Religion Assignment

GOD AS RATIONAL THOUGHT

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS # 4

Coursepack: Richard Swinburne, Some Major Strands of Theodicy: pages 30-46

Modular 10-11

Look up the meaning of the following: omnipotent, omniscient, Theodicy (Richard Swinburne’s meaning from the coursepack), efficaciously, supererogatory, conscripted, sub specie aeternitatis.
Explain Swinburne’s definition of natural evil as comprehensively as possible?
In the second paragraph found on page 36, Swinburne writes that “Sorrow shared is sorrow halved.” What does he mean by this in your own words? Also in the same paragraph beginning with: “God will not give us endless pain,” etc. The question is this: does a loving God give his children, name humanity, grief, pain, and failure, etc. Explain in your own words?
Write an overview in your own words about Swinburne’s theory of good intentions and good actions and their effects, on page 37 in the first paragraph?
In paragraph two on page 37 to the top of 38, what does Swinburne means by free choice and a minicreator? Explain?
Describe the free-will defense of theodicy, found on page 38, second paragraph?
Describe in your own words what Swinburne is saying in paragraph three and four found on page 41 to the top of 42, beginning with, as with desire, so with action, etc. and ending with, “life would have been worse for us.”
Describe in detail the two types of evil: nature evil and moral evil and the two types of good? You may find them on pages 43 in the middle paragraph and the top of 44.
Describe in your own words whether or not good can come from evil? Make sure your response is comprehensive. Check out Swinburne’s theory on the bottom of page 43 and the top of 45?
Outline Swinburne’s theory from the top of page 45 to the end of 46?

DOES GOD EXIST?

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS

SWINBURNE, FAITH AND REASON, PAGES 33 – 54

Class 16

What does Swinburne mean by “Moral Goodness,” morally bad actions? Page 34 – 35.
Define the follow words: propositions, clairvoyance, olfactory, antecedent, quintessential, inductive, cosmology, omen, Rationality, telepathic, epistemological, culpable, teleological argument, supererogatory, epistemic.
Explain in detail the three ways of obligations to do positive actions? Pages 35 – 36.
Explain in detail the two kinds of moral truths? Page 36.
Explain in detail what Swinburne means by “Epistemic Justification?” Page 43.
Explain in detail the meaning of inductive criteria? Pages 44 – 45.
What is a deductive argument? Page 45. Provide examples. Outside sources are acceptable just cite the work.
Define the “Principle of Testimony,” found on page 49.
Outline the story of the detective found on page 47. What is the point the author is attempting to make?
Outline the ramifications of the failure to investigate the truth of a proposition found on the bottom of page 52. What is the point of the argument?

DOES GOD EXIST?

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS

SWINBURNE FAITH AND REASON PAGES 52 – 103

Class 19

Look up the following: transcendent, ontological argument, cosmological argument, testimony principle, inferences, levitate, archaeology, extrapolation, paucity, celestial, converge, Poseidon, synchronistic, credulity.
Explain synchronic internalist justification? What are the historical beliefs about God? Page 52.
What does Swinburne mean by self-evident beliefs? Define incorrigible propositions? 54 -55.
Define the Principle of Credulity? Page 55. What does Swinburne mean by a proposition which is basically right? What is the essence of the text? Page 55.
Provide an overview of synchronic externalist justification page 57.
What does Swinburne mean by statistical probability on page the bottom of page 57 – top of 58. Explain!
What is rationality-1 belief? Explain in detail.
What is rationality-2, belief? Explain in detail.
What is rationality-3, -4, -5 beliefs? Explain in detail.
Provide an overview of the question of the existence of God on page 99. How would someone assess the situation?
What are the four notions of Plantinga’s belief of warrants on page 60? Explain each one.

DOES GOD EXIST?

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS:

FAITH AND REASON: The Value of Religious Belief

Pages 103 – 136.

Class 22

Outline Kant’s thesis on page 103.
Define the following: precedent, phenomena, postulates, cognitive, conduce, tautologically, omniscient, perverse, proposition.
What does John Hick have to say about rational arguments found on page 104.
What does John Hick mean by cognitive freedom? Page 105.
What does Swinburne mean by natural theology sometimes known as bare natural theology and ramified natural theology. Page, 107?
Provide an overview of Swinburne’s Rival Claims on Time? Page 122.
What is Swinburne telling us in the section Non-Rational Reasons for Religious Belief? Pages 123 – 124.
How do you feel about Pascal’s Wager? Page 125- 126.
If there is a God, in your own words, do we have an obligation to worship and please our Creator?
What does Swinburne say about Pascal’s Wager, the problem with the alternatives? Pages 126 -127.

Does God Exist?

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS

Richard Swinburne, Faith and Reason,

Chapter 5 The Purpose of Religion:

Pages 159 – 196.

Class 25

Name and define the two elements of a religion? Page 161.
Look up the follow: supererogatory, Nirvana, pall, a fortiori, quietism, bodhisattva.
Enumerate the many ways to salvation in a religious system which Swinburne is proposing; be sure to include Buddhism and Marxism. Pages 159 - 166.
What are the three good purposes or actions of pursuing a religious way? Explain in detail. Pages 166.
Explain Aquinas version of the Beatific Vision at the bottom of page 177? Be sure to include comments from foot-note #13.
Explain Swinburne’s understanding of Heaven found in of page 182 – 183...
It has been said that, There is no way to happiness, happiness is the way. Do you agree with this notion? Explain Swinburne’s notion of happiness. Pages 180.
Provide an overview of Swinburne’s notion from the second religious reason: To attain one’s own salvation?
What does John Hick claim about the Real? Page 190 – 191.
Provide an overview of the second and the third purpose for pursuing a religious way according to Swinburne? Page 138.

Does God Exist?

HOMEWORK ASSINGMENT QUESTIONS # 9

Swinburne: Faith and Reason, Chapter 6, Pages 197 - 230

Class 28

Define the following: encapsulates, penitence, reconciliation, viz, omnipotent, omniscient.
What is the meaning of creed? Provide an overview of the Christian Nicene Creed?
What is the meaning of Swinburne’s notion of the pursuit of a particular religion in the beginning pages of Chapter 6?
What are your thoughts on atonement and what does Swinburne say about it?
Do we as Christians have a responsibility for the salvation of others? If so how is that accomplished? What accountability do we have to our children too? What does it mean to be saved? Explain!
In Swinburne’s discussion on the ‘Nicene Creed’ he observers that what is required of us, as Christians, is obedience to God. In your opinion, how can we become obedient to God?
Is the purpose of religion found in the Christian way? Does the individual need religion in order to be saved and fulfill his existence even if he or she is a Christian?
Swinburne says that we purse a religious way in order to attain the goals or purposes of religion. The question is this: What is the purpose and goals of religion?
Provide an overview of “The Belief Needed for the Pursuit of a Religious Way? Page 221.
Provide an overview of “The Belief Required for Church Membership? Page 228 – 229.

DOES GOD EXIST?

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS

Editors Stump and Kretzmann: John Rist

“The Cambridge Companion to AUGUSTINE,”

Faith and Reason,

Page 26 – 38.

Allen W. Wood, Emanuel Kant,

Rational Theology, Moral faith, and religion,

Page 394 – 415

Modular 29-30

If there is a God, is it possible to know Him by reason? Read the text and then answer the question, collegially, in your own opinion. Why is faith required to support reason in the question: Is there a God?
Define the following: noxious, circuitous, sophism, Septuagint, Pietism, egalitarian, rationalism, deism, posthumously, nebular, ingratiation, deprecation, degradation, petitioner, candor, indisposed, impunity, substratum, extra-mundane, immutable, predicate, milieu, teleological, a priori, a posteriori, comported, deism.
What is truth?
Do you agree or disagree with the theory that “the mind is weak and needs the guidance of authority; human wickedness clouds the light of truth?” Explain in detail.
Do you agree with the Pietisms’’ notion that the Christian faith should not be a set of doctrines but rather a living relationship with God? Explain what it means to espouse Pietism.
Define Rationalism? Pages 394 – 395.
Define Kant’s concept of Rational Theology? Does this make any sense to Christians?
Outline Kant’s conception of God? Page 398 – 399.
Define Kant’s concept of religion and make sure that you include his three commentaries?
Define Kant’s notion of church as found on 408 – 411?

DOES GOD EXIST?

THE 370 LECTURE NOTES

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS # 11

Coursepack: Peter Van Inwagen, The Problem of Evil, the Problem of Air, and the Problem of Silence, Pages 151 – 164; Van Inwagen, What is the Problem of the Hiddenness of God? Page 24 -32.

Modular 32-33

Does evil negate the existence of God? See section I and II.
Define the following: prima facie, hypothesis, epistemic, refutation, implausible, cuneiform, metaphysical, epistemology, theist, theism, deism, diagnosis, parallel, plausible, ontological argument, theses, feign, atomist, cosmic, extraterrestrial, evidential, sentient, terrestrial, paleontology, omniscient, omnipotent, indifference, evidentialist, consonant, Psalmist, predation, extrinsic, hedonic, calculus, Benthamism, ubiquitous, seraph, teleology, ontological, mitigated, apparition, utopia, theodicy, conjunction, theodicy.
Define the hypothesis of indifference or what Van Inwagen describes as (HI)?
What are the three evidentialist responses from the argument to evil? Bottom of 153 top of 154.
What do the three evidentialist responses mean? Page 154.
What does Van Inwagen mean by defense found on page 156?
What are your thoughts on the Van Inwagen theory about the world, which would be massively irregular, contained on page 158 – 159, beginning with: God, by means of a continuous series etc.….
In your own thoughts: What is the problem of the Hiddenness of God? You may include Van Inwagen’s views if you truly feel that way.
Van Inwagen asks the epistemological question: Can one rationally believe in God in a world devoid of signs and wonders? Under what condition can we do so?
Van Inwagen claims that in the real world, the problem of the Hiddenness of God has two aspects, a moral aspect and an epistemic aspect. Please elaborate on both.

DOES GOD EXIST?

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS

Coursepack: Murray etc, Deus Absconditus, page 62 – 80.

Modular 35-36

Murray writes that despite St. Paul’s claim that God’s eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made (Romans 1:20), few, if any, think that such is as “clearly seen” as the words I am now writing, and the words that you are reading. What are your thoughts: Is God clearly seen from what has been made?
Murray confronts the question of the Hiddenness of God. Is the theist challenged by the fact that God’s Hiddenness seems to lead a number of people to reject God’s existence outright? What are your thoughts?
Define the following: ineluctable, lain, simpliciter, libertarian, beatific, inefficacious, perspicuous, disutility, imminence, conjuncts, soluble, theophany, preclude, probabilifying.
Augustine claims that Freedom is a gift from God; Existentialist believes that with Freedom comes responsibility; Murray observes that, Theists have often argued that moral significant freedom is, indeed, a very good thing. Why does Murray hold that view? Explain in detail.
What is the purpose of God’s gift of libertarian Freedom? Is this one reason for the Hiddenness of God? Page 65 - 66.
In your own words, how does Murray respond to Schellenberg’s # (2) If a perfectly loving God exists, reasonable non-belief does not occur? Page, 66-67.
In Schellenberg’s summarization of the soul-making case against (2) of the Atheist Argument, in your own words, cipher the meaning of his four responses.
Define the following: threat strength; threat imminence; epistemic imminence; threat indifference? Page 70 - 72.
In Schellenberg’s (16) page 69, he points out two problems. What are they? Explain.
Define Schellenberg’s two final points on for the soul-making account? Pages 76 – 79.