Believing in God C Wheeler 2009

Key terms Omnipotent The belief that God is all-powerful. Omniscient The belief that God is all-knowing. The belief that God is all good. Omni-Benevolent

Belief that God exists Theist/Theism Belief that God does not exist Atheist/Atheism Not being sure whether God exists or not Agnostic /Agnosticism

We are going to examine arguments for and against the existence of God Religious upbringing. Religious Experience. Argument for Design. Causation. Search for meaning and purpose. Too many followers to all be wrong. Against Scientific explanations. No evidence. Presence of evil and suffering.

What are the main features of a Christian upbringing? Influence of parents Being Baptised Being taught prayers A Christian upbringing might include… Having religious ceremonies Attending Church Sunday school /faith school education

How can a religious upbringing lead to a belief in God? May seem natural to believe in God if the family does. As a child, why would you question what adults tell you. Seeing people in church doing certain things means you would feel that God exists. Faith schools reinforce the belief in God.

Religious Experience

Key words An event where people believe they have had direct contact with God. Religious Experience When your life is changed by giving yourself to God. Conversion Something which seems to break a law of science and makes you think only God could have done it. Miracle

Feeling of the presence of something greater than you. Numinous Attempt to contact God usually through words. Prayer

Numinous When in a beautiful place or looking at the stars people might be filled with an awareness of something greater than them. Some feel that this is God.

An Example - Numinous Father Dubois has had such experiences whilst praying to a statue of Our Lady (Mary) ‘Twice I have experienced the certainty of the presence of the Mother of God, which was an awareness of purity, holiness and love unlike anything I have ever known. Her holiness would have been frightening, but for the strong feeing of love and compassion.’

Conversion Some have an experience of God and are moved to change their life and commit themselves to God. This process sometimes gives the feeling of being ‘born again’.

The conversion of St Paul Paul’s original name was Saul and he was a Jew. He persecuted Christians because he thought they were betraying Judaism. He was on the road to Damascus to find and persecute the Christians there. Whilst travelling he was blinded by a flash of light and heard a voice. Jesus asked him why he was persecuting him.

He was blind until a Christian in Damascus, Ananias, gave him back his sight. This experience led to Paul changing his religion from Judaism to Christianity.

Miracles Believers think they are examples of God acting on earth because they can not be explained by science. Those witnessing the miracle have had direct contact with God. Pregnant woman survives after parachute fails! Man stabbed in the head survives!

Jairus’ Daughter Jairus was a high ranking Jew who’s daughter had died. He had gone to see Jesus. Jesus took Jairus, his wife and the disciples who were with him and went to where the child was. Jesus took her by the hand and said, ‘Little girl, I say to you, get up.’ Immediately the girl stood up and walked around. (Mark.5:35-42)

Christians believe that miracles happen today… A woman driving through the desert in Arizona saw a bush with beautiful white flowers on it. She stopped to take a photograph. Her husband could not see the white flowers. When the photo was printed the flowers could not be seen. They had been replaced by an image of the Virgin Mary.

Prayer Religious believers think they can contact God through prayer. They can be formal e.g. in church or informal e.g. in private. If they feel God is listening then some class this as a religious experience. An example of this is an answered prayer.

How do religious experiences lead to a belief in God? An atheist seeing a miracle may look for a natural explanation. If they can’t find one they may start to believe in God. Through a conversion experience they may feel that God is calling them to do something for him and so believe in him.

Through a numinous experience they might feel that God is real. If a prayer is answered whether they are religious or not may lead to them believing in God. Any religious believer who has a religious experience will use it as evidence to support their belief in God and make it stronger.

Arguments that support the existence of God. The argument for Design

List the types of things that are designed. Cars Planes Watches Design in the world Buildings Clothes Computers Furniture

Design When things are connected and seem to have a purpose e.g. the eye is designed for seeing.

Evidence of Design in the world DNA Evolution Beauty of nature

DNA DNA is the nucleic acid found in all living things. It forms the material used to create life. It is made of two strands called a double helix. It replicates itself by copying its own design. It uses itself as a template. The structure of DNA and its formation of templates seem to indicate a design or blueprint for the structure of living things.

Evolution Complex life forms, over thousands of years, develop from basic life forms. Theory by Charles Darwin

Beauty of Nature Artists see design as appearing in nature. Sunsets and mountains have a beauty that artists would have to spend a long time trying to recreate.

Paley’s watch argument How does the appearance of design lead to a belief in God? Paley’s watch argument

Walking through the hills you come across a watch. You notice how complex it is. It could not have happened by chance/accident. It must have had a ‘DESIGNER’.

The universe is far more complicated than a watch The universe is far more complicated than a watch. If a watch has a designer then surely the universe has. The only thing powerful enough to make the universe is God…SO… God must exist.

Arguments for the existence of God… Causation

Key Words Causation The idea that everything has been caused (started off) by something else. Only God is powerful enough to have started the universe.

Sorry Sir, I’ve forgot my homework. Cause and effect is a basic feature of the world. Everything we do has an effect. Science shows that any effect has a cause and any cause has an effect. Sorry Sir, I’ve forgot my homework. DETENTION!!!

Think of a line of dominoes Think of a line of dominoes. How do you get the last one to move without touching it?

How does causation in the world lead to a belief in God? This theory is often called the First Cause Argument. It was made famous by St Thomas Aqunias.

Things in the world have a cause Everything that exists relies on something having made it able to exist. Can’t keep going back forever. Must be a First Cause to start everything off. Only possible First Cause of the universe is God, so God must exist.

Carriages on a train are pulled along by the one in front Carriages on a train are pulled along by the one in front. However, the first carriage is pulled by the engine which is not moved by anything else (the unmoved mover). God would be the engine.

Why might some people disagree with this theory? Why should the causes stop at God? Surely God needs a cause? A better explanation is that the matter of the universe itself is eternal and so the process of causes goes on for ever. Even if the First Cause were t exist it would not have to be God, it could be any sort of creator or even the matter of the universe.

Arguments AGAINST God’s existence 1) Scientific explanations of the world, agnosticism and atheism

Science can explain how the world came about… Matter exists forever, it simply changes shape. 15 billion years ago the matter compressed and exploded (Big Bang) Life on earth begins simple and changes. 2.5 billion years ago humans evolved The matter joins together as stars etc. Solar system formed 5 billion years ago

Evidence for the Big Bang Evidence for Evolution Main evidence comes from the Red Shift Effect where the red shift in light from other galaxies is evidence that the universe is expanding. The fossil record shows life developed becoming more complex.

How does this lead to Agnosticism or Atheism? Science can explain how things came about without referring to God. Puts existence of God in doubt = Agnostic. Others become Atheist because they are convinced God is not the only explanation for the world. Science for them is proof enough.

How Christians respond to Scientific Explanations of the world Response 1 Many Christians believe the scientific explanation proves that God actually exists. E.g. Big Bang had to happen at exactly the right microsecond. Too early or late and life would not have happened.

Response 2 Response 3 Believe both science and religion is correct. Main points of Bible story match the science one. God’s ‘days’ could be millions of years. Plants, birds, animals, humans made in same order. Science is wrong! Big Bang and evolution can be explained by Noah’s Flood story. Apparent Age Theory – God made the world look much older than it is e.g. planted fossils.

2) Unanswered Prayers

If prayers are unanswered they may begin to question a God who answers some prayers and not others. If people pray and God does not answer them then they might feel frustrated. Or begin to doubt if God exists. They may understand selfish prayers not being answered e.g. let me win the lottery. However, if God doesn’t answer good prayers e.g. end wars, then they may see this as evidence he doesn’t exist.

Christian responses to unanswered prayers Prayers are answered but may appear unanswered however… Selfish prayers = God gives opportunity for you to work hard to get what you want God knows what is best for people and may not grant certain things. Jesus said faith is needed to have prayers needed.

4) EVIL AND SUFFERING

Poverty?

Could you spot any similarities and differences between those images? Free Will – the idea that human beings are free to make their own choices. Moral evil – actions done by humans which cause suffering. Natural evil – things which cause suffering but have nothing to do with humans.

How does the existence of evil lead to people doubting God’s existence? Why would a good God have designed a world with natural evil? If he is all-powerful why does God let people suffer? Why does he help people in the Bible but not our children and relatives?

If God is Omnipotent he can remove evil. If God is Benevolent he must want to remove evil. If God exists there should be no evil. Evil exists so God is either not Omnipotent/Benevolent or he does not exist

Defending God from the problem of Evil and Suffering

Response 1 Christians believe God wants us to help those who suffer like Jesus did e.g healing miracles. Christians respond by praying for those who suffer. This is called intercessionary prayer.

They also help to reduce suffering by being doctors or by founding charities. Christian Aid was started by Christians to help ease suffering for those in less economically developed countries.

Response 2 Evil and suffering is not God’s fault. God gave humans free will and when they misuse it evil happens.

Response 3 Evil and suffering in this life is part of a plan. Those who suffer will be rewarded in heaven when they die. This life prepares us for paradise. We can only improve by coming into contact with evil.

Response 4 God has a reason for not using his power to remove evil but humans cant understand it. He is too complicated for us to understand.

Pain is a test of our faith in God. The story of Job in the Old Testament is an example. His family is killed. He loses all his money and he becomes ill. This happens even though Job is a good man who worships God. He passed God’s test and got everything back. If we get through pain and misfortune we will be rewarded by God.

2 programmes Bruce Almighty Shindler’s List Most Hated Family in America The man Who Sued God Evan Almighty