SAMS 2017 AS 2018  2018 AS  2019 2022 2022 Ex

Questions 

2023

Question 1. Explore the idea of Analogy in the design argument [8] 

Question2. Assess the Key Points in the debate bewteen science and religion. [12] 

EXTRACT

Perhaps the most important proposed solution of the problem of evil is that evil is not to be ascribed to God at all, but to the independent actions of human beings, supposed to have been endowed by God with freedom of the will. This solution may be combined with the preceding one: first order evil (e.g. pain) may be justified as a logically necessary component in second order good (e.g. sympathy) while second order evil (e.g. cruelty) is not justified, but is so ascribed to human beings that God cannot be held responsible for it. ... The free will solution also involves the preceding solution at a higher level. To explain why a wholly good God gave men free will although it would lead to some important evils, it must be argued that it is better on the whole that men should act freely, and sometimes err, than that they should be innocent automata, acting rightly in a wholly determined way.

(Source: extract from Evil and Omnipotence, Mackie, J.L., in The Philosophy of Religion, edited by Mitchell, B., Oxford, OUP, 1977, Edexcel Anthology)

Question 3 a0 Clarify the ideas about free will in the extract. [10] 

You must refer to the passage in your response

Question 3b Analyse the claim that the problem of non-moral (natural evil) evil is greater than the problem of moral  evi. [20] 

Question 4  Evaluate the claim that critiques of religious belief provide decisive challenges to religion. [30]

In your response to this question, you must include how developments in Philosophy of Religion have been influenced by one of the following:

• Religion and Ethics

• New Testament Studies

• the study of a religion

DEBATES ABOUT GODS EXISTENCE