Chapter 13 – TOK II Mr. McCoury Religion Chapter 13 – TOK II Mr. McCoury

Introduction Question: Why do we have religion? “Question with boldness even the existence of God; because if there be one, he must approve of the homage of reason that that of blindfolded fear. -Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)

Three Broad Views of Religion Theism Pantheism Atheism

Theism Theism – universe is governed by an eternal, all-powerful, all-knowing all-loving creator, God (Judaism, Christianity & Islam)

Pantheism Pantheism – God is everything and everything is part of God, reality is spiritual in nature and everyday world is an illusion (Hinduism, Taoism, & Buddhism).

Atheism Atheism – denies the existence of creator God and believes the universe is material in nature and has no spiritual dimension.

Key Definitions Metaphysical – things that are beyond the physical world – cannot determine they are true on the basis of experience alone. Agnosticism- a person neither denies or admits the existence of God or a higher reality but keeps an open, albeit skeptical mind abut the issue.

Danger of Anthropomorphism Anthropomorphism - God is pictured literally in the form of man. Greeks pictured Gods as glorified images of themselves. Xenophanes (c. 580-478BCE) – if oxen and horses could draw, they would give either gods the same bodily shape. Atheists claim man created God in his image rather than the opposite.

God of the Philosophers Omnipotent – all eternal, all-powerful Omniscient – all knowing Omniamorous – all loving

God of the Philosophers Paradox of omnipotence – could God create beings that he could not subsequently not control? If he couldn’t, he would not be perfect.

God of the Philosophers Paradox of change – How can a god intervene in human history as He has traditionally thought to do? He ultimately will become imperfect which contradicts He is a perfect being.

God of the Philosophers Paradox of suffering – If God is so “all-loving and does not want us to suffer, ” then why is there so much suffering in the world? We could feed the world on what we spend on pet food in a year – free will?

God of the Philosophers Paradox of free-will – If God is all knowing, then we are merely reduced to characters in some kind of sick play (predetermined script).

God of the Philosophers Counter Argument We can no more understand God than a worm can understand a human being. Human reason is unable to comprehend the infinite. Religious truths lie beyond language.

Is Religious Language Meaningless? Logical positivists – if religion can’t tell us anything about the nature of God, the n you aren’t saying anything when you say God exists. A statement is genuinely meaningful only if it can be verified or falsified. “God exists’ is metaphysical rather than an empirical position – impossible to determine truth from an inductive method.

The Argument from Religious Experience All religions are founded on a bedrock of intense and personal feelings. Patterns of meditation and food deprivation create hallucinations that seem like religious experiences. Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) –”From a scientific point of view, we can make little from the man who eats little and sees heaven than the man who drinks much and sees snakes.”

The Argument from Religious Experience Religious experiences are very different from everyday experiences. Skeptics would say that is simply a part of random events in a complex universe. Some have argued that people have had medical conditions such as epilepsy that simulated a religious experience. St. Paul and Joan of Arc may have been epileptics.

The Argument from Religious Experience People tend to see religious experience as cultural traditions. Buddhists do not see the Virgin Mary nor do Christians see Buddha.

Miracles “Days pass, years vanish, and we walk among miracles.” Jewish Sabbath Prayer.

Miracles An extraordinary event which is brought about by God’s intervention in the natural order of things. Skeptics say “one in a million” chances happen every day. True miracles would defy the everyday laws of nature. Water into wine, loaves and fishes, parting of the Red Sea, resurrection of Lazarus.

Argument Against Miracles David Hume (1711-76) – weight of evidence is against them. There is no uniform body of evidence to prove it – either the person is lying or the law of gravity has been broken (the former is more probable scientifically speaking).

Does Hume’s Argument Prove too Much? If he is correct in assuming that no miracles exist, then ANY observations that do not fit with our current understanding of the world also MUST be irrational. What about Mercury? Its orbit deviates from the path accordinh to Newton’s law. We would have to reject Newton’s law according to Hume.

Does Hume’s Argument Prove too Much? If we adopt Hume’s approach, not only would we have to discount miracles but extraordinary events in science – this would bring progress in science to a halt. A miracle could simply be that an unexplained event simply shows the limitations of our current understanding of the world.

Does Hume’s Argument Prove too Much? Some scientists say the underlying order and harmony in the universe is in itself a miracle.

The Argument from Design According to the design argument, the order and harmony of the universe could not have come about because of chance. God must exist because the universe has a mechanical and precise working.

The Argument from Design “This most beautiful system of the sun, planets, and comets could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful Being.” Isaac Newton (1642-1727) The complexity of nature was enough to convince most 18th century scientists of an intelligent design.

Hume’s Argument Against Design Little resemblance between the world and a machine. A design theory proves an architect god rather than a creator god. If we look at the universe objectively, it is very faulty and imperfect compared to a superior standard. “Don’t worry God is alive and well and is now working on a less ambitious project.”

Read!!! Read the short story by Philip K. Dick – “Project Earth.” How does Dick’s story resemble David Hume’s argument? Who doe the first “winged” group represent in Project A? Project B? Project C?

Does Theory of Evolution Make Design Unnecessary? Complex biological features have “evolved” from many mutations and natural selection/ Nature is the watchmaker rather than “God.”

Physics and the New Argument from Design Physics can argue for design – intricaceies make the universe impossible to be coincidence. Multiverse Theory – suggests there are infinite universes with infinite values explored in each universe. Maybe the laws of nature are just brute facts that we will never be able to explain.

The Cosmological Argument What caused the Big Bang? Nothing can come from nothing. The Universe is something. Therefore, God (something) created the universe.

Alternatives to a Creator God (1) The universe has always existed crunching & expanding for infinity (2) The Big Bang was the uncaused first cause universe created from a wrinkle of nothingness (appeared by chance) Does everything except God have a cause – Who created God?

Alternatives to a Creator God Why did God created the universe? Why bother? (Project Earth) Was he bored? Lonely? Incomplete? This is an answer like: “Why do WE exist? “What is MY purpose?” “What AM I?”

The Problem of Suffering Why is there so much suffering in the world? The Crusades The Black Plague Rape & incest Nazi Rule & Concentration Camps The Atomic Bomb Germs

The Free-Will Defense God gave humans free-will and we have misused it (sin). Since 1500, 142 million have died in more than 600 wars around the world 36 genocides Over 20 million have died from AIDS since 1981. 24,000 people starve to death each day (US & pet food…remember that statistic)

The Free-Will Defense Why did God allow us to make weapons of mass destruction? We could have the choice to not make them Couldn’t the laws of physics be altered to make us “safe?” We could have chosen not to make unsafe things.

The Free-Will Defense Why were we not made to do only “good?” We have a choice (free will) If God knows our past as well as our future, are we just characters in a divine novel or computer game? Since God does not force us to choose a path, divine foreknowledge is compatible with human free-will.

Natural Suffering Nature is beautiful and Ugly Earthquakes Tornadoes Sharks Poisonous Plants & Animals Cancer Parasites Such cruelty is difficult to balance with a benevolent creator.

Natural Suffering Despite appearances, we live in a balance of good and bad – impossible to have a perfect world in nature. We fight challenges of nature to strive to become better – a perfect world would stagnate growth. Perhaps this is to make the point that what matters in life is relationships and not material wealth.

All Things Bright and Beautiful All creatures great and small, All things wise and wonderful, The Lord God made them all. Each little flower that opens, Each little bird that sings – He made their glowing colors, He made their tiny wings. -Cecil Frances Alexander

All Things Dull and Ugly All creatures short and squat, All things rude and nasty, The Lord God made the lot. Each little snake that poisons, Each little wasp that stings – He made their brutish venom, He made their horrid wings. -Cecil Frances Alexander

2 Problems with Defense of Suffering Unclear whether more good comes out of the world than bad. If good people prospered and bad people suffered, then why then “do the little children suffer?” The good suffer as well as the bad How does the deaths of millions of children equate with an all-loving God?

Religion Versus Faith Certainty can’t be found in any other AOK, so why would religion be any different? Humans cannot comprehend the vastness and complexity of the universe, so it must be ultimately be up to faith. Religion is man made – faith is individual belief.

IS Faith Rational? Some say it is wish fulfillment – what we wish to be true – don’t need evidence. Science diminishes the role of God (atheists) – Science will someday prove everything – no room for God in the universe. Faith can make us see “god’s fingerprints” everywhere on everything. – Thomas Aquinas

Pascal’s Wager Blaise Pascal (1623-62) – a rational person should bet on the existence of God. Chances are 50/50 – Most gamblers would take that bet Win heaven, lose nothing (better world too!)

Against Pascal’s Wager Pascal said this was a way to push an atheist towards God – ultimately making them believe in God as a matter of practice.

Is Faith Irrational? Reason’s last and greatest step is to recognize that there are many things that lie beyond it. Blaise Pascal Doubt is everywhere

Is Faith Irrational? Truth/Certainty/Core Intuitions ARE of the following (b/c we need PROOF: Life is not a dream Other people have minds The laws of physics will not break down tomorrow The past really happened Faith is irrational but so are our core beliefs (morals/ethics) – no proof of those either, so we must make a leap of faith.

The Varieties of Religion Christian (2,000 million) Islam (1,300 million) Hinduism (900 million) Buddhism (360 million) Millions of others including: Shinto, Taoism, Judaism, Sikhism, Voodoo, etc.

The Varieties of Religion If we take them at face value, they contradict each other. 3 Possible ways to respond to this contradiction: 1) One religion is true and all others is false 2) All religions are false 3) All religions point towards the SAME underlying truth (religious pluralism).

Pantheism The feeling that something BIGGER is out there when a sense or wonder is felt about nature. God and Nature are one. Atheist materialism which lacks sense of wonder as ma merely exploits nature for human ends.

READ Tests of Faith p. 13 Dialogue on the Cosmological Argument p. 13 Why did religion emerge in the human brain? How is epilepsy contributing to the study of religious belief? Will science ever eradicate religious belief? Dialogue on the Cosmological Argument p. 13 What were the most compelling arguments of the theist and the atheist?