Philosophy of Religion
Class 3 LBS
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The argument of the cosmos or the universe
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Nothing comes from noting
Something cannot consist of nothing
The cosmos exists
There must be something or someone who started the universe
Belief in a Creator is reasonable
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An analogy is a way to explain your argument. For example, dominoes don’t
fall of their own accord, and a ball does not start rolling on its own. There has
to be a cause, something that starts the movement.
Logic teaches us that after an action, a reaction, a movement or a process
begins.
God can be that cause, the one who starts the movement.
Our observation is obstructed by lack of time and space. Humans are limited
in what they can achieve and what they can investigate. Science has only
scratched the surface of the universe.
If you look at the universe and the immense distances in it, you realise that we
humans don’t live long enough to travel to the corners of the universe. The
distances in light-years are unbelievably far long.
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The world exists of material things, such as humans’ bodies, animals, plants,
nature, possessions etc. Most of these things are measurable by science. But
there are different things that are also present in reality, such as feelings, good
and bad, beauty and art, love and hate, politics and religion. These things are
an important part of life, but are hard to measure scientifically. This means
there is a visible and an invisible reality.
Criticism on the arguments mentioned above:
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Is it really true that it’s impossible that nothing or something can come from
nothing?
Maybe the cosmos wasn’t ever started by something
Maybe the cosmos made itself
If God exists, who or what made God?
*Further research: investigate the sources of Thomas of Aquinas and Richard
Swinburne
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The argument of design
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Look at how a watch or a piece of art is made; those point to a design and a
designer. For example, if you put the parts of a car on a floor, the car won’t
assemble itself.
Look at the complexity of the world, or a human eye. That points to something
bigger like a God.
Even with a Big Bang or with evolution there has to have been a start and a
certain order that have been put in motion. Evolution does explain the
adaption of species, but not the immense diffusion or the reason of our
existence.
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*Further research: Look up what William Paley said about this
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Criticism on the arguments mentioned above:
The argument of design does not prove there is a God who created
everything; there can also be several Gods, or completely different causes.
Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution concerns evolution over millions of years,
and the “survival of the fittest”. In other words, the natural selection of living
creatures. There is no specific plan other than the survival of your kind.
* Further research: Charles Darwin and Richard Dawkins
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The moral argument
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Every human knows when something is wrong or right
Studies have shown that in many cultures, not connected to each other,
share some basic principles about what is right or wrong.
Humans have a conscience, a universal human trait we all share.
When we do something wrong, we feel ashamed of that
Guilt, regret and forgiveness are human values
Every human acknowledges the importance of rules about right and
wrong.
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Our society is designed to do justice according to those rules
People are responsible for their good and bad actions to each other and
to God
The awareness of right and wrong points to a higher norm or moral
being (something Good / a God) that is connected to our conscience.
*Further Research: Cardinal John Henry Newman
Criticism on the arguments mentioned above:
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Sigmund Freud argues that our conscience is formed by what we learned from
our parents, school, and culture
This influences our subconscious and our thoughts and actions. That is the
way our conscience is formed.
Our conscience and morals, therefore, do not come from above, but by what
we are taught on earth.
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The existential argument or that which makes us humans.
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Proof of God and logic are handy, but do not convince completely. That is
because they don’t influence the deepest human needs of love, reason of life,
hope, etc.
If you love someone, you know it with all your heart. It’s the same with being
loved. That doesn’t need scientific proof, only the feeling of being loved.
Love is people’s basic need, which points to a loving God.
To experience God’s love you have to think on a deeper level than rational
arguments; it’s about love, acceptance, awe, hope etc.
Not everybody is satisfied with the purpose of life. People want higher goals in
life, they ask themselves “Is this all there is? Why am I alive? There has to be
more to life.” The existence of God seems to be a logical answer to those
questions.
When people have found God after a search, there is often peace, trust and a
sense of belonging in their lives.
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Criticism on the arguments mentioned above:
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People believe because they have a need to believe. It is an inner human
need.
People have designed their own God, not the other way around
People have to give meaning to their own lives instead of looking for it
elsewhere.
*Further research: Augustinus, Marten Luther, Pascal, Kierkegaard en CS Lewis,
Antony Flew, Friedrich Schleiermacher and Humanism
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The religious argument
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Many people over the centuries have had divine experiences. There were so
many that some of them have to be true. There are reports of these
experiences in the holy books and elsewhere, which have a certain few things
in common and point to the existence of God.
There are so many stories about God in the holy books which so many people
read today, that they can never all be made up.
Many of these stories are also histories about people who really lived. They
describe places and events that can be found in history.
People’s experiences and eye witness stories, which have been written down
all over the world, for centuries, also constitute proof that some of it must be
true.
The existence of several religions today. For example, every day there are
more people joining Christianity in Africa and Asia. After Christianity, the Islam
is the biggest religion on earth. It’s predicted that both religions will still be the
biggest in 2050.
The fact that many of Europe’s churches are gradually emptying, does not
mean that religion or interest in God doesn’t exist anymore. It’s a
transformation of religion.
People with a near-death-experience report about things that could point at a
God, heaven, an afterlife.
The story of Jesus is a strong argument. The life he lived and the way he
sacrificed himself for humanity is very special. Jesus is the face of God on
earth, teaching people about God. He is a real historical figure, who really
lived. Sources outside of the Bible talk about him too. There are over 300
predictions about him in the Old Testament, of which many have come true.
To this day, many people believe that Jesus is the image of God and find
comfort, peace and freedom with him. Through Jesus they find God.
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People who believe in God (of any religion) often act moral in their own lives,
for example by showing love to others, caring for the poor and weak etc.
People who have met God in their lives sometimes completely change their
way of living and thinking. They often speak up for the poor and weak of their
society. There are plenty of examples of saints and heroes: Martin Luther
King, Ghandi, Franciscus from Assisi, Nelson Mandela, Malala, etc. (use these
for further research)
Criticism on the arguments mentioned above:
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Religious experiences may change people, but that does not mean that they
are based on something real.
Religious experiences cannot be scientifically proven.
Religion, to this day, causes many problems, such as discrimination and wars.
*Further reseach: Bertrand Russell
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The argument of miracles
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The Bible is filled with miracles. Jesus’ life was characterized by executing
miracles, the greatest of which is his own resurrection after death. There were
many eyewitnesses who saw Jesus rise at the same time, about 500 people.
They cannot all have lied. At that time, believing in Jesus and his resurrection
was punishable and could cost you your life. People wouldn’t have risked their
life for a lie.
Modern healing miracles are now medically investigated and this sometimes
proves that the illness has indeed disappeared. The Roman Catholic Church
only acknowledges a miracle after years of research, for example by a special
medical group.
If there is a God, than He can intervene in our lives in a supernatural way. He
could do it to get our attention, by blessing us or touching our lives, often with
a specific goal. The history of the church is filled with religious people who
were stirred into action because of a miracle. They are still an example to
many people now.
To believe in coincidence is just the same as believing in God, it cannot be
explained rationally either.
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*Further research: Augustinus on miracles
Criticism on the arguments mentioned above:
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Miracles almost cannot be proven scientifically. They go against the laws of
physics and nature.
The people who witnessed a miracle might be deceived, or are experiencing
psychological abnormalities.
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*Further research: David Hume
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The argument of suffering and evil
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Every person wonders from time to time why there is so much suffering in the
world, and why we see so much evil.
Every human has both good and bad in them
People are infected with evil; that is called sin in the Bible. Sin means that
people go their own way and have turned away from God. This way, they do
not see the purpose of their own lives.
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There is evil which is caused by natural causes, or by what people do to each
other.
If there is evil, it can point to a power that is behind it. In many religions (even
in Buddhism) they call this power the devil.
If there is goodness, it can point to a power behind that, i.e. God.
Therefore, the evil shows that there is also goodness. People have to choose
and learn to see the difference.
There is a battle between good and evil. You can see that for example in the
Zoroastrianism in Iran, the old Persia.
God has a plan with the evil; the good conquers the bad, as it does in
monotheistic religions.
Christians believe that Jesus has conquered the devil, evil, the sins of
humanity, and death. God did not ignore the suffering in the world, but came to
Jesus to suffer himself. He paid dearly for delivering evil.
In Judaism, Christianity and Islam people believe that God will one day abolish
all evil. Everyone will have to account for their lives to Him. You can compare
the evil with weeds that come up between good plants. God is patient with His
final judgement.
The suffering, then, is a test for people. For example, in Islam, suffering is
seen as a test of God to keep you to the right way. The suffering can humble a
person; make him better, humbler, more social. You can better imagine
yourself in other people’s shoes, who may have a hard life. The philosopher
Nietzsche said: “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” Your
personality can become stronger through suffering.
People learn to forgive when they are wronged.
In Buddhism people believe that people suffer because they desire too much.
If you stop valuing material things and other people, the suffering will diminish.
The suffering and evil in people’s lives can be explained in Eastern religions
such as Buddhism and Hinduism by your bad karma from former lives.
Suffering cleans your karma.
We, as humans, cannot see why things are the way they are. Maybe the
suffering of this world is part of a bigger plan.
People have a free will and can choose if they want to do good, or evil. They
can abuse their free will. God did not create people as puppets – which means
that they can choose evil if they want. If they then choose goodness and love
that means a lot more, then if they are pre-programmed to do so.
Criticism on the arguments mentioned above:
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Quote by Epicurus [ 330 before Chr. ]
“Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?
Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing?
Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing?
Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing?
Then why call him God?”
Voltaire said: “We are indifferent people and God is silent” “We must live in
uncertainty”
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John Hick said: “Life is not perfect, that is the way it is, and we must live with
it. It makes us strong.”
God is not responsible for the evil in the world, humans are responsible.
*Further research: The philosopher Sartre about human freedom, the names
mentioned above, and humanism.
Exercise: HAVO, VWO and Gymnasium
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Make a summary of the above arguments in your own words in 250-300 words
Make a top-three list of most convincing arguments for and against the
existence of God. Explain your choice with arguments. Use 100-150 words.
So you make three arguments against and three arguments for God’s existence, that
you can relate to.
Finally, summarise your own thought process in your conclusion. Use 100-150
words.
Further Research Gymnasium:
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Investigate three “further research”-sources and write a 500 word report
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Make a list with differences and similarities between these three thinkers
Which one do you like best, and why?
Sources:
“Introducing Philosophy of Religion” by Dilwyn Hunt
“Theistisch Manifest” by Willem J.Ouweneel
Harmen van Wijnen (directeur HGJB)
“In alle redelijkheid” by Tim Keller
“The selfish genes “ and “God als misvatting “ by Richard Dawkins
“Darwins engel” by John Cornwell
And the title below: