Twenty Questions

Year 9 Assessment Term 5:

Believing In God

Twenty Questions

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20

1. What does agnosticism mean?

• Not being sure whether God exists

2. What does numinous mean?

• The feeling of the presence of something greater than you.

3. What is conversion?

• When your life is changed by giving yourself to God.

4. What is free will?

• The idea that human beings are free to make their own choices.

5. What is atheism?

• Believing that God does not exist.

6. What does moral evil mean?

• Actions done by humans which cause suffering.

7. What is a miracle?

• Something that breaks the laws of science and makes you think only God could have done it.

8. What is prayer?

• An attempt to communicate with God, usually through words.

9. What does omnipotent mean? .

• The belief that God is all-powerful.

10. What evidence is there of design in the world?

1. The laws of Science: The universe to laws such as gravity and magnetism.

2. DNA: Its structure appears to form templates for organism almost like a blueprint or design.

3. Evolution: The process of developing from simple to complex life forms indicates design.

4. The beauty of nature: sunsets, mountains and oceans are so beautiful they indicate careful design

11. What does omniscient mean?

• The belief that God is all-knowing.

12. What does omni-benevolentmean?

• The belief that God is all-good and kind.

13. What is meant by natural evil?

• Things which cause suffering but were not caused by humans.

14. Give three reasons for saying the design argument does not lead people to believe in

God.

1. The argument ignores the lack of design in the world such as tornadoes, earthquakes and volcanoes.

2. Science can explain the existence of the universe without God.

3. The argument concludes that there must have been a designer but that designer could have been an evil being or a team of gods – not the God religious people believe in.

15. Who experienced a conversion on the road to Damascus?

• Saul, who later became St Paul.

16. Who used a watch analogy to come up with the design argument?

• William Paley

17. What evidence is there of design in the world

• DNA

• Evolution

• Beauty of nature

• The human eye

18. How might a religious upbringing lead someone to believe in God

1. The influence of parents such as them praying with their children.

2. Parents and other significant people teaching their children about God.

3. Being part of a church community and going to Sunday school.

4. Going to a faith school such as a Catholic school.

5. Going through rites of passage such as Confirmation with family and friends.

19. How many paragraphs do you need for a Q b 4 mark question?

• Two paragraphs with PEE. Make sure you use an example and explain it in each paragraph.

20. How many paragraphs do you need for a Q c 8 mark question?

• Four paragraphs with PEE. Make sure you use an example and explain it in each paragraph.

PEE (Community Cohesion)

Do people from a different religion have the right to convert you? Give two reasons for your point of view.

In my opinion people from a different religion should not be trying to convert you.

Firstly, trying to convert people to other religions would not be good for a multi-faith society like the UK. For example, someone from a different religion might feel their religion is less important and they might feel insulted. This might be viewed as prejudice and discrimination which is not good for community cohesion.

Secondly, people being asked to change their faith might feel under pressure or insulted. For example, someone might become aggressive and violent as a result. People are usually very defensive about their identity, their family and their family’s religion and culture.

PEE (Believing In God)

Do you think unanswered prayers prove God does not exist? Give two reasons for your point of view.

In my opinion unanswered prayers do not prove God does not exist.

Firstly, the prayer that has been said may have been for something selfish. For example, someone who prays to win the lottery may just be thinking of themselves. God might not answer this prayer because it would not be good for the person and their family. Winning the lottery can cause family breakdown.

Secondly, the prayer that has been said may have been for something that isn’t part of God’s plan. For example, someone may pray for a very elderly relative to recover from an illness.God’s plan might be that the person has already had a good life and it’s time for that person to join God in heaven and eternal life.

(b) Do you think a numinous experience leads to belief in God? Give two reasons for your point of view.

Answers which do not think a numinous experience leads to belief in God, are likely to use such reasons as:

1. It provides the person with evidence of the existence of God 2. It changes the person’s understanding of God 3. It makes someone think that only God could have caused the

experience

Answers which do not think a numinous experience leads to belief in God, are likely to use such reasons as:

1. A person might not recognise God in the experience 2. It could be regarded as an awe inspiring but natural event 3. The person might think they were hallucinating

You have seven minutes to answer

this question