of God
T/F: The attributes of God can be known by reason
True
T/F: Atheism can disprove God
T/F: Theists must deny the Theory of Evolution
False (x2)
The mental demonstrations analyze (...) to develop arguments for God
Human nature
The physical demonstrations analyze (...) to develop arguments for God
The external world
What are the two key questions of natural apologetics?
Does God exist?
What is God like (i.e. attributes/nature)
T/F: The attributes of God are contained in Scripture
True
What is the difference between an Atheist and an Agnostic?
Atheists deny God while Agnostics do not make a decision on the question of God’s existence
Which mental demonstration is summarized: “Within us there is an objective obligation to do good and avoid evil. Such a law implies a law-giver.”
Moral Argument
Which physical demonstration is summarized: “Considering how matter is unintelligent, the orderliness of the world seems beyond chance.”
Design
Which historical demonstration is incorrectly described?
Miracles: “Christ’s resurrection is an argument for God’s existence.”
Common Consent: “believers outnumber skeptics.”
Religious Experience: “There can’t be an infinite regress of causes in the universe.”
Religious Experience
Define God (According to St. Anselm)
That which no greater can be thought
Identify the following atheistic arguments:
1. One day science will explain all things we don’t currently know. This will ultimately disprove God.
2. There’s no evidence for God. People just believe to feel better about themselves.
3. The sins of religious people disprove God
God of the Gaps
Wishful Thinking
Religious Hypocrisy
Which mental demonstration is summarized: “Our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”
Argument from Desire
Which physical demonstration is summarized:
All things that begin to exist have a cause
The universe began to exist
The universe has a cause: God
kalam
Identify the following errors regarding God’s nature:
God is a remote creator who has little to no interaction w/ creation
There exist many gods
God is the universe
Deism
Polytheism
Pantheism
Identify the attribute described for each:
1) God is undivided being
2) God’s intellect is all-knowing
3) God’s will is all-good
One
Omniscient
Omnibenevolent
What is the Problem of Evil? Give two theistic explanations that show that it doesn’t disprove God.
Definition: a. If God is all-good and all-powerful, why is there evil?
Responses: a. God brings a greater good over all evil (ex: free will out of love)
b. Nothing God created is purely evil
c. Good and evil can be used as evidence for God
d. Weakness of other solutions to explain evil (atheism = evil becomes infinitely worse, pantheism = evil is ultimately an illusion)
Which mental demonstration is summarized: “If our finite intellects can grasp eternal truths, there must be a source in which those eternal truths reside.”
Argument from the Mind
Which physical demonstration is summarized:
Whatever exists that doesn’t have to, requires an explanation for its existence
The universe doesn’t have to exist
Nothing in the universe can explain it, only something beyond it: God
Contingency
T/F: The existence of God is self-evident (no room for doubt)
Recall the data source and audience of natural apologetics.
False
Reason + Atheists/Agnostics
Explain the attribute described for each:
1.God has infinite power over creation
2. God exists beyond space
3. God exists beyond time
4. God exists beyond material world
Omnipotent
Omnipresent
Eternal and or Immutable
Immaterial
What is the atheistic argument from Divine Incoherence? Give a theistic response.
Definition: a. The infinite God is a logical contradiction since he cannot make a square circle (therefore not omnipotent) or know what it is like to be afraid (therefore not omniscient)
Response: a. Omnipotence means doing anything logically possible b. Omniscience means knowing all real and possibly real things
1. T/F: The mental demonstrations use practical reasoning to believe in God, not evidential reasoning for God’s existence.
2. Name the three mental demonstrations covered in this unit
False
2. Mind, Moral, Desire
T/F: The physical demonstrations use evidential reasoning for God’s existence, not practical reasoning to believe in God.
Name the three physical demonstrations covered in this unit
True
Kalam, Contingency, Design
1. T/F: The historical demonstrations use evidential reasoning for God’s existence, not practical reasoning to believe in God.
2. Name the three historical demonstrations covered in this unit
True
Miracles, Religious Experience, Common Consent
Complete the following:
Pascal’s Wager via Emojis (label chart accurately)
One objection to the Wager
Give an adequate response to the objection
See lesson 2.6 (there is no harm in believing and no ultimate benefit to atheism)
Wager doesn’t prove God, believing for this reason = selfish, what if everyone goes to heaven, evil genius
Non-sequitur, acts in self-interest, this still doesn’t make atheism better, God is not an evil genius since good is greater than evil