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Nature and Characteristics of God - Key terms
Omnipotent - God is all-powerful
Omniscient - God is all-knowing
Infinite & Eternal - God exists outside of time. And is unbound by time.
Omnipresent - God is ever present
Immanent - dwelling in everything
Transcendent - beyond everything we know
Atheist - person who does not believe in God
Theist - person who believes in God
Agnostic - person who believes it is impossible to know
Argument from Design

William Paley (1734-1805) If you were walking along and saw a watch you would assume that its parts had not come together by chance, because it is too complicated. Therefore someone must have made it. Paley believed this was true of the world as well, that if you look at the intricacies of the world you are led to the conclusion that there is a designer. Other philosophers have added that the ozone layer is also evidence of a designer, it is just the right thickness, it could not have happened purely by chance.

Problems

  • However, this argument is not necessarily a proof the Christian or Muslim God.
  • How do we know that the creator is still present, or that there was only one creator - there could have been many, overseen by the foreman, God.
  • If creation is the work of an intelligent designer, who created the designer? Why should we stop at God for explanations?
  • The design argument makes God little more than superman on a big scale
Religious Experience

Richard Swinburne defined experiences in five different groups
1) God is seen at work in everyday world. A religious believer would see God's hand in the beauty of a snowflake.
2) God is felt to be responsible for an unusual event, a break in natural laws e.g. walking on water.
3) God felt to be involved in a believer's life, which can be described in ordinary language.
4) God felt to be involved in a believer's life, which cannot be described in ordinary language
5) God is felt to be acting and guiding a believer's life.

Christianity and Experience
People claim that they know that miracles have happened. Therefore there must be a God who made them happen. Other people say that they have had a vision of God or a particular prayer to God has been answered. For these reasons they say that God must exist. There are many examples of miracles in the New Testament and Christians may see these as acts of God. Many miracles are said to have happened in the world, especially at places such as Lourdes, and these are seen as revelations of God's will. Whether these miracles actually happened or not, Christians believe they can teach people something about God. People will also say they have been aware of God throughout there lives.

Islam and Experience
Miracles are not a major concern of Islam. There are some examples of miracles recorded in the Qur'an, in particular the Al-Mi'raj when Muhammad (peace be upon him) was taken through the heavens to meet Allah. The Qur'an makes clear that Allah can perform miracles if he wishes. The Qur'an itself is sometimes seen as a living miracle because of the way in which it has been passed down unchanged. The former pop singer Cat Stevens had a religious experience that changed his life. He was swimming in Malibu, when a current began to pull him out to sea, he asked Allah to save him; a current began to pull him back to the land. He changed his name to Yusuf Islam and is now a widely regarded within the Muslim community. The dramatic experience that Muhammad (PBUH) had when the Qur'an was revealed to him, he encountered an Angel who told him to recite.
Religious Revelation - Christianity
Scripture - This is perhaps the most important type of revelation for Christians. It deals with the Bible and the way in which Christians think about it. The Bible is different from any other book because it contains God's words. The Bible is the Word of God. Every word is true and is exactly what God wanted it to be. There are no errors in the Bible. Many Christians are members of a particular church. The different Christian churches have different views about their teaching. The Roman Catholic Church bases much of its teaching on the tradition of the church and they believe that sometimes when the head of the church, the Pope, is speaking, he is speaking with God's authority.
Religious Revelation - Islam
This is certainly the most important type of revelation for Muslims. Islamic beliefs about revelation are based on the Qur'an (the Islamic holy book). The Qur'an is different from any other book because it is composed entirely of the words of Allah. In 611 CE the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was reflecting in a cave when the Angel Jibril appeared to him. Muhammad (peace be upon him) was illiterate but three times Jibril ordered him to 'read'.
For Muslims the Qur'an contains only the literal unchanged words of Allah. It is direct revelation from Allah to humanity. Because the Qur'an is the word of Allah it cannot be contradicted. To do so would be seen as not only irrelevant but most importantly, it would be very disrespectful. To preserve the true words of Allah, the Qur'an is always recited for worship in Arabic.
Objections to experience and revelation
Religious experiences are the result of psychological states
It is a matter of personal interpretation - what one person sees as religious experience another would see as natural phenomena
Religious experiences can be explained by the fact that people only have them within their own culture. Hindus have experience of Hindu Gods, while Catholics have visions of the Virgin Mary.
Exam Questions
Try to answer these questions.
'Majority of Britons 'no longer believe in God'
The majority of British people do not believe God exists, a new poll suggests. It is the first time a national survey has put believers in a minority. The MORI poll for the British Humanist Association, to be released next week, found that while 67% of people consider themselves religious, only 43% believe there is a God.
a) According to this survey 57% of people in Britain do not believe in God. Give reasons why some people find it hard to believe in God today. (5)
b) If a group of religious people were to discuss their beliefs, what reasons might they give for believing in God? (10)
c) "If people live a good life and think of others, beliefs in God isn't really important."
How far do you agree with this comment? Give reasons to support your answer and show that you have thought about different points of view. (5) 1998
Model Answers

(a) How might a religious person use a picture of a watch in the desert to explain one argument for the existence of God? (6 marks)

The picture refers to Paley's teleological argument. He argued for the existence of God from the starting point of design. He compared the watch to the creation of the world. The watch and its workings are complicated; the watch could not appear just by chance; it assumes the existence of a watchmaker, a designer, who put the watch together. In the same way the world is enormously complicated, but birds have wings which allow them to fly. A fish can survive in water because of its gills. Human beings have everything they need to survive, so it seems t logical to suppose that there was a designer responsible for shaping the world, i.e. God (Christianity and Islam, stories of creation).

5-6 marks - a sound understanding of a design or creation argument, well explained, using
technical language.

(b) Explain other religious arguments for the existence of God. (9 marks)

General answers: Revelation through people e.g. St Paul, Muhammad (pbuh). God communicates through dreams and visions. God reveals himself through worship e.g. Communion. Revelation through religious leaders e.g. The Pope. Revelation through events e.g. miracles. God is seen through the wonders of nature.
Christianity: God created the world, therefore He exists. God sustains the universe and He loves and cares for His people. Some things are hard to explain - the existence of God provides an answer to those mysteries. Life must have a purpose - God gives us these. The nature of God shows that he exists - all powerful, all knowing, transcendent, immanent. If God is to judge people at the end of time, He must exist. Romans 1:19-20. John 15:26.
Islam: God is the Creator, transcendent, omniscient, merciful, judge and determines all. Revelation of God came through the prophets. Muhammad (pbuh) gave the word of God to his people. The Shahadah is God's revelation, and is professed by Muslims as a declaration of faith. There is revelation through the Qur'an, which teaches Muslims about God, human life, how to behave and contains the sacred law. Hajj - feeling of God's presence.

8-9 marks - excellent response with clear, concise religious arguments, clearly understood.

(c) "It is harder to believe in God today than it has ever been."
How far do you agree with this statement? Show that you have thought about
different points of view, giving reasons to support your answer. (5 marks)


4-5 marks - a good range of discussion, considering alternative views, and using evidence in an organised way.