✨ Theme C: The Existence Of God ✨
isions
V
A form of special revelation that comes in picture or image form. It holds a deep
meaning for the person receiving it.
● S ome Christians believe that God or holy figures including angels
appear in visions to people (eg. Jacob’s ladder)
● Many atheists and humanists believe that visions are imaginary or
mistaken interpretations of a natural event
○ Others believe it is the result of food/sleep deprivation or drug
intake
iracles
M
A seemingly impossible event, usually good, that cannot be explained by natural
or scientific laws and is thought to be the action of God.
● M any religious believers believe in the existence of God off on miracles
because if there is no scientific explanation it must be supernatural
(outside of nature). The only thing outside of nature is God. Therefore God
exists
○ Jesus performed miracles, eg returning sight to the blind by simply
placing mud on his eyes, which cannot be argued to be scientific
● Many atheists and humanists will argue that:
○ Miracles are lucky experiences
○ They have scientific explanations that just haven’t been discovered
● Some theists (people who believe in a God that intervenes) object to
miracles because they think it presents God as unjust because he only
helps certain people
Nature as General Revelation
● F or many religious believers nature is a source of general revelation
because it is proof of God’s divinity as it is made up of such pristine
details and has a perfect design.
○ It’s a way for Christians to see God at work
○ The beauty seen in nature is God’s love
● Others will argue that nature is not perfect which is proved through
natural disasters and suffering
○ It could also be argued they science provides a reason for
structures in nature
, The Design Argument
Arguments for:
● There are signs of design throughout the natural world eg. the complex
structure of DNA
● Everything in the world has a purpose. It all comes together to run a
‘perfect’ world. It is far too complex for humans to fathom and therefore
has to be made by a superior being, God
● The universe had to be exactly as it is for human life, the conditions
needed for human life are so exact that they can’t be a coincidence
● The creation story follows this philosophical argument
Arguments against:
● The design isn’t perfect as there is evil and suffering within this world eg.
natural disasters
● Science can explain some patterns in nature such as the pattern and cause
and effect of the shape of snowflakes without needing to refer to God.
○ What can’t be explained just hasn’t been discovered yet
The First Cause (Cosmological) Argument
Arguments for:
● Logic dictates that objects do not bring themselves into existence and so
everything must have a cause. If we track back all causes there must be a
first cause. If it was the first cause nothing caused it.
○ Therefore God is the only thing that can be the first cause
● The arguments fit with the support of science which says everything has a
start
● The arguments fits with the idea of the creation story
Arguments against:
● The argument proves there is a first cause, but it doesn’t provide proof that
it’s God. It follows circumstance
● It becomes illogical, as it contradicts its solution. If everything has a cause
then there can’t be something without a cause
● Nature is cyclical, not linear, so the argument is flawed
● We can’t know that all things have a cause because we haven’t
experienced all things, it’s an assumption
he Argument From Miracles
T
An argument for the existence of God that relies on the belief that events
witnessed and described as miracles – i.e. as events not explicable by natural or
scientific laws – indicate the intervention of the supernatural
isions
V
A form of special revelation that comes in picture or image form. It holds a deep
meaning for the person receiving it.
● S ome Christians believe that God or holy figures including angels
appear in visions to people (eg. Jacob’s ladder)
● Many atheists and humanists believe that visions are imaginary or
mistaken interpretations of a natural event
○ Others believe it is the result of food/sleep deprivation or drug
intake
iracles
M
A seemingly impossible event, usually good, that cannot be explained by natural
or scientific laws and is thought to be the action of God.
● M any religious believers believe in the existence of God off on miracles
because if there is no scientific explanation it must be supernatural
(outside of nature). The only thing outside of nature is God. Therefore God
exists
○ Jesus performed miracles, eg returning sight to the blind by simply
placing mud on his eyes, which cannot be argued to be scientific
● Many atheists and humanists will argue that:
○ Miracles are lucky experiences
○ They have scientific explanations that just haven’t been discovered
● Some theists (people who believe in a God that intervenes) object to
miracles because they think it presents God as unjust because he only
helps certain people
Nature as General Revelation
● F or many religious believers nature is a source of general revelation
because it is proof of God’s divinity as it is made up of such pristine
details and has a perfect design.
○ It’s a way for Christians to see God at work
○ The beauty seen in nature is God’s love
● Others will argue that nature is not perfect which is proved through
natural disasters and suffering
○ It could also be argued they science provides a reason for
structures in nature
, The Design Argument
Arguments for:
● There are signs of design throughout the natural world eg. the complex
structure of DNA
● Everything in the world has a purpose. It all comes together to run a
‘perfect’ world. It is far too complex for humans to fathom and therefore
has to be made by a superior being, God
● The universe had to be exactly as it is for human life, the conditions
needed for human life are so exact that they can’t be a coincidence
● The creation story follows this philosophical argument
Arguments against:
● The design isn’t perfect as there is evil and suffering within this world eg.
natural disasters
● Science can explain some patterns in nature such as the pattern and cause
and effect of the shape of snowflakes without needing to refer to God.
○ What can’t be explained just hasn’t been discovered yet
The First Cause (Cosmological) Argument
Arguments for:
● Logic dictates that objects do not bring themselves into existence and so
everything must have a cause. If we track back all causes there must be a
first cause. If it was the first cause nothing caused it.
○ Therefore God is the only thing that can be the first cause
● The arguments fit with the support of science which says everything has a
start
● The arguments fits with the idea of the creation story
Arguments against:
● The argument proves there is a first cause, but it doesn’t provide proof that
it’s God. It follows circumstance
● It becomes illogical, as it contradicts its solution. If everything has a cause
then there can’t be something without a cause
● Nature is cyclical, not linear, so the argument is flawed
● We can’t know that all things have a cause because we haven’t
experienced all things, it’s an assumption
he Argument From Miracles
T
An argument for the existence of God that relies on the belief that events
witnessed and described as miracles – i.e. as events not explicable by natural or
scientific laws – indicate the intervention of the supernatural
