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Question

Distinguish between Natural Theology and Revealed Theology in the context of the Propositional view of Revelation.

This question was previously asked in
UPSC CSE 2025 (Prelims) CSAT Official Paper (25-May-2025)

Within the Propositional view of Revelation (where God reveals truths as factual statements), Natural Theology and Revealed Theology are distinct approaches to knowing God.

Natural Theology:

  • Source of Knowledge: Relies on human reason and observation of the natural world.

  • Content: Aims to discover truths about God that are accessible to all rational beings, independent of special divine intervention. Examples include arguments for God's existence (e.g., cosmological, teleological arguments) or for some of God's attributes (e.g., intelligence, power) based on the order of the universe.

  • Accessibility: Universally accessible through human intellectual capacity.

Revealed Theology:

  • Source of Knowledge: Derived from God's direct, specific self-communication. This typically occurs through sacred scriptures (e.g., Bible, Quran, Vedas), prophets, miracles, or direct divine interventions.

  • Content: Contains truths about God and divine will that are not discoverable by reason alone. These are often specific doctrines (e.g., the Trinity, specific redemption narratives, detailed moral commandments, God's personal relationship with humanity) that require an act of faith to accept.

  • Accessibility: Limited to those to whom God chooses to reveal, usually through a particular religious tradition.

In essence, Natural Theology uses general revelation (nature) via reason, while Revealed Theology uses special revelation (specific divine communication) via faith, both offering propositions about God.

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