Theme C: Existence of God + revelation

• Christian beliefs on visions?

  • Special revelation
  • God tells religious truths -> better understanding of God
  • e.g Virgin Mary at Lourdes
• Islamic beliefs on visions?

  • NOT special revelation -> Allah doesnt DIRECTLY reveal himself
  • Holds deep experience for person receiving it
• Christian beliefs on miracles?

  • Display God’s power e.g Jesus turned water into wine
  • Shows God can break rules of nature as he is omnipotent
• Islamic beliefs on miracles?

  • Greatest miracle is the revelation of the Quran to Muhammad
  • Prophets performed them to show they had been sent by God
• Christian beliefs on nature as general revelation?

  • Nature‘s beauty should inspire them to pray as it displays God’s power
  • God’s beauty is reflected in nature
• What is Hume’s Argument?

  Proof of miracles will always be outweighed by the laws of nature
• Problem with nature as natural revelation?

  Natural disasters are evil
• Islamic beliefs on nature as general revelation?

  • Beauty of nature comes from god -> one of Allah’s 99 names is al-Musawwir (Shaper of Beauty)
  • Qu’ran says nature is a sign of God
• What is the teleological argument?

  • Design argument
  • Universe must have a designer as it is so complex
• Arguments FOR teleological argument?

  • Nature is so intricate e.g William Paley’s watch argument, golden ratio
  • Very specific conditions were needed for the universe to be created
  • “God created the heavens and the earth” -> written in scripture
  • Theistic evolution -> God put the process in motion
• Arguments AGAINST the teleological argument?

  • Evolution explains life
  • EVIL exists
  • God is used to explain complicated concepts
  • Why does designer have to be God?
• What is the cosmological argument?

  • First cause argument
  • Everything has a first cause, so the universe’s first cause is God because he is eternal
  • Proposed by Thomas Aquinus
• Arguments FOR the cosmological argument?

  • Infinte regress is not possible due to the chain of causation
  • God is the only eternal being so he must have been the first cause
• Arguments AGAINST the cosmological argument?

  • The first cause may not be God
  • If God is eternal, why can’t the universe be?
  • God of Gaps -> God used to explain things we can’t yet explain
• Christians beliefs on views against God?

  • Evil is the price of free will
  • Suffering must exist as our actions have consequences and make us learn good
• Islamic beliefs on views against God?

  • God is creating the best conditions for spiritual development -> suffering is necessary for this
  • God gave humans science to understand the world and help their relationship with God
  • Evil is the price of free will
• What is special revelation?

  Direct revelation of God e.g vision of Mary at Lourdes
• What is general revelation?

  Ordinary experiences e.g nature and its intricacy, scripture etc..
• Problem with special revelation?

  • Personal -> can only teach one person about God
  • RELIGIOUS BIAS -> those who already believe in God usually have visions -> more likely to be made up
  • No scientific evidence
• Problem with general revelation?

  • Natural evil e.g natural disasters
  • No proof of Bible coming directly from God
  • Different parts of scripture contradict -> how is God both personal and impersonal?
• Which revelation do Muslims not believe in?

  Special revelation, as God doesn't directly reveal himself
• Christian beliefs on the divine?

  • God is one, but three persons
  • God is both personal and impersonal -> he can have a relationship with us and be separate
  • God is transcendent and immanent -> he is both within the world and without it
• Islamic beliefs on the divine?

  • Tawhid -> oneness of God and cannot be split into different persons
  • God is both transcendent and immanent because he is beyond our understanding and the laws contradiction
• General ideas about the divine?

  • Omnipotent, omnibenevolent, omniscient
  • Both personal and impersonal -> god can have a relationship with us and be separate
  • Both immanent and transcendent -> god is both within the world and completely detached
  • God is above the laws of contradiction
• Why may some revelations and enlightenments be deemed false?

  • No scientific proof
  • Influence of alcohol or drugs
  • Experience may not align with religious teachings
  • Experience may leave person distressed rather than at peace