Belief in God See this unit in 3 parts - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Belief in God

See this unit in 3 parts

…

Part 1 – Reasons to believe in God

Part 2 – Reasons not to believe in God (and how Christians would respond to these)

Part 3 – Media and belief in GodSlide2

Belief in God Keywords

Conversion –

when your life is changed by giving yourself to God

Miracle –

something which seems to break a law of science and makes you think only God could have done it

Numinous –

the feeling of the presence of something greater than you

Prayer –

an attempt to contact God, usually through words

Theism –

believing that God exists

Agnosticism –

not being sure whether God exists

Atheism –

believing that God does not exist

Free Will –

the idea that human beings are free to make their own choices

Moral Evil –

actions done by humans which cause suffering

Natural Evil –

things which cause suffering but have nothing to do with humans

Omni-benevolent –

the belief that God is all-good/ all-loving

Omnipotent –

the belief that God is all-powerful

Omniscient –

the belief that God knows everything that has happened and everything that is going to happen (all-knowing)Slide3

Part 1 – Reasons TO believe in God

What are the 4 Arguments FOR believing in God?Slide4

Having a

Christian Upbringing

Features

of a Christian Upbringing

Infant baptism-

parents promise to bring up children as Christians

Taught to

pray

to GodTaken to worship God in churchGo to Sunday school to learn about Christian faithMight be sent to church school to learn National Curriculum in Christian environmentMay be confirmed- involves lessons from priest/minister about Christianity and GodMay have religious experience during confirmation

How these features could lead to belief in God

Parents tell children about God – children believe parentsWill believe God is listeningSee others praying – think God must existLearn why Christians believe in God God and Christianity a part of everyday school lifeLearn more about God and may have religious experience during confirmationSlide5

Religious Experience

The Numinous

– a feeling of the presence of God

Conversion

– an experience of God which is so great that person wants to change life and commit to God. OR an experience which causes someone to change their religion.

Miracles

– an event which seems to break a law of science and only explanation is GodPrayer – feeling that God is listening to the prayer – e.g. prayer is answered. Slide6

Arguments Against Religious Experiences Proving God’s Existence?

Coincidence (miracle/answered prayer)

Imagination (numinous)

Lying (numinous/miracle)

Science which hasn’t been discovered yet (miracle)Slide7

Design Argument

William Paley

Paley’s watch

- If you came across a watch in an uninhabited place, you could not say it had been put there by chance. The complexity of its mechanism would make you say it had a designer…

The universe is a far more complex mechanism than a watch, and so, if a watch needs a watchmaker, the universe needs a universe maker. As the only being that could design the universe would be God, it follows that God must exist.

Evidence of

Design

-

Laws of science – e.g. Gravity, DNA, Evolution, Beauty of natureSlide8

Arguments for and against the Design Argument

leading to belief in God

For

Anything that has been designed needs a

designer

Plenty of

evidence

of design in the world (previous slide)

Only possible designer of something as beautiful and complex as the world is GodTherefore, appearance of design proves God existsAgainstArgument ignores lack of design (volcanoes, earthquakes, disease etc.)

Science can explain all evidence for designArgument doesn’t refer to dinosaurs Argument only proves there is a designer,

may not be God – many Gods, evil God, a trial run. Slide9

Causation Argument

Cause

and effect – whatever we do has an effect.

Science says every effect has a cause and any cause has an

effect

For

If we look at things in the world, we see

everything have a causeAnything caused to exist must be caused to exist by something else – to cause your own existence you would have to exist before you existYou can’t keep going back with causes, every causal chain must have a beginning – so the universe must have a beginning (a First Cause)The only possible first cause of the universe must be God

God must existAgainst

Why should the causes stop at God? If everything needs a cause, God must need a causeThe universe is eternal so causes go on forever (no start)The First Cause (if it exists) could be any type of creatorSlide10

Part 2 – Reasons NOT TO believe in God

What are the 3 Arguments NOT to believe in God?Slide11

Scientific Explanations - The Big Bang and Evolution

Matter is eternal

– can’t be created or destroyed, only changed

15 billion years ago – matter of the universe became so compressed it

exploded – Big Bang

As the matter of the universe flew away from the explosion,

forces joined some of the matter into stars – solar system

formed 5 billion years ago

Gases on the Earth’s surface produced primitive life forms – amoebaGenetic structure of life forms produce changes (mutations)Any change better suited to the environment will survive and reproduceOver millions of years new life forms produced leading to vegetation, then invertebrate animals

, then vertebrates, then humans (2.5 million years ago)Slide12

Arguments for and against

scientific explanations of the world

leading to agnosticism/atheism

Scientific explanations leading to agnosticism/ atheism

Major differences between what Science tells us and the account of creation in the bible – how long ago the world was created and how long it took

Science

explains where the world and humans came from with

no reference to God

Agnosticism - For some this means God may not exist as the argument that you need God to explain why we are here is no longer valid.Atheism – For some this means that God must not exist as if he exists he must have made the world and the scientific explanation is proof that God does not exist.

Christian responses

Scientific explanations are true and prove God created the universe – it all required very specific circumstances which could not have been chance – God must have ensured it happened. Creationism - Science is wrong and the Bible is right. Evidence for Big Bang and Evolution can be explained by the effects of Noah’s flood. Apparent Age Theory – God made things to appear millions of years old when they weren’tScience and Bible correct. Main parts of Bible story fit with science – 1 of God’s days could be millions of years. “Let there be light” is a direct reference to the Big Bang. Order that God created things is the same as theory of evolutionSlide13

Arguments for and against

unanswered prayers

leading to agnosticism/atheism

Unanswered Prayers leading to agnosticism/ atheism

Not Feeling God’s Presence

Many religious people claim to

feel God’s presence when they pray

.

If someone doesn’t feel his presence this is likely to make them feel something is wrong – not praying correctly or no God listening Prayers Not Being AnsweredChristians believe – God is their loving heavenly father who will answer prayersSome Churches tell congregation

about people whose prayers have been answeredIf their own prayer is unanswered, may begin to wonder about a God who only answers some people’s prayersIf prayers continue to be unanswered, this can become evidence

that God does not existChristian responses Selfish prayersGod has different plansGod may be answering our prayers by giving us what we need rather than what we asked forGod is omnipotent and benevolent and knows us better than we know ourselves, so trust God to answer prayers in best possible wayJesus – must have faith to have prayers answeredSlide14

Arguments for and against

evil and suffering

leading to agnosticism/atheism

Evil and suffering leading to agnosticism/ atheism

Natural Evil

A

benevolent God

would not have designed the world with natural evils

in itThese features must be a result of earth evolving by accident from the big bang. Moral EvilIf omnipotent He must be able to remove E&S from the worldIf omnibenevolent He must want

to remove E&S from the worldIf omniscient He must have known the suffering that would happen

If God exists there should be no E&S and as there is either God is not omnipotent, omnibenevolent or omniscient, or God does not exist.Christian responses God wants us to help those who suffer – like Jesus did (we should emulate Him) and pray for themE & S not God’s fault – humans misusing their free willThose who suffer in this life will be rewarded by eternal paradise when they dieGod has a reason for not removing E & S – we cannot understand – God is divine and humans can’t understand the workings of a divine mindSlide15

Part 3 – Media and belief in GodSlide16

Arguments for and against

Bruce Almighty

encouraging belief in God

FOR

When Bruce acts

selflessly

he gains inner happiness.

Morality

is the central focus of many religious beliefs, and this is what brings happiness in the film.When Bruce says “yes” to everyone’s prayers it creates havoc. Could explain why people don’t get everything they pray for as God acts in a balanced and fair way.God tells Bruce that He gave people free will. This could explain why we have the freedom to make decisions and people could believe that God gave us this ability.God brings Bruce back to life – miracle. This could explain other things that happen but cannot be explained by the laws of science.

AGAINST

Could question how an omnipotent being could not influence free will.Film shows God’s responsibilities such as answering prayers – might think it is impossible for one being to carry out all of these responsibilities.Bruce asks if God has ever taken a break from His responsibilities. God replies “remember the dark ages?”. People could question why an omnibenevolent God would take a break from responsibilities. If God existed and was omnipotent, He would have come up with a way of giving everyone what they want without causing chaos, rather than saying “no”.Slide17

Arguments for and against

Bruce Almighty

encouraging belief in God

FOR

When Bruce acts

selflessly

he gains inner happiness.

Morality

is the central focus of many religious beliefs, and this is what brings happiness in the film.When Bruce says “yes” to everyone’s prayers it creates havoc. Could explain why people don’t get everything they pray for as God acts in a balanced and fair way.God tells Bruce that He gave people free will. This could explain why we have the freedom to make decisions and people could believe that God gave us this ability.God brings Bruce back to life – miracle. This could explain other things that happen but cannot be explained by the laws of science.

AGAINST

Could question how an omnipotent being could not influence free will.Film shows God’s responsibilities such as answering prayers – might think it is impossible for one being to carry out all of these responsibilities.Bruce asks if God has ever taken a break from His responsibilities. God replies “remember the dark ages?”. People could question why an omnibenevolent God would take a break from responsibilities. If God existed and was omnipotent, He would have come up with a way of giving everyone what they want without causing chaos, rather than saying “no”.Slide18

Arguments for and against

The Simpsons (

Homer

the

Heretic)

encouraging belief in God

FOR –

Suggests importance of worshipping in a building with other belief in order to explore and extend faith.

God acts in different people – people of multiple faiths are portrayed as all willing to help regardless of belief of the individual.Flanders’ home is saved from burning as “reward” for his faith.Links to Religious Upbringing – impact of the practices of parents (for or against religion) has an influence on their children.AGAINSTDuring a conversation with God in a dream, the point is made that often religion starts off as an idea against accepted traditions.Suggests that a person may be more interested in seeking pleasure rather than committing to a religion.

When the question is raised, many characters struggle to provide a satisfying answer on what makes a good life to live.Slide19

Arguments for and against

The Simpsons (

In

Marge We Trust

)

encouraging belief in God

FOR –

Despite the challenge to his belief, the Reverend finds the strength to overcome it.

Many people will turn to the church or ministers in their time of need.Ultimately, whatever the challenge is that people face, it is faith that will help them to overcome it.AGAINSTPersonal setbacks often discourage faith and force people to question their belief.Advice can be given by a normal churchgoer, not just a minister of a religion.People will seek the advice that helps them overcome their problems, regardless of where it comes from.