This document includes:
The basis of Paley’s Analogical Design Argument
Paley’s Analogical Design Argument
Criticisms of Design from David Hume
The Strengths and Weaknesses of Paley’s Argument
The status of Paley’s Argument as proof
The relationship between Reason and Faith
The value of Paley’s Argument for Religious Faith
Evil in two forms and how it relates to suffering and God
The logical and evidential problem of evil
Solving the existence of evil
The Free Will Defence
John Hick’s eschatological solution
Griffin’s Process Theology
Visions: Corporeal, Imaginative and Intellectual
Numinous Experiences: Otto; an apprehension of the Wholly other.
Mystical experiences: William James; non sensuous and non-intellectual union with the divine.
Challenges of verifying religious experiences.
Challenges to religious experience from science.
Religious responses to those challenges.
Richard Swinburne’s principles of credulity and testimony.
AQA NOTES RS: Religious Language
The problem of religious language
Ludwig Wittgenstein
Logical Positivists
The issue of whether religious language should be viewed cognitively or non-cognitively.
The challenges of the Verification and Falsification Principles to the meaningfulness of religious language.
Strengths and Weaknesses of Verification Principle.
-Strengths and Weaknesses of the Falsification Principle.
Responses to these challenges from verification and falsification.
Eschatological Verification + Strengths and Weaknesses.
Key ideas of the Celestial City.
Religious language as an expression of a Blik with reference to Hare.
Religious language as a language game with reference to Wittgenstein.
Conclusions as to the issue whether religious language should be viewed cognitively or non-cognitively.
Other views of the nature of religious language.