In this course we will cover:

•Why believe in God?•What do Catholics believe about God

•What is the source of these beliefs•What do others believe about God

How we will learn it

Follow the course of Old Testament and the New Testament to see what that reveals about our understanding of God.

Not important to me as far as this course is concerned

We need to learn what the Catholic perspective is to understand how this is to affect our lives

Many misconceptions are out in the world

Eradication of myths and misunderstandings

First Do you believe in a God? If asked people will fall somewhere on this

spectrum

____________________________________100% convinced 100% deny

existence

Most people would fall somewhere in here

Do you believe God is equivalent to believing in this guy?

What form does this God take?

Is it like this?

a traditional view of the appearance and nature of God

Science explains everything to us

Nothing to fear in the world

Hasn’t done anything for me lately

No proof

I have something else to believe in

People who believe in God do bad things The God Delusion Richard Dawkins

http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=-4321574955310561251#

Atheists can be happy, balanced, moral, and intellectually fulfilled.

Natural selection and similar scientific theories are superior to a "God hypothesis"—the illusion of intelligent design—in explaining the living world and the cosmos.

Children should not be labelled by their parents' religion. Terms like "Catholic child" or "Muslim child" should make people cringe.

Atheists should be proud, not apologetic, because atheism is evidence of a healthy, independent mind.

Miracles are improbable

build a case that there is almost certainly no God

Dawkins quotes Adams' Last Chance to See: "Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?".

Often today “science people” use un-scientific rationale to justify a position

Abortion debate My position vs. my friends position

Galileo and Church

Stem cell research and church

Flat earth v round earth

Rationalism vs religious belief

Scripture v scientific inquiry

Creation vs logic

Theology: Science of religion dealing with knowledge of God as gained from his works by light of nature and reason

Did God really make the world in seven days?

For example:

Book of Genesis (chapters 6-9)

To find what is true in the world.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7f-BgDgpmE

Objective Truths: reality as it exists independent of observer

ex.) Earth’s existence Aka Knowable Truths or Absolute truths

Subjective Truths: mental representation/ model that we build of the objective world

Aka Experiences or relativism Does not equal opinion

GOD is…◦ Love◦ Justice◦ TRUTH

◦ If morality is based on truth then morality is objective/absolute NOT subjective

◦ Truth comes from God therefore it cannot be changed

Validity: How accurate your experience is to the knowable truth

Your world view is your subjective truth.

My morality vs ‘others’ morality

Ex. 500 years ago I could I said the sun rises in the East and sets in the West. But you say the sun isn’t moving but the earth is moving and the sun is fixed. Based on my experience and knowledge what you say is difficult to understand yet you may be right.

Now we know that the sun being fixed is indeed correct but my theory appeared to be correct based on my experience (subjective reality)

Therefore, the truth (objective reality) did not change but our perspective (validity) changed.

Is it wrong always and forever?

Is it wrong but under these circumstances it may be justified or required.

Is there a problem with either stand?