Shanece Holly
Professor Hostetter
PHIL 103-005
21 October 2014
Traditional Conception of God Who is God and does he actually exist? How do we know that God is the Creator of everything? Can man live without God? Is God as good as we were always taught to believe that He is? These four questions pulls at the heartstrings of man and must be answered before someone commits fully to any religion. In this paper, the author will share these four argumentative points proving the existence of God. This paper is not meant to offend anyone or make someone question one’s own religious views, it’s only an argument proving the existence of God.
Who is God? Who is God really? God has been described as everything from an impersonal spirit to a personal,
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The billions upon billions of stars, the planets perfectly aligned, their rotation around the sun, and the critical importance of the Sun to the earth and man. The God of the Bible is a transcendent, supreme being who brought the universe into existence. As Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Though God created the heavens and the earth, some ask, “If God created the universe, who created God?” God who is the transcendent, supreme being that he is, exists in time indefinite as such has no beginning. Nothing or no one caused God; He has always been. With a perfect Creator, our universe is perfect and intricately fine-tuned. We have the laws of gravity which are set perfectly to support life on earth and keep earth in its position. Without gravity, the earth would shift away from its orbit and either go hurling towards the sun or in the darkness of the universe. Even though some believe in the big bang theory, this is clear evidence that the two atoms “mating” did not and could not happen. It is evidence of God who created time, space, and matter. So next time one happens to look at the stars, witness a lunar eclipse, or gazing at a meteor shower, remember “The heavens are declaring the glory of God; The skies above proclaim the work of his hands.” (Ps. …show more content…
First, we must contemplate on the full extent and origin of religious desire and religious experience. From the very beginning of time, man have been extraordinarily religious. Proof of that extensive belief of religion is man’s creation of other deity’s such as gods and goddesses, who are in form of animals and women. Man has an unquenchable thirst to fully understand and to be able to walk in the light of the divine which is why they create these deity’s that they can touch and “communicate with”. Man cannot live without God or the idea of God. Saying that man could live without God is like saying that a watch could produce itself without a watchmaker. God represents eternal life, which leads man to have a desire to live eternally and persist beyond physical death. Many manmade structures such as the pyramids and towers and also ancient rituals, such as Asian ancestral worship, express the desire for a life that will never end. Another example is man’s questions about life such as, “Why am I really here?”, “What is my purpose in this world?”, “What is wrong with the world”, and “How can we fix it?” We all seek answers, want to know if wrongs would be righted, and are naturally good spirited people. Asking questions and seeking the answers is part of our human condition because we were created in the image of
God is defined as a spirit or being that has great power, strength, knowledge, that can affect nature and the lives of people. Many individuals around the world believe in the existence of a higher being known as God. The dilemma of God existing has troubled and people for thousands of years. Labeling “God” for most people is not an easy task because everyone has their own concept of who and what God means to them. In this paper, I would like to show that there is a God and he is not dead. The two arguments in favor of the existence of God are reason and experience. The Teleological and Ontological are two moral arguments that effect reasoning in connection to experience. Reason is an ontological argument by St. Anselm of Canterbury in the
Religious experience is a very important concept for those who believe that way to know God is to experience Him. There is a spiritual, mystical dimension to all the world religions – in fact, the Eastern religions rely
When hope and humanity began to dissipate, people looked to God to protect them. “God is testing us. He wants to see whether we are capable of overcoming our base instincts, of killing the satan within ourselves. We have no right to despair. And if he punishes us mercilessly it is a sign that He loves us that much more…” (Wiesel 45) Faith was a symbol of survival; a symbol of them making past all of this cruelty. Despite when they could no longer depend on their close ones due to them dying, they depended on God that he was doing this for a reason. “All the earth and the universe are God’s! He kept pausing, as though he lacked the strength to uncover the meaning beneath the text.” (Weisel 67) An abundance of people began to believe that their God was no longer there protecting them, and that is what made them plummet. Once they had lost their faith and hope, they had lost their reason to live. There must be meaning to the existence of the Earth, as there is meaning for the existence of each and every individual. People who saw this understanding, are the ones who were capable of holding on for their lives regardless of what it
One burning and enduring problem in philosophy to which we have given considerable examination is the question of the existence of God--the superlative being that philosophers have defined and dealt with for centuries. After reading the classic arguments of St. Anselm and St. Thomas Aquinas, the contentious assertions of Ernest Nagel, and the compelling eyewitness accounts of Julian of Norwich, I have been introduced to some of the most revered and referenced arguments for and against God's existence that have been put into text. All of them are well-thought and well-articulated arguments, but they have their holes. The question of God's true existence, therefore, is still not definitively answered and put to rest; the intensity of this
The traditional God in the Judeo-Christian tradition is known to be as an “Omni-God” possessing particular divine attributes such as omniscient, which means he knows everything he is also omnipotent, or all powerful. God has also been said to be also he is omnipresence which means he exists in all places and present everywhere, however there are many philosophical arguments on whether if any of that is actually true or if there is a God at all. This paper argues that it is not possible to know whether the traditional God exists or not. While there have been philosophers such as Aquinas, Anselm, Paley and Kierkegaard who are for god and present strong argument, likewise philosopher like Nietzsche and arguments like the problem of evil both make valid point on why God isn’t real.
In this essay I will discuss the ontological problem of the existence of God and discuss Pascal’s Wager and how it solves the issue. The problem with the proof of the existence of God is that it is not something we will know for sure until our dying day. We can speculate and bet on his existence and “feel” his presence but at this point it is just that, only a bet. This wager is famous for opening up minds to look at the problem in a bigger picture. The problem with the existence of God is not in the answer but instead in the question. Pascal is responsible for refocusing this discussion on God to the bigger problem of the existential context of human life. In a way this can all be broken down to very black and white terms “Either God is or he is not.” But upon looking further we realize that this is a much bigger issue with many grey areas than something as simple as ‘is or is not’.
The belief in Gods has always existed throughout human’s recored history. Whether it be the Greek Gods: Apollo, and Zeus, or the Judeo-Christian God, believed by Christians in modern day society. The belief of God has always existed among humans, however, assuming God does not exist, what explains the cultural evolution of such a false belief, namely religion? I shall argue that the reason this false belief is successful is because it manipulates human nature better than any other belief by these three points: an avoidance of death (the soul), a sense of worth (knowledge), and a sense, or need of belief (faith).
For thousands of years man has pondered a question. A question that is very important as the answer affects everything that mankind knows about morality, the universe, and the meaning of life itself. This question has been asked by men and women from all walks of life and it would seem that for every question answered concerning this topic a dozen more arise. Philosophers to Scientists to Kings have all pondered this question and this question is whether or not God exists. Now there are various conceptions of God within philosophy, but the most simple and widely accepted definition would likely be a “metaphysically necessary being.” That will be the definition of God for this paper. Numerous arguments have been put forth for and against the existence of a God, and some can be grouped together according to their type. Examples of these arguments range from teleological arguments to axiological arguments to cosmological arguments (to name a few). The following paper will focus on cosmological arguments, in particular the Argument from Contingency.
The existence of God has always been an arguable topic. Descartes’ however, believed that he had proof of God’s existence through an intense analysis of the mind. Throughout this paper I will discuss what he has provided as proof and some of the complications that arise throughout his argument.
Most major arguments of God are rooted in the existence, or lack thereof. However there has been a continuous debate regarding the specific characteristics of God. In this debate, Charles Hartshorne, Alfred North Whitehead, and other the processed theologians oppose Anselm, Augustine, and other classic theologians. Although there are many points of disagreement, there are some characteristics for which both sides can agree upon. I will show one strong point of agreement and one strong point of opposition, and allow you the opportunity to decide for yourself how different, or similar, these two camps are.
The question of God’s existence has been debated through the history of man, with every philosopher from Socrates to Immanuel Kant weighing in on the debate. So great has this topic become that numerous proofs have been invented and utilized to prove or disprove God’s existence. Yet no answer still has been reached, leaving me to wonder if any answer at all is possible. So I will try in this paper to see if it is possible to philosophically prove God’s existence.
• Impersonal – an Impersonal view of God’s perception is that God is some form of spirit or force, not particularly there for you personally
The existence of God is a question that has troubled and plagued mankind since it began to consider logic. Is there a God? How can we be sure that God exists? Can you prove to me that He is real? Does His existence, or lack thereof, make a significant difference? These loaded questions strike at the heart of human existence. But the real question is, can we answer any of them? These questions are answered in the arguments of St. Thomas Aquinas, Blaise Pascal and St. Anselm of Canterbury. For thousands of years, theologians, philosophers and scientists have been trying to prove or disprove God’s existence. Many, including the three mentioned above, have strong proofs and theories that attempt to confirm God’s existence. Although, without any scientific evidence, how can they be entirely sure? “Philosophical proofs can be good proofs, but they do not have to be scientific proofs,” (Kreeft). Gravity similar to God’s existence ; it cannot be seen nor explained, yet it still exists. With faith, reason, understanding and even some math, God’s existence can be verified rationally.
The mystery of God's existence has been a crucial element of many religious studies and traditions. Who is God? What is God? Where is God? To effectively discuss the existence of God, it is necessary to illustrate the notion of faith. People of faith believe that God does exist, and that relationship with God gives meaning to their lives. Others who are skeptical point to God as an obsolete hope of an ignorant human race. People today live in a world distinguished by sophisticated technology in which modern science has been a strong agent in questioning the existence of God.
The bible-thunker would say all of the above. He is God, and he can be anything he wants to be. But what do we focus on instinctively? What is your initial thought of God?