Revelation: God shows himself to believers.

This is the only way anybody can really know

anything about God.
General revelation: God making himself know through ordinary, common human
experiences.
Special Revelation: God making himself known through direct personal experience or an
unusual specific event.
Vision: seeing something, especially in a dream or trance, that shows something about the
nature of God.
Immanence: the idea that God is present in and involved with life on earth and in the
universe (a quality of God.)
Transcendence: the idea that God is beyond and outside life on earth and the universe (a
quality of God.)
Omnipotence: almighty, unlimited power (a quality of God.)
Omniscience: the quality of knowing everything (applied to God.)
Benevolence: goodness, being all-loving (a quality of God.)
Supremacy: supreme power of authority (a quality of God.)
Personal nature (of God): the idea that God is an individual or person with whom people
are able to have a relationship or feel close to.
Impersonal nature (of God): the idea that God has no human characteristics, is
unknowable and mysterious, more like an idea or force.
Reality: the quality or state of being actual or true.
Illusion: an erroneous perception of reality.
For a religious believer a 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. Each religion, apart from Hinduism, is
founded on the revelations received by the founders of the faith, which are then
preserved in the religions sacred writings.
Some theists would argue that God cannot be known because God is beyond human
understanding and cannot be described using the limits of human language. (Impersonal
and transcendent.) Many religious believers think that it is possible to understand certain
qualities of God but only if God himself makes them known through revelations.

What is general revelation?

General revelation is God becoming known through ordinary, common, human experiences
or natural means. General revelation is indirect and available to everyone. The ways in
which general revelations come to people include:

Seeing the presence of God in nature

The beauty and power of nature for many theists shows God is immanent and leads
to feelings of awe and wonder at the power of God.
Seeing God in the holy book(s) of the religion
When believers listen to the words from the holy book or read it for themselves,
they hope to get a better understanding of the teachings of the religion and to
receive spiritual strength from Gods words.
Seeing God in the writings of religious leaders
The writings of religious leaders help believers to understand the nature of God e.g.
Pope has given guidance on issues in the Catholic faith.
Seeing God in the life and work of other people
The way someone has behaved in their life and work is sometimes so extraordinary
that religious believers feel that God has guided them. By studying these individuals,
religious believers think they van find out more about God e.g. Mother Teresa,
Martin Luther King.
Seeing Gods character through reason, conscience and faith
Some theists believe that our ability to reason tells us about God. Other believers
would argue that the fact that we have a conscience and feel guilty when we have
done wrong is evidence of the existence of God. For others, the desire to worship
God is evidence in itself of God. They are certain that God exists and that faith is all
they need.
Experiencing God through prayer and worship
Prayer and worship can be both general and special revelation according to whether
or not God has made himself known directly or indirectly. Their desire to take part in
acts of worship is general revelation, whereas if a theist feels the direct presence of
God then this is special revelation.

What is special revelation?

A special revelation occurs when God is believed to have spoken directly to an individual or
group of people. It is not a general everyday experience. It is specially for the person or
group.
Enlightenment
Buddhists do not believe in God and seek understanding of what is true and what is
not (enlightenment.)

Hearing Gods call

The founders of some religions believe that God spoke to them directly. A special
revelation can result in a conversion e.g. Saul. When this is then passed on to
someone else it becomes general. This type of revelation started many religions.
Without them they would not exist.

Experiencing visions or dreams

St Paul (originally a Jew called Saul)
o He helped punish and kill anyone who followed Jesus
o He was given permission to go to Damascas to hunt for Christians
o On his way, Jesus appeared to him in a bright light and left Saul blind for
three days
o His blindness was healed and Saul was baptized in the Holy Spirit
o Saul began preaching about Jesus in the synagogues and changed his name
to Paul

Some theists believe that hear God or have visions and dreams.
Visions see holy people, angels or hear messages. E.g. St. Bernadette who saw
visions of Mary and was told the water at Lourdes had healing properties.
Dreams Jacob was said to see a ladder (Genesis 28:10-22) to heaven and angels
were going up and down it, he realised that God was willing to forgive sins.
Miracles
When a person recovers from a serious illness or disability can be seen as a miracle.
Christians say that there have been many miracle cures at Lourdes, France.
Prayer and Worship
Prayer and worship can be seen as both general and special. If God is revealed
directly then it is special revelation.
The power and impact of revelation
The power of revelation can include:

Providing proof of Gods existence

When the religious believer listens to the scripture, performs an act of Worship it

reinforces their belief in God. When they look at nature and experience awe and
wonder it reinforces this feeling. Its beauty and complexity shows more than random
and chance. The occurrence of miracles, those cured at Lourdes for example believe
that they were saved and it proves Gods existence.

Helping to start off the religion

Had the founders of some religions not believed the message e.g. Muhammad, then
the religion would never have started. Not only did the founders accept the
message, but had to pass it on. The power of the message was strong enough for
people to face persecution and even death.

Helping people to know what they must do

e.g. Tony Anthony, Mother Teresa God spoke to her and told her to help those less
fortunate

The Impact of Revelation

The main impact of revelation is that it is life changing. Revelations can result in people
changing not only their way of life, but also their religion E.g. St Paul converted from Judaism
to Christianity.
Having accepted the revelation is true, then the power of the revelation is to change the way
in which people live their lives. Commitment to a religion may influence the way in which
people worship, as they seek to become closer to God or achieve greater understanding.
Others believe that they must withdraw from everyday life for a time to give their full
attention to God and/or seek the truth e.g. monks/nuns.

What is learned about the attributes of God from revelation?

For some religious believers, God can be immanent, transcendent, personal and
impersonal at once as for God everything is possible. God is transcendent and impersonal
but can still be experienced by people through, for example, prayer and worship, when the
believer feels that there is a personal relationship with God. In this way, the believer is able
to have a meaningful relationship with God. When God is involved in the events of the
world God is immanent.
Whatever the belief, all the religions agree that God remains beyond human understanding
and a mystery. What is known of God results from Gods revelations to humans.
Christianity Personal, impersonal, immanent and transcendent.
To describe God as having both immanence and transcendence seems to be describing opposing ways of
describing Gods nature. Most Christians believe that God is beyond peoples understanding, and outside
time and space, and that Gods power is unlimited. This is why Christians say that they believe in an
Almighty God. Although God is believed to be transcendent, most Christians believe God is also immanent
because God has been, is and will be involved in the history of the world. Christians believe that God
became immanent in the form of Jesus, to show people how he wanted them to live according to his will.
God remains immanent through the action of the Holy Spirit. It is an important part of Christianity that God
is both transcendent and immanent. Christians believe that there are three different aspects to God (the
Trinity): God the Father; God the Son; and God the Holy Spirit. Christians believe that God has revealed
himself to them through the Old and New Testaments (the Bible) and through the life and work of Jesus.

Religions believe that no other being has the power of God. God the creator maybe a force
or power with whom it is not possible to have a personal relationship. To think of God as
personal would mean that God would have to be thought of in human terms. For many

religious believers, this would be unacceptable and God remains impersonal. They can pray
to God but must always remember that God is beyond understanding. However, this does
not mean that God is not close to them.
God is believed to be omnipotent, omniscient and benevolent.
Muslim beliefs
Muslims believe in the one God, Allah, who is eternal and unchanging. Allah has no equals
and is beyond human understanding. To provide some limited understanding of Allahs
attributes, Muslims believe that Allah has revealed 99 of his beautiful names in the Quran.
Attributes include Allah as All-Merciful; the Sustainer; and the Greatest. Allahs final and
complete revelation was sent to the Prophet Muhammad. This direct word of Allah has been
recorded in the Quran.

Strengths and Weaknesses of General and Special Revelation

Strengths of general revelation
General revelation is indirect and available
to everyone, whereas special revelation is
only for the individual or group that
receives it.
General revelation has been available to
everyone at all times and in all places
throughout human history, whereas special
revelation is for an individual or a group at
a specific time and place.
General revelation is continuous and
ongoing, which means that, as new issues
arise, a religion is able to update its
thinking accordingly. A special revelation is
specific to a time in history and may
therefore be outdated for modern society.

Strengths of special revelation

Special revelation discloses the whole of
what God wants people to know, whereas
general revelation only discloses part e.g.
the Quran is the total revelation from
Allah.
Special revelation is direct and, because it is
received first-hand, it often has a stronger,
more immediate impact. Individuals and
groups know that it is the exact truth.
People who experience special revelation
possess an authority and confidence that
enable them to lead others through faith
through general revelation of their direct
experience.

Many religious believers would argue that both general and special revelations are needed
together as proof of the existence of God. Special revelation is available to an individual or
group, and requires interpretation, and this happens through general revelation.

Revelation reality or an illusion?

The evidence to support revelation and the difficulty of proving the reality of any revelation

Special revelation is subjective and difficult to prove. There are conflicting interpretations
of general revelation, therefore it is not possible to determine which claims are true.
If the revelation changes an atheist or agnostic to a theist then it may be genuine. If the
revelation enables someone to convert from one religion to another (e.g. Saul) then the
revelation could be real.
Are revelations an illusion?
Genuine
The fact that billions follow the major
religions and people have been willing to
die because of their faith, make it likely that
the revelations are genuine.
If the person is trustworthy and does not
lie, then why should they falsely claim that
they have had a revelation?
There is a common core of beliefs found in
any revelation that would support the
revelation as true because it matches
scientific observations.

Illusion
It can be a false experience brought on by
alcohol or drugs.

The believer is so desperate to have a

revelation that they believe they have
received one. It is wishful thinking.
The person may be suffering from a
physical or mental illness that makes them
hear voices, and they mistakenly believe
that they have received revelations. The
mind can play tricks on people.

Alternative explanations for revelations

Epilepsy
Some scientists believe that some revelations are the result of an individual
experiencing a type of epilepsy in the part of the brain involved in speech, memory &
hearing. This is called TEMPORAL LOBE EPILEPSY
Case Study: Ellen White
Her revelations led to the founding of the 7th Day Adventist Church. She said that
she was surrounded by a bright light. She would find herself with Jesus or angels,
who showed her the past & future & heaven. Some sceptics say she started having
the visions after she had a head injury & began to have epileptic fits. This was at the
age of 9 when a fellow pupil threw a rock at her head. A Leading neurologist says
looking back at her medical records would give a strong impression of epilepsy. The
visions were actually epileptic fits. Witnesses said there was no evidence of her
having a fit when the revelations were received.

Wishful thinking
What if a believer is so keen to fit in that they convince themselves that theyve had
a revelation? e.g. a member of a Pentecostal church may feel pressurised to speak in
tongues
Its nothing special
A theist will look at a beautiful sunset & see it as a revelation of Gods existence. An
atheist will see refracted light through the atmosphere. Its a matter of
INTERPRETATION.
Fraud

Occasionally, people who claim revelations are deliberately fraudulent. Often the
motivation is money, power or sex e.g. David Koresh and Jim & Tammy Bakker
Conscience isnt from God
Theists argue that conscience is one of the ways in which people receive revelations.
However, Sigmund Freud said that guilt feelings are generated by the way weve
been brought up.

Difficulties in accepting the reality of a revelation

Atheists will not believe in revelations because they do not believe in God, however theists
also have to overcome problems in accepting the reality of revelation.
Conflicting claims to the truth from different religions e.g. Buddhists do not
believe in God, and within other faiths there are different understandings of
God.
Conflicting claims to the truth within the same religion e.g. how Christians
interpret the Bible differently
Different perspectives on revelation e.g. worship being classed as both
general and special. If God exists, why not reveal himself to everyone
directly?
How do theists respond to these difficulties?
Many theists have faith that their revelation is the right one. Therefore, where there is
conflict between different revelations, they argue that it is the other believers who have
misinterpreted their revelations. 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.

Revelation Tasks

Revelation is where something about God is r to a person. Revelation comes

from G. To teach people about the world/ himself/ how to B.

Special revelation
Special Revelation is where God .. Himself directly to the person by speaking to them
through a religious experience or . It is not an every day occurrence like general
revelation where God can be found in everyday things such as .. ,
. or .
Instead God is shown to the person through an extraordinary event that may change a
persons life. God can reveal himself through a holy book in Special ..
As God may directly communicate in a special way when they are reading his messages
Holy Books/Miracle/Nature/Religious experience/ Holy Books/Teachings/
General revelation
General is God revealing himself in everyday things to the person. This can be in lots
of different ways e.g. seeing God through .. Reading about God in .. .
and experiencing him through stories or religious leaders e.g. .. It could also be seeing
God in work of other people/ religious figures. Or experiencing God through and
worship. Holy books are an important part of revelation. They can be both general and
special. In general God will reveal himself in the writings on a regular basis to
believers through books such as the .. or .
Quran/Holy Books/Nature/Priests/Bible/Revelation/Prayer
The Bible- General revelation
The Bible is an example of General ..
Where God reveals himself to people through the writings of a book. Holy Books tell
people how to behave e.g. the command Do not m.. tells Christians that God does not
want them to go around killing people.
These are day to day messages from God that people can read about in a Holy B.
The Bible- Special Revelation
At times the Bcan be seen as a form of special .. Someone worshipping may
believe that God is c.. with them directly through praying.

How can a Holy Book be special and General?

The Bible can be special and general because.

Compare and contrast General and Special Revelation

General

Type of revelation
General revelation is.

Similarities

Examples (3 of each)

Special revelation is

The power of revelation

1. Revelation is important because it .. Gods existence for believers
2. It helps people to know how God wants them to .
3. It can start a r

Muslim / Christian God

Summarise the Muslim and Christian beliefs about God below:

Muslim

Christian

Special

What do revelations tell us about God?!

Match this up:
Omniscience

All loving

Omnipotence

All knowing

Omni-benevolent

All powerful

Revelations about God

Immanent = Gods presence is felt within/ around the ./ God is close to
the world
Transcendent God is beyond the world. Far . and distant from creation. Too great to
understand
IMMANENT or TRANSCENDENT?
Decide which of the following words describe God in an immanent or transcendent way?
Close

Outside our reach

Personal relationship

Meaningful

Untouchable

Above Humans
Far away

Revelations about God

Personal God
God you can have a relationship with/ feel close to
Impersonal God
God we do not know anything about / Too great to understand/ do not give God any
human qualities
Summarise the key ideas in the following table:
Personal

Impersonal

Immanent

Transcendent

1) Can God be Immanent and Transcendent?

2) Do you think it is more important for God to be personal or impersonal?

Strengths of General and Special revelation

Colour code the following:
Shows people clearly what God wants
times

Available to everyone at all

Direct experience of God

Strong immediate impact

Happens as an ongoing experience

It wasnt revelation it was..(Write a sentence about each of the following alternative

explanations for revelation.)
Epilepsy (Ellen White case)

Wishful thinking

Ordinary event (nothing special)

Tricks/ Fraud

Conscience
Revelations: Are they real?
Colour code the following:
Brought on by alcohol or drugs

Are they a trustworthy person

If they happen to groups- not all making it

Mental illness

Why would someone lie

Some people might be desperate for it to be true

Contrasting revelations between religions

Supports other peoples experiences of what happened/ similar experience to someone else
Religious believers say they are real because.
Other people have had the same ..
Fits in with other stories from the P.
It makes a non believer a b.
Atheists say revelations are not real because
Fake experience brought on by alcohol or d.
Desperate for it to be t.
Mind is playing t.
Mental ..
On lined paper complete the following past exam paper:
Give two examples of special revelation (2)
Explain briefly how general revelation is different from special revelation(3)
Revelations are illusions- What do you think? Explain your opinion (3 marks)
Explain using an example how a religious conversion is an example of special revelation (4)
Revelations prove that God exists Do you agree Give reasons for your answer showing
you have considered more than one point of view (6)
Extra 3 mark opinion questions:
God does not show himself in this world

It is wrong to describe God as a person

Miracles aren't real - otherwise God would reveal himself in times of trouble
Extra 6 mark exam questions
Revelations prove that God exists Revelation helps people to know more about God
God does not seem to be making himself known today