UNDERSTANDING CHRISTIAN THEISM (Part A): Dr

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WORLD RELIGIONS: UNDERSTANDING CHRISTIAN THEISM (Part A): Dr. Paul R. Shockley ARGUMENTS: www.prshockley.org EXPERIENCES: 1. Five Witnesses of General Revelation: 1. Cosmological Argument: Cause & Effect (motion) a. Witness of Creation 2. Kalam Cosmological Argument: Finiteness of Time b. Witness of Human Design 3. Ontological Argument: Definition c. Witness of Godward Longings 4. Teleological Argument: Design Father d. Witness of Conscience 5. Moral Law Argument (Objective standard of morality): e. Witness of Consequences 6. Beauty (Objective standard of beauty): 2. Religious Experiences with God 7. Argument from Desire (Existential Longing) 3. Changed Lives 8. Religious Need Argument (Need for God) 4. Internal Peace 9. Argument from Joy (immortality) is 5. Enduring meaning & significance found 10. Innate Idea (We inherently know) 6. Bonafide Miracles 11. Evil (as a standard) is not is not 7. Answered Prayers GOD is is Holy Spirit Jesus is not EVIDENCES: EXISTENTIAL: 1. Big Bang for Cosmological: A. Fulfillment of Godward Longings: 2. Kalam: Time (now) Test of 3. Ontological: Use of God 1. Authentic Love: to love & be loved in return. Coherence 4. Teleological: 2. Beauty a. Anthropic Principle 3. Destiny/Adventure worthwhile b. Specified Complexity 4. Identity c. Irreducible Complexity 5. Lasting fulfillment 5. Objective Moral Law: Values, Duties, & Accountability 6. Goodness a. Undeniability of moral law 7. Someone to believe in b. By personal reactions 8. Forgiveness for wrong-doings c. Basis of human rights 9. Atonement or redemption d. Defines real differences between moral positions 10. Immortality e. Standard of rightness 11. Justice f. Grounds for political & social dissent 12. Meaning & Purpose of our lives g. Excuses made for breaking it. 13. Peace & Contentment 6. Objective Beauty (standard) 14. Purpose/Relevance 7. The Reality of Evil 15. Restoration 8. Cognitive True Beliefs 16. Significance & Value 17. Sublime Experiences 18. True & Lasting Pleasures COMPARATIVE WORLDVIEW KEY: ULTIMATE QUESTIONS: 19. Ultimate Intelligibility Atheism: God does not exist Origin: 20. Wholeness Agnosticism: Two types: 1. Where did we come from? (1) Soft: God may or may not exist Identity: B. Cross-Cultural Awareness (2) Hard: God can’t exist 2. What are we? Where did we Deism: Infinite god is beyond the universe but not in come from? Meaning: 7-FOLD CRITERIA FOR it EVALUATING TRUTH-CLAIMS Theism: Infinite and Personal God who is beyond and 3. Why are we here? in the universe Morality: 1. Logical Coherence Finite Godism: Finite god is both beyond and in the 4. How should we live? 2. Empirical Adequacy Destiny: universe 3. Existential Relevance Polytheism: Multiple & independent gods who are 5. Where are we going? both beyond & in the universe Evil: 4. Workability Pantheism: God is the universe 6. What’s gone with the world? 5. Viability Hope: Panentheism: God is in the universe. 6. Explanatory Power Dualism: Two Eternal “Principles”: “Light” & 7. What can be done to fix the “Darkness.” problems of the world? 7. Ethical & Aesthetic Excellence.

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Eastern Regional Meeting of the Society of Christian Philosophers Concurrent Paper Abstracts
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