RS - Theme C key terms: The existence of God & revelation

Design argument

the argument that God designed the universe, because everything is so intricately made in its detail that it could not have happened by chance

theist

a person who believes in God

atheist

a person who believes that there is no God

agnostic

someone who thinks there is not enough evidence for belief in God

First Cause argument

also called the Cosmological argument; the argument that there has to be an uncaused cause that made everything else happen, otherwise there would be nothing now

eternal

without beginning or end

creation

the act by which God brought the universe into being

miracle

a seemingly impossible event, usually good, that cannot be explained by natural or scientific laws, & is thought to be the action of God

proof

evidence that supports the truth of something

faith

a commitment to something that goes beyond proof & knowledge, especially used about God & religion

evil

the opposite of good, a force or the personification of a negative power that is seen in many traditions as destructive & against God

suffering

when people have to face & live with unpleasant events or conditions

ultimate reality

the supreme, final, fundamental power in all reality

the divine

God, gods or ultimate reality

revelation

God showing himself to believers; this is the only way anybody can really know anything about God

special revelation

God making himself known through direct personal experience or an unusual specific event

vision

seeing something, especially in a dream or trance, that shows something about the nature of God or the afterlife

enlightenment

the gaining of true knowledge about God or self, usually through meditation & self-discipline; in Buddhist & Hindu traditions, gaining freedom from the cycle of rebirth

general revelation

God making himself known through ordinary, common human experiences

nature

the physical world including plants, animals & landscape; the environment or natural world

scriptures

the sacred writings of a religion; for Christians these are the Old and the New Testament

omnipotent

almighty, having unlimited power; a quality of God

omniscient

knowing everything; a quality of God

benevolent

all-loving, all-good; a quality of God

immanent

the idea that God is present in & involved with life on earth & in the universe; a quality of God

transcendent

the idea that God is beyond & outside life on earth & the universe; a quality of God

personal nature (of God)

the idea that God is an individual or person with whom people are able to have a relationship or feel close

impersonal nature (of God)

the idea that God has no ‘human’ characteristics, is unknowable & mysterious, more like an idea or force