Is There a God? Lecture Notes

Key Concepts

• Deity: Another word for God.
• Evidence: Information or signs leading one to believe something is true.
• Causation: The relationship between cause and effect.
• Analogy: Suggesting a similarity between two things.
• Miracle: An event that cannot be explained by science, suggesting divine intervention.
• Conversion: Changing one's religion or beliefs.
• Numinous: Indicating the presence of God.
• Prayer: Communicating with God, often through words.
• Monotheism: Belief in one God.
• Trinity: Christian belief in God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
• Omnipotent: God is all-powerful.
• Omniscient: God is all-knowing.
• Omnibenevolent: God is all-loving.
• Just: God is fair and does what is right.
• Tawhid: Islamic belief in the oneness of God.
• Merciful: Islam teaches that Allah is loving and forgiving.

Proving Existence

• Philosophers question how to prove existence (e.g., birth certificates, photographs).
• Existence of God is widely debated.
• Faith-based view: God felt by believers, not necessarily seen.

The First Cause Argument

• Proposed by Thomas Aquinas (13th Century).
• Universe couldn't have come from nothing.
• Requires a First Cause (God).
• Example: Dominoes needing a push to fall.

The Design Argument

• Proposed by William Paley (18th Century).
• Universe shows too much design and purpose to not have a designer.
• Example: A watch requires a designer.
• Only possible designer of universe is God.

Miracles

• Public events, not private experiences.
• St Augustine: Miracles are signs from God.
• Examples from the Bible:
  • Healing of the paralysed man.
  • Feeding of the 5000.
  • Resurrection of Jesus.

Christian Beliefs about God

• Monotheistic: Belief in one God.
• Trinity: God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
• God gives free will, explaining evil and suffering.
• Inspirational figures: Mother Teresa's calling.

Religious Experience

• Experiences like seeing, hearing God add to belief.
• Famous Christian experiences:
  • Burning Bush (Moses).
  • Baptism of Jesus.
  • Pentecost.
  • Road to Damascus (St Paul).
• Famous Islamic experience:
  • Night of Power (Muhammad).

Muslim Beliefs about God

• Islam: Means surrender/submission.
  • Surrender to Allah's will.
• Tawhid: Belief in one, unique God.
  • God is not divided or comparable.
  • Shahadah: Declaration of faith.
  • God is unique and incomparable.