Section B- Ultimate reality & The meaning of life
God VS Gods
1. Christians
· Monotheism
§ 10 commandments: worship one God only
§ God is omnipotent, cant have 2 powerful Gods
2. Hinduism
· Polytheism
§ Agree what all those Gods say
§ Different teachings for each God
3. Atheists
· Don’t believe in a God
· If there was a God his presence would be obvious
· If there was a God, all suffering would end
Ultimate reality
1. Christians
· Worship God
· Spread the word of God
2. Buddhists
· Do good karma
· Achieve enlightenment
3. Atheists
· Charity à help people
· No ultimate reality
4. Scientists
· Find out as much about the universe
Nature of God
· Omnipresent: present everywhere at all times throughout the universe
· Omnipotent: all powerful
· Omniscient: knows everything, nothing can be hidden
· Omnibenevolent: in every loving relationship
· Eternal: outside time, no beginning nor end
· Creator of the world
· Father
§ Brought humans into existence
§ Cares and provides, loving and forgiving
§ Position of authority: rules, rewards, punishment
· Son
§ God incarnate à perfect
· Holy Spirit
§ Guides them to make right decisions
§ Gives them courage at difficult times
Meaning & purpose of life
Belief, uncertainty and unbelief
ü Parents / community have brought them up this way
1. Christians
· Christian family
§ Church: meet people à talk through problems
§ Youth group: people of the same age, help in community
§ School: Christian values
§ Christian family: prayers, religious celebrations, support
· Prayer
§ Response from God
§ Personal way of communicating with God
· Miracles
§ Breaks the law of nature
§ God is omnipotent
· Numinous
§ Sense of awe à presence of greater power
§ World isn’t only functional, there’s beauty as well
· Reason for universe
Ø Conversion
§ Powerful experience à convinced God is responsible
2. Scientists
ü If the world wasn’t exactly like this, life forms would cease to exist
û No evidence
û Science disproves religion
3. Atheists & Agnostic
ü More to life than fulfilling own life
ü Looking for explanations for life after death
ü Agree to religious teachings about purpose & meaning of life
ü Give a structure to family
ü Experienced God
ü Beauty & order must have been created by somebody
û People can be moral without being religious
û Suffering, evil and chaos in the world
1. Causation argument
· Everything happened due to a cause
§ Something as intricate as the universe à powerful creator
§ God is powerful à God exists
· Causes can not go on forever
§ Must be an uncaused cause à God
· Scientists & Big Bang
§ Nothing can come from nothing
§ Big Bang created space, matter, time and energy
§ Only God has power à caused Big Bang
· Scientists
û Energy can’t be destroyed / created
û Must be an initial energy to start the momentum
· Atheists
û If God made the universe, who made God
û If God doesn’t need a cause, universe doesn’t either
2. Teleological argument
· Paley’s watch
§ An ecosystem so intricate can’t have happened by chance à must be designed by someone
§ Idea of mechanism of a watch à world more complex à Designer could be God
· Fred Hoyle
§ C-atom is tiny, chance of discovery is miniscule à someone designed so we found it
§ Airplane can’t be created by chance e.g. forces whirl through scrapyard to airplane
The problem of evil and suffering
Natural evil: suffering & pain caused by experiences beyond human control
Moral evil: suffering & pain caused by human sin
1. Inconsistent triad
· If God is omnibenevolent à want to end evil & suffering
· omnipotent à be able to end evil & suffering
· omniscient à know there will be evil
· BUT EVIL EXISTS
§ God is not omnibenevolent / omnipotent, God doesn’t exist
2. Christians
ü Result of the Fall
§ Adam & Eve spoiled the world
ü Way for people to grow & develop their faith
§ God gave us difficulties to overcome
ü Let us make free choices
ü Story of Job
§ Suffering is part of God’s plan à humans won’t understand
û Natural evil = creation went wrong/out of control
§ God is omnipotent, should have had power to create perfect world
û Soul supposed to guide moral conscience
§ Moral evil à no soul à no God
û God created humans
§ Evil God?
Abortion: medical process of ending a pregnancy before it results in the birth of a baby
Ireland: abortion is illegal
HK Law:
· Permitted before 24 weeks
· 2 doctors agreement:
§ mother’s health (physical mental) at risk
§ risk of sever disabilities for baby
1. Pro Life: foetus is a life that possesses full DNA to develop into a unique child
· Destroys human life à murder & great evil
· Sanctity of life: human life is sacred, a gift from God
§ Holy Spirit lives inside the soul: killing person = kill HS
§ “Don't you realise that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?”
· Human life should be respected & protected from the moment of conception
§ Absolute: one rule for all solutions
§ Supported by Catholics & Salvation Army
· Roman Catholics
û Life begins immediately after fertilisation
û Baby has right to life à no one can take it away
· Salvation Army
û Modern society doesn't show enough concern for the vulnerable (unborn)
ü In cases of rape
2. Pro Choice: women have the right to choose what happens to her own body
· Illegal abortions in unhealthy conditions
· Love, free will, compassion
· Only last resort
§ Relative morality: different rules for different situations
§ Support by Anglicans & Liberals
ü Abortion is kinder on some occasions
§ Jesus’ teaching of love
§ Atheists
§ People have the right for their body
§ Might be because they can foresee bad environment for raising children
Euthanasia: gentle death to relieve pain & suffering
1. Atheists
ü Free will
ü Kindness if someone was suffering
ü Waste of money for hopeless cases à spend on those with a chance of recovery
ü Quality of life is poor
ü Loss of personal dignity
· ORGANISATION: Dignityindying
û New cures
û Elderly relatives might be pressured because they are a responsibility for the family
2. Christians
û Sanctity of Life
û God is the one who decides your death
§ “The Lord God kills and restores to life”
û Shouldn’t choose to die because of suffering
§ “If we die, it is for the Lord that we die”
û Killing ourselves = killing Holy Spirit
§ “Don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit […] You do not belong to yourselves but to God”
3. Liberals
ü Acceptable to switch off life-support machine since person is brain-dead
4. Roman Catholics
ü Have the right to refuse treatment to prolong life
Ø Hospices & Palliative care
· Control pain à better quality of life
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