Deck 4: The Search for God

Question 1

Intelligent design theory is an attempt to show that the theory of evolution by itself is able to explain the appearance of design in the world.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

The cosmological argument for God is a type of a posteriori argument.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The opposite of a contingent being is a necessary being.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

To be an agnostic is,by definition,to be a nonevidentialist.

Question 5

An evidentialist is one who claims that belief in God must be supported by objective evidence.

Question 6

F.R.Tennant attempted to reconcile Darwinian evolution with a revised version of the teleological argument.

Question 7

Anselm's critic,Gaunilo,rejected the ontological argument because he was an atheist.

Question 8

Another name for the teleological argument is the argument from design.

Question 9

The ontological argument is an example of an a priori argument.

Question 10

All versions of the cosmological argument contain the claim that the universe is not self-explanatory.

Question 11

An essential premise of the cosmological argument is the claim that everything has a cause for its existence.

Question 12

It is an essential claim of all atheists that it can be proven that God does not exist.

Question 13

There are both atheists and theists who are evidentialists.

Question 14

Thomas Aquinas believed that it was logically impossible for the world to have always existed without a beginning.

Question 15

Anselm believed that God was so far beyond human reason that it was impossible for the mind to conceive of him.

Question 16

Fideism is one form of nonevidentialism.

Question 17

The fine-tuned universe argument for God attempts to undermine the claim that the universe was produced by the Big Bang.

Question 18

The teleological argument is a type of a priori argument.

Question 19

A priori arguments are based on reason alone and not data obtained from experience.

Question 20

Monotheism is the belief that God and the world are identical.

Question 21

According to the text,moral evil is the only kind of evil there really is.

Question 22

According to Pascal,deciding whether or not to believe in God is not an optional decision.

Question 23

William James's essay "The Will to Believe" was an attempt to defend W.K.Clifford's position.

Question 24

Everyone who believes in God agrees with the premise that he is all-powerful.

Question 25

The greater good defense claims that some evils are necessary in order to achieve certain good ends.

Question 26

A theodicy is an attempt to justify God's permitting evil to occur.

Question 27

According to Kierkegaard,there is a difference between knowing about God and having faith in him.

Question 28

The problem of evil is that of explaining how to turn people from their evil ways to do good.

Question 29

Albert Camus's novel The Plague presents the view that all suffering is justified and serves a good purpose.

Question 30

W.K.Clifford's argument rejects the notion of basing beliefs on faith alone.

Question 31

The free will defense claims that God could not create free agents with the guarantee that they would always do what was good.

Question 32

Søren Kierkegaard believed that faith should never go beyond what can be proven on the basis of reason.

Question 33

Pascal assumes that the only options are belief or disbelief in the Christian God,but he does not consider other religious options.

Question 34

An agnostic is someone who claims that

A) God does not exist.
B) belief in God should be based on faith and subjective reasons.
C) each individual is really a part of the being of God.
D) there is not sufficient evidence to support either theism or atheism.

Question 35

Blaise Pascal believed that faith could be proven by reason.

Question 36

Anselm assumes that existence is a property that makes a being more perfect.

Question 37

The problem of evil is used by the atheist to provide positive evidence for the nonexistence of God.

Question 38

John Hick argues that God made the world a paradise in which we could experience nothing but pleasure,thus human moral wickedness is the cause of all suffering.

Question 39

Pantheism is the view that God is separate from the world.

Question 40

Hindu thought affirms the doctrine of reincarnation.

Question 41

The anthropic principle plays a key role in the debate concerning

A) whether humans evolved or were divinely created.
B) the validity of the ontological argument.
C) whether humans have a soul.
D) the fine-tuned universe argument

Question 42

A criticism of the cosmological argument mentioned in the text is

A) it seems possible that there could be an infinite series of causes.
B) the uncaused cause of the universe could be matter or energy.
C) it makes no sense to say the existence of something is necessary.
D) all of the above

Question 43

The notion of "specified complexity" is a term identified with which position?

A) anti-religious evolutionists
B) Darwinian perspectivalists
C) Darwinian harmonizers
D) anti-Darwinian intelligent design theorists

Question 44

Which authors defended versions of the cosmological argument in your readings?

A) St.Anselm and William Paley
B) Blaise Pascal and William James
C) Thomas Aquinas and Richard Taylor
D) all of the above

Question 45

The principle of sufficient reason states that

A) everything that exists must have a reason that explains its existence and its properties.
B) there is not a sufficient reason to believe in God.
C) reason is sufficient to answer all our religious questions.
D) there is an ultimate and good purpose for everything that happens in life.

Question 46

Pascal's discussion of gambling and religious belief is intended to show that

A) there is more to gain and less to risk in believing in God.
B) life is a game and should not be taken too seriously.
C) choosing God or choosing unbelief are equally risky choices.
D) the religious person does not gamble but bases his or her choices on knowledge that is certain.

Question 47

According to your text,perspectivalism claims that science and religion

A) have totally incompatible perspectives on the nature of reality.
B) do not conflict because they describe reality in different but compatible ways.
C) each deal with totally different regions of reality.
D) are really making the same claims,but use different terminology.

Question 48

In his refutation of the teleological argument,David Hume argues that

A) the analogy between human creations and the universe is weak.
B) we have no other universe with which to compare this one.
C) it supports the conclusion that God has all the limitations of human creators.
D) all of the above

Question 49

W.K.Clifford's story of the shipowner was intended to make the point that

A) the best we can do is to act on our sincere convictions.
B) it is better to take risks in the hope that we are right than to never venture out into the unknown.
C) it is always wrong to believe anything on insufficient evidence.
D) faith provides us with a basis for belief when reason fails us.

Question 50

Anselm's argument may be viewed as a reductio ad absurdum argument because

A) he begins with a premise that is the opposite of what he wants to prove and shows that it leads to a contradiction.
B) contemporary philosophers consider his premises to be absurd.
C) it reduces all the traditional properties of God to the one property of perfection.
D) it reduces belief in God to an absurd leap of faith.

Question 51

Gaunilo's point concerning the island is that

A) if God is perfect,then it is possible for him to create a perfect island.
B) the ontological argument could be used to prove the necessary existence of a perfect island.
C) nothing can be perfect,whether this be a God or an island.
D) if one has never experienced a perfect island,then it is impossible to conceive of it.

Question 52

The claim that evolution explains how our physical bodies evolved but the spiritual soul is a divine creation was presented as an example of which position?

A) the adversarial position
B) territorialism
C) perspectivalism
D) the fine-tuned universe argument

Question 53

On the relationship between science and religion,your book described René Descartes as an advocate of which position?

A) the adversarial position
B) territorialism
C) perspectivalism
D) the harmonizer view.

Question 54

Charles Darwin's theory of evolution raised problems for which theistic argument?

A) the cosmological argument
B) the teleological argument
C) the ontological argument
D) pragmatic justifications of religious belief

Question 55

A posteriori arguments are arguments that are based on

A) faith.
B) experience.
C) divine revelation.
D) logic and reason alone.

Question 56

Natural theology is

A) the belief that nature is divine and should be worshiped.
B) the attempt to prove God's existence on the basis of reason and experience alone.
C) the application of divine revelation to our understanding of nature.
D) the belief that nature is all that exists and that there are no supernatural beings.

Question 57

Which of the following is a premise in Anselm's argument?

A) Everything that came into existence had a cause.
B) There cannot be an infinite regress of causes.
C) Existence in reality is greater than existence in the mind alone.
D) all of the above

Question 58

The teleological argument argues for the existence of God on the basis of

A) the evidence of design in the universe.
B) the existence of contingent beings that require an explanation.
C) our deep-seated conviction that there is a teleos or a purpose and meaning to human life.
D) the need for a first cause that brought the universe into existence.

Question 59

In his argument for God,William Paley uses the analogy of

A) a large ball found in the woods.
B) the information found in the DNA molecule.
C) a watch found upon the ground.
D) a perfect island.

Question 60

Another name for agnosticism is

A) religious skepticism.
B) atheism.
C) theism.
D) fideism.

Question 61

In the reading,C.S.Lewis argues that

A) God's ways are so far beyond our ways that we shouldn't try to explain why he allows evil to happen.
B) God is incapable of preventing natural evil,but he can comfort us in our suffering.
C) suffering results from the laws of nature,which are necessary if there is to be human freedom at all.
D) suffering is a punishment for violating God's moral law.

Question 62

Natural evil consists of

A) all those evils,such as crimes,that result from the wickedness of human nature.
B) terrible events such as tornadoes that are produced by nature.
C) human moral evil that is natural and,therefore,forgivable.
D) evils done to nature,such as pollution.

Question 63

Kierkegaard's view on the relationship between faith and reason is that

A) when faith and reason conflict,faith should be given the priority over reason.
B) reason should have priority over faith to make sure our beliefs are rational.
C) reason can prove the existence of God,but having such a proof is not necessary to have faith.
D) having objective reasons for believing in God's existence is a necessary first step to having faith in God.

Question 64

Set out,in a series of succinct premises,Thomas Aquinas's first cause argument.What are some possible criticisms that could be made of the argument?

Question 65

Which statement best characterizes John Hick's position?

A) A good God would make our life completely free of pain.
B) Even an all-powerful God could not make free persons into ready-made,perfected moral agents.
C) The reason God allows suffering in this life is to punish us when we have gone astray.
D) The problem of evil is solved by recognizing that what is good and evil is simply a matter of personal,subjective,opinion.

Question 66

Formulate,in a series of numbered statements,the argument from design.Which premise do you think is the most plausible? Why? Which premise do you think is the weakest.Why?

Question 67

Discuss the differences between evidentialism and nonevidentialism.Which position do you think is more plausible? Why? Explain how it is possible for atheists,theists,and agnostics all to be evidentialists.Briefly explain the positions of the theistic evidentialist and the atheistic evidentialist.

Question 68

Explain Hume's two strategies for refuting the argument from design.Which one do you think is the stronger? Why?

Question 69

Which of the following criticisms of the free will defense is/are mentioned in the text?

A) It seems possible that God could make us so that we always freely choose the good.
B) God could allow people to be free to commit minor evils while preventing them from committing major evils.
C) The value of having the amount of freedom we have does not justify the amount of moral evil that results.
D) all of the above

Question 70

The greater good defense assumes

A) the presence of human moral evil needs explanation but natural evils do not.
B) God could not create free agents who never did wrong.
C) the presence of evil can be justified if it helps bring about a greater amount of good.
D) the problem of evil makes belief in God impossible.

Question 71

Set out,in a series of steps,the ontological argument.Discuss Gaunilo's and Kant's criticisms of the argument.

Question 72

If you asked Blaise Pascal why you should believe in God,what would he say? What are some criticisms that could be made of his response?

Question 73

Explain the general outline of the fine-tuned universe argument for God.What sort of evidence speaks in its favor? How do critics of the argument attempt to undermine it?

Question 74

According to William James,an essential condition for an act of faith to be a reasonable option is when

A) the rational evidence is overwhelmingly in its favor.
B) no doubts are at all possible.
C) the decision one way or the other is unavoidable.
D) all the above

Question 75

In his parable about the two worshipers,Kierkegaard says that the worshiper who is genuinely in the truth is

A) the one who has the correct beliefs about God.
B) the one who is able to rationally justify his or her beliefs.
C) the one who prays to a false idol with utmost passion.
D) the one whose actions conform to the laws of his religion.

Question 76

According to your text,John Hick's critics,Edward Madden and Peter Hare,argue that

A) there is never any justification for allowing people to suffer.
B) Hick's position is weak because he justifies it by basing it on the Bible rather than by giving philosophical arguments.
C) there is no way of knowing whether or not something is evil.
D) Hick assumes that the only choice God had was between the present amount of evil and no evil at all.

Question 77

Pascal's,James's,and Kierkegaard's position on faith and reason could be best described as

A) rationalistic theism.
B) agnosticism.
C) natural theology.
D) nonevidentialism.

Question 78

Discuss Richard Taylor's version of the cosmological argument with respect to the following questions.How does he use the image of the giant ball in the woods to illustrate the principle of sufficient reason? Why does he think that if the world had always existed,it would still need an explanation outside of itself? What does he mean by the notion of a "necessary being"? Why does he think there must be a necessary being?

Question 79

Explain the problem that the theory of evolution posed for the design argument.How might a theist accept evolution and still maintain the plausibility of the design argument?

Question 80

The free will defense assumes that

A) God can freely do anything he wishes and we should not question him.
B) there are some things that are logically impossible for God to do.
C) we would be better off lacking free will than suffering.
D) we will be rewarded for enduring suffering in the afterlife.