UNIT THREE: REVELATION & ENLIGHTENMENT

This unit explores the ways in which Gods nature can be revealed to people and what this shows about God. General Revelation Indirect Open to everyone Ordinary, common human experiences Can occur through nature, people, moral reasoning, conscience, a historical event, sacred writings, prayer and worship Special Revelation Direct, personal experience of God Not open to everyone Extra-ordinary, through supernatural means Can occur through visions, dreams, miracles, sacred writings, prayer and worship DO NOT SAY THAT GENERAL REVELATION IS TO A GROUP OF PEOPLE AND SPECIAL IS TO AN INDIVIDUAL!!!! SPECIAL REVELATION CAN OCCUR TO A GROUP ASWELL Strengths and Weaknesses of each G.R Strengths Open to all. Not limited to a person or group ACCESSIBLE G.R Weaknesses Can be interpreted in different ways, e.g. nature may not be God to some S.R Strengths Direct first hand so has greater impact S.R Weaknesses Could be a delusion e.g. Moses and the burning bush, was he dehydrated so hallucinating??

Examples of Revelation Nature: Many people believe they can get an idea of what God is like by looking at creation. They believe creation is the work of God and shows his power and ability to create. Within creation there are many aspects of nature that make

people wonder e.g. the power of wind, the beauty of the night sky for a religious believer these powers of nature reflect the greatness of God. Explain how nature might reveal God to some people (3 marks) People: Man was made in the image of God Christians believe that humans are the most important part of Gods creation they believe that the nature of God can be revealed through the way humans act in positive ways. With the examples below briefly summarise what they did and how heir actions may reveal the qualities of God Mother Theresa .. . Maximillian Kolbe Mahatma Gandhi . Sacred Texts: Sacred texts are writings which are believed to originate from God or a god and are special to a religion. They are the most common type of special revelation and examples include: The Quran that was given to Muhammad The Jewish Torah The Vedas of Hinduism The Christian Bible Although believers accept the scared texts come from God and have to be respected, there are disputes about how they should be understood Fundamentalist a person who believes that what is contained in the sacred texts is an accurate almost factual record that cannot be questioned Liberalist - believe that the underlying message of the text is important , but that the texts themselves were written in a specific time and setting so have to be interpreted

Prayer: Prayer is an opening up of the heart and mind to God. This allows God to reveal himself to the person praying as they accept the presence and reality of God. Type of prayer Silent Prayer Meditation Communal Prayer What is it? How does it help a believer?

Worship: Worship is an act of religious praise and an honour of devotion. Worship shows that God has the ultimate value in a persons life. It can take many forms but they all take time and commitment. Name of worship Holy Communion Puja What happens? Why do believers do it?

Visions: A vision is seeing something, especially in a dream or trance, that shows something about the nature of God or the afterlife. E.g. The vision of Bernadette. Summary of the vision of Bernadette How valid are visions? Visions only happen to individuals A weakness with all visions is that they are difficult to put into words Some claim they are a result of peoples minds running wild Some suggest the mind has been stimulated by drugs or alcohol

Dreams: A dream is a series of thoughts images and sensations occurring in a persons mind during sleep. They can give a person new insight into the nature of God. Some people claim they get messages from God in dreams. E.g Pharaohs dream Summary of Pharaohs dream How valid are dreams? It is impossible to know how accurately the person is describing the dream The dreamer may be simply trying to gain attention Dreams are difficult to put into words Enlightenment: Enlightenment is the idea of gaining true knowledge. Within Buddhism people believe that once they have gained enlightenment that a person is freed from the cycle of rebirth by seeing the truth about what life is really like The Story of Siddhartha Gautama

Explain why enlightenment is important for some people (3 marks)

What can be learned about God from revelations? YOU MUST ALWAYS STATE WHAT THESE REVELATIONS ACTUALLY REVEAL ABOUT GOD E.G. THE 10 COMMANDMENTS SHOW THAT GOD IS THE LAW GIVER, MOSES LEADING THE JEWS OUT OF SLAVERY SHOWS THAT GOD IS MERCIFUL Reality vs Illusion Illusion = something that is seen as false or deceptive. Some people belive God and religion are based on an illusion. Fill in the information below about three famous thinkers who believe this. Ludwig Feuerbach Karl Marx Sigmund Freud Is God a Reality? There are many who disagree with the ideas above and claim that God and religion are a reality. There arguments include; Most religions challenge society and its values rather than reinforcing society Religion might help people cope with the problems of this life Religion itself is not dying in the world, there is a great emphasis upon spirituality Since so many people follow some type of religion this would suggest that they feel there is something there

Possible exam questions: Revelations are only important to the individuals who get them Do You Agree (6 marks)

Explain why some people would reject the idea that God rejects himself to believers (3 marks)