Unit 4 (year 11)

Existence of God

Reliable
evidence

Personal
experience

How do we
prove that
things exist?
Atheism believing that God
does not exist
Agnosticism not being sure
whether God exists
Theist someone who does
believe in God

Using a chain of
reasoning to reach a
logical conclusion

Existence for
Descartes

Existence is a necessary part of the

meaning of God, Descartes stated
that God is the most perfect being
possible, so he has all perfections.
Existence is a perfection.
As the most perfect being, God
must exist.
He used reason and ignored senses.
He realised that the very act of
doubting proved his own existence
(I think, therefore I
am)

What does this have to

do with God?
The Theists view:

Nothing can happen unless something

makes it happen. The world would not
exist unless something made it happen in
the first place.
The universe exists so it must have a
cause
There had to be something eternal that
was not caused by anything
The something is God

CAUSATION
Everything has a cause
even a game of snooker
has a first cause.
Aquinas believed that

Everything that happens has a cause. If we follow

each cause back we come to a First Cause that
started everything off. That first cause was God.

This is known as the First Cause argument or

cosmological argument ( referring to the origin and structure of the universe)

He said that
everything can be
traced back to a first
cause and in the case
of the universe the
first cause was God

(1225-1275)

The argument tries to prove that there is a

perfect and well-ordered universe that
was brought into existence by God. Uses
time to make the point that we are able
to measure time as evidence that
universe had a beginning.

Aquinas argued that

everything has a cause and
that every effect was
caused by something else. He argued that
this goes back and back, but not forever.
Aquinas did not believe in
infinity

The Design Argument is also known

as the teleological argument. This
comes form the Greek word telos
which means end or purpose. It
is often called this as it assumes
that there is a purpose within the
world and nature!

The design argument

St Thomas Aquinas
The universe is too ordered and complicated to
have come by chance
A design needs a designer
The designer of the universe is God
Most Christians believe Genesis supports this argument
Things can only be kept in order by an intelligent
designer
God keeps the universe in order

William Paley
He said, imagine finding a watch in the street,
if you had never seen one before, on examining
it, you would see the workings are very
complicated and there must have been a
watchmaker who designed and put it together.
It hasnt happened just by chance.
He then said, its the same when you look at the
world. It could not have been made by chance.
It is so complicated yet everything fits
perfectly into place, someone had to design and
make it and that some one was God.

 The conclusion Paley reaches is

that the watch is the result of a
skilled designing mind a
watchmaker.
Paley went on to say that it was
nonsense to state that the watch
came about by accident or that it
has always existed.
In the same way he thought that
it was equally nonsense to say
that the universe came about by
chance or that it has always
existed.

Isaac Newtons Design Argument

He used the idea we have opposable
thumbs as evidence of design
This movement only found in
humans and primates
Theists regard it as evidence of Gods design
Also we all have individual patters on our
thumbs was evidence for Newton that God
planned us all separately
In the absence of any other proof, the thumb
alone would convince me of ods existence

The Anthropic Principle

(Tennant- 1930s)

He argued that God planned the world so

human life could develop. The
gravitational force was just right for the
universe to come into existence. As the
universe expanded, it was at the correct
rate to form planets etc. Once earth had
been formed it had all the conditions for
intelligent life to develop.

Weaknesses
The cause may not be God
Depends on the universe
having a beginning
Big bang
If everything needs a
creator then who created
God?
Why cant everything just
go back forever?

Weaknesses
The designer might not
be God
All of the suffering in
the world cant have been
intentionally created
and so, the universe
wasnt created
Why would a benevolent
God create a world where
people suffer?

Miracles refers to a seemingly impossible

occurrence, usually God. If a miracle has really
happened, it means that God has acted on the
earth and the people who have witnessed it
believe they have had direct contact with God.
An atheist who experiences a miracle will look
for an explanation but it may lead them to
believe in God.
Theists use this argument to prove Gods
existence as there is no natural explanation so
it must have been caused by something outside
of nature which is God and therefore God
exists.
1)BREAK LAWS OF NATURE
2)A COINCIDENCE HAPPENS

Key Words
Religious Experience an
experience that it outside normal
experience, usually involving the
supernatural.
Some theists are certain that God
exists because they claim to have
experienced him. A religious
experience can take many forms. It
can happen to an individual or a group.

Common themes
Communicating with God through
prayer and meditation
Feeling Gods presence in worship
Feeling the presence of God in
nature
Experiencing a conversion
Involvement in a miraculous event

1. Feeling the presence of

God through nature
For Catholics, it is a powerful feeling that
draws you closer to God. A feeling of awe and
wonder otherwise known as a numinous
experience
The feeling of something greater than you e.g.
walking in the countryside or looking up at the
stars.

St Paul

2. Conversion

When your life is changed by giving yourself to God. Some theists believe
that God has contacted them and as a result experience a conversion. They
may believe in God or change their beliefs about God.

John Pridmore is a former East End

Gangster turned Christian who now travels
internationally speaking to others about
how his life changed.

3. Communicating with God

through prayer and meditation
Prayer: an attempt to contact God, usually through words. Through prayers
believers are not only speaking to God but listening for his reply. Some use
meditation and even withdraw from life and go on retreat to feel even closer to
God

4. Feeling Gods presence in

worship

For Christians this maybe a charismatic experience, which is

worship based on the belief that during a service it is possible to
receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit or through Holy Communion.

Pentecostal worshipping

Toronto Blessing

Weaknesses
You have to take an
eyewitnesses word
People can be mistaken about
what they interpret.
Science can explain miracles.
It is more sensible to look for
a natural explanation.
They could be tricks
If God performs miracles He
must be evil because He only
helps some people and not
others.

Weaknesses
Testimony can be biased
Mass hysteria/brain
washing Drugs and
or/hallucinations
Wishful thinking/
illusions
Mental illness
Private experiences are
impossible to verify

Morality

A system of ethics which distinguishes

between right and wrong.
It guides people to do good. Conscience is
like an inner voice of God
People make decisions all the time
Consequences are considered/ rules at times/
motives
Morality for the existence of God
Sense of right/wrong comes from God as an external
source and therefore proves God exists
It takes a priority in lives and acts as a command
and therefore proves God exists
Moral behaviour is rewarded in the afterlife and
proves God exists

Problems with Morality

Difficult to prove morality exists
Atheists/agnostics claim morality is
part of human nature
Morality is part of the survival process
Atheists/agnostics argue that morality
have guilt feelings and not to do with
God
Also not everyone feels guilty so cant
be standard for all
No proof of heaven etc