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22 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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3 reasons why someone might believe in God |
> upbringing; raised in a religious household > answered prayers > miracles / people close to them being 'saved' |
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3 reasons why someone might not believe in God |
> too much evil / suffering in the world > unanswered prayers > corruption in the Church |
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3 things that happen to Christian children whilst growing up |
> Baptism > Confirmation > go to Church every Sunday |
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Why religious upbringings can lead to a belief in God |
> children will believe what their parents tell them > going to a religious school will mean that the children will be taught about Christianity as a fact > going to Church and seeing so many people praying to God is likely to make children believe that God exists |
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3 types of religious experiences |
> numinous experience > miracle > answered prayers |
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Why having a religious experience might lead you to believe in God |
> numinous; feeling the presence of God is proof to the individual that God exists > miracle; they would see this as proof of God's existence and therefore lead to belief in God > answered prayers; the feeling of God being there and listening is proof to some that God exists |
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Other explanations for a religious experience |
> numinous; individual could be on a stimulant drug, making them hallucinate > miracle; individual may not have sufficient knowledge of science, making them believe there is no scientific explanation when there is > answered prayers; pure, dumb luck |
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Define an answered prayer |
Praying to God for a wish or for help and to have your prayer come true |
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2 ways in which Christians might explain why some prayers seem to be unanswered |
> God has a plan for you and knows what is best, therefore God will not answer your prayer due to the plans he has for you > God does respond but we do not always understand it |
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Explain the Cause and Effect argument |
1. All things have a cause 2. It is impossible for there to be an infinite regression of causes 3. There must be a first cause which is eternal and unending 4. This first cause, by definition, is defined as God - God is omnipotent |
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Explain the Design argument |
> The world around us is complicated and shows evidence of design eg. bird's wings, the human body > It couldn't be this complicated by chance, so it must have been designed > It cannot have a design without a designer > This designer can only be God - God is omnipotent |
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Define the Big Bang Theory |
The theory states that the universe began in an explosion of energy and matter, this matter was compact and in a single point, the pressure of which built up to cause the explosion. The explosion was the point at which time and the universe began. |
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Reasons for the belief of the Big Bang Theory |
> The universe is still expanding outwards today suggesting it is expanding away from this single point. Everything that is moving away emits a 'red shift' and everything in the universe emits this light. > There is cosmic radiation in the universe and this is believed to be left by the Big Bang |
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What is evolution? |
> The idea that all life originated from simple cells that became more complicated as they developed > Life on Earth evolved through the process of natural selection, this means that species can adapt themselves to suit their changing natural enviroments |
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2 ways in which the Big Bang and Evolution theories show that God might not exist |
> neither idea involves God - shows that God is not necessary to understand the beginning of the universe > contradicts the Bible view of how the world was created - in the Bible it was created in 7 days and through God commanding creation to occur, the Big Bang and Evolution show life occurring over millions of years and due to an explosion of matter and energy |
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How religious people might argue that you can have God and the Big Bang / Evolution |
The creation account is a story - many people would not understand how the world was created, so a symbolic story was created to help us, however, God is still responsible for everything |
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What are the two types of evil? |
> natural evil - natural disaster eg. volcanos > moral evil - caused by humans eg. murder |
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3 things that Christians believe about God |
> God is perfect > God loves everyone unconditionally > God is omnipotent, omniscient, and benevolent |
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Why Christian beliefs about God cause a problem in the light of evil in general |
> If God is benevolent, then he must want to get rid of evil > If God is omniscient, then he must know about evil but does nothing > If God is omnipotent, then he is able to get rid of evil but he does not > Therefore, either; 1. God is not as great (benevolent, omnipotent, omniscient) as believers think, or... 2. God does not exist |
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Why does moral evil cause a problem for believers? |
> humans were made in the image of God, so God's image must be one that can murder and perform evil acts on other humans |
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Why does natural evil cause a problem for believers? |
> God deliberately created things that would cause suffering > God created everything to be perfect so earthquakes etc cannot occur due to a fault they were perfect to begin with > natural evil is not a punishment; it does not discriminate between good and bad |
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2 ways in which a Christian might explain where evil comes from |
> free will - evil is the fault of humans, this is supported by the story of Adam and Eve > this world was not meant to be perfect - paradise is for heaven, we must be good to get to heaven so life is a test |
