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41 Cards in this Set
- Front
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Do you think that television or radio programmes or films can affect a person's attitude to belief in God? (4Marks) |
Yes - Father Ted - Disbelief in God: Father Ted was having a bet with another priest, therefore involving himself in gambling. This is very unpriestly as gambling is a global sin which all Catholics should seek to avoid. Father Dougal was very simple minded and foolish, not someone you would go to for advice. Sets a poor example of priests who should be spiritual leaders. |
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Do you think that science proves God did not create the world? (4Marks) |
Yes: Evolution has shown that God is not needed - proven through fossils The big bang shows that God did not create the world and is proven because the red shift effect shows that the universe is expanding |
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Do you think that everyone should have a religious upbringing? (4Marks) |
Yes: It leads to belief in God and causes people to respect the values which he wants us to have - virtuous; people will commit less crime and be better people It gives life a purpose - to reach god and heaven by being a virtuous person and preaching the word of God. |
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Do you think that a religious upbringing leads to belief in God? (4Marks) |
If a child's family and friends believe in God, it will lead them to believe as they will respect their opinions and copy them. If a child is taken to a place of worship regularly, it encourages belief in God - They will hear Jesus teachings and understand them. |
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Do you think a numinous experience leads to belief in God? (4Marks) |
Yes: It provides the person with evidence of the existence of God - E.g. the Vatican is so beautiful that it must be divinely inspired . It changes the person's understanding of God - Like Saul on the road to Damascus. |
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Do you think miracles have happened? (4Marks) |
Yes: Miracles are recorded in the bible - divinely inspired Churches have verified them - Mother Teresa healed a woman of stomach cancer in 1998 after the woman prayed to her. |
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Explain how the argument from design may lead to belief in God. (8Marks) |
The world is so beautiful it cannot be an accident, this must be God. William Paley was a priest in the Church of England who linked the world to a watch. His "watch analogy" goes as follows: If you came across a watch in an uninhabited place without any human life, you could not say that animals or plants could have produced it. You must conclude that there must have been a watchmaker. A human eye is so complex that it must have been designed. This designer is God. Fibonacci's scale is a shared mathematical sequence in aspects of creation. It is like God's signature used when designing the universe. This sequence is shown in many things such as the curves of waves and even the galaxies above. A reason why some people think that the universe was designed is because it works according to laws such as the laws of gravity, electricity and matter. Another reason that some people think the universe is designed is because of evolution. They think this because they believe that it can't have been an accident that we evolved from an amoeba to intelligent human life with incredible capabilities like flight. Finally, some of the things in nature are so beautiful and awe-inspiring that they couldn't have been created without a desginer. Some examples of this are Niagra falls, the Northern Lights and the Grand Canyon. |
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Explain how the causation argument may lead to belief in God. (8Marks) |
If we look at aspects of the world - we see they have a cause. Evidence of this is the chicken and the egg. Anything that exists must be caused by something else because to cause your own existence is illogical. It is absolute nonsense that a human or natural part of the world to will itself into existence. For Aquinas, there cannot be an infinite regress - We must be able to determine what the first cause of the effect is if we look back enough. For example - To get ice you must have had water somewhere along the line. There must be a first cause or the universe would have never started but as the universe does there must have been a First cause according to Aquinas. The only possible First cause is God because he is omnipotent and therefore can be eternal. He always has and always will exist. He is the First Cause and First Mover. St. Thomas Aquinas said "If everything had to have a cause for its existence, nothing would exist at all" meaning that, if everything in existence requires something else for existence nothing would exist as there would be no catalyst. He also said "Nothing comes from nothing" which is true for all but God as God is an eternal being which means that he has no beginning and no end. |
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Explain how religious experiences may lead to belief in God. (8Marks) |
A religious experience would provide the person with direct evidence for the existence of God and so they would believe. If the person had a numinous experience and felt the presence of something greater than them they would see this as proof. For example - visiting the Grand Canyon may make someone realise that a power outside of humanity must be responsible for this because it is outside human capabilities. If a person witnessed a miracle it would change their life as it would prove that God is omnipotent and can act in the world For example, if a person saw a loved one cured of an illness as a result of prayer they would believe God helped them and so would believe. If a person had a conversion experience they would feel that God had purposely entered their life, leading to belief. For examples St. Paul on the road to Damascus. If someone had a prayer answered after trying to communicate with him through it, it would make them believe that God exists and wants to help them in any way they can. For example, if someone prayed to God when they were ill to get healed and then became healthy again it may make them believe. |
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Explain why scientific explanations of how the world began may lead some people not to believe in God. (8Marks) |
Science can explain the existence of the world with no need to refer to a God - About 15 billion years ago, the matter of the universe became so compressed that it produced a huge explosion (THE BIG BANG). - As the matter of the universe flew away from the explosion, the forces of gravity and other laws of science joined some of the matter into stars, and about 5 billion years ago the solar system was formed. The main evidence for the big bang is called the Red Shift Effect where the red shift in light from galaxies proves that the universe is expanding which could only be because of the Big Bang. The law of thermodynamics states the matter is eternal, it can neither be created nor destroyed, it can only be changed. If the world is made up of this matter which is eternal then there is no need for an eternal God. The combination of gases on the Earth's surface produced primitive life forms such as amoeba. They then evolved according to Charles Darwin's theory of evolution: The genetic structure of these life forms produced mutations and any mutation which is better suited to living in the environment will survive and reproduce. Over millions of years new life forms were produced leading to vegetation, then invertebrate animals, then vertebrates and finally, about 2.5 million years ago, humans. The evidence for this is the fossil record and the similarities between life forms being discovered through genetic research. |
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All religious parents should make sure their children believe in God. (6Marks) |
Yes: Christian parents want to raise their children as well as they can and this includes teaching them everything that is important to them, including belief in God. Christians are expected to teach their children their faith by the church including belief in God. Christian parents promise during their wedding ceremony to raise children in their religion, so have to carry out this promise. They made this promise in front of God so must follow it through. No: Christians should let their children decide themselves when they are older. If a parent raises their child to believe in God it is brainwashing. Raising a child to believe in God is not fair to the child, it may cause conflict. |
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Miracles cannot happen today. (6Marks) |
Yes: Scientifically impossible - defies the law of nature which cannot happen to humans. Atheists think God does not exist so miracles cannot happen today. Miracles cannot happen today as they can be explained by science (Jairus' Daughter - A coma) No: In 1998, the Vatican approved a miracle by Mother Teresa who healed a woman of stomach cancer after the woman prayed to her. This is very recent and so proves that they do occur in the modern age. God is omnipotent and can do anything. Miracles happened in the sacred texts, which are divinely inspired and so can be relied on as God is a perfect, infallible being. In this way, miracles can still happen today. |
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No-one should be an atheist. (6Marks) |
Yes: Some Christians believe athesists will go to hell and are worried for them. The miracles of Jesus are accounted in the Bible and for literalists this is a factual record of events and so proof of God's existence. God is omnipotent and for Him everything is possible, even defying the laws of nature, surely this is proof enough that we should believe in him. No: Evil and suffering suggest God does not exist. It is a person's choice whether they believe in God or not. We are free human beings and do not have to prescribe to any religion. People want God to be true so much that they convince themselves and others of his existence because it soothes their pain over events in life. e.g. loss of loved one - belief in afterlife soothes this. |
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There are no solutions to the problem of evil and suffering. (6Marks) |
Yes: If there was a solution there would be no evil in the world but there still is - Wars - WWII. Souls need to face evil and suffering in order to become good and reach the afterlife - test. Humans have no control over natural evil - Earthquakes. No: People can provide solutions through activities like charity work. Most evil and suffering are man made and so by educating each other better and being more virtuous in our lives, we would infinitely reduce the degree of evil and suffering. Intolerance and prejudice can derive from poor upbringing so ensuring that all school educate on the importance of inclusion and the benefits of multi-culture is key. |
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Natural evil is proof that God did not create the world (6Marks) |
Yes: An omniscient God would not create a world containing evil. An omnibenevolent God would not create a world containing evil. An omnipotent God would protect believers from natural evil - God doesn't so cannot exist. No: Humans cannot know what God's plan behind natural evil is. Natural evil gives humans the chance to do charitable work (GOOD DEEDS) God does not interfere with the running of the world - free will - good deeds would lose meaning. |
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Religious experiences prove that God exists. (6Marks) |
Yes: An answered prayer if evidence that God exists - For example, if someone prayed to God when they were ill to get healed and then became healthy again it may make them believe. Miracles prove that God is active in the world - For example, Mother Teresa healed a woman of stomach cancer when she prayed to her in 1998. If God didn't exist no-one would have a conversion experience - St. Paul on the road to Damascus. No: A religious experience could just be in a person's imagination - Not factual. A religious experience could be the result of illness - Hallucination There might be a good explanation for a religious experience that humans do not know - Saul was dehydrated. |
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The world is so beautiful it must have been designed by God. (6Marks) |
Yes: The world is so beautiful that it must have been designed, because only God could do this - Omnipotent. The intricate designs of this like snowflakes could not have happened by chance. God has designed the world to be appealing to humans. No: The world is full if ugly features like volcanoes and earthquakes which God would have not designed. The world is not designed it was created by the Big Bang The world is designed by nature (GLACIERS) it is nothing to do with God. |
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The media helps people to believe in God. (6Marks) |
Yes - The Monastery: A serious degree of commitment needed for the life of a monk - Unfair of an omnibenevolent God to ask his followers to give up the joy of marriage and a family of their own. Confusing for believers may lead to agnosticism. A gentleman who worked in pornography had a religious experience after spending time at the monastery and changed career. He felt the presence of God in his life and a vocation to change career. This may make people believe in God. Showed conflict between the volunteers, which the monks tried to meditate between. They acted as peacemakers as Jesus did, which is important for believers and may encourage them to follow this example of pacifism. No - Father Ted: Father Ted - Involved in gambling which is a global sin, we should not involve ourselves in this behaviour, as it is going against Church teachings - Poor role model Father Dougal - a Poor role model, simple minded, would not give good advice. Bishop - Swears, uses poor language, supposed to be a high-ranking member of the clergy acting as a paradigm to other members of the church. |
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Explain how television programmes might affect a person's belief in God. (8Marks) |
Father Ted - Disbelief in God: Father Ted was having a bet with another priest, therefore involving himself in gambling. This is very unpriestly as gambling is a global sin which all Catholics should seek to avoid. Father Dougal was very simple minded and foolish, not someone you would go to for advice. Sets a poor example of priests who should be spiritual leaders. Father Jack was a profuse alcoholic, his desire for alcohol far supersede his desire for God. This is unpriestly and shows that they are not true men of God, makes faith uninviting and spiritually invalid. All of the priests in Father Ted casually use profanities. This may lead people to think that priests and indeed religion as a whole is not very Godly and pure if the spiritual leaders are swearing regularly in conversation. The Monastery - Belief in God: A serious degree of commitment needed for the life of a monk - Unfair of an omnibenevolent God to ask his followers to give up the joy of marriage and a family of their own. Confusing for believers may lead to agnosticism.A gentleman who worked in pornography had a religious experience after spending time at the monastery and changed career. He felt the presence of God in his life and a vocation to change career. This may make people believe in God.Showed conflict between the volunteers, which the monks tried to meditate between. They acted as peacemakers as Jesus did, which is important for believers and may encourage them to follow this example of pacifism. |
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"Suffering proves God does not exist" (6Marks) |
Yes: God should be powerful enough to end suffering God could make a world free of suffering God would show his love by preventing suffering. No: Humans cause suffering Suffering is part of God's plan Suffering is part of the test of life |
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Explain why unanswered prayers may lead some people to reject belief in God. (8Marks) |
People may feel abandoned. If God was all powerful he would answer prayers If God was all loving ' ' ' ' '' ' ' ' ' '' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' If God existed ' ' ' ' ' '' ' ' ' ' '' ' ' ' '' ' ' ' ' ' '' ' ' |
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God caused the world to exist. (6Marks) |
Yes: The Big Bang must have had a first cause The world cannot be an accident Only God is powerful enough to cause the universe. No: Science has shown God was not needed to cause the universe God does not exist so cannot have been the cause of the universe. The Big Bang created the universe |
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Explain how Christians respond to the problem of unanswered prayers. (8Marks) |
People cannot know what God's plan for them is Prayers might conflict with another person's God answers prayers in an unexpected way Belief in free will means God can't answer some prayers God will not answer prayers that do not benefit people Unanswered prayers might cause a loss of faith. |
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"No one should be an atheist" (6Marks) |
Yes: Evidence of religious experiences means people should believe in God. There are arguments for the existence of God (Design/Causation) Some Christians believe atheists will go to hell. No: There is no scientific proof for the existence of God Evil and suffering suggest God does not exist It is a person's choice whether they believe in God or not |
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"Only science can explain how the world was created" (6Marks) |
Yes: The Big Bang created the universe when two particles collided. Evolution is a good explanation for how plants and animals came to look as they do - Charles Darwin's theory of evolution - They all evolved from single celled amoeba. Science provides evidence - Redshift. No: The Big Band needed a first cause - God. The world is too complex and beautiful, in places such as the Grand Canyon, to have come about simply as a result of an explosion. Only God is powerful enough to create the world. |
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Explain why evil and suffering may lead some people not to believe in God. (8Marks) |
God should be powerful enough to end suffering. God could make a world free of suffering. God would show his love by preventing suffering. Innocent people suffer so God cannot exist. People pray for suffering to end and it does not, so people stop believing. |
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Explain how Christians respond to the scientific explanations of the origins of the world. (8Marks) |
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Explain how Christians respond to the problem of evil and suffering. (8Marks) |
People cannot understand God's reasons for allowing evil and suffering Evil and suffering might be part of a wider plan for humanity. Evil and suffering is part of a test from God. God gave people free will, they abuse it. - Most evil and suffering are man made and so by educating each other better and being more virtuous in our lives, we would infinitely reduce the degree of evil and suffering. People may pray for those who are suffering. People can provide solutions through activities like charity work. |
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Explain how a Christian upbringing may lead to belief in God. (8Marks) |
If a child's family and friends believe in God, it will lead them to believe as they will respect their opinions and copy them. If a child is taken to a place of worship regularly, it encourages belief in God - They will hear Jesus teachings and understand them. Children will learn to pray and will have sacraments such as First Communion, which would bring them closer to God and therefore would inspire belief in God. They will participate in religious festivals, most of which give visual representations of God and his miracles, for example, the stations of the Cross shows the suffering of Jesus, yet he rose from the dead after it all, which may lead to belief in God. |
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Agnosticism(2Marks) |
Not being sure if God exists or not. |
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Atheist(2Marks) |
Believing that God does not exist. |
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Conversion(2Marks) |
Changing from one religion to another or from not following a religion to following one. |
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Free Will(2Marks) |
The idea that humans are free to make their own choices. |
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Miracle(2Marks) |
Something that breaks the laws of science and makes you think only God could have done it. |
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Moral Evil(2Marks) |
Actions done by humans which cause suffering. |
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Natural Evil(2Marks) |
Things that cause suffering but were not caused by humans. |
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Numinous(2Marks) |
The feeling of the presence of something greater than you. |
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Omnipotent(2Marks) |
The belief that God is all-powerful. |
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Omniscient(2Marks) |
The belief that God is all-knowing. |
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Omni-benevolent(2Marks) |
The belief that God is all-good and kind. |
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Prayer(2Marks) |
An attempt to communicate with God; usually through words. |
