1-If there is a God that is all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-loving, why isthere suffering and evil in the world? Do you think that the existence of pain andsuffering is evidence against the existence of God? Why would a good God allowso much suffering in the world? The problem of evil is discussed in chapter 5.
Mandatory Writing Assignment Here are the topics: choose one of them and write a 3-page essay. The descriptions are given below. 1-If there is a God that is all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-loving, why is there suffering and evil in the world? Do you think that the existence of pain and suffering is evidence against the existence of God? Why would a good God allow so much suffering in the world? The problem of evil is discussed in chapter 5. 2-The text mentions several arguments against the traditional notion of free will. Write a critical and analytical essay in which you defend or reject one of the arguments against free will. Your essay should, among other things, clearly state some of the logical and material implications of the free will and determinism conflict. The problem of free will is discussed in chapter 6. 3- If something changes, in some sense, it becomes different. Throughout our lives we change physically, mentally, emotionally, psychologically; however, despite the many changes, we still have the feeling that we are the same person. How is it possible for a person to change and yet remain the same? Are you now the same person you were 15 years ago? What is it that makes us the same despite the many changes? The problem of personal identity is discussed in notes given in class. 4-The goal of artificial is to create a machine with a mind of its own. If created, this machine might be more intelligent than mankind combined and might also be mankind greatest and last invention. Research this issue and decide whether or not you think this is feasible and desirable. Mind is discussed in chapter 4 Your paper should satisfy the following minimal guidelines: 1. Typed 1. 3 full pages 1. Follow either Chicago, MLA or APA manual of style 1. Times New Roman 12 1. Double space All papers will be evaluated for: 1. Content 1. Organization 1. Effective argumentation 1. Clarity 1. Sentence level concerns (i.e., grammar, spelling, syntax). 1. Critical understanding of the ideas and/or philosophical theories under discussion. (If any of these components is deemed unsatisfactory, the paper as a whole will be considered unsatisfactory) 1. Internet citations are not acceptable in this course unless the source you are citing is an official peer-reviewed scholarly journal. PowerPoint Presentation Philosophy of Religion Is There a God? Value of Religion Religion is a set of institutionalized beliefs and values shared by a group and grounded in faith and the worship of a supreme transcendent being whom we call God. Is religion is grounded in fear, superstition, and ignorance (hell, death)? Gaps in scientific knowledge is taken as proof of the supernatural. It was once thought that the planets were being moved by angels. Miracles are contrary to our scientific understanding of the world. Joshua stopped the orbit of the moon and delayed the setting of the sun for a full day. Religion has hindered the progress of science e.g. the affairs of Galileo, Giordano Bruno, or stem cell research. The first great scientists were men of the church (Newton, Copernicus, Galileo, Bruno, Kepler) Freud argued that religion is an illusion, a projection of the Father-image. Religious doctrines (prayers) are similar to the placebo effect. Social justice: religion has done so much good in the world. Religion preaches compassion, love and defends the rights of the poor, widows, down-trodden. Religion has inspired art: Poetry, paintings (the Sistine Chapel), music (Amazing Grace), architecture (the Pyramids, the Gothic Cathedrals, the Greek Parthenon), classics (Paradise Lost, Prodigal Son, Good Samaritan, Sermon on the Mount, Paul’s hymn of love). Religion is value-laden. It gives us a sense of dignity, self-worth, purpose, meaning in life. A completely naturalistic explanation of human nature does not account for free will, art, morality etc.… Evolution tells us that there is no more objective value in human being than in cockroach. Religion offers comfort in sorrow, hope in despair and death, courage in danger, and joy in the midst of all life brings. Religion represents the triumph of the human spirit, the hope for a higher, transcendent reality. What is God? God is a spirit: supernatural creator and sustainer of the universe: Omnipotence: all-powerful Omniscience: all-knowing Omnibenevolent: all-good Theologians disagree whether or not God is Immutable: unchangeable Eternal: existing outside time Everlasting: existing in time forever, having neither a beginning nor and end- but still existing as a person who can change in time and act in time. If God is eternal (outside of time), it is hard to understand how he can act on a temporal world, for action seems to imply a decision that takes time (an intention that precedes the act). On the other hand, if God is in time (everlasting), did he then have a beginning? If God, in time, created the temporal world, what created God? Is God casa sui? Did God create himself out of nothing? God is self-existent. Creatio ex nihilo--- God created the universe out of nothing. Deism: the universe was created by a supreme intelligence i.e. God, but he does not interfere with creation. Classical theism: the understanding that ultimate reality is a being which is distinct from the world and any other reality. Pantheism: all is God. God is identical with the world. Panentheism: all is in God. The world exists in God. God includes the world, but God extends beyond the world. Polytheism: the belief that there are many Gods. Atheism: the belief that God or gods do not exist. Agnosticism: There is not enough evidence to prove or disprove the existence of God. Apophatic or negative theology: God can only be defined through negation. We can only say what God is not… not what it is. No words, no concepts can capture the essence of God. God is beyond existing or not existing. Pandeism: holds that the universe is identical to God, but upon creating the universe, God became unconscious and non-sentient by the very act of becoming the universe itself. Humanism: God is replaced by humans beings. Human beings are free and a source or center of value. Rejection of supernatural and authoritarian types of religion. Rely on reason and intelligence to answer questions and to solve human problems. Divine Hiddenness If God exists, God: God wants a personal relationship with his creation and will reveal himself to anyone who sincerely and honestly seeks him. God always acts in accordance with what he most wants. God can bring about a situation in which all human beings come to believe in God exists. There are people who sincerely and honestly would like to have a relationship with God but does not have it. Then, why does not God reveal himself to those (why does God hide) who want to believe but cannot believe because they find no evidence? “A god who is all-knowing and all-powerful and who does not even make sure his creatures understand his intentions — could that be a god of goodness?“ Problem of Evil Evil is something that is a cause or source of suffering, injury or destruction. Necessary evil is an evil that is necessary to prevent a greater evil or promote a greater good (chemotherapy). Unnecessary evil is an evil that is not necessary to prevent a greater evil or promote a greater good. For example: Torturing innocent children for fun. Natural evil: evil that sentient creatures suffer at the hands of nature: earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, viruses, bacteria, disease, famine. Moral/spiritual evil: evil that sentient creatures suffer at the hands of other persons: murder, assault, rape, death, genocide, wars, robbery etc. The problem is that there is a paradox when one affirms the following at the same time: 1- God is all-powerful & omniscient 2- God is perfectly good 3- Given (1) and (2), then he is able and willing to prevent evil 4- But evil exists. If God is all-powerful, omniscient, all-loving, why is there evil in the world? Theodicies A theodicy is a theory that seeks to justify belief in God in the face of all the evil in the world. Evil is necessary for free will. It’s possible to have free will and not choose evil, e. g., God, Mary, Jesus. Heaven is a place where there is no sin and thus no evil. So how can there be free will in heaven? Adam & Eve: evil exists because of Adam and Eve’s sin. The forbidden apple contained the knowledge of right and wrong. So before they ate the apple, Adam and Eve couldn’t have known eating it was wrong. Evil must exist in order for us to know good. It’s possible to know evil without experiencing it, for example, Adam and Eve. Good cannot exist without evil. We cannot know happiness without sadness (Yin/Yang) Evil is necessary to improve the human race. Evil is necessary to make us better people. Open theism: God does not know the future because the future has not happened yet. Our view of the world is limited and finite: we are not in a position to judge its overall goodness. Evolution and Evil Evolution holds that evil is not the result of Satan’s sin or Adam’s fall or human misuse of free will, but rather the consequence of the species developing adaptive strategies that tend to be accompanied by pain, suffering, unhappiness, and conflicts of interest. It is our evolution from non-sentient to sentient beings that enables us to experience pain. Pain serves as a warning mechanism. Much of our physical suffering is simply the failure of evolution’s adaptive strategies. For example, bipedalism, the ability to walk upright on two limbs, enables higher primates, including humans, to free up their forelimbs for other purposes like grasping and thrusting; but it incurs several liabilities, including the loss of speed, and imbalanced vertebral column that increases the likelihood of lower back pain, troublesome with birth pangs, and even stomach problems and herniation, as the center of balance shifts and more pressure is placed on the abdominal region. Sickle-shaped red blood cells are adaptive where malaria is rampant, but where it is not, are lethal. Human aggressivity may be adaptive in hunting and defending one’s self against predators, but in social groups, in the face of conflicts of interest, it tends to be maladaptive, causing suffering, injury, and death. Use of reason is necessary for social cooperation and coexistence,