Download learning log - revelation (from twilight bites)

UNIT REVELATION
Connections: Philosophy &Psychology
EGS RE Department Mrs Silva-Clark
REVELATION: Occurs when something about God the way in which God wants people to behave or the meaning of life becomes
clear or visible.
Buddhists do not believe in God and so, for them, revelation is a revelation that leads to an understanding of the nature of things.
For theists, revelation is believed to come directly from God, or may be brought indirectly by an angel or some other means.
Each religion, with exception of Hinduism, is founded on revelations received by the founders of faith, which are then preserved in
religion’s sacred writings.
GOD REVEALS HIMSELF THROUGH:
DIRECT MEETING, NATURE WORSHIP PRAYER SACRED WRITING PEOPLE
MIRACLES CONSCIENCE BELIEF
DREAM OR VISION
(CONVICTION)
CHRISTIAN BELIEFS ABOUT GOD
IMMANENT:
TRANSCENDENT:
God has been, is and will be involved in the history of the world. God became
Beyond understanding, outside time &space and
immanent in the form of Jesus to show people how he wanted them according
that God’s power is unlimited. God if an “Almighty
to his will. God remains immanent through the action of the Holy Spirit
God”
REVELATIONS
GENERAL: God becoming known through ordinary, common, human SPECIAL: God is believed to have spoken directly to an
experiences or natural means. It is indirect & available to everyone.
individual or a group of people. It is NOT everyday experience,
Examples: Nature - Holy books - Writings of religious leaders - Life &
it is “specially” for one person or a group of people.
work of people – Reason & conscience and faith - Prayer & worship
Examples: Enlightenment - Hearing God’s call - Visions or
dreams -Miracles - Prayer & worship
Strengths:  Everyone has access to the sacred texts through which
Strengths:  Discloses the whole what God wants people to
God or enlightenment can be revealed Available at all times and in
know  It is direct, first hand and often has a stronger and
all places through Human history Continuous and on-going i.e. new
immediate impact It possess an authority and confidence.
issues arise, a religion is able to update its thinking accordingly
Conscience is available to all religious believers i.e. guides them in
their rights & wrongs
THE IMPORTANCE OF GENERAL AND SPECIAL REVELATIONS:
They are needed together to proof of the existence of God. E.g. The creation of holy books like the Christian Bible, The Qur’an or the 10
commandments which affect moral code in our society.
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THE POWER & IMPACT OF REVELATION
PROVIDE PROOF OF GOD’S EXISTENCE START OFF THE
HELPING PEOPLE TO KNOW WHAT THEY MUST DO TO LIVE AS
OR BELIEF
RELIGION
GOD WISHES
WHAT IS LEARNT ABOUT THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD FROM REVELATION
THERE IS ONLY GOD who is the creator, controller and maintainer of the universe.
The SUPREMACY OF GOD is accepted which
Except Buddhism, which does not accept the existence of God, all the other
means that God has power over all things and
religions studied in GCSE book accept the idea of just one God. Some believe that
is almighty
God has many forms.
RELIGIOUS BELIEFS ABOUT REVELATION (CHOOSE MAX. TWO)
JUDAISM
CHRISTIANITY
ISLAM
HINDUISM
Jews have a special
There are 3 different
Belief in one God, Allah, who is
Most Hindus believe in one
relationship with Almighty aspects of God (the Trinity) eternal & unchanging. Allah has
unchanging & eternal God (Brahman)
God - He made an
God the Father; God the
no equals and is beyond human
who is everywhere and everything,
agreement (covenant) with
Son; God the Holy Spirit.
understanding. To provide some
including human’s soul (atman).
Jews through Abraham &
God the Father is the
limited understanding of Allah’s
Everything comes from Brahman,
Moses.
Creator, the eternal,
attributes, Muslims believe that
who is timeless, formless and beyond
God will protect Jews as
almighty God; God the Son
Allah has revealed 99 of his
human understanding.
long as they obey God’s
come to earth in the form
beautiful names in the Qur’an.
Hindus worship Brahman through
laws revealed through the
of Jesus; and God the Holy
Attributes include Allah is
many Gods and Goddesses that reveals
Torah. God reveal himself Spirit is God as he works in
merciful (Ar-Rahim); the
the different aspects of God’s nature.
through the revelations
the world.
Sustainer (ar-Razzaq); the
The major aspects of Brahman are
found in the Tenakh - the
Christians believe that
Greater (Al-Kabir).
found in three gods (Trimurti) Brahma
same books are found in
God has revealed himself to
Allah’s final & complete
(the Creator); Vishnu (the Sustainer);
the Christian bible (Old
them through the Old &
revelation has sent to the
Shiva (the Destroyer).
Testament).
New Testament (Bible) and Prophet Muhammad. The direct
Aspects of Brahman have been
God is eternal & unlimited
through the life & work of word of Allah has been recorded
revealed through Vedas
Jesus
in the Qur’an
GOD’S ATTRIBUTES REVEALED THROUGH REVELATIONS
PERSONAL
IMPERSONAL
You can talk to God through prayer & listen to his reply. God revealed
It is a force or power with whom it is not possible to have
himself as the perfect “Father”
a personal relationship
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OMNIPOTENT
OMNISCIENT
ALL LOVING
COMPASSIONATE
ETERNAL
TRANSCENDENT/
(BENEVOLENT)
IMMANENT
IS REVELATION REAL? REASONS WHY IT IS DIFFICULT TO PROVE ANY REVELATION IS GENUINE
DIFFICULT PROVING THE REALITY OF ANY REVELATION
EVIDENCE SUPPORT THE REALITY OF ANY REVELATION
Special revelations occur to specific individuals and groups
If the revelation says that people can “fly” then people would know
and they are subjective and difficult to prove. It is not
that it cannot be true as this is a false statement. However if the
possible to prove that revelations are true through observation revelation states that water in a particular place can cure people and
& scientific testing
it does then revelation is proved to be true. Revelation fits with
General revelations are available to everyone. However there is
earlier revelations accepted by the religion. If does may be true, if
conflicting interpretations of them between different religions
does not may be not genuine. Revelation changes an atheist or
and within in religions themselves i.e. it is not possible to
agnostic belief in God, if does, it may be true. Revelation converts
determine which of the different claims about revelation is true people E.G Saul later Paul on the road to Damascus. If does, may be
true.
REVELATION AS ILLUSION. REASONS WHY ATHEISTS REJECT THE REALITY OF REVELATION:
False experience
The believer is so
The person may be
The mind can play
The fact that there
brought on alcohol or
desperate to have a
suffering from a physical tricks and there are may
are conflicting
drugs
revelation that they
or mental illness that
be another explanation
revelations
The religious believer
believe that they have
makes them hear voices, for what has happened to between different
thinks that they have had
received one.
and they mistakenly
someone claiming to
religions is
a revelation but in fact
It is wishful thinking
believe that they have
have had a revelation
evidence that they
nothing really happened
received revelations
are not true.
ALTERNATIVE EXPLANATIONS FOR CLAIMS FOR REVELATION
(why Atheists reject the claims of religious believers that revelations are genuine)
Revelation as result of a type of Revelation as the result of Ordinary events Fraudulent Conscience as a result of
epilepsy - Dr Michael Persinger wishful thinking - The interpreted
as revelations - the way you are brought
research shows some revelations believer is so desperate to fit in revelations Some
up - For Sigmund Freud
are the result of inviduals which the other members of “Revelation is in revelations
the reason why people
experiencing
temporal
lobe religion that they think that the eye of the have
been have guilty feelings is
epilepsy. While having a epileptic fit they have had a revelation.
beholder”
exposed as because the way they were
the person believes that she/he had If an individual cannot become An atheist will confidence
raised and has nothing
a vision in which they receive a a full member of the faith until continue to see a tricks
for about God.
revelation
they have had a revelation of beautiful landscape gaining
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Ellen White case (a Christian the truth of its teaching. E.g. but the theist will money
or If you were brought up to
whose revelations led to the Some Pentecostals (Christian see it as revelation fame.
believe that eating pork is
founding of the Church of the denomination) and speak in of God’s existence
wrong, then you will feel
Seventh Day Adventists)
tongues
guilty if you eat pork
REVELATIONS ARE GENUINE RELIGIOUS BELIEVERS ACCEPT THAT SOME REVELATIONS ARE GENUINE FOR THESE REASONS:
Look at the effect on individuals & groups as evidence No reason to doubt the word of the
There is a common core of beliefs
that a revelation is genuine. The fact of millions
person. If person does not lie why
found in any revelation that would
follow the major religions and people have been
should doubt of the claim she/he had support the revelation as true because
willing to die because their faith make it likely that
a revelation?
it matches scientific observations
the revelations are genuine
DIFFICULTIES IN ACCEPTING THE REALITY OF SOME EXAMPLES OF REVELATION
CONFLICTING CLAIMS TO THE TRUTH
CONFLICTING CLAIMS TO THE
DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES ON, OR
FROM DIFFERENT RELIGIONS:
TRUTH WITHIN THE SAME
INTERPRETATION OF, THE REVELATION:
For example: Hindus & Christians
RELIGION:
Worship may be classed as special or general
believe that God is revealed in different
Christians do not agree how God has
revelation according to whether it is believed that
forms but Muslims, Sikhs and Jews reject “spoken” through the Bible and how
God has made himself known directly or indirectly
such idea.
particular Bible passages are to be
to the believer.
Different attitudes to food & drink:
interpreted.
Example: when religious believers claim to feel the
Qur’an forbids alcohol but in the New
This is why, for some Christians, the direct presence of God during an act or worship is a
Testament changes water into wine
Bible is a special revelation and for
special revelation.
others it is a general revelation
To other, the desire of Worship is General
Revelation.
How religious people respond to these difficulties?
They have faith their revelation is the right one. When there is a conflict between different revelations it is the other believers who have
misinterpreted their revelations.
Islam, for example, points out that the sacred writing of other religions have been translated from the original language or collected together
over a long period of time, and this resulted in errors. The Qur’an, however, was written down as Muhammad received the revelations and has
remained in the original language; it has, therefore, not been changed by human intervention.
Some believers are prepared to allow that there may be different ways of becoming close to God, and that their faith is just one of those.
For more revision visit http://twilightbitesy11.blogspot.co.uk/