Q: What do Christians understand by revelation? A: - God letting us know His will. - revelare = to unveil (Latin) - General revelation = nature, the Bible, Christian tradition, Church leaders, human conscience - Special revelation = dreams & visions, miracles, healings, prayer & worship. Q: Why is revelation important to Christians? A: - We need it for salvation/promise of an after-life with God. - Human reason not enough to lead to God. - Revelation shows God cares about us and has come looking. - Provides comfort during times of suffering. - Helps answer questions such as how was the universe created? How did human life begin etc.. Q: Describe what is meant by the scientific method. A:- Based on observation, hypothesis, experiment and verification. - Is objective - Is repeatable & universal - Gives predictable results Q: Describe the streng method. Q: Describe the weaknesses of the scientific method. A:- Uses a simple method to evalua - Can predict wh future cases o - Results can be A:- Selective about evidence - Uses models/paradigms which can be overturned - Bias in research - Data needs to be interpreted - Uses inductive reasoning - Can t answer moral/religious questions
Q: Describe the account of creation in Genesis 1. A:- Happened over 6 days - Chaos in the beginning - God commands Let there be - Orderly development of elements of Creation - Humans created last in imago Dei (in the image of God). Q: How does Genesis 1 describe the origin of human life? A:- Humans created on the 6 th day of creation - Man & woman created at the same time - Given responsibility to be stewards over the Earth - Made in imago Dei (in the image of God) - Told to go forth and multiply Q: How does Genesis 2 & 3 describe the origin of human life? A:- Happened in the Garden of Eden - Adam made first from dust - Eve made from Adam s rib - Mythical elements such as talking serpent - Explanation of how suffering entered the world through disobedience to God s commands Q: Describe the Big Bang theory A:- Big Bang happened 12-15 billion years ago - Huge nuclear explosion - Space, time, energy & matter were created - Cooling gases formed matter - Life slowly emerged after millions of years
Q: What evidence is there to support the Big Bang theory? A:- Redshift planetary bodies giving off red light which indicates they are travelling apart - Background microwave radiation in the Universe - Balance of basic elements being just right to create life - (Hawking) probability says it had to happen eventually Q: Describe the theory of evolution A:- Charles Darwin s theory - All life originates from single-celled Organisms - Survival of the fittest - The best species are those that adapt - The process is random many species die and it is the mutations which survive - The process requires a huge timescale Q: What evidence is there to suit evolutionary theory? A:- Similarities between the functioning of organs (e.g the human eye and a horse s eye) - Embryonic similarities - Fossil evidence - Experiments in selective breeding - Vestigial organs such as the appendix in humans and wings on penguins Q: Describe William Paley s Design argument for the existence of God A:- Analogy of the watch - Complexity suggests design - Design suggests a designer - Universe shows complexity and design - God is the designer of the universe Q: How did Aquinas argue for the existence of God?
Q: Describe the strengths & weaknesses of the First Cause argument? A:- Strengths: - Simple to understand & appears logical at first glance. Weaknesses: - 1. Contradicts itself. 2. Doesn t prove the First Cause was the Christian idea of God. 3. Quantum physics suggests things don t always need a cause. 4. Why couldn t the universe have existed infinitely? Q: Describe the weaknesses in the Design argument for the existence of God? A:- it is a poor analogy to compare the universe (organic) with a watch (mechanical) - there is much evidence of disorder in the world such as earthquakes and meteorites - Doesn t prove one God made the earth - Doesn t prove that God cares about his creation Q: Describe the key beliefs held by literalist Christians? A:- The Bible is the direct word of God - The Bible is infallible - Little need to interpret God s word - Events in the Bible are historical e.g Creation happened exactly as described in Genesis
Q: Describe the strengths & weaknesses of the First Cause argument? A:- Strengths: - Simple to understand & Q: Outline the main beliefs of a scientific materialist like Richard Dawkins. A:- Real knowledge can only come from empirical sources (things which can be seen). - Religious claims are untestable therefore false and (to Hawking) delusory - Darwin s theory of evolution proves that there is nothing special about being human - Even moral beliefs are only there to help us survive better Q: Describe the views of a compatibilist like Stephen J Gould. A:- Accepts both science & religion - Gould s NOMA theory (non-overlapping magisteria) says science & religion occupy different fields/magisterial of knowledge but both are important - Science = the natural world religion = the moral world Q: Describe two different Christian responses to the theory of evolution. A:- Theistic Evolution (TE) is compatibilist, it fully accepts that evolution is true. - TE says God created the world through evolution but intervened to give humans souls - Creationists reject evolution because it contradicts Genesis, - Creationists lists problems with evolution eg missing links and timescale Q: How do liberal Christians interpret the stories in Genesis 1 & 2? A:- As allegorical stories about how the world came to be. - As a symbolic explanation of how sin and suffering entered the world - As a poetic account of human spirituality and humanity s relationship to God - As an environmental statement about humanity s interconnectedness with nature
Q: What evidence is there to support the Design Argument for the existence of God? A: - Regularity of planetary movements. - Regularity of the seasons. - Reliability of the laws of physics. - Complexity & detail of human organs. - Uniqueness of human fingerprints. - Interdependency of eco-systems. - Fibonacci spiral. Q: What arguments can be used to prove that there is no design in the universe but that it is merely the product of blind chance? A: - Stephen Hawking an infinite amount of time meant that the universe HAD to happen because of probability. - The idea of design is imposed on nature by us. The theory of evolution says nature randomly selects the best qualities for survival. - The universe shows examples of dis-order. Q: What are the strengths and weaknesses of the idea of revealed truth? Strengths: - Many people say they have experienced God & people s experiences are reliable (Swinburne) - Can provide certainty - Shows us how to behave. - Gives the universe meaning & purpose Weaknesses - Based on faith not reason, not always rational. - Can t be tested by observation or experiment..