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10 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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The argument from design and how it may, or may not, lead to a belief in God. |
The argument from design is inspired by Isaac Newton's "thumb theory" - that every thumb is unique and therefore must have a designer - and William Paley's "watch theory" - you wouldn't think that a watch you found wouldn't have a designer, so why should humans and the universe not have a designer? The designer of the universe must have been God. However, there are theories of evolution and the big bang theory that also explain our complex design. |
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The main features of a christian upbringing and how it may lead to a belief in God. |
- Going to a Christian school - Being taught about how to pray - Being baptised/christened at an early age - Taught about God at home These can lead to a belief in God because a child usually believes what their parents tell them, so they will usually adopt their parent's faith. This means that if a child is taught about God, then they are likely to believe in God. |
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The argument from causation and how it may, or may not, lead to a belief in God. |
Causation, the argument that every thing has a cause also states that there is always a "first cause", because if you had a row of dominoes, they will not fall unless the first one is pushed. Many say that this "first cause" must have no cause, be eternal and be all-powerful to create the events that led to us, so it must be God. However, the big bang theory argument gives us an alternative "first cause" and because time and space were created by it, asking what came before is meaningless. |
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How religious experiences, as seen in the numinous, conversion, miracles and prayer, may lead to a belief in God. |
Numinous experiences, a feeling of awe can lead to a belief in God because someone can "feel" the presence of what they believe to be God, so they will believe in Him. Miracles can show something breaking the laws of science, and people may think that the only explanation could be God. Prayer can lead people to God because they feel as if they are talking to God, and so they believe in God. Conversions are when someone starts their new journey in a religion, which means they believe in God. |
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Why scientific explanations of the origin of the world may lead some people to not believe in God. |
The big bang theory offers an alternative "first cause" to God. There is also evidence to back it up, that the planets and stars are moving away from each other, expanding. Therefore, if you go back, they must all have been at a single point, important evidence for the theory. Evolution suggests that humans evolved from primitive life forms, such as apes and before that, single-celled organisms. This can also be proven by the fact that we have found bones of past humans that look very different to nowadays, suggesting they evolved to make us. This can lead people away from the argument that God made humans. |
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How Christians respond to scientific explanations of the origins of the world. |
Most: Believe science and religion are correct. There are many links between the bible and scientific discoveries. Some: Believe that science is true, but God created the processes. "let there be light" is a direct reference to the big bang theory. Few: Believe that science is wrong, and God made the world look older because of the "apparent age theory", that the world looks older than it is. |
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Why unanswered prayers may lead some people to not believe in God. |
If people do not get a response for their prayer, for example praying for their family member to get better, and then they die, it may seem to the person like they've been ignored, and that God would've responded and made the relative better. If he really was all powerful and all loving, he would have made the relative better, not kill them. |
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How Christians respond to unanswered prayers. |
One view is that "God acts in mysterious ways" and that you shouldn't try to understand why he didn't answer your prayers. Another view is that you prayer could have been selfish, or you could have been asking for the wrong reasons, i.e. asking for your own benefit rather tan anyone else's. Another view is that he doesn't give you what you want, just what you need, so that God is not answering your prayer because he knows best. |
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Why evil and suffering may lead to someone not believing in God. |
The main argument is that if God is omniscient (all seeing), omni-benevolent (all loving) and omnipotent (all powerful) then he must know about it, and must want to do something about it but doesn't, which doesn't make sense. If he is all of these things then he must, by definition, prevent all evil and suffering. The fact that he doesn't either means that he isn't these things or that he doesn't exist. |
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How Christians respond to the issue of evil and suffering. |
Most Christians respond by saying that God gave humans free will, which included the ability to sin and do evil. If he intervened to stop evil and suffering, then that would be taking away free will from humans, so he doesn't prevent it from happening. Some respond by saying that the evil and suffering in the world is a test for the afterlife and heaven - how you react to it will determine your fate. They also say that without evil, there can be no good deeds. In a good world, there would be no such thing as a good deed. |
