Starter Watch this video about the design argument

Starter • Watch this video about the design argument to refresh your memories. • In your own words sum up William Paley’s design argument. You must mention the watch, how it links to Christianity and evidence of design in the world today. http: //www. youtube. c om/watch? v=SPr 3 ns. T o. Jm 0

Strengths and weaknesses of the design argument Key Learning: To understand some of the strengths and weaknesses of the design argument. I can explain the strengths of the design argument I can explain the weaknesses of the design argument Previous learning that will help you today: - Big Bang - Evolution - Design argument I can fully express and support my own opinion about the design argument Keywords for today’s lesson: Design Evolution Dawkins

William Paley’s Watchmaker’s Analogy William Paley said the universe is like a watch… How? !

William Paley’s Design Argument • Imagine you are walking on a sand dune. • After exploring the desert for months, you have found NO signs of intelligent life. • But then one day, you happen to stumble across a intricate pocket watch.

William Paley’s Design Argument • You wonder where this watch has come from. • You examine its complicated mechanisms and decide it cannot have just appeared by chance. • So where has the watch come from? • Someone – a watchmaker – has designed and made this watch.

Design Argument • Some Christians believe that the world is like this. • The universe is so complex and perfect for human life it cant have just happened by chance. It must have a designer. • Christians believe that designer is God.

Strengths and Weaknesses Strengths and weaknesses

Task– Sort the arguments into strengths and weaknesses of the design argument. Strengths Weaknesses

Logical – anything which has been designed needs a designer. It makes sense. Logical – the world appears to have been designed so it must also need a designer. Natural evil – if the world was designed by God then why did He design it to have natural evil? Evolution – all the evidence for design can be explained by evolution. Richard Dawkins supports this argument as he believes evolution explains why the world appears to have been designed Omnipotent – the only possible designer of such a complex universe would be God. Who is the designer? – It only proves that there is a designer. It does not prove that it is the God of Christianity. Dinosaurs – It ignores the Evidence – there is evidence that existence of dinosaurs. If God the world has been designed. Eg. designed the world for humans, The Earth’s distance from the sun. why did He create dinosaurs first?

Strengths of the design argument • Anything that has been designed needs a designer – this is logical. • There is plenty of evidence that the world has been designed (DNA, the position of the planets etc. ) • If the world has therefore been designed it needs a designer. • The only possible designer of something so complex would be God.

Weaknesses of the design argument • It ignores the lack of design in the world eg hurricanes, volcanoes etc. • All the evidence for design can be explained by science – it doesn’t have to be God. Richard Dawkins supports this argument as he believes evolution explains why the world appears to have been designed • It ignores the existence of dinosaurs – how do they fit into this design? • It only proves there is a designer, it does not prove it is the Christian God. It could be many Gods, an evil God etc.

Task Summarise in a few sentences what your opinion of the design argument is given the information we have just learned.

Task – Agree or disagree? • On the board I am going to flash up a series of statements. • In your groups I would like you to decide if you agree or disagree with the statement and give us a strong reason for it. • Complete on your whiteboards.

This is a logical argument – complex things require a designer.

Science can easily explain why the world is perfect for human life.

There is evidence of design in the world.

It is highly unlikely that this complex world was formed by chance.

Natural disasters prove that God did not design the world.

Task “The design argument proves that God exists” Agree Disgree

Plenary We are going to mark one of these answers together under the visualiser – we have to decide how many marks we would give it and why.