Existence of God and revelation

• Atheist


  Someone who believes that God does not exist
• Design Argument


  The universe is so complex, it could not have come about by chance. It must have had a designer - God
• If everything must have a cause

  Then what caused God?
• Agnostic


  Someone who believes that there is not enough evidence to prove or disprove God's existence
• First Cause Argument


  Everything in the universe has a cause. The universe itself must have had a cause that is an uncaused cause - God
• Evolution suggests that complex things in nature

  Are a result of natural selection, not design
• Theist


  Someone who believes that God does exist
• What William Paley gave to support the Design Argument

  • A watch found in a field, which is too complicated to have just appeared, so must have had a designer
• Strength of the First Cause Argument

  • Without a first cause, there would be an infinite chain of causes (infinite regression)
• Science has shown that there is no God!
• If an event cannot be explained by science

  It must have been caused by something outside of nature, which can only be God intervening
• Who saw a vision of Mary

  • St. Bernadette of Lourdes
• Revelation


  When God reveals/shows himself to humans
• If God is all loving and all-powerful

  He would be able and want to stop evil. But evil exists, so God must either not exist or be a weak or evil God
• Who had a vision of Jesus on the way to persecuting Christians

  • Saul/Paul
• Examples of general revelation

  • The Bible
  • Nature
  • Reason
  • Conscience
• Job should just trust in God because he could never understand God's reasoning
• Inconsistent triad


  Devised by philosopher J.L. Mackie
• Examples of special revelation

  • Miracles
  • Visions
  • Near death experiences
  • Enlightenment
• Enlightenment


  A state of spiritual awakening and the gaining of a deeper understanding of reality
• Buddhism


  • The followers of this world religion aim to achieve enlightenment
• How the Buddha achieved enlightenment


  Through meditation
• The divine


  God
• Omnipotent


  All-powerful
• Omniscient


  All-knowing
• Omnibenevolent


  All-loving
• Immanent


  God is involved in the world
• Transcendent


  Being outside of the universe and beyond human understanding
• Science has shown that there is no God!
• The Quran: '"This is enlightenment for mankind and guidance and mercy for a people who are certain in faith"'
• Someone who has had a revelation of God and gone on to do good things


  • Nicki Crux (ex-gang leader)
• Miracles in the Bible


  • Jesus walking on water, Jesus healing a blind man
• Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence (Atheist philosophers)
• The Bible: '"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands"'
• William Lane Craig argued that the conclusion that belief in God has become intellectually indefensible for thinking people today is false
• St. Paul: '"If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins."'
• Pope Francis said "The Big Bang does not contradict creation"
• The Bible: '"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth..."'