theme c

• Design argument


  Argument that the complexity and order of the universe points to the existence of a divine designer
• First cause


  Argument that the universe must have had an initial cause, which is God
• Evil and suffering


  Challenge to belief in God's goodness and power based on the existence of evil and suffering in the world
• Challenge from science


  Challenge to religious beliefs based on scientific explanations for the origin and development of the universe
• Sikhism Theme C


  Theme in Sikhism relating to God's nature and relationship with the world
• Guru Granth Sahib (GGS) 463: '"He fashioned the creation...He beholds it with delight"'
• GGS 1003: '"The forests, meadows...the countries, the continent and all the worlds, all have come from One Word of the Lord"'
• GGS 294: '"The entire creation came from God"'
• GGS 8: '"He watches over all"'
• GGS 1311: '"God has been kind and compassionate; He has blessed me. Removing pain and poverty."'
• L.J. Singh: '"The concerns of science and religion are not mutually exclusive, but are complimentary. Religion can lend meaning to life, whatever the facts of science discovers."'
• Special revelation

  God making himself known through extraordinary experiences
• Three days in the river story, when God spoke to Guru Nanak.
• General revelation

  God making himself known through ordinary experiences open to all
• GGS 24: '"He is the master who has made the world bloom"'
• GGS 467: '"Having created the living beings, He cherishes them all"'
• Miracles


  Remarkable events that cannot be explained by science alone
• Miracles

  • Guru Nanak and the boulder
  • Guru Nanak in the river
• First cause argument


  Argument that the universe must have had an initial cause, which is God
• Responses to evil and suffering

  Attempts to reconcile the existence of evil and suffering with belief in a good and powerful God
• Psalm 19: '"The heavens proclaim the glory of God, the skies proclaim the work of His hands"'
• Psalm 95: '"The mountain peaks belong to Him"'
• Genesis 1:1: '"In the beginning God created the heavens and earth"'
• Miracles performed by Jesus


  • walking on water, turning water into wine, healing the sick, feeding the 5000
• Psalm 46: '"God is our refuge and our strength"'
• Vale of soul-making

  Theodicy proposed by John Hick that evil and suffering are necessary for spiritual growth
• Matthew 5:44: '"Pray for those who persecute you"'
• St Teresa of Avila: '"Christ has no body but yours"'
• Matthew 5:10: '"Blessed are those who suffer for doing what is right....the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to them"'
• 7 Works of Mercy

  Acts of compassion described in the Parable of the Sheep and Goats
• Big Bang

  Viewed by Pope Francis as a "divine act of creation"
• Evolution "is not inconsistent" with creation (Pope Francis)
• Special Revelation: Visions


  God making himself known through extraordinary experiences
• General Revelation: Nature


  God making himself known through ordinary experiences open to all
• General Revelation: Scripture


  God making himself known through sacred texts
• Romans 1:20: '"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse"'
• 2 Timothy: '"All scripture is God-breathed"'
• Atheist


  Someone who does not believe a God exists
• Benevolent

  God's nature as all-loving and all-good
• Faith

  A commitment to God and religion that goes beyond proof