2. • Red writing – names of philosophers
• Green writing – examples/illustrations
• Blue writing – key words/phrases
• Purple writing – evaluation points
3. • If there is insufficient evidence for the existence of God, then it is
irrational to believe in Him.
• This is illustrated with the example of the ship owner.
• HOWEVER: William James responded to Clifford’s evidentialism by saying that
there are instances where it can still be rational to have a belief in something
even if there is insufficient evidence to support the belief.
• This view can be supported with Mitchell’s Parable of the Resistance Leader.
4. • Faith requires an objective uncertainty.
• We must make a leap of faith to belief in God.
• Thus, faith requires a conscious decision to passionately hold the
belief in God.
• HOWEVER: It does not seem rational to make a leap from a point with limited
evidence for a belief in God.
5. God does exist God does not exist
Wager that God exists Eternal reward A few missed Sundays
Wager that God does not exist Eternal damnation Sunday sleep-ins
• It is rational to believe in God, because we have everything to gain
and nothing (significant) to lose.
• HOWEVER: Does belief in God depend on belief in an afterlife?
• HOWEVER: This argument only applies to certain religions.
• HOWEVER: Is this the wrong reason to come to faith; surely it is purely belief
in the pursuit of self-interest.
• Some would argue that God would punish those who come to faith in this way anyway.
6. The view that religious belief is based on faith, rather than reason
7. • There are truths about God which are beyond reason, but which are
revealed to us by God (for example, that God is triune).
• Faith is a matter of accepting as certainly true, without evidence, the
truths about God, revealed to us by God.
• Thus, faith is a voluntary choice.
• HOWEVER: Mitchell’s Parable of the Resistance Leader questions our need for
certainty in matters of faith.
• HOWEVER: This argument assumes God, which gives it the potential to be
circular.
• HOWEVER: Can we choose to believe in something? Does this negate the
truth of the proposition?
8. • Belief in God can be one of our fundamental beliefs, even though it is
not indubitable, obvious or self-evident (which are all characteristics
of fundamental beliefs).
• The (traditional) account of fundamental beliefs is unsatisfactory;
there are some beliefs (i.e. the belief in God) that should be
considered as fundamental.
• To have faith is to have the belief in God as one of your fundamental
beliefs; this does not mean that belief in God is one of everyone’s
fundamental beliefs.
9. • What entitles Plantinga to say that a belief in God is a fundamental
belief?
• This can be supported by the Great Pumpkin Argument: if one has the belief
of a Great Pumpkin as the Creator of the universe as one of their fundamental
beliefs, why is this any different than having God as that fundamental belief?
• Does Plantinga’s reformed epistemology account for belief in different
(or multiple) gods?
