He is half correct in his statement as a theist does not believe in the proofs individually, but finds enough evidence in them to form the belief that God does exist; He is the creator of the universe, and He is morally perfect. McCloskey touches on faith in his article. It is defined by Tillich: as the state of being ultimately concerned as claiming truth for concern, and is involving commitment, courage, and the taking of risk. Theists have faith in God, and treat Him as the most important person in their lives. To have faith in someone on past knowledge, according to McCloskey, is reasonable however; it is unreasonable to have faith in God as we have no past knowledge of God.
He heard his voice and held a conversation. He was able to interact with God, which is evidence that he must exist. The fact that he experienced God means that he must exist. It would be contrary to go against your senses and say he doesn’t exist when you directly heard him. Furthermore, James & Swinburne identified countless religious experiences during which the people were able to experience God.
The argument from religious experience seems to state that we can experience God and therefore God must exist, for surely what we experience must be real. William James, American psychologist and philosopher, worked to expand on and validate this topic. James defined religious experience as ‘The feelings, acts and experiences of individual men in their solitude, so far as they apprehend themselves to stand in relation to whatsoever they may consider divine.’ He then identified the four types of mystical experiences: ineffable, noetic, transient, passive. An ineffable experience is one that cannot easily be articulated. It is too big a thing for words and therefore not necessarily understood by those who have not experienced it.
I can be and am and this to me is the puzzle of God’. This is the most sense statement, us humans have a desire to know how everything began, we do not need to know. The Cosmological argument provides a simple answer for the desirable human, for now this is acceptable until a better one is found. Now I ask, can the Cosmological stand alone? Aquinas needed the support from the Design argument when drawing up his ‘Five ways’ in order for them to stand and then link to God being omniscient.
‘The religious experience argument is the most convincing proof for the existence of God.’ How far do you agree with this statement? This essay will discuss the reasons both, for and against the above statement. I will analyse the arguments put forward by a variety of philosophers and thus reach a conclusion. Religious experiences can be defined as a subjective experience where an individual reports contact with a transcendent reality, an encounter or union with the divine. An example of such can be noted Biblically from the times of Saul – a man who spent his life persecuting Christians.
Examine the strengths and weaknesses of the argument for the existence of God based on religious Experience? The argument for the existence of God using the idea of religious experience is an a posteriori argument in the sense that it is based on people’s personal encounters and experiences with God. As opposed to other ontological arguments, this argument is based on a direct link to God - because if we can show that God is experienced then we surely cannot deny his existence. In this essay, I am planning on examining the different strengths and weakness of Within the classic account of experiences (The Varieties of Religious Experience, XVI), William James identified four common characteristic to prove the existence of religious experiences and feeling from transcendent beings in the material world. Such experiences are indefinable; this is due to the fact that, they are so uncommon that it is almost impossible to define the feeling in ordinary terms as.
Buddhism has an emphasis on finding the truth from within the human spirit while a transcendent worldview such as Christianity places emphasis on God being beyond the world. Definition: It is the religious worldview that adherents believe in a God that exists within and ever present in the universe, within nature. Ann immanent religious worldview holds that God/s and Goddess/es or divine spirits and is maintained by their power. Impact on Individuals, Society and culture: Religious worldview: morals/ethics/beliefs/sense of belonging/identity Offers individual purpose, individuals answers to life's profound questions Art – Interpretation of the bible
The universe exists, therefore; the universe has a cause of its existence. If the universe has a cause of its existence, then that cause is God. Therefore; God exists. Moreover, the world has too much design and the movement and cause of it is unnatural to be created from nothing, so something must have created it, God! Furthermore, Christians believe in God because of the 3 things; ‘Opeth’, message from God to his people, ‘Mopeth’ when God acts on behalf of his people and ‘Pele’ God’s sovereignty.
A miracle is sometimes thought of as a perceptible interruption of the laws of nature; Hume’s idea of violation of laws of nature. Others like John Polkinghorne would suggest that God may work with the laws of nature and people to perform what people perceive as miracles. However the concept of God’s intervention in the world through miracles is problematic when linking it to the existence of evil and suffering. In order to critically assess the implication of miracles for the problem of evil, we need to evaluate why miracles are said to occur and whether the concept of miracles exacerbate the problem of evil or if can be argued to not affect God’s qualities and the problem of suffering. In an attempt to assess the implications of miracles for the problem of evil, we must look at what the problem of evil consists of.
Religious language discusses religious and spiritual concepts. It is cognitive and conveys knowledge of what is really there. Religious language offers a correspondence theory of truth if it is thought of as being able to point to the reality that it is trying to convey. It is the language of worship – it is performative and prescriptive. Some philosophers such as Aquinas believe that it is possible to talk meaningfully, truthfully and factually about God whereas others like Ayer believe this to be impossible.