Unit 1 The Nature of God Philosophy and Ethics Unit 1: The Nature of God Revision OCR GCSE RS (Philosophy and Ethics) Revision

Halewood College Department of Religious Education Philosophy and Ethics Unit 1: The Nature of God Revision Mr.Chapman© 2006 In this Unit you need to revise: ~ What Christians believe about the Nature of God, and His characteristics; including God’s qualities and how God can be understood in three ways ~ What reasons Christians give for believing in God; and why non-believers do not believe in God; including the Cosmological and Teleological Arguments as well as other reasons FOR and AGAINST belief in God ~ What authority the Bible has in Christianity; e.g. why is the Bible a source of moral authority, and how do Christians use it as a guidebook in their daily lives ~ What Christians believe about God acting in the world, and making His presence felt; e.g. through miracles and answering prayers, and the ministry of Jesus

Halewood College Department of Religious Education Philosophy and Ethics Unit 1: The Nature of God Revision Mr.Chapman© 2006 Halewood College Department of Religious Education Christian Beliefs about God MONOTHEISTS. Christians are MONOTHEISTS. This means that they ONLY believe in ONE God. A theist is someone who believes in God. A polytheist is someone who believes in more than one God.

Halewood College Department of Religious Education Philosophy and Ethics Unit 1: The Nature of God Revision Mr.Chapman© 2006 believe Christians believe God is: This means God is everlasting. He will last forever, because He has no beginning and no ending. God is the ALPHA and the OMEGA. God has always been and always will be. …Eternal

Halewood College Department of Religious Education Philosophy and Ethics Unit 1: The Nature of God Revision Mr.Chapman© 2006 Halewood College Department of Religious Education This means God is all-powerful. He is the almighty one, and has the power to do anything. …Omnipotent Christians believe God is …Omnipotent

Halewood College Department of Religious Education Philosophy and Ethics Unit 1: The Nature of God Revision Mr.Chapman© 2006 This means God is all-knowing and all-seeing. God sees and knows everything. omnipresent God is also omnipresent. God is everywhere. …Omniscient Christians believe God is …Omniscient

Halewood College Department of Religious Education Philosophy and Ethics Unit 1: The Nature of God Revision Mr.Chapman© 2006 This means God is GOOD and LOVING. Christians think that God is perfect, and that He can do NO wrong. …Benevolent Christians believe God is …Benevolent

Halewood College Department of Religious Education Philosophy and Ethics Unit 1: The Nature of God Revision Mr.Chapman© 2006 This means God CREATED the universe and everything in it. God is responsible for SUSTAINING life on earth. …the Creator Christians believe God is …the Creator

Halewood College Department of Religious Education Philosophy and Ethics Unit 1: The Nature of God Revision Mr.Chapman© 2006 …a Judge Christians believe God is …a Judge This means God will JUDGE everyone when they die, according to how they have lived. People who have loved and obeyed God will be rewarded in Heaven; people who have disobeyed God and not loved Him will be punished in Hell.

Halewood College Department of Religious Education Philosophy and Ethics Unit 1: The Nature of God Revision Mr.Chapman© 2006 Christians believe God is …understood in three ways: the Trinity This is known as the Trinity

Halewood College Department of Religious Education Philosophy and Ethics Unit 1: The Nature of God Revision Mr.Chapman© 2006 Christians believe that God is like a ‘spiritual’ Father. God created the world and keeps it going, and he cares about people and how they live their lives, just like a real Father would. …God the Father ~ God ‘Beyond’ us

Halewood College Department of Religious Education Philosophy and Ethics Unit 1: The Nature of God Revision Mr.Chapman© 2006 …God the Son ~ God ‘Beside’ Us Christians believe that Jesus was God’s Son who died to save us all from our sins. Jesus rose from the dead (the resurrection) and is the Saviour of the world.

Halewood College Department of Religious Education Philosophy and Ethics Unit 1: The Nature of God Revision Mr.Chapman© 2006 …God the Holy Spirit ~ God ‘Around’ Us Christians believe that the Holy Spirit lives ‘inside’ those who have faith in Jesus. The Holy Spirit gives comfort, courage and help. God the Holy Spirit is often shown as a dove, a symbol of peace.

Halewood College Department of Religious Education Philosophy and Ethics Unit 1: The Nature of God Revision Mr.Chapman© 2006 Reasons Christians give FOR Believing in God Christians believe in God for a number of reasons. For your exam, it is important that you know and understand 5 main reasons why Christians may say they believe in God:

Halewood College Department of Religious Education Philosophy and Ethics Unit 1: The Nature of God Revision Mr.Chapman© The Cosmological Argument This is a CREATION Story argument

Halewood College Department of Religious Education Philosophy and Ethics Unit 1: The Nature of God Revision Mr.Chapman© 2006 The Cosmological Argument says that the universe must have been made by God because it couldn’t have made itself – SO because the world exists, God MUST exist! This Creation Story argument is supported by the First Cause Theory put forward by Aquinas. Aquinas argued that everything has a cause, or a reason for being, and that if you traced everything back to its beginnings you would end up at the First Cause of absolutely everything. Aquinas claimed that this First Cause of everything must be God. Who else could it be?

Halewood College Department of Religious Education Philosophy and Ethics Unit 1: The Nature of God Revision Mr.Chapman© The Teleological Argument This is a DESIGN Story argument

Halewood College Department of Religious Education Philosophy and Ethics Unit 1: The Nature of God Revision Mr.Chapman© 2006 The Teleological Argument says that the universe shows evidence of being designed according to a plan – SO because the world exhibits elements of design, God MUST exist because only God could design the world! This Design Story argument is supported by the Story of Paley’s Watch… …and the Story of Newton’s Thumb.

Halewood College Department of Religious Education Philosophy and Ethics Unit 1: The Nature of God Revision Mr.Chapman© 2006 Paley used an analogy about a watch to explain why he believed in god. He compared the watch to the world and argued that if you examined a watch and considered its design you would discover that it is very complicated piece of machinery. Paley argued that in the same way, the world could be described as a machine, and if the world is a machine, it must have a designer; just like the watch. Paley concluded that the designer of the world was God. So God exists and is real. Isaac Newton was a famous scientist who used the human thumb to argue that God must be real. Newton suggested that because each individual has a unique thumb print design, each individual must have been designed by someone. Newton argued that the designer of the whole universe was God.

Halewood College Department of Religious Education Philosophy and Ethics Unit 1: The Nature of God Revision Mr.Chapman© Morality This is a an argument about our CONSCIENCE. Christians argue that God exists because we all have a sense of morality, and know what is right and wrong, and know what is moral and immoral. Christians believe that it is God who gives us this sense of right and wrong, SO God MUST exist!

Halewood College Department of Religious Education Philosophy and Ethics Unit 1: The Nature of God Revision Mr.Chapman© Personal Experience This is an argument about people’s experience of a divine being. Some Christians argue that god exists because they feel they have ‘met’ with God in a special way, perhaps as an answer to prayer, or a healing, or a strong feeling that God is with them. Some Christians believe that they have experienced God through witnessing a vision, or by experiencing a miracle.

Halewood College Department of Religious Education Philosophy and Ethics Unit 1: The Nature of God Revision Mr.Chapman© Family Life This is an argument about peoples childhood. Some Christians argue that God exists because their parents or grandparents believe this is true: they are brought up in a Christian family and Christianity has always been a part of their lives because they live in a religious environment, so they have adopted their family’s beliefs as their own.

Halewood College Department of Religious Education Philosophy and Ethics Unit 1: The Nature of God Revision Mr.Chapman© 2006 Reasons non-believers give for NOT Believing in God 1. The universe could have begun by chance, in a Big Bang. 2. Some things in the world are badly designed. 3. Not everyone understands right and wrong in the same way. 4. People might be mistaken if they think they have experienced God. 5. Being brought up in a Christian family doesn’t show that Christianity is right.

Halewood College Department of Religious Education Philosophy and Ethics Unit 1: The Nature of God Revision Mr.Chapman© 2006 The Authority of the Bible The Bible is the Christian Holy Book. Christians believe that the Bible is the word of God. It is sacred and holy. Because it is special for Christians they treat it with respect and it is an important part of their lives. Christians use the Bible at home, in study groups, at Church, and during special occasions such as weddings, christenings and funerals. The Bible is a source of moral authority for Christians because they turn to it for advice, support and comfort. It is their faith guidebook.

Halewood College Department of Religious Education Philosophy and Ethics Unit 1: The Nature of God Revision Mr.Chapman© 2006 God IN the World Christians believe that God acts in the world They believe that God: ~ came into the world as Jesus ~ performs miracles ~ answers prayers