3.3.5

Discussion Points: The Fall & Trust in God

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The Fall & the Removal of God's Knowledge

There are scholarly debates over whether or not the Fall has completely removed all natural human knowledge of God.

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Arguments in support

  • Augustine argued that original sin prevented people from being able to know God.
    • This is because they had become corrupt in their will.
    • So, they could never be holy enough to gain knowledge of God through their own efforts.
  • Karl Barth was a Swiss Protestant theologian of the twentieth century.
    • He argued in a similar way that God reveals himself to us as and when he wants to.
    • All our attempts to attain knowledge of God on our own will fail.
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Arguments against

  • Thomas Aquinas counterargued that God gave us the ability to use our senses and our reason for a purpose.
  • God also gave us revealed knowledge, and both can be used.
  • The Bible suggests that humans can gain natural knowledge of God.
  • If God reveals the Bible, this revelation suggests we can learn truths naturally.
    • So, perhaps both natural and revealed theology are helpful.
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Quotes against the removal of God

  • The Catechism declares the Bible as a supernatural source of truth about God and the spiritual life:
    • 'Sacred Scripture is the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit.'

Is Belief in God’s Existence Sufficient to Trust in Him?

There are scholarly debates over whether or not belief in God’s existence is sufficient to put one’s trust in him.

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Arguments for belief - Anselm

  • Many would say belief in God is enough to put one’s trust in him.
  • Anselm, in his ontological argument, expressed the view that God exists necessarily.
  • Many pray to God in times of need, trusting that he will watch over them in some way.
    • Even Sigmund Freud, the psychologist and prominent atheist, claimed believers would put their trust in God in to help them.
    • He commented that believers think God will help them overcome the external and internal forces of nature.
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Arguments for belief - Paul

  • People have put their trust in God for centuries.
  • St Paul refers to this in the Bible in the book of Acts.
  • Paul comes across the thinkers of Athens who have built an altar to worship an unknown God.
    • Paul believes they were worshipping the Christian God without knowing it.
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Arguments against belief

  • Others would say belief is not enough.
  • Dawkins rejects faith and religion altogether.
    • He believes it prevents the progress of science and is a hindrance to society.
  • He says, ‘Faith is the great cop out’.
  • The philosophical argument was originally put forward by Epicurus and furthered by Mackie.
  • It states that the problem of evil in the world shows that human beings should not put their trust in God.

Jump to other topics

1Philosophy of Religion

1.1Ancient Philosophical Influences: Plato

1.2Ancient Philosophical Influences: Aristotle

1.3Ancient Philosophical Influences: Soul, Mind, Body

1.4The Existence of God - Arguments from Observation

1.5The Existence of God - Arguments from Reason

1.6Religious Experience

1.7The Problem of Evil

1.8The Nature & Attributes of God

1.9Religious Language: Negative, Analogical, Symbolic

1.10Religious Language: 20th Century Perspective

2Religion & Ethics

3Developments in Christian Thought

3.1Saint Augustine's Teachings

3.2Death & the Afterlife

3.3Knowledge of God's Existence

3.4The Person of Jesus Christ

3.5Christian Moral Principles

3.6Christian Moral Action

3.7Development - Pluralism & Theology

3.8Development - Pluralism & Society

3.9Gender & Society

3.10Gender & Theology

3.11Challenges

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