DCT Topic 3:Knowledge of God’s Existence
This topic is about what sort of knowledge Christian belief should be based on. The
two main options are faith and reason.
Most theologians agree that faith should be the foundation for belief in God, but there
is considerable debate over the appropriate place, if any, of reason when it comes to
belief in God.
Revealed theology is the theory that knowledge of God can be gained from God’s
revelation to us e.g in Jesus and the Bible. This results in revealed knowledge which
is based on faith that what is received is from God. Typically, both Catholics and
protestants believe in revealed theology.
Natural theology
Natural theology is the theory that knowledge of God can be gained by the power of
the human mind. through reasoning about the natural world, God’s revelation is
present in his creation and human reason has the ability to discover it.
Strengths of Natural Theology:
It is available to everyone which avoids the moral problems associated with saying
that only those who have read the Bible can know God and thus only they can
receive salvation.
It provides physical evidence for God and provides a route for theology done on
the basis or reason and evidence rather than faith and miracles.
There is a certain logic to the idea that a creator will be revealed through their
creation. Similarly, many people do feel that the existence of the universe and the
order and beauty within it do require an explanation.
Weaknesses of Natural Theology:
Obviously, Natural Theology only works if you believe that there are good grounds
for saying that the world was created by a God.
, Furthermore, it is ambiguous. The world contains suffering and poor design. Is
this just a reflection of the Fall? Does it show that it cannot come from a good and
powerful God?
Finally, the understanding of God gained from Natural Theology seems vague. It
is certainly far less detailed and insightful than the type of theological
understanding based on the teachings of Jesus.
Exam Essays
whether or not God can be known through reason alone
Natural theology (Reason Alone) - All Christians believe that we have an innate
sense of God. St Paul “What can be known about God is plain to them,
because God has shown it to them” Romans 1
Catholicism of the CC “ We desire for God is written in the human heart”
Calvin argues that every human has a seed of religion where human beings are
born with the knowledge that God exists and that we are accountable to him.
He coined the term sensus divinitatis to describe this innate sense of God. He
argued that through natural theology we can grasp an understanding of god in 3
ways Conscience, Beauty, and Intellectual Ability.
Beauty - Calvin took the view that the beauty of the world is clear evidence of
the existence of God. This shows our human openness to beauty and
goodness as aspects of God.
Conscience - our conscience serves as a moral compass, guiding us towards
an awareness of God's presence and our responsibility to adhere to His moral
principles
Intellectual ability aka Reason - humans have an intellectual ability to reflect on
and recognise God’s existence. Through this we discern the order and
complexity of the universe, leading to an understanding of God's existence and
nature.
This topic is about what sort of knowledge Christian belief should be based on. The
two main options are faith and reason.
Most theologians agree that faith should be the foundation for belief in God, but there
is considerable debate over the appropriate place, if any, of reason when it comes to
belief in God.
Revealed theology is the theory that knowledge of God can be gained from God’s
revelation to us e.g in Jesus and the Bible. This results in revealed knowledge which
is based on faith that what is received is from God. Typically, both Catholics and
protestants believe in revealed theology.
Natural theology
Natural theology is the theory that knowledge of God can be gained by the power of
the human mind. through reasoning about the natural world, God’s revelation is
present in his creation and human reason has the ability to discover it.
Strengths of Natural Theology:
It is available to everyone which avoids the moral problems associated with saying
that only those who have read the Bible can know God and thus only they can
receive salvation.
It provides physical evidence for God and provides a route for theology done on
the basis or reason and evidence rather than faith and miracles.
There is a certain logic to the idea that a creator will be revealed through their
creation. Similarly, many people do feel that the existence of the universe and the
order and beauty within it do require an explanation.
Weaknesses of Natural Theology:
Obviously, Natural Theology only works if you believe that there are good grounds
for saying that the world was created by a God.
, Furthermore, it is ambiguous. The world contains suffering and poor design. Is
this just a reflection of the Fall? Does it show that it cannot come from a good and
powerful God?
Finally, the understanding of God gained from Natural Theology seems vague. It
is certainly far less detailed and insightful than the type of theological
understanding based on the teachings of Jesus.
Exam Essays
whether or not God can be known through reason alone
Natural theology (Reason Alone) - All Christians believe that we have an innate
sense of God. St Paul “What can be known about God is plain to them,
because God has shown it to them” Romans 1
Catholicism of the CC “ We desire for God is written in the human heart”
Calvin argues that every human has a seed of religion where human beings are
born with the knowledge that God exists and that we are accountable to him.
He coined the term sensus divinitatis to describe this innate sense of God. He
argued that through natural theology we can grasp an understanding of god in 3
ways Conscience, Beauty, and Intellectual Ability.
Beauty - Calvin took the view that the beauty of the world is clear evidence of
the existence of God. This shows our human openness to beauty and
goodness as aspects of God.
Conscience - our conscience serves as a moral compass, guiding us towards
an awareness of God's presence and our responsibility to adhere to His moral
principles
Intellectual ability aka Reason - humans have an intellectual ability to reflect on
and recognise God’s existence. Through this we discern the order and
complexity of the universe, leading to an understanding of God's existence and
nature.
