year 8 re : lesson 4 was god the first cause of our …...we cannot touch, see, smell or hear god....

Year 8 RE : Lesson 4 – Was God the first cause of our universe?

What Is Causation? Causation is the idea that everything that happens is caused by something else. For example, if I push a door, this causes it to open. In human experience, all things have a cause. Complete the activity below to explain what causes each of the events.

How Does Causation Link to Belief in God? As we have seen above, everything we encounter in life has a cause. The Christian writer Saint Thomas Aquinas used this to argue that God must exist.

• Aquinas argues that everything has a cause.

• If we were to go back in time, we could follow this chain of causes back to the beginning of the universe.

• At this point, Aquinas says something special must have happened. This is because nothing can cause itself. The universe cannot have created itself.

• According to Aquinas, the only thing that could have started the universe is God. This is because God is eternal and not caused by anything else. He was present at the start of the universe and is therefore its only possible creator.

The Causation Argument

The most famous version of the causation argument was created by Saint Thomas Aquinas. He was a Catholic priest and philosopher who lived in the 13th century. Another name for the causation argument is the cosmological argument, as it is adapted from the theories of Aristotle and Plato about the first cause of the universe (cosmos).

Aquinas’ argument starts from the idea that everything has a cause. This is proven by our everyday experience. If a person buys a sandwich for lunch, the sandwich was caused to exist by someone making it. Similarly, the person’s hunger caused them to buy it.

Aquinas then argues that there are chains of causes that can be followed back through time. An example of this is family trees. You were caused to exist by your parents, who were in turn caused to exist by your grandparents and so on.

If we follow these chains back far enough, we would eventually reach the beginning of the universe. As nothing can cause itself to exist, something outside the universe must have caused it to exist. The only thing that is outside of the universe is God, who is eternal (meaning he has always existed) and is not caused by anything else. Therefore, Aquinas says, God must exist. He is the only thing which could have started the universe.

Does Science challenge the argument? Though Aquinas wrote nearly 800 years ago, some Christians feel his causation argument, often called the cosmological argument, is compatible with modern science. Most scientists now believe that the universe began with a Big Bang. This is a huge explosion you will learn more about in a future a lesson. If the universe did begin in this way, there must have been someone to set the explosion off. As in Aquinas’ argument, this would have to be someone outside the universe. This could only be God. Think back to the Design argument and answer the questions below:

1. Which of the two arguments do you find more convincing?

2. Do either of these arguments give you a sense of the author's perception of the nature or personality of God?

3. Do these arguments oppose modern scientific theories of how the universe was created?

Lesson 5 – What is Atheism?

Quick recap 1. What is prayer? 2. What do the words atheist

and theist mean? 3. What is Paley’s argument? 4. What is the causation argument? 5. What is an agnostic?

Atheism Atheism is the idea that God does not exist. It is a belief which has become increasingly popular in the last century. The Development of Atheism

• Below is a story that consists of six parts.

• For each part, you are going to draw a picture to help you remember it.

• You should then try to retell the story to someone, using the pictures only to ‘jog’ your memory.

• You cannot write any letters! You can write numbers though.

Before the nineteenth century, most people were theists and believed in God. Arguments like Paley’s watch were very popular.

In the nineteenth century evolution became popular. This is the idea that animals evolved over time.

If evolution is true, then there is no need for God. He isn’t necessary to create life.

In the 20th century, scientists started to prove that the universe began with the Big Bang.

The Big Bang Theory says that the universe started with a huge explosion. This suggests God did not create it.

As of 2013, atheism (the belief that God does not exist) was fairly popular. When asked, about 25% of people in the UK said they have no religion.

Why Are People Atheists? There are many reasons why people may be atheists. These can include:

• the belief that science has shown how the world was created and that God is therefore not necessary;

• the terrible events that happen in the world may make people think God cannot exist;

• the fact that it is difficult to prove that God exists.

Read the information cards below and complete the activity below to find

out why people believe in atheism.

Why Are People Atheists?

The Big Bang

The Big Bang Theory tries to explain how our universe began. It has been worked on by many scientists including Stephen Hawking.

The Big Bang Theory says that the universe started with a huge explosion. Over time, the pieces of the explosion formed suns and planets like our own. God did not, therefore, create the universe.

Evolution

The theory of evolution was created by Charles Darwin.

He argued that humans were not created as they are now. He said that humans had developed or evolved over time. All life started out as simple creatures and then evolved into more complex animals. Humans are believed to have evolved from apes.

This shows that God did not create humans

Evil and Suffering

God is supposed to be benevolent which means all loving.

However, the world is full of terrible things like natural disasters, poverty and disease.

If this is the case, then can God really exist?

Also, millions of pray for God to help them but very few people’s prayers are answered. If God existed, would not He answer people’s prayers?

There Is No Proof of God

This argument is very simple. If God exists, why is there no proof?

We cannot touch, see, smell or hear God. Normally, we only believe things exist if we can find evidence of them. There does not seem to be any evidence that God is real.

Many atheists say that people who claim to have “seen” or “spoken” to God are lying or confused

Lesson 6 – If God exists what is he like?

Depictions of God

Not all religions believe it is acceptable to draw God. Why do you think this is? Judaism, Christianity and Islam are often referred to as the ‘Abrahamic religions’. This is because they can all be traced back to the prophet Abraham (Ibrahim in Islam). In this lesson, we will be looking at some of the key characteristics of God in the Abrahamic religions. This is also known as the ‘God of Classical Theism’.

Based on this picture, what can we

learn about God?

The Abrahamic religions believe God has several characteristics that make him unique. Complete the match-up task to identify the words that describe God.

• On top of the characteristics already discussed, members of the

Abrahamic religions also believe God is the creator of the world.

Evaluating Religious Ideas of God You must read the pieces of scripture and then stick them to the Discussion Activity Sheet. You must evaluate each piece of scripture, explain it and decide if it is an accurate description of God.

Bible quote What it tells us about God Even if you ignore Him, everything in the heavens and the earth belongs to Him... If He so willed, He could remove you altogether and replace you with new people: He has full power to do so.’

(Qur’an 4:131-134)

What does this tell us about God?

Do you think this accurately describes God?

This is Allah, Your Lord! There is no God but he ... No vision can grasp him, but his grasp is over all things; he is above all understanding, yet he is aware of all things’

(Qur’an 6: 102-3)



‘This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.’

(1 John 5: 14)



Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there... If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.’

(Psalms 139: 7-12)



‘If you should love Allah, then follow me, Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.’


(Qur’an 3: 31)


All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.’

(John 1: 3-4)



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year 8 re : lesson 4 was god the first cause of our …...we cannot touch, see, smell or hear god....

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