The document outlines William Paley's teleological argument for the existence of God. Paley makes two main arguments: 1) Design qua purpose - The universe functions like a machine with different parts working together for a specific function, implying an intelligent designer like a watch implies a watchmaker. 2) Design qua regularity - The order, laws, and regularity seen in the universe and bodies imply an intelligent designer, just as a formal garden implies a gardener. However, critics like Hume and Laplace argue this does not prove the Christian God and is a "God of the gaps" argument. Evolution by natural selection is also presented as an alternative to intelligent design.

1. THE
TELEOLOGICAL
ARGUMENT
‘THE ARGUMENT
FROM DESIGN’

2. THE ARGUMENT PUT SIMPLY
• The world had order, regularity and
purpose.
• The complexity of the universe
shows evidence of design.
• Such design implies a designer.
• The designer of the universe is
God.

3. DESIGN QUA REGULARITY
• Regularity is evident in
the universe.
• For example, rotation of
the planets and natural
laws.

4. LOOK AT A FORMAL GARDEN. IT
SHOWS EVIDENCE OF A GARDENER

5. IN THE SAME
WAY, THE
UNIVERSE
SHOWS ORDER
AND
REGULARITY,
SUGGESTING A
DESIGNER.

6. THE ODDS OF LIFE OCCURRING
SPONTANEOUSLY:
• Imagine a deck of cards… the
chances of pulling out an Ace
randomly is 54:1
• The probability of life coming
from non-life is 10 to the power
of 40 000 : 1

7. • in light of discoveries
such as the orbiting
planets and universal
laws of gravity and
motion in the 17th
century, the following
was proposed…

8. DESIGN QUA PURPOSE
• The universe is like a
machine, with different
parts that work
together to perform a
specific function.
• The universe is likened
to a machine with a
designer.

9. WILLIAM PALEY

10. PALEY SAID IN THE
SAME WAY, WE
WOULD CONCLUDE
THERE MUST BE A
DESIGNER BY
LOOKING AT THE
MECHANICS OF THE
HUMAN BODY…

11. THE EYE
• Paley argued the eye was
designed for the specific
purpose of seeing.
• This complex design
suggests an intelligent
designer.

12. PALEY’S
SECOND
ARGUMENT
• Paley argues for design
qua regularity, using
evidence from astronomy
and Newton’s laws.

13. TASK • Outline Paley’s arguments qua
purpose and qua regularity.
• How successful do you think this
argument is in proving the existence
of God? Refer to Laplace, Hume
and John Stewart Mill

14. LAPLACE
• God of the gaps.
• God fills the gaps science
cannot yet understand.

15. HUME
• How can we conclude the universe is
designed when we have no experience
of an un-designed world to compare it
to?
• Even if we could conclude a
designer, this does not point to the
Christian God. It could have been
designed by demigods or any other
deity.
• Epicurean hypothesis – from chaos
to order.

16. JOHN STUART MILL
• Empiricist.
• Evil and suffering in the
world - designer cannot be
the Christian God.

17. EVOLUTION
BY NATURAL
SELECTION
• Darwinism.
• All species of organisms arise and
develop through the natural
selection of small, inherited
variations that increase the
individual's ability to compete,
survive, and reproduce.

18. WHY DO PEOPLE BELIEVE IN GOD?
UPBRINGING

19. What are the main features of religious
upbringing?
Being
baptised Influence of
parents/community
Being taught
prayers
Attending
Church
School educationHaving
religious
ceremonies

20. How can a religious upbringing lead to a
belief in God?
May seem natural to believe in God if the family
does.
As a child, why would you question what adults
tell you.
Seeing people in church doing certain things
means you would feel that God exists.
Some schools reinforce belief in God.

21. RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE

22. Key words
Religious
Experience
An event where people believe
they have had direct contact with
God.
Conversion
When your life is changed by
giving yourself to God.
Miracle
Something which seems to
break a law of science and
makes you think only God could
have done it.

23. Numinous Feeling of the presence
of something greater
than you.
Prayer Attempt to contact God
usually through words.

24. NUMINOUS
• When in a beautiful
place or looking at
the stars people
might be filled with
an awareness of
something greater
than them. Some feel
that this is God.

25. CONVERSION
• Some have an
experience of God and are
moved to change their life
and commit themselves to
God. This process
sometimes gives the
feeling of being ‘born
again’.

26. CONVERSION
TO ISLAM
• Cat Stevens – Yusuf
Islam

27. MIRACLES
• Believers think miracles are examples of God acting on earth
because they can not be explained by science. Those
witnessing the miracle have had direct contact with God.
• Man stabbed in the head survives!
• Pregnant woman survives after parachute fails!
•

28. HINDU MILK MIRACLE

29. Prayer
Religious believers think they can
contact God through prayer. They can
be formal e.g. in temple, or informal e.g.
in private.
If they feel God is listening then
some class this as a religious
experience.

30. How do religious experiences
lead to a belief in God?
•An atheist seeing a miracle
may look for a natural
explanation. If they can’t find
one they may start to believe in
God.
•Through a conversion
experience they may feel that
God is calling them to do
something for him and so
believe in him.

31. •Any religious believer who has a
religious experience will use it as
evidence to support their belief in
God and make it stronger.
•If a prayer is answered whether
they are religious or not may lead
to them believing in God.
•Through a numinous
experience they might feel that
God is real.

32. ARGUMENTS AGAINST
GOD’S EXISTENCE
Scientific
explanations
of the world,
agnosticism
and atheism

33. Science can explain how the world came
about…
Matter exists
forever, it simply
changes shape.
15 billion years ago
the matter
compressed and
exploded (Big Bang)
The matter joins
together as stars etc.
Solar system formed
5 billion years ago
Life on earth
begins simple and
changes. 2.5
billion years ago
humans evolved

34. Evidence for the
Big Bang
Evidence for
Evolution
Main evidence
comes from the
Red Shift Effect
where the red shift
in light from other
galaxies is
evidence that the
universe is
expanding.
The fossil record
shows life
developed
becoming more
complex.

35. How does this lead to Agnosticism or
Atheism?
Science can explain how things came about
without referring to God. Puts existence of
God in doubt = Agnostic.
Others become Atheist
because they are convinced
God is not the only explanation
for the world. Science for them
is proof enough.

36. HOW CHRISTIANS RESPOND TO SCIENTIFIC
EXPLANATIONS OF THE WORLD
Response 1
Many Christians believe the scientific
explanation proves that God exists e.g.
Big Bang had to happen at exactly the right
microsecond. Too early or late and life would not
have happened.

37. HOW CHRISTIANS RESPOND TO SCIENTIFIC
EXPLANATIONS OF THE WORLD
Response 2
Believe both science and religion is correct.
Main points of Bible story match the science one
God’s ‘days’ could be millions of years.
Plants, birds, animals, humans made in same order.
Believe both science and religion is correct.

38. HOW CHRISTIANS RESPOND TO SCIENTIFIC
EXPLANATIONS OF THE WORLD
Response 3
Science is wrong! Big Bang and evolution can be explained by
Noah’s Flood story. Apparent Age Theory – God made the world
look much older than it is e.g. planted fossils.
Apparent Age Theory – God made the world look much older than
it is e.g. planted fossils.

39. UNANSWERED
PRAYERS

40. They may understand selfish prayers not
being answered e.g. let me win the lottery.
However, if God doesn't answer good prayers
e.g. end wars, then they may see this as
evidence he doesn’t exist.
If prayers are
unanswered they
may begin to
question a God who
answers some
prayers and not
others.
If people pray and
God does not
answer them then
they might feel
frustrated. Or begin
to doubt if God
exists.

41. CHRISTIAN RESPONSES TO
UNANSWERED PRAYERS
Prayers are answered but may appear unanswered; however…
Selfish prayers = God gives opportunity for you to work hard to get what you want
God knows what is best for people and may not grant certain things.
Jesus said faith is needed to have prayers answered.

42. EVIL AND SUFFERING