WJEC/Eduqas RS for A2/Yr2: Religion and Ethics (DRAFT)

WJEC / Eduqas Religious Studies for A Level Year 2 and A2 Religion and Ethics

Firstly, Pelagius argues that a human being is not able to fulfil God’s moral eternal law without divine aid. As Pelagius stated: ‘God helps us by His teaching and revelation, whilst He opens the eyes of our heart. Whilst He points out to us the future, that we may not be absorbed in the present; whilst He discovers to us the snares of the devil …’ Therefore, Pelagius believed, that human beings do have the free will to choose to do good works or to rebel against God, but when their free will chooses to do good works it is through the guiding grace of God. As Pelagius states: ‘Free will is in all good works always assisted by divine help.’ This divine aid to guide human beings down the righteous path could be enhanced with prayer; as a human being opens themselves up to the guiding light of the divine. Secondly, Pelagius believed that if human beings, with their free will, do choose not to follow God’s eternal moral law, and instead rebel, they can seek forgiveness. This is because through God’s grace human beings can be forgiven and thus still achieve eternal life. Pelagius stated that God grants forgiveness through the sacrifice and atoning death of Jesus Christ, to all those who freely choose to have faith in him. However, Pelagius argues that sins need to be freely confessed, through prayer. Therefore, free will theory clearly illustrates that the use of prayer has important value. Key quote Free will is in all good works always assisted by divine help. (Pelagius) The existence of miracles The term miracle originally comes from the Latin ‘miraculum’ meaning ‘wonder’. However, the term miracle tends to have a more specific meaning, expressed by David Hume (1711–1776) as ‘violations of the laws of nature’. Such ‘violations’ are often attributed to God. The acceptance of free will theory has a fundamental effect on the belief in such miraculous events. This is because if God has granted human beings free will, then this would raise questions about God’s intervention through miracles. This is illustrated by Aquinas’ theory on miracles, when he distinguished between a deity carrying out miracles directly, which he called a primary cause miracle, and indirectly, which he called a secondary cause miracle. A primary cause miracle is where God acts directly in the world to bring about a miracle; and a secondary cause miracle is where God works a miracle through a human agent. However, both types of miracle involve God influencing an outcome. For example, in Joshua 10:13 in the Judeo-Christian Bible, it is stated that God made the sun and moon stand still so that Joshua could defeat the enemies of Israel. Therefore, God was clearly determining the outcome of a major event, with a miracle. Therefore, overriding any ideas that this event was as a result of the free will decisions by those human beings involved. Therefore, some would argue that the free will theory is not compatible with such an understanding of miracles. The link between God and evil The reason why free will theory can defend God against the accusation that God is ‘the author of all sin’ is that free will gives a human being the ‘will’ to choose to do good works or to sin. As Pelagius argued: ‘this very capacity to do evil is also good – good, I say. Because it makes the good part better by making it voluntary and independent.’ Therefore, free will theory makes it clear that human beings are responsible for evil acts, not God. This idea is supported by the theodicy of Irenaeus (130–202). A theodicy is a religious argument put forward to defend the existence of the God of classical theism but justifies why God allows evil. Irenaeus argued God created human

4.30 Brie y explain why free will could be seen to illustrate the value of prayer.

DRAFT

4.31 Brie y explain why the theory of free will is incompatible with miracles.

Key term Theodicy: a religious argument put forward to defend the existence of the God of classical theism but also justi es why God allows evil

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