea of purpose in creation - orderliness of the universe seems to show a higher purpose behind it and even modern views about evolution can be helped by suggesting that there is a force controlling the process
assessing
weaknesses
is the gap just too great between humans and god to accept the sensus divinitas?
is natural theology of any use if we cannot gain personal knowledge of god - knowing god should be able to lead to a relationship with him?
many people use their reason to come up with different conclusions including that god doesnt exist so perhaps reason is not helpful and is too subjective
order and purpose in nature can perhaps be explained by other factors such as natural selection in the theory of evolution
just because beauty makes us feel awe it does not mean that god has made this feeling
strengths
natural theology works in a way that we are used to - it is normal for humans to use their brains to reason
furthermore there is a long tradition both within christianity and outside it that shows people using reason to show god exists
it is reasonable to suggest that the sheer number of people who have had some sort of faith suggests that there is a point of contact between god and humans
it is reasonable to believe that a god who lovingly created humans would have made some way for those humans to have contact with him
appreciation of awe and wonder takes us beyond the physical and the feelings we experience seem to be on a level different to material things - this might point to a god that can be known from earthly things
revealed knowledge
looks at what god has deliberately shown/revealed to people
for christians the essentials of their faith have been given by god through revelation
revelation can be understood both in direct terms (when god reveals himself directly) and in indirect terms (when god reveals himslef via another source e.g. person or bible)
revelation through faith and gods grace
christians do not believe that natural theology alone is enough to gain full knowledge of god because humans are sinful and human intellect is finite or limited
RC see faith as being something that works alongside reason - it is about buying into something that you have reasoned to be true
true faith is something that comes through a process of formation where prayer and reflection allow a person to let go of reason alone
aquinas reflected on the idea of faith at some length and he saw it as a conscious choice to accept something that is not certain and so it is different from science
for calvin christian faith comes properly through an acceptance of jesus as the redeemer of the world which is done not on a rational level but at a spiritual level - once people understand that jesus is a special revelation of gods purpose for the world then for calvin faith in jesus leads towards true knowledge of god
grace is the word used to describe gods unconditional constant and immense giving of goodness to the world - it is often reffered to as undeserved favour
it is something humans can ask for
christians believe that it is because of gods grace that they are given faith and it is because of gods grace tat faith becomes a real personal relationship with god
calvin said that the holy spirit helps humans in their lives by giving faith - the holy spirit acts in the world to give gifts such as wisdom and understanding and right judgement to open people up to faith and gods grace
god in jesus christ
for catholics:
gods revelation was completed through the christ event and the sending of the holy spirit but the way it is relevant today needs to be understood in each new circumstance
this is the work of the church - to explore gods revelation in the present day to make it accessible to people and to enable them to access gods grace in their daily lives
god is revealed through both the bible and church tradition
the church was a gift given by jesus to the world to continue the work that jesus began and to spread the good news about jesus to the world
the actions of the church reveal aspects of god e.g. in the practice of certain rituals such as the sacraments e.g. the Eucharist in catholic belief makes present the sacrifice of jesus to the worshipper who takes part in the service
for protestants:
the bible holds more authority than the church
the churchs role is generally seen to point believers towards the revelation found in the bible
calvin emphasised the work of jesus on the cross - jesus bridged the gap between humans and god created at the fall and redeemed the world - it is the idea of jesus as mediator and redeemer that calvin returns to again and again
salvation
god works through history to bring people to a place where they can fully understandt he person of jesus
the OT shows the ups and downs of the jewish people and the work of god through the mediation of key figures - patriarchs, kings, priests and prophets
christians believe that jesus combined all these roles in his life and death while also being god in human form - each key figure in the OT gives a glimpse into what jesus will offer the world
in the NT the bible shows the good news of jesus working its way through the world as it begins to spread and this reveals how god can work in the life of the church
it is clear throughout the bible that god speaks to his people directly through visions and the work of key figures
christians believe that the bible contains gods revelation in some way - different christians interpret the bible differently - either as the word of god that cannot be wrong or as an inspired text that still holds authority even if it is just an account of how god has worked through the lives of different people
assessing
strenghts
only god cah properly reveal something as indescribable as himself - comprae the idea of religious experiences which often emphasise how indescribable it is to encounter god directly
the concept of faith reflects the difference when talking about knowing things on earth and knowing god - so revealed theology must be required to know about god
the concept of grace shows how humans need to appreciate that god is much greater than them and they require his revelation to know about him
revealed theology emphasises the special nature of jesus and gives appropriate importance to jesus
understanding the bible as a revealed text shows how god has left that revelation for all to have access to
weaknesses
the idea of revealed theology is of no use to the non believer because they cannot interpret or understand it
revealed theology suggests a god who only reveals himself in certain circumstances and so could be accused of being biased in some way to some people
people who claim that god has revealed himself in some way have contradicted others who claim the same
revealed theology does not always make it clear how humans are to interpret what is revealed to them
revealed theology assumes that christianity is the correct revelation
has the fall removed all natural knowledge of god?
calvins view about natural theology have been explored by theologians - it is not awlays clear if he agreed with the usefullness of natural theology
some of this uncertainty is highlighted in the debate between the swiss theologians Brunner and Barth - who both come from the Calvinist reformed tradition - essentially the question is whether the fall has blocked humans ability to recognise the point of contact between god and humans
Brunner
it is possible for us to know god through natural theology - the conscience and the sensus divinitas
humans recognise the point of contact between god and themselves and then become aware of their own sinfulness
natural theology cannot save people - however it can create a discussion that points towards the existence of god
natural theology can help us to be aware that there is a god but there is a limit to what we can know
the fall damaged people on some levels but could not affect the spiritual level which means there is still a way we can connect to god
Barth
god is so 'radically other' that we cannot use reason to know god like pouring the niagara falls into a milk jug
human language came about to describe human things so we can never fully describe god or the human relationship to him
human reason cannot be fully trusted - we must not put ourselves in a position where we put reason above god
the bible contains gods revelation but it is only gods word because god allows revelation to occur through it
human nature was completely corrupted by the fall so only through revelation can god interact with humanity
barth was also clear that we do not need natural theology because god has fully revealed all we need to know in salvation history and ultimately in jesus
gods existence and trust
faith - the ability to let go of rational thought to put complete trust in god - often the evidence for having faith is a feeling that is in itself indescribable and that is logically private to that individual
some people think that faith can be tested to be geuine through the lifestyle of a person - someone with true faith will live a life that tries to be different from the norm - someone who has found faith is likely to change the way they live
however this could be said only to prove that the believe their faith is real rather than the fact that their faith points to god
dawkins - rejects faith on the grounds that it is filling in the gaps where perhaps we simply do not currently know the answers to big questions - dawkins champions the view that science will be able to answer key questions of theology and philosophy at some point
problems = problem of evil, modern science and the rise of secularism
is natural and revealed knowledge the same?
it is possible to suggest that natural and revealed theology are very similar because the points of contact in natural theology are there since god has decided they should be there - on some level god has revealed it
e.g. some people see the conscience not as an argument for natural theology but as a revelation from god
equally when looking at the bible as a type of revelation it could be said that reason is required to find the authentic message within it so just like aquinas argued revelation can come from reason
the bible also celebrates human reason and many people associate the likeness that god created humans in as referring to human intelligence - if god created us with rationality then perhaps from the creators point of view there is less distinction between natural and revealed theology than we might think
ultimately there are some christian beliefs that cannot be understood through natural theology
e.g. the trinity or the incarnation
this is why christian theology has always come back to the importance of revelation in the world with the underlying assumption that revealed theology can be fully understood with right reason
the key difference between the two has to be the process that they use to gain knowledge - in the same way that i may find out about one thing by reading a book and find out about a person by meeting them, i am gaining knowledge in a different way
whether or not they are two sides of the same coin, the same thing by different names or whether natural theology needs to be rejected must be examined using a combination of all the arguments