Flashcards
GCSE Edexcel RE Believing in God
Cards in this deck (26)
- 1AgnosticismNot being sure whether God exists
- 2AtheismBelieving that God does not exist
- 3ConversionWhen your life is changed by giving yourself to God
- 4Free willThe idea that human beings are free to make their own choices
- 5MiracleSomething that seems to break a law of science and makes you think only God could have done it
- 6Moral evilActions done by humans which cause suffering
- 7Natural evilThings which cause suffering but have nothing to do with humans
- 8NuminousThe feeling of the presence of something greater than you
- 9Omni-benevolentThe belief that God is all-good
- 10OmnipotentThe belief that God is all-powerful
- 11OmniscientThe belief that God knows everything that has happened and everything that will happen
- 12PrayerAn attempt to contact God, usually through words
- 13What is a religious upbringing?• Babies Baptised - Promise to bring children up to believe in God
• Teach to pray - Direct relationship with God
• Take to worship - Worshipping as a community shows other people who believe
• Church school/Sunday school - Teaching children in a Christian environment - 14How does religious upbringing lead to belief in God?• Children will believe what parents tell them about God - have authority
• Because parents pray, children believe it is normal part of life
• Seeing people worship in Church reinforces belief
• At school/children’s liturgy - teachers tell children God exists/teach bible stories - 15Describe religious experiences• Numinous feelings
• Conversion
• Miracles
• Prayer - 16How do religious experiences lead to belief in God?• Numinous feeling - if you sense a presence greater than yourself you will believe this is God
• Conversion - sensing that God wants you to change
• Miracles - if no scientific explanation, only possible explanation is God thus he must exit
• Prayer - answered prayers will lead to belief in God - 17What is the design argument?• Lots of evidence of complex things in the world which appear designed
• Anything that has been designed needs a designer
• The only thing powerful enough to design the Earth is God
• Therefore, God must exist - 18What are criticisms of the design argument?• No designer would have created natural evil
• Science can explain appearance of design without God - evolution & natural selection
• Argument does not explain how dinosaurs could have been part of a design plan
• If argument is true, only proves there is a designer - may not be God - 19What is the causation argument?• Everything in the world needs a cause - nothing can cause itself
• If working backwards, will get to cause of the Universe - the First Cause
• Only thing powerful enough to have caused the Universe is God
• Therefore God must exist - 20What are the criticisms of the causation argument?• If everything needs a cause then who caused God?
• If matter is eternal, then the process goes on forever
• Even if there was a First Cause it would not have to be God
• If you can argue that God does not need a cause, you can also argue that the Universe did not need a cause - 21What is the scientific explanation for the Universe?• About 15 billion years ago, Big Bang happened & formed our solar system
• Gases on the Earth’s surface produced primitive life forms
• Lead to evolution of new life forms & eventually humans (2.5 million years ago) - 22How do scientific explanations lead to Atheism?• Science can explain where the world came from without God
• People become agnostic because there is no need for God as an explanation
• Atheists believe if God did exist, there would be no other explanation for the world
• Atheists argue that proof of the dinosaurs shows God does not exist - why would he create & destroy them? - 23How do Christians respond to science?• Fundamentalists reject scientific explanations - Genesis is the truth that can be supported by their faith
• Creationists believe the Earth was created by an omnipotent God in 6 days - can fit with time periods of Earth’s evolution
• Creationists also believe that fossils may have been put in the ground by God, or humans, to trick people
• Some say Bible can be interpreted - some stories represent greater truth - science tells us how, Bible tells us why
• Some agree with explanations for formation but the world is so beautiful - God must have been involved - 24How does evil & suffering cause people to reject belief in God?• If God were omnipotent he would be able to stop suffering
• If God were omniscient he would know all about suffering
• If God were omnibenevolent he would want to stop suffering
• If God exists, evil & suffering would not - 25How do Christians explain evil & suffering?• Was planned after Adam & Eve chose to disobey God - separated from God which lead to suffering, sent Jesus to restore
• Suffering is a test from God - see whether a person rejects or grows close to God, determines afterlife
• We have been given free will - cause of suffering, we can choose evil
• Suffering has a purpose - may be part of a greater plan, must trust God
• Should follow Jesus’ example - Jesus had to endure suffering, taught need for prayer & kindness - 26What are the Christian responses to unanswered prayers?• If you pray for something selfish, God will not answer your prayer
• God may have different plans for you against your prayer - have to trust God
• God hears & answers all prayers - the answer may be ‘no’ or ‘not now’
• God may answer your prayer, but not in the way you expect
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- Flashcards for the Believing in God unit.
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