Natural Theology

The session begins with a prayer expressing gratitude for divine goodness and grace, as well as a request for wisdom in discussing natural theology.
A key question posed for discussion: What is the definition of natural theology?
- Natural theology is defined as:
- The knowledge that can be attained about God through human reason and human experience.
- It relates to general revelation:
  - Understanding gained from nature, human nature, reason, and experience.
  - Discusses God’s existence and attributes based on human perception and interaction with the world.

Discussion emerges on the argument presented by new atheists claiming that science has largely replaced the need for religion:
- Secularization Thesis:
- The belief that as science progresses, religion becomes less relevant, reflecting a diminishing role for natural theology.
  - Example: New atheists suggest that science provides evidence that diminishes the necessity of faith in God.

Notable historical backdrop:
- 20th Century Decline in Confidence:
- A widespread skepticism regarding the enterprise of natural theology arose due to Enlightenment critiques.
- Key contributors to this collapse of confidence:
- Philosophers such as David Hume and Immanuel Kant challenged the validity of natural theology.
Criticism from Evans:
- The observation concerning theologians accepting conclusions drawn by Hume and Kant while dismissing their epistemological foundations.

Kant's Distinction:
- Noumena vs. Phenomena:
- Phenomena: The world as experienced and interpreted through human perception.
- Noumena: Things-in-themselves; knowledge of things actually as they are, unattainable according to Kant.
- Response to Kant:
- It is possible to know substances or things as they are, not merely as appearances.
- Human intellect possesses the capability to acquire knowledge about reality beyond mere appearances.
- Example: There's a recognized proportional relationship between the intellect and the world, affirming the possibility of genuine understanding.
Kant and Metaphysics:
- Kant argues against metaphysical knowledge of God, stating that it cannot be derived from knowledge of creation.
- Response:
- Christian metaphysics seeks knowledge of God through analogy to His effects, not direct knowledge of God as an object.
- Natural theology does not treat God as just another cause among many but as the ultimate reason for existence.

David Hume’s Philosophy:
- Knowledge is derived only from experience, and he views all human beings as a tabula rasa (blank slate) at birth.
- Key Assertion: The relationship between cause and effect cannot be empirically proven.
- Example: Observing a ball being struck does not prove that striking the ball is the cause of its motion; they could merely be simultaneous events.
Response to Hume:
- The knowledge of causality is not simply psychological habit; it is an objective reality acknowledged as necessary for coherent reasoning.
- Necessary First Principles of Reasoning:
- Principles such as the law of non-contradiction (nothing can be both true and false simultaneously) are essential for logical thought.

Concerns Over Natural Theology:
- Questions arise about whether natural theology undermines God’s revelation through Christ.
- Karl Barth's view argues that natural theology may operate in autonomy or even idolatry, bypassing God’s self-revelation.
- Compared to Paul Moser, who argues that natural theology offers only a ‘thin theism’ lacking in relational depth or specifics about salvation.
Responses to Criticism:
- Acknowledges God's clear revelation in Scripture and Jesus while also emphasizing that God reveals Himself through nature, suggesting that knowledge of God via natural works is legitimate.
- Thin theism, while not exhaustive, provides a foundational understanding significantly better than no belief in God.

Natural Theology's Aim:
- Evans argues that natural theology attempts to establish anti-naturalism, recognizing that naturalistic views are not without problems.
Naturalism vs. Anti-Naturalism:
- Naturalism argues that only physical, material realities exist and denies the existence of metaphysics or spiritual realities.
- Anti-naturalism asserts the existence of immaterial aspects (like soul, spirit) and moral truths beyond basic observables.

Distinction between Natural Science and Naturalism:
- Confidence in natural sciences alone does not lead to explicit belief in naturalism; philosophical choices must anchor this conclusion.
- Natural science seeks to describe behavior but is incapable of verifying existence beyond the natural realm.

Evans’s Proposal:
- If God leaves signs of His existence, those signs should be broadly accessible and easily resisted to permit free response.
Pascalian Constraints:
- Widely Accessible Signs:
- Signs should appeal to a diverse range of people, across cultures and time, not restricted to intellectually elite.
- Easily Resistible Evidence:
- To promote genuine freedom of belief, signs must be such that they can be brushed aside by those uninterested in faith.

The discussion moves to summarizing key themes and reflecting on naturalistic versus theistic perspectives.
Highlighting the necessity to differentiate between scientific awareness and philosophical commitments to naturalism.
Open floor for students to propose topics for future sessions, indicating an interactive approach to applying faith in real-world contexts.