A few quotes1 Deity :

Nicene CreedWe believe in one God, the father, the Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only son of God...of one being with the Father. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, Giver of life…. No mention of the Trinity in the Bible

• Jesus Christ He is the saviour, “the son of God,” and “the first-born of all creation.” (John 1: 34)

• As a created being , he is not part of the Trinity. “The Father is greater then I am,” said Jesus. (John 14: 28)

• Jesus lived in heaven before coming to earth, and after his sacrificial death and resurrection, he returned to heaven. “No one comes to the Father except through [Him].” (John 14: 6)

Arius debate…

The First Cause Argument or the Cosmological Argument.(Thomas Aquinas 1270) The word cosmological comes from the Greek word meaning universe The Cosmological argument argues for the existence of God a posteriori (depends on

experience) based on the apparent order in the universe. 1. We know the universe exists. We see it around us! 2. For Aquinas SOMETHING could not come from NOTHING 3. Every EFFECT has a CAUSE 4. The whole of life is a chain of cause and effect 5. Therefore THE UNIVERSE MUST HAVE A CAUSE. 6. This CAUSE is GOD 7. Therefore God exists

Evidence which supports cosmological argument: Verses from the Bible which support cosmological arguments: 'In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth' (Genesis 1:1) 'From one man [God] made every nation of men, that they should inhabit

the whole earth.' (Acts 17:26)

Arguments against the Cosmological Argument Blaise PASCAL (1623-1662) – only proves a first cause, not necessarily

God. David HUME (1711-1776) – this is based on the assumption that there

must be a First Cause Bertrand RUSSELL (1870-1970) – who made God? UNKNOWN – assumes infinite regression (mathematics)

Teleological Argument/argument from design

Key ‘chap’ - William PaleyHe said,

1. Imagine finding a watch in the street, if you had never seen one before 2. On examining it, you would be amazed at its complicated inner workings3. You might assume there must have been a watchmaker who designed and put it

together. 4. It’s the same when you look at the world. It is designed, it is ordered, it is intricate 5. It could not have been made by chance. It is so complicated yet everything fits

perfectly into place6. Therefore the world needs a world-maker/creator 7. This creator is God8. This explains the design in the world

Albert Einstein said ‘ When I see all the glories of the cosmos, I cannot help to believe that there was a divine hand behind it all.’ (Awe inspiring)

Isaac Newton’s thumb ‘In the absence of any other proof, the thumb alone would convince me of the existence of God’.

Conversion ExperienceSt Paul (Saul) on the Road to Damascus.

The conversion of Saul (St Paul) is the best-known and most widely represented of the Pauline themes (Acts 9:1-9). On the road to Damascus, where he was going to obtain authorization from the synagogue to arrest Christians, Paul was struck to the ground, blinded by a sudden light from heaven. The voice of God, said, 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’ After this experience with God Saul converted to Christianity. He has been attributed with writing a number of the New Testament Books.

Sigmund Freud (1856 – 1939)The conscience is a “moral policeman” that controls human behaviour, rather than something God-given

The Case against miraclesDavid Hume, Philosopher (1711 to 1776)

“It is no miracle that a man, seemingly in good health, should die suddenly: because such a kind of death, though more unusual than any other, has observed to happen. But it is a miracle, that a dead man should come to life; because that has never been observed in any age or country”

• If Miracles do Happen, What can they Prove?

2 Religious and spiritual experience

What does it mean to have a religious experience? Described as a ‘tingly feeling’ Rudolf Otto (philosopher 1869-1923) described these as spiritual feelings in which

we experience God (Numinous). ‘Different from our ordinary everyday experiences; something we don’t have the words to explain.’

Most Christians do not regard fasting as very important, but some people choose to give up luxuries during Lent

(40 days before Easter) to remind themselves of the suffering of Jesus and as a way of concentrating on things they may have done wrong.

3 The end of lifeThree contrasting points of views concerning the human soul.

• The modern scientific materialist view (Francis Crick), who concentrates on the processes of the body and denies the soul

• The philosophical view of ‘Descartes’ (idealism), who concentrates on the human thought process and denies the body. Descartes – The phrase 'Cogito ergo sum' (I think therefore I am).

• The Christian view which unites the body and soul, with an emphasis on their interdependence

• It says in Genesis 2:7 “The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostril the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”

• Nicene Creed states ‘I believe…in the resurrection of the body’.

“The body that is sown is perishable”. In other words, the body on earth decays but the soul is everlasting. Corinthians 15: 42b-44

Humanist• There is no “other world” after you die.• Once you are dead there is nothing (annihilation).

Judgement Day“I tell you, on the day of judgment you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:36/37

• The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats was told by Jesus to explain what to expect on Judgement Day.

People will be divided into two groups. Those who lived good lives helping others and following Jesus will be rewarded (sheep); those who have not will be damned to an eternity

in Hell without God (goats). Matthew25:31–46

• The Good Samaritan – love thy neighbour

4 Good and evilWhat is evil? Friedrich Nietzsche ‘Nothing more than an excuse by man-kind to avoid taking responsibility for the bad things that happen. So when newspapers call someone evil, it saves us having to look at the bad things in all of us. We are used to newspapers describing criminals as monsters, animals or demonic.’… ‘Maybe they are not animals, it’s the very fact that they are human, that is the problem.’

Christians describe evil as separation from God or the absence of good.

St Augustine's theory St Augustine, who largely devised the theory of original sin found in the book of Genesis

Problems with original sin The unanswered question: Original sin doesn't answer the question as to how evil got into the world. It's unfair: For modern people the idea of being punished for a crime committed by someone else is unethical and unacceptable. It's misogynistic (sexist): The doctrine of original sin blames Eve for tempting Adam into sin and has been responsible for centuries of Christian bias against women.

Adam and Eve – Original Sin – The Fall – Genesis 3:1-24

John Hick: 20th century theologian John Hick argues that evil and suffering bring out the best in people These experiences help humans to develop the qualities of, love, selflessness, generosity and compassion. (Theodocies)

Humanist or an atheist might say…’What about severely disabled people or tiny babies. How do they make any sense of their suffering in order to benefit from their experience.’

On 12 January 2010, Haiti was hit by an earthquake. Some of the suffering may have been indirectly caused by humans.

Coping with sufferingThe Book of Job (Old Testament) is devoted to the problem of suffering (conversations between Job, God and his friend).

Humanism is the belief that we can live good lives without religious or superstitious beliefs.

Lawrence Kohlberg considered conscience to be an important psychological stage in the proper moral development of humans.

5 Religion, reason, revelationCatherine of Siena (1347–1380), levitation in states of ecstasy.St. Teresa of Avila (born in Avila, Spain, 1515-1582 claimed to have levitated

Nicene Creed‘We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only son of God…who gave humans salvation…he was made man… and for our sake he was crucified…and suffered death

Example of Special Revelation: St PaulExperiencing God through conversion:

• A religious experience that causes a person to change their behaviour or beliefs.

• Saul had a vision of a bright light on his way to Damascus. A voice asked why Saul why he was hunting down Christians. Saul was convinced that the light and voice were God. He changed his name to Paul and travelled the world telling people about Christianity. Some Christians believe that he wrote most of the books in the New Testament.

Ideas about conscience and the Bible

In the 13th century, St. Thomas Aquinas regarded conscience as God-given "reason attempting to make right decisions"

Examples of General RevelationWilliam Paley (design argument – watch)

People learn about God through their response and appreciation of the wonders and beauty of the world around them.

Nature is beautiful, clever and complicated. They feel that it is so awesome and wonderful that God must have created it.

The Ten Commandments• Source of moral and ethical guidance, giving structure and laws for

humans to follow (“Torah” which means “teaching,” “instruction,” or “law”)

Exodus 20:2-17 - Deuteronomy 5:6-21

• The Golden Rule , spoken by Jesus, is possibly the best-known quote from the Bible, and sums up Jesus' ethical teachings in one short sentence.

• So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law

• Matthew 7:12

6 Religion and science“Science investigates, religion interprets. Science gives man knowledge, religion gives man wisdom, which is control.” Martin Luther-King

Creation is the theory that life originated with a creator. William Paley (cosmological argument) argued that as a watch pointed to Intelligent Design so all life must therefore originate with an Intelligent Designer (creator - God).

Fred Hoyle + Herman Bondi (Humanist)

Found it difficult to accept the “Big Bang Theory” because there would have to be a point of creation. (What started the Big Bang)