Page 113 - Knowledge Organiser Yr9 24-25

Knowledge Base: Religious Studies ‘There are no good reasons to believe in God’ Year 9 | SpringYTeearm9
1. Arguments for the existence of God
1.1
Thomas Aquinas
13th Century philosopher who demonstrated that faith was reasonable through the First Cause Argument. He later went on to argue that the apparent order and complexity in the world is proof of a designer and that this designer is God.
1.2
Fallacy of Composition- David Hume
The claim that it is wrong to assume that what is true of somethings parts must also be true of the whole.
1.3
First Cause/ Cosmological argument
As everything in the universe needs a cause, so the universe must have a cause, that cause must be God.
2.3
free will
The ability to choose between right and wrong, some believe this ability is given by God.
1.4 infinite regress
1.5 logical fallacy
An endless sequence of cause with no beginning. A statement or argument that is logically flawed.
2. The Nature of God
2.1 attributes of God
2.2 eternal
2.4 immanent
2.5 immutable
2.6 omnipotent
2.7 omnibenevolent
2.8 omniscient
2.9 omnipresent
2.10 transcendent
God’s characteristics. What he is like. Without beginning or end.
The belief that God is close to humanity world. Unchangeable.
The belief that God is all-powerful.
The belief that God is all-loving and good.
The belief that God is all-knowing.
The belief that God is present everywhere. Beyond our understanding.
1.6
Design/Teleolo gical argument
The world around us looks as though it has been designed. Designed things need an intelligent designer. The intelligent designer of the world is God.
1.7
William Paley
Used an analogy to demonstrate agreement with the design argument. If one came across a mechanical watch on the ground, they would assume that its many complex parts fitted together for a purpose and that it had not come into existence by chance. There must be a watchmaker.
1.8
evolution
The process by which different life forms are believed to have developed from other, earlier life forms over time- developed by Charles Darwin.
1.9
Anthropic Principle
The idea that the universe is just right for life to come into existence and the process of evolution supports the idea of a designer God.
1.10
New Atheists
The name for a group of modern philosophers who believe that religion is irrational and should be argued against.
2.11
The Trinity
The belief that God is one God existing as three entities: The Father, Son, Holy Spirit, as demonstrated in The Apostles Creed.
2.12
Apophatic Theology
Some philosophers argue that we cannot accurately describe the nature of God because our language is too limited to express the essence of God. Therefore, some Christians think that they should only talk about what God is NOT, rather than what he is.
3. The Problem of evil and suffering
3.1
theodicy
An argument to justify the existence of God, despite the existence of evil in the world.
3.2
Augustinian theodicy
God is not responsible for evil, it is a lack of goodness introduced through human freewill due to the Original Sin in Genesis 3.
3.3
Irenaean theodicy
Humans were created imperfect and therefore, God created evil so that humans can grow their souls into becoming children of God.
3.4
Inconsistent triad
The existence of suffering alongside an all-loving (omnibenevolent) and all-powerful (omnipotent) God are argued to be contradictory.
113