Bible 10-12
Are science and religion incompatible? [12.1]
No, science and religion—at least Christianity—are very compatible
Can religion be judged true or false based on the behavior of its followers? [10.7]
No.
Is the Bible a book of science? [12.2]
No; the Bible includes science but it is not purely a scientific book
Can atheists live good lives without believing in God? [10.6]
No; they can do good things, but they cannot live objectively good lives
Are moral values objectively real or morally relative? [10.6]
Objectively real
How does "biological information" support intelligent design? [10.5]
Only rational minds produce information, like DNA (which is not necessary for life); intelligent design is therefore implied
What basis is there for accepting the resurrection of Jesus? [11.4]
Paul's account of the resurrection as the basis of Christianity's validity and Luke's talking of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection
How do near death experiences challenge materialism/naturalism? [11.3]
People who experience near death experiences explain that they experience extraordinary things that cannot be explained by materialism/naturalism
Why does the "scientific mindset" reject the supernatural? [11.2]
Because it apparently rescues the world from superstition and backward thinking 2 assumptions: Materialism (we only have a material world) Naturalism (everything happened by natural causes)
How is Satan portrayed in the New Testament? [11.8]
Beelzebub (the greek variant of Baal) Power of fertility Power over storms Worship involved pig sacrifice Worshippers would scream and cut themselves and stay among the tombs Son of the most high god (El)
How does the "design argument" explain the universe? [10.5]
Intelligent design always requires an intelligent designer
What caused modern science to move away from Christianity? [12.3]
a. The Age of Enlightenment b. those promoting the Enlightenment came to believe that rationality and systematic thinking could cure humanity's fall into sin and restore virtue, replacing faith in God with faith in rationality
How does "irreducible complexity" point to intelligent design? [12.5]
Irreducible complex features are those that, if reduced to simpler or fewer parts, could not still perform their required function (When applied to biology, it challenges the notion that complex biological systems could have gradually evolved through a series of intermediary steps)
How does the "multiverse theory" attempt to do away with intelligent design? [10.5]
It assumes that we are just "one in a million" instead of designed Creation
What impact did the "Age of Enlightenment'' have on Christiantiy? [11.1]
It attempted to remove the supernatural aspects of Christianity; keep the morality without God's intervention
What is the evolutionary explanation for the beginning of life? [12.5]
Mutation, Natural Selection, Spontaneous Generation, Primordial Soup
What were David Hume's arguments against miracles? [11.2]
No historical miracle has been sufficiently attested by honest and reliable men People crave miraculous stories and gullibly believe absurd stories Miracles are only for barbarous people Miracles occur in all religions; therefore they cancel out
Who were some of the early scientists committed to a Christian worldview? [12.3]
Boyle, Newton, Francis Bacon, etc.
Steven Davis' four points:
Bringing the world into existence Sustaining the world's existence Acting through natural causes in the world Acting miraculously/outside of natural causes
How does our "privileged planet" support intelligent design? [10.5]
Earth is the perfect location for life and for making observation of the rest of the universe; this placement could not have happened without intelligent design
Who was John Hick and what idea did he develop? [10.7]
English philosopher and he developed the idea of "the Real," which states that everybody is look at the real reality through different perspectives (Why "the Real" doesn't make sense: we can't know what the real reality truly is)
Is theistic evolution compatible with Scripture? [12.6]
No, because evolution is described as an "unguided" path, whereas Scripture clearly states that God created everything and has been guiding nature and humans throughout time
Can evolution adequately explain objective moral law? [10.6]
No, because survival does not call for moral actions, yet (globally) every culture has a very similar moral code, so evolution could not be the reason for objective morality
What's the real story of the conflict between the Catholic Church and Galileo?
Galileo and the church were at odds over the findings that the earth revolved the sun instead of the other way
What discoveries have given the Kalam cosmological argument new credibility? [10.4]
General Theory of Relativity by Einstein and Hubble's Law: Redshift
Progressive creationism
God created basic kinds of living organisms separately with the capacity to change and adapt to their circumstances over time (Human beings were created separately by God at a much later time The days of creation were not literal six twenty-four-hour days)
What things can be known about God through general revelation? [10.2]
God is great in power, designer and written his law on our hearts
Is God a Christian? [10.8]
He is not a Christian in the same way we are, but that does not mean He is not a part of Christianity
Who was Jacques Derrida and what idea did he develop? [10.7]
He was an Algerian-born French philosopher who developed the idea of the theory of deconstruction
What modern scientific principles are based on a Christian worldview? [12.4]
How the lawfulness of the universe, without which scientific investigation is impossible, derives from a belief in a Divine creator Nature is valuable enough to study Nature is good but not God Nature is orderly Nature's laws can be precisely stated and understood Humans can discover nature's order Detailed observation is possible and important The universe is rationally intelligible because God is rationally intelligible
What is "cultural imperialism"? [10.7]
It is the belief that one's culture is above another
What does the Bible say about supernatural evil? [11.7]
It says that Satan is at work in the world and that bcs there is evil, there has to be good
How does "the blind watchmaker" attempt to do away with intelligent design? [10.5]
It says that nature could have made Creation, that there was some guiding hand somewhere in nature that allowed for everything by chance
What is the "RNA World Hypothesis" for the origin of life? [12.5]
It states that RNA, instead of DNA, was used at the beginning of time
What is the "panspermia hypothesis" for the origin of life? [12.5]
It states that interstellar bodies hit the earth and spawned life forms
What is the "moral argument" for God's existence? [10.6]
It's the argument that concludes that God exists since objective morality exists also
What's the difference between the Grand Canyon and Mount Rushmore? [10.5]
The Grand Canyon was created through natural processes while Mount Rushmore was created through human design and efforts
How does the existence of the universe itself point to intelligent design? [12.5]
The Second Law of Thermodynamics: a scientific law that states that the amount of usable energy in a closed system will decrease over time (The implication is that the universe must have had a beginning)
How does the structure of DNA support the "design argument" for the origin of life? [12.5]
The move from design to designer is called the design argument because things may appear to human observers to have been designed but may actually be without intention and order (scientist believe that DNA is the most powerful indicator of intelligent design--metaphorical language of God)
How does "fine-tuning" support intelligent design? [10.5]
The probabilities of life forming is infinitesimal, so design is implied in its creation
What is the flaw in the scientific argument against miracles? [11.3]
The scientific method makes sense only of the material world
What role do miracles play in Christianity? [11.2]
They are signs and/or events that are intended to highlight the power and goodness of God (The miracle is not the point, but rather who did the miracle and the reason for it)
What role did Thomas Huxley play in creating a dichotomy between science and religion? [12.3]
Thomas Huxley (Darwin's Bulldog) who thought that religious beliefs threatened the acceptance of Darwin's theory (Following the example of Thomas Huxley, some historians began to promote science by writing books disregarding Christianity and perpetuated the myths that supported scientific progress. People tend to believe well-told stories, even if false.)
Is reality derived from one substance or two? [11.3]
Two (dualism, body and mind)
What basis is there for accepting the Bible and its supernatural worldview? [11.4]
a. The New Testament books were written soon after the events they described and by people matching the characteristics of those said to have written them b. The books of the Bible survived through time remarkably uncorrupted c. Bible writers took great care in transmitting their heritage faithfully d. Many of the Bible's claims are also established by completely secular sources
What evidence is there in nature for intelligent design? [12.5]
Watchmaker argument (It's an argument for God's existence that compares the design of a watch to the design found within the cosmos and concludes that the universe, like a watch, can be best explained by the existence of an intelligent designer)
How is supernatural evil manifested today? [11.9]
We are very entertained with believing that there is no spiritual evil, so much so that it is in plain sight everywhere yet we choose to ignore it
What limitations does materialism/naturalism have in explaining reality? [11.3]
We can understand how the world works, but it cannot explain why things work, such as why humans want to be liberated or why society should preserve liberty
How does the "Kalam cosmological argument" explain the existence of the universe? [10.4]
Whatever begins to exist has a cause → the universe began to exist → therefore, the universe has a cause → the best explanation/cause is God
Are the different interpretations of the creation story compatible? [12.5]
Yes and no: "no" some of the viewpoints (such as theistic evolution), take substantial theological liberties with the biblical text, leaving it difficult to see what about God's word might actually be true; "yes" all these viewpoints affirm that God exists, that he is a creator outside of and transcendent over his creation, that creation is good, that God's work brings him glory, and that humans bear God's image and are stewards of creation
Does faith play a role in naturalistic science? [12.4]
Yes, because science cannot account for the underlying truths that make it work "Science has its own faith-based belief system." - Paul Davies
How is modern science consistent with Christianity? [12.4]
Yes, because science is not a force of nature, but instead the result of the work of individuals who create breakthroughs by practicing the disciplines of repeatedly observing, measuring, and experimenting (scientists must assume that the universe operates in observable, measurable, and repeatable ways—assumptions that are entirely consistent with the testimony of Scripture if not derived directly from a Christian worldview)
What are the different Christian interpretations of Genesis 1? [12.5]
Young Age creationism, Progressive Creationism, Theistic Evolution, Intelligent Design
What's the flaw in Hume's "in principle" argument against miracles? [11.3]
a. Cyclical argument; how can we not have miracles if miracles don't exist b. A miracle is something that breaks out of our ordinary experience—otherwise we would never know that i was a miracle in the first place
What was the historical relationship between Christianity and modern science? [12.3]
a. It was monotheism that launched the coming of physical science, for its premise and intelligible world, sacred but disenchanted; the world was the blueprint, which was therefore opened to the searches of scientists b. Many scientists looked for an orderly universe through science
4 facts of minimal facts approach
a. Jesus died by crucifixion b. Disciples believed that He rose and appeared to them c. Apostle Paul was radically converted d. Skeptic James was suddenly changed
What gospel stories illustrate Jesus's power over Satan? [11.8]
a. Jesus fed a crowd of thousands (Refutes the power of fertility) b. Jesus calmed a storm (Refutes the power over storms) c. Jesus domesticated a man (The demons who had possessed the man called Jesus the son of the most high God Refutes the son of the most high god)
What other arguments are there for the resurrection of Jesus? [11.6]
a. Jesus' tomb was empty, therefore he was resurrected b. 500+ people witnessed Christ resurrected and it changed their lives c. The theology of the disciples was drastically changed
What limitations are there to the evolutionary explanation of life? [12.5]
a. Microevolution: the belief that small, adaptive changes are capable of producing variations within the gene pool of a species b. Macroevolution: the belief that small, adaptive changes are capable of accumulating over time to produce entirely new species
What steps can Christians take to defeat evil in our lives? [11.10]
a. Pursue good b. Resist evil c. Renew our minds d. Walk controlled by the Spirit e. Repent your sins
What are the flaws in Hume's "in fact" arguments against miracles? [11.3]
a. The gospel writers were capable of writing accurate historical accounts and were willing to stake their lives on what they wrote b. just because people may crave miraculous stories doesn't mean that those improbable things have not happened c. The Jews were highly educated people—far from barbarous d. If many people believe in miracles, it doesn't cancel out, people are simply just more in favor of them
What is "specified complexity" and how does it manifest itself? [10.5]
any event that is contingent/complex, and exhibits an independently given pattern. Manifests itself through Fine-tuning, The privileged planet, and Biological information
Young-age creationism
as recently as 6,000 years ago, God created the universe in six twenty-four-hour days. Living organisms were created distinct and separate in much their present forms
Theistic evolution
evolutionary theory is true but say God somehow initiated and oversaw the evolutionary process
Intelligent design
from the cosmis architecture of the universe down to the nanoscale molecular machines inside of cells, we find the marks of a designer
What is the "minimal facts approach" to proving the resurrection of Jesus? [11.5]
method formulated by Gary Habermas for investigating the resurrection of Jesus that concentrates only on the historical facts that are well evidenced that they are accepted by scholars that studies the topic
What did the Miller-Urey experiments prove? [12.5]
produced amino acids through the combination of electricity and gases thought to be present in Earth's atmosphere around three to four billion years ago
How does the "anthropic principle" point to intelligent design? [12.5]
theory that the universe contains all the necessary properties that make the existence of intelligent life inevitable
How does the "cosmological argument" point to the existence of God? [10.3]
something caused the universe to exist and concludes that God is the best explanation for this
What is the main objection to the cosmological argument? [10.4]
something only needs an origin if it has a beginning, but God has always existed and is not bound to the constraints of "time"
What is "religious pluralism"? [10.7]
the acknowledgement that many different religions exist in today's diverse society (Prescriptive: the belief that we should be tolerant of other religions because no single religion can be universally true for everyone Descriptive: the belief that we should be tolerant of competing religions in order to get along with one another)
Why does the Bible include stories of the miraculous? [11.1]
to demonstrate Christ's transformative power and God's power.a lot of those miracles are God bringing things back to the way they should have been (e.g. resurrections, ridding diseases, forgiving sins)
