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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. For more revision visit http://twilightbitesy11.blogspot.co.uk/ 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 For more revision visit http://twilightbitesy11.blogspot.co.uk/ 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 For more revision visit http://twilightbitesy11.blogspot.co.uk/ 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/