Philosophy Key Terms

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Theist

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A person who believes that there is a God who is directly involved in creation.

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Atheist

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A person who believes that there is no God.

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Agnostic

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A person who does not know if there is a God or not.

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Proof

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Evidence that guarantees the truth of something.

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First cause argument

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Otherwise known as the cosmological argument. A 'proof' for the existence of God based on the idea that there had to be an uncaused cause that made everything else happen otherwise there would be nothing now.

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Cosmological

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To do with the nature of the universe and used in particular with the cosmological argument that says there has to be a God to explain the existence of all things.

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Argument from design

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A 'proof' for the existence of God based on the idea that there is so much design and purpose in the universe that it could not have happened by accident; there has to have been a designer-God. Otherwise called the teleological argument.

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Teleological

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To do with the design or order, particularly the attempt to prove the existence of God by showing that there is design and order in the universe.

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Faith

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A commitment to something that goes beyond proof and knowledge, especially used about God and religion.

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Nature of God

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The qualities that combine to make up what God is.

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Forms

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The different ways in which people picture God.

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Eternal

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Without limits in time; outside time.

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All-powerful

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(Omnipotent) God can do anything that can be done; there is nothing outside Gods ability.

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All-loving

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(Benevolent) God creates all things in his loving and caring nature so there is nothing outside concern.

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All-compassionate

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One of the qualities of God, showing concern for the suffering of others; literally 'suffering with'.

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All-knowing

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(Omniscient) God knows everything there is to be known.

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All-merciful

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A quality of God that stresses God's willingness to forgive the wrongdoer.

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The Truth

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The Sikh name for God showing that God is perfect and without any deceptions.

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Transcendent

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The belief that God is beyond space and time, and that there are no limitations on what he can do.

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Immanent

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The idea that God is very close and is involved in what goes on in the world. He is not distant or uncaring.

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Personal

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When used about God, the idea that God cares about the individual and is involved in the individual's life.

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Impersonal

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The idea that God is a force or abstract idea, and cannot be described in human terms.

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Revelation

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God shows himself to believers; this is the only way anybody can really know anything about God.

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General revelation

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The belief that god can be known by anybody who is prepared to accept the idea that through creation, e.g. nature, God shows his true nature.

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Special revelation

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God shows himself to an individual or group of individuals in a specific, direct way, as opposed to general revelation.

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Sacred texts

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Writings which are believed to originate from God or a god or are special to a religion.

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Fundamentalist

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A person who believes in the basics of a religion, particularly believing that what is contained in the sacred text is an accurate, almost factual, record that cannot be questioned.

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Prayer

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Communicating with God through words of praise, thanksgiving or confession, or requests for help or guidance.

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Worship

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Acts of religious praise, honour or devotion.

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Vision

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Seeing something, especially in a dream or trance, that shows something about the nature of God or the afterlife.

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Dreams

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A series of thoughts, images and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep.

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Enlightenment

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The gaining of true knowledge, particularly in the Buddhist tradition, that frees a person from the cycle of rebirth by seeing what the truth about life really is.

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Illusion

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A false idea or belief often based on a wrong impression.

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Evil

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The opposite of good. A force or a negative power that is seen in many traditions as destructive and against God.

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Suffering

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The experience of something bad or painful.

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Free will

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Having the ability to choose or determine one's own actions.

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Natural evil

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The harm or damage that is done to people and creation as a result of the forces of nature and the structure of the Earth.

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Moral evil

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The harm that results from a bad choice made by human beings misusing their free will.

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Soul-making

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The belief that suffering makes it possible for people to 'grow' into more mature individuals.

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Free will defence

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An argument to justify both the existence of a loving God and the existence of evil. It is based on the idea that what makes humans special is their ability to choose. For this to happen they have to live in a world in which things can, and do, go wrong.

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Karma

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A belief in Hinduism and Buddhism that a person's good and bad actions in this life and in previous lives contribute to the quality of future lives.

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Big bang theory

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Many scientists think that the universe began with an explosion from which everything that makes up the universe came into being.

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Evolution

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The process made popular by Charles Darwin that describes hoe simpler life-forms gradually changed and adapted to more complex life forms.

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Darwinian view

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Named after Charles Darwin who pioneered the idea of evolution; the idea that creatures have gradually changed and adapted to suit the environment,'the survival of the fittest'.

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Eternal life

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Everlasting life after death.

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Resurrection

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The Christian belief that Jesus rose from the dead and entered into eternal life and that all souls will join in this resurrection on the Last Day.

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Heaven

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The state of eternal happiness in the presence of God that Christians believe will be granted to the faithful after this life.

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Paradise

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The ideal place in which the faithful are rewarded for all eternity; a name used about heaven especially by Muslims.

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Rebirth

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In Buddhism, the belief that after this life there is continuity into a new life form that is affected by the karma gained so far.

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Reincarnation

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The Hindu belief that after this life the soul moves on to a new, usually bodily, form.

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Near-death experience

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Some people, when they are close to death, claim to have had a sense of themselves leaving their bodies and seeing what exists beyond this life.