Unit 4- Existence of God

Topic 1 The Existence of God

Candidates need only refer to one religious tradition in this section. Candidates will be expected to know the following terms: theist, atheist, agnostic. Candidates may be asked questions on the following arguments for God’s existence:

• First Cause argument (cosmological argument);

• Design argument (teleological argument);

• argument from miracles;

• argument from religious experience;

• argument from morality;

• arguments against belief in the existence of God.

Candidates will be expected to be able to outline arguments in any of the preceding areas:

• they will also be expected to be able to outline basic problems with the arguments;

• how plausible/strong are the arguments?;

• what faults lie within them?

THE DESIGN ARGUMENT (TELELOGICAL)

William Paley (1743-1805)

• If you found a watch on th ground you would presume it has a designer and couldnt come togather by chance because it is too ordered and complicated, so there must be a designer.
• Because the universe is also ordered and complicated, someone must has deigned it too, the designer being God.

IN SUPPORT OF THE ARGUMENT

Aquinas- 'it is plain that they achieve their end not fortuitosly but design'-Achieve things not by chance but by design e.g. cows make milk

Dawkins- 'the temptation to attribute the appearence of design to another/ actual design is a false one' (Evolution)

F.R.Tennatt- 'the universe is designed perfectly to sustain are human life'. e.g. the sun is just the right distance away (Goldilocks- too hot/too cold)

Dyson- 'As we identify the many accidents of physics that have worked togather to our benefit it seems as if the universe knew we were coming'

AGAINST THE ARGUMENT

• The world os knot a machine all things in nature ahve a similar causer to the rock
• Not all like effects dont have a like cause
• We dont have aything to compare our univere to and we have no experience
• Maybe if it was created by a frail/evil/young God, or by many gods- we see god as human

AJ Ayer- limited experience means that we cannot tell the difference between designed or nkot designed.

Weak Anthrotic principle- We are suited to the universe and vice versa e.g. apuddle does not have a specal hole, it fits and thats that.

Multi-universe theorys- That withn a universe one planet out of many is life-sustaining so is not a miracle.

COSMOMLOGICAL ARGUMENT

Cosmological- to dow the…