3.1 Arguments for the existence of God

• Two types of revelation:

  1. Natural revelation -> God revealing himself through nature
  2. Special revelation -> God revealing himself through the Bible
• What are four examples of when God has revealed himself to mankind?

  > burning bush

  > incarnation

  > through miracles and visions

  > through the holy spirit
• Outline three characteristics of God shown by the revelation in Jesus Christ:

  • God is benevolent, he became flesh in Jesus
  • God is forgiving, he gave his life to save humans sins
  • God has power over eternal life, shown as Jesus rose from the dead
• Two reasons why Jesus is the culmination of God's revelation

  • Most complete revelation of God, showing all his aspects and characteristics
  • The final revelation, showing that no more are needed to understand Gods nature
• Revelation- John: "The word became flesh". This shows that God is truly present in Jesus therefore Jesus words & actions reveal Gods nature
• Moses and the burning bush: "I am the God of your ancestors"
• Outline three visions:

  1. Abraham's covenant- auditory vision "Fear not Abraham"
  2. St Joan of Arc- Saints told her to drive the English out of France, she inspired French royalty and armies
  3. Transfiguration- cloud said "this is my beloved son"
• Importance of visions:

  > show that God is active in the world and that he cares for humans

  > helps Christians to carry out Gods will which he communicates through visions

  > convert some people to believe in God due to the message in the vision being clear, and the only explanation being God
• Non-religious viewpoint on Visions:

  • people have mental illnesses or medication that can cause hallucinations
  • visions only exist in the mind of the visionary, therefore can't be proven
  • there are inconsistensies- visionaries view Jesus, Mary and Saints differently
• Outline three miracles:

  1. Jesus calming the storm
  2. Feeding the 5000
  3. Moses parting the Red Sea
• Importance of miracles:

  • show Gods love for people so reveal his nature
  • a person who witnesses a miracle has come into contact with God, proving his existence
• The Book of Exodus records the parting of the Red Sea
• Catechism: the desire for God is written in the human heart
• Types of religious experience:

  1. Natural revelation
  2. Scripture
  3. Prayer
  4. Miracles
  5. Visions
• Numinous = a feeling of the presence of God, a feeling of awe and wonder
• Non-Religious views on Religious Experiences:

  > if numinous experiences came frmo God then everyone would experience nature in the same way

  > believe all miracles and visions can be explained by science

  > followers of all religions claim to have religious experiences, how do we judge when it is true?

  > experiences are only in the head of the person
• Catechism teaches that religious experiences are only genuine if they align with church teachings
• Outline three features of the design argument

  > the universe is a far more complex mechanism than a watch

  > if a watch needs a designer, then the universe needs a designer

  > the only being complex enough to make earth is God
• Importance of the design argument by William Paley:

  Shows that God is omnipotent, which aligns with the teachings of the church

  Shows that God is the creator of the universe which is taught in Gensis

  Catholics can understand God by looking at creation
• Catechism: "the existence of God can be known with certainty through his creation"
• Non-Religious views on The Design Argument:

  1. if God created Earth, why would he create suffering through natural disasters
  2. Science and the Big Bang Theory explain how the universe was created
  3. this theory only proves that there is a creator, not that the creator is God
• Evidence for The Design Argument:

  • Universe is governed by laws e.g gravity
  • DNA is an example of a design for organisms structure
  • Evolution suggests that organisms have been designed
• Three features of the Cosmological Argument:

  1. Way of motion -> universe had a first mover which was God
  2. Way of causation -> universe had a cause which was God
  3. Way of contingency -> a non-contigent being has always existed, which is God
• Outline the modern form of the Cosmological Argument:

  > the world works by cause and effect

  > every effect has a cause and every cause has an effect

  > the universe must have had a cause

  > God has the power to cause the universe to exist
• Non-Religious views on the Cosmological Argument:

  • if everything needs a cause then God too must have needed a cause
  • this theory proves that there is a first cause, first mover and a non-contingent being but it doesnt prove that this being is God
  • just because things within the universe have a cause and effect doesn't mean the universe itself needs one too
• Importance of the Cosmological Argument to Catholics:

  1. God is a mystery > Catholics accept that they, as humans, will not be able to fully understand God's power and eternity
  2. God is the origin of everything > first cause, unmoved mover, non-contingent being
  3. God is eternal therefore he is omnipotent
• Cosmological Argument: Catechism says that Gods glory is above the heavens and his greatness is unsearchable
• Types of evil:

  > Moral evil is suffering cause by humans

  > Natural evil is suffering caused by the universe e.g natural disasters
• Three features of the problem of evil & suffering:

  1. God is omnipotent > he has the power to stop evil and suffering
  2. God is omnibenevolent > he must love us enough to stop evil and suffering
  3. God is omniscient > he must know about the evil in the world
• Inconsistent triad:

  • if God is omnipotent he has the power to stop suffering
  • if God is omnibenevolent he loves us enough to stop suffering
  • if God is omniscient he would know about all suffering

  But evil & suffering exist, therefore either:

  > God is not omnipotent, omnibenevolent or omniscient

  > God simply does not exist
• The problem of evil and suffering: Isiah says God is omnipotent, omnibenevolent and omniscient
• Three different responses to the problem of evil & suffering:

  1. Biblical responses > Job describes how God has a reason for suffering, Psalms describes how suffering is simply a part of life
  2. Theoretical responses > humans have free will, Vale of Soul Making describes how evil and suffering helps people to become good & kind people in order to go to heaven
  3. Practical responses > intercessory prayers, charity, career choice
• Problem of evil and suffering: Job says that Gods actions cannot be understand & Psalms says that suffering leads to a better understanding of God
• Reasons for suffering:

  1. punishment for sin > Genesis: "Lord banished Adam from the garden of Eden"
  2. to help humans to learn and become good people > Psalms: "punishment made me learn Gods commands"
  3. God has reasons which humans cannot understand > Job: "Gods actions cannot be questioned"