From the Excerpts on God from a Neo-Scholastic Theology Book, we learn from its first section that God is a subsistent (continuously existing) being, and that he is existence itself. As written by Reys in the first excerpt "Subsistent Being," "[God's] existence is not an activity distinct from the ultimate being... Its 'nature' and 'existence' are one single eternal fact" (CP2 10). Likewise, we see this same fact in Chapter 3 of CP2, where it says, "With anything other than God, you can distinguish its nature/essence from its existence... [b]ut with God, you can't distinguish His nature from His existence, because they're the same thing" (CP2 6). These both relate to each other as they both say that God's nature and God's existence are one …show more content…
Reys speaks of God -- or of Deity, as he is commonly referred to in this paragraph, as "in itself... necessary irrespective of everything else" (CP2 11), meaning literally that God is necessary regardless of everything else. God is existence and as stated in the fourth chapter in CP2, God is the only necessary being, everything else is considered a contingent being. As CP2 Ch. 4 says it's "impossible for [God] not to exist; [God] exists by 'metaphysical necessity'" (CP2 7). By the same token, both the packet and Reys work understand that God is absolutely necessary, and that everything else can be chosen by him to either be brought into existence and/or taken out of …show more content…
When Reys writes that "God, being one and self manifest, is thus self-explanatory" (CP2 12), does that only apply to himself, as we as humans with our reason and what has been revealed through revelation still struggle with the mysteries of the faith, such as the Trinitarian doctrine? Also, what does it mean by when Reys writes "... Deity alone has intrinsically the ability and right to exist" (CP2 12), what does it mean God has a right? Why does he as the Ultimate being, as existence itself, need to have a right to exist, when he can't impossibly not
St. Thomas Aquinas’s first cosmological argument, the prime mover, defines things in the world as being either in a state of potentiality or in a state of actuality. Those things that are in potentiality are things that have the capability of being reduced to another form. Such as a boy is potentially a man, or tree is potentially a house. Things that are in a state of actuality are things that are currently reaching their potential; such as that boy becoming a man, or that tree becoming that house. Aquinas observed that all things in a state of actuality had to have been put into that state by something that was already in actuality. In thinking about this he concluded that there would have to be an infinite regress of actual things making potential things actual. He concluded that this would be impossible because given that, there would be no first mover. He instead, postulated that there must be a first mover. A being that never had potential but only has existed in a state of infinite actuality. That what we call God.
The film God on Trial explores the controversy behind the existence of God and his goodness, in terms of the Jewish people and the Holocaust. One argument that is presented is that God cannot exist because he allowed the suffering of the Jews, despite the covenant that they shared; and if God did exist, then he could not possibly be good for the same reason. The other side of the trial that is presented is that God does exist, suffering is merely a test, and through faith the Jews and the Torah will prevail as shown in history. In actuality, this argument can be summed up in one sentence: God cannot be both all powerful and just. If God were all powerful then He would be able to put an end to suffering, and because he does not, He is not
Additionally, in Psalm 115:3, it says “Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.” “Thine, O Lord, is the greatness and the power ...” (Chronicles 29:11). These and many other verses are interpreted to show that God has unlimited power. If the characterization of the first cause matches the Christian view of God, then Russell’s logic and argumentation are wrong. Overall, God does not need a cause for him to exist because he is the first cause and the first cause is eternal and self-existent. Therefore, God does
The first four chapters of Genesis indicate that God is the eternal Creator the universe; that God communicates with His creation and evaluates his own work, and that God is sovereign, exercising “supreme authority and absolute power over all things” (Lecture 2, para. 5). There is but one true God, who exists as a Triune Being and is three Persons in one essence; a Divine essence which exists wholly, invisibly, simultaneously and eternally, within three members of the one Godhead—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (Lecture 2, para. 7). Harmoniously linked, “each divine figure of the Trinity exercises dominion over creation and is involved in the biblical narrative in its own unique, yet cooperative, way” (Johnson, p. 178). The unity of the Trinity not only illustrates the full divinity of God, the immeasurable power, benevolence, wisdom and omnipresence distinctly setting Him apart from His creation, but also shows that He is the source of all that is good, true, beautiful, loving, just, and
Truth, what is truth? This question itself has a thousand answers, no person can ever be sure of what truth is rather, truth can be justified, it can checked for reliability with strong evidences and logic. If the evidence proves to be accurate then it can be established that a certain answer is the truth. However, have we ever tried to think about what intrigues us to seek the truth? To think about a question and set foot firmly on the path of knowledge. Definitely it has! That was the very cause itself which is why this world has witnessed some of the greatest philosophers like Aristotle, Plato and Socrates etc. along with the school of thought. The ability to think and reason is one of the greatest ability humans have, it is what
God created the universe and all parts thereof. God is separate from his creation. God rules over his creation. The creation of the universe is a gift from God, ruled by God. God is transcendent.
To apprehend God is akin to apprehending truths of mathematical nature; they are found within the contents of the mind and are ontologically and logically true. Further, mathematical truths have ‘essences’ which necessitate their existence; for example, the fact of three angles equalling two right angles is essential to the existence of the triangle. It is what makes the existing thing what it is. As for the idea of God, Descartes writes, “existence can no more be separated from the essence of God.”. Because God is defined as perfect, it then follows that God must therefore exist, as existence is itself a perfection. In other words, perfection is existence, and to not exist would be less than perfect; therefore, the ontological argument argues for necessity of God’s existence by virtue of his perfect essence.
“God is the sole deity worshipped in the monotheistic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam” (García, 2015). According to the Christian worldview, God is one being who exists eternally as three persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ, who is fully man and fully God), and the Holy Spirit (Merrick 2014). God is the sovereign creator of all that there is. “Because God created and sustains all things, He alone is worthy of worship and praise” (Scripture and biblical passage support the history of the creation of the universe, in accordance to the Christian worldview. “In the beginning God created the Heavens and the earth” and all living things, including humans (Genesis 1:1). Mankind is His highest creation perfected in Him (“Lecture 2,” 2015). We as humans were made in the image of God, so that we may bear the attributes He has. God is indescribable, but at the same time
The Strengths and Weaknesses of the Cosmological Argument for the Existence of God The cosmological argument seeks to prove the existence of God by looking at the universe. It is an A posteriori proof based on experience and the observation of the world not logic so the outcome is probable or possible not definite. The argument is in three forms; motion, causation and being. These are also the first three ways in the five ways presented by Aquinas through which he believed the existence of God could be shown.
Having examined the omnipotence and omnibenevolence of the God of the Bible, as they relate to the atheist’s argument against God’s existence, it is also important to note other
The strategy used by Cosmological arguments for God based on contingency begins with things exist because they are necessary and or they are contingent. Something that is necessary is something that cannot have failed to exist. Math can be used as an example as a necessary thing. For example, 2+2=4 in our world right now. If the world was different 2+2 would still equal 4. Something that is contingent is not necessary. Things that are not necessary is something that could have failed to exist. My life is contingent because if my parents had never met they would have never fell in love and created me. They could have met other people and fell in love with them. They then would have created something that was not me. We must now bring up explanations
So existent belongs to the essence of God. Descartes can no more think of God as not existing than he can think of mountain without a valley(550).
"For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that
The philosophical arguments presented in this document are not of religious text, nor scientific observation or established fact. Rather the premise of this God proof is bring together and share the various theories on which other God proofs have established foundations. I have heard it quoted that “Philosophy goes where hard science can 't, or won 't. Philosophers have a license to.” Therefore, with this in mind, I attest that it is more than problematic to construct an argument authenticating the unequivocal proof of the existence God. If nothing else this may be food for thought.
The existence of God has been in question for as long as mankind has existed and thought logically. Many questions have plagued the human mind in regards to God, and there have been many arguments drawn with the hopes of proving the existence of a supreme being whom we know as God. The “God” question has been presented to every individual at some point in their lives. It is a topic that will bring forth never-ending questions and an equal amount of attempted answers. Many philosophers have formulated different rationales when examining the topic of God, some of which include how the word itself should be defined, what his role is in human existence, whether or not he loves us, and ultimately, if he even exists at all. Mankind cannot