existence of god

• god is omnipotent

  god is all powerful
• god is omnibenevolant

  god is all loving
• god is omniscient

  god is all knowing
• god is transcendent

  god is beyond the human world
• the teleological (design) argument is the idea that as everything on earth has the perfect conditions for it to suit its purpose, there must Be a higher being who has coordinated and put these perfect conditions in place.
• evolution

  the way something gradually develops and makes changes over time
• adaption

  the way something changes ckf the better to suit something new or different
• One reason why some people think science disproves the teleological argument is because the illusion of it being designed is fully explained. When chance mutations and therefore natural selection (survival of the fittest) occur, species evolve which explains how the universe eventually became to complex and suited to conditions.
• Another reason why some people think science disproves the teleological argument is because there have been so many natural disasters and tragedies that to believe that someone would specifically choose for this to happen would go against the traditional beliefs of God. If God is meant to be omnibenevolNt and omniscient, then it does not make logical sense for him to have created suffering, waste, homicide etc. it does not match the traditional, key beliefs of Christianity.
• Strengths of the cosmological argument

  • it is a structured argument with premises and a conclusion

  • the argument is logical

  • the argument does not rely on having a prior belief in god

  • there are easy to understand analogies that explain the argument well (dominos)
• Weaknesses of the cosmological argument

  • the argument is based on the idea that everything has a cause, but what caused God?

  • an analogy is not proof that something is true, it is just a story that compares two things

  • quantum physicists have discovered that some things begin entirely at random, not via a chain of cause and effect

  • if god does not need a cause, why does the universe?
• Strengths of the teleological argument

  • gives the universe a purpose

  • does not rely on prior religious belief to make sense

  • the premises in the argument match the conclusion

  • watch analogy helps us to understand it easily

  • logical argument

  • works well with the belief that god is omnipotent, omnibenevolant and omniscient
• weaknesses of the teleological argument

  • the universe and a watch are not comparable; they are too different

  • evolution explains how species mutated and evolved to become so effective, they were not designed

  • an analogy is not evidence

  • it is possible that the universe came about by chance

  • the world is not a perfectly designed thing, there is war, disease, natural disasters, etc

  • who or what designed god?