1. Belief In God
Edexcel GCSE

2. Keywords:
Numinous: The feeling of the presence of something greater
than you
Conversion: When you life is changed by giving yourself to
God
Miracle: Something which seems to break the laws of science
and makes you think only God could have done it
Prayer: An attempt to contact God usually through words
Design: The appearance of order, complexity and
purpose, e.g. the eye
Causation: The idea that everything has been caused (started
off) by something else
Atheism: The belief that God does not exist

3. Keywords:
Agnosticism: Not being sure whether God exists
Moral Evil: Actions done by humans which cause suffering
Natural Evil: Things which cause suffering but not caused by
humans e.g. earthquake
Omnipotent: The belief that God is all-powerful
Omniscient: The belief that God is all-knowing
Omni-benevolent: The belief that God is all good
Freewill: The idea that humans are free to make their own
choices
YOU MUST LEARN THESE KEYWORD FOR YOUR EXAM!

4. Religious Upbringing
Features of a Religious Upbringing How does it lead to belief in God?
Praying at Home The child believes in God because they see their
parents praying – He must exist because otherwise
they wouldn’t pray
Religious School The child is surrounded by peers who believe in
God. Their teachers tell them about God. God
must exist otherwise they wouldn’t believe in him
Baptism / Confirmation The parents baptize the child and the Christian
community promise to look after them.
Ceremonies such as confirmation make the child
feel involved in something greater
Worshipping in Holy Place E.g. Going to church – The child grows up listening
to priests talking about God, and surrounded by
people who believe in him. God must exist
otherwise they wouldn’t believe in Him
Religious Celebrations E.g. Christmas – The child is told about God
through stories and his existence is reinforced

5. Religious Experiences
Mystical Experience:
Seeing a religious vision, Near Death Experience:
hearing God’s voice or An experience after
experiencing him in a clinical death and
trance or dream before resuscitation
Miracle: Something Religious
that seems to break Experiences
A feeling of
the laws of science God’s presence
and make you think near them
only God could (numinous)
have done it
A life changing
experience leading them
Prayers Answered to commit themselves to
God (conversion)

6. Religious Experiences
Why do Miracles lead people to believe in God?
• If you witness the miracle, e.g. praying for a dying person to get
better and they do, then you will believe in God
• They are a sign from God to help people believe in him
• They can help people to get through bad times if they beleve
miracles are possible
• It can be seen as proof that God exists
• It is proof that God is omnipotent
• If miracles happen then God must exist because there is no other
explanation
Why do Near-death experiences lead people to believe in God?
• They claim to have visited the afterlife, seen a religious figure or
passed through a tunnel of light
• These experiences confirm that there is a God
• They reconsider how they have lived their life and commit
themselves to God

7. The Design Argument
The design argument is the theory that everything needs a designer,
and the only possible designer of the Universe, which is very complex,
is God. For Design Against Design
Argument Argument
William Paley’s Watch
Theory: The beauty of Natural Disasters
If you were to walk across nature e.g. floods,
and uninhabited place, earthquake
and find a watch you would
ask where it came from and Perfect Designs e.g. Animals becoming
who designed it… eye extinct – not well
• No complex mechanism designed
can happen by chance
• If a watch needs a The Big Bang was Who designed
designer then the designed – size and God?
Universe, a far more timing of explosion
complex thing must have
a designer The Universe is so Illness and Death
• That designer must be complex it could e.g. cancer
God
not have just
happened

8. The Causation Argument
The Causation argument is the principle that everything is caused by
something else, so must have caused the Universe
For the Causation Against the Causation
The Domino effect: Argument Argument
Nothing can happen Just because
A chain of dominoes
by itself it has to have everything seems to
must be pushed or
a cause have a cause doesn’t
started by someone.
mean the Universe
has one
In this way, the
universe must have There has to be an The Universe was
been caused by ‘unmoved’ mover – In started by the Big
something, and the the Big bang theory it Bang
only possible is matter so why can’t
explanation is that it be God
God is the ‘unmoved’ The Goods Train – all If everything has a
mover. the wagons are cause what ‘caused’
moved by the engine God?

9. The Big Bang Theory
The widely held belief that at the beginning of time there was a large
explosion which resulted in the releasing and scattering of matter,
which eventually formed into planets and stars. A matter of chance
which has led to the evolution of life taking billions of years.
Christian Responses to the Big Other Christians say
Bang Theory
Some Christians believe that the Other Christians believe that the
scientific theories are only way to respond to scientific
compatible with believing in explanations of the world is to
God. They believe that the Bible reject them as false. They say
is not to be taken literally in all that the Genesis is the truth.
areas. They would say the Big These Christians are called the
Bang and evolution were part of Creationists. They believe that
God’s plan. They believe that the world was created by God
the ‘six day’s’ in which God in six days
created the world are symbolic
and not actual periods of time

10. The problems with Belief
1. The world has flaws – such as earth quakes, volcanic eruptions,
floods, all causing human suffering
2. Science makes the Bible hard to believe it’s explanation seems
more logical
3. Psychologists claim that religious experiences are the mind
deceiving us
4. We’ve been into space, so where is heaven
5. Religions say different things – one God would equal one religion
6. Not everyone is religious yet they lead good lives, religion makes
no difference, so God doesn’t exist

11. Evil and Suffering
How can the problem of evil and suffering lead someone to not
believe in God?
Omniscien God doesn’t Maybe God
know about is not All-
t knowing
suffering
God cannot do Maybe God Therefore
Omnipotent anything about is not All- He must
human suffering powerful not exist
God doesn’t Maybe God
Omni-
care or is causing is not All-
Benevolent
human suffering good

12. Evil and Suffering
Moral Evil – This is evil and suffering caused by humans misusing their
freewill, e.g. murder.
Natural Evil – This is suffering that has not been caused by
humans, e.g. earthquakes.
However sometimes evil and suffering is a cross between both moral
and natural evil, e.g. war that leads to famine because the
agricultural system breaks down.
Also some suffering is brought on by the person, e.g. if the person
chooses to take drugs.
Christian Responses to Evil & Suffering:
• Some Christians believe it is a test from God.
• Some Christians believe that when God created humans, He
gave them freewill. So if people choose to act in an evil way he
cannot interfere.
• Some Christians believe that evil and suffering is part of God’s
plan, and we will never be able to understand, so we should just
trust God
• Some Christians believe that God wants them to help those who
suffer which is why evil is there

13. Exam Help
In the Exam you will get…
(a)Question: A definition of one of the key words
(2 Marks)
(b)Question: Your personal view – 2 Developed
Reasons (4 Marks)
(c)Question: NO OPINION! – 4 Developed Reasons
(8 Marks)
(d)Question:
(i) Agree or Disagree? – 2 Developed Reasons
(ii) Why do people disagree with you? – 2
Developed Reasons
(6 Marks)
Good Luck!