arguments for existence of God

Question 1

inductive

Answer 1

provides evidence to support a claim but doesn’t prove it

Question 2

synthetic

Answer 2

adds to a claim that isn’t always true (must be tested)

Question 3

teological argument

Answer 3

1. the world contains order, regularity, purpose and beauty
2. an object with these properties must be designed
3. the world is an object with these properties
   C. the world must have been designed by God

Question 4

analogical

Answer 4

attempt to make an argument based on analogy (comparison of 2 things)

Question 5

natural theory

Answer 5

deriving knowledge of God from the use of natural human reason

Question 6

revealed theory

Answer 6

deriving knowledge from contact with God through a vision or scripture

Question 7

Saint Anselm

Answer 7

• father of Scholasticism

- creator of ontological argument

Question 8

ontological argument

Answer 8

apriori, reason, analytic and deductive

Question 9

analytic propositions

Answer 9

statements that are true by definition

Question 10

synthetic propositions

Answer 10

add something to our knowledge and are normally based on experience

Question 11

Anselm’s definition of God

Answer 11

God is that than which nothing greater can be conceived

Question 12

Ontological argument 1

Answer 12

1. definition of God
2. a being which exists in reality is greater than a being which exists only in intellect
   C1. the concept of God is surpassed by an existent God
   C2. so God must exist

Question 13

Ontological argument 2

Answer 13

1. God is the greatest conceivable being
2. it’s greater to have necessary existence than to have contingent existence
   C. necessary existence must be a unique property of the greatest conceivable (God)

Question 14

contigent

Answer 14

relies on other things to exist

Question 15

Aquinas’ objection (ontological)

Answer 15

• God’s true definition cannot be known to humans
• we can only talk about him figuratively
• “God exists is not self evident to us”

Question 16

teleological argument properties

Answer 16

inductive, synthetic, aposterior (Aquinas)

Question 17

Paleys argument

Answer 17

• if we saw a watch we would assume it was created
• just because we don’t know the purpose doesn’t mean there isn’t one
• the complexity of the natural world couldn’t have been an accident

Question 18

mechanistic argument

Answer 18

1. we can infer a complex object with many parts was designed as it contains the qualities of regularity and purpose
2. the world also contains these qualities and has many complex parts
3. we may infer the world was designed
   C. God is the designer

Question 19

Darwin

Answer 19

• first exponent of evolution

- the complexity of the world can be explained by natural selection

Question 20

James Sadowsky

Answer 20

God may have created the process of evolution as a means of bringing order and purpose into the universe

Question 21

intelligent design

Answer 21

• scientists argue that Darwin was wrong

- organisms display irreducible complexity that can’t be explained through natural selection

Question 22

David Hume - teleological

Answer 22

• we have no experience of the world making
• arguments from analogy can only be suggestive not conclusive
• evidence cannot prove the God of classical theism

Question 23

F.R. Tennant quote

Answer 23

nature is meaningless and valueless without God behind it and man in front

Question 24

Anthropic principle

Answer 24

1. the emergence of human life in our universe depends on numerous factors like planetary conditions and physics
2. human life has emerged
3. a life friendly universe is highly improbable
4. a designer or intelligent creator would make sense of our improbable universe

Question 25

the new design argument

Answer 25

Richard Swinburne - scientists can define laws and say how they work - they cannot find a basis for the most fundamental laws in the first place - science cannot explain order in the world, so it must be God

Question 26

Aquinas first way

Answer 26

- everything depends on something else to put it into motion from action to potentiality - nothing can be moved by itself , so God was the first mover

Question 27

Aquinas second way

Answer 27

- everything has an efficient cause as it cannot cause itself - the first efficient cause was God

Question 28

Aquinas third way

Answer 28

- it's not possible for everything to have existed forever - God is the necessary being that started everything - based on contingency and necessity

Question 29

Kalam cosmological argument

Answer 29

developed by al Ghazali 1. 'actual infinites' are impossible 2. the universe cannot be infinite 3. it must have had a beginning and cause of existence

Question 30

William Lane Craig

Answer 30

1. the universe had a beginning 2. that beginning was caused 3. that cause was personal (choice) 4. therefore God chose to create the world

Question 31

strengths of the cosmological

Answer 31

- a posteriori and inductive - most scientists would agree the world had a beginning - its natural to ask why the universe began - everything has a cause, so it makes sense

Question 32

criticisms of the cosmological

Answer 32

- it just proves a cause and not the existence of a traditional God; loving, powerful, knowing - Russel; if all things changed, moved, caused then what grounds do we have for necessary beings

Question 33

Kant criticism of cosmological

Answer 33

Causality may be something imposed on experiences by the mind, it's not truly real. It can only apply to things we experience, which doesn't include the creation of the universe.

Question 34

the necessity of God's existence

Answer 34

- de re necessity - de dicto necessity - faith based necessity

Question 35

de re necessity

Answer 35

- God is not caused or moved by anything else | - cosmological argument; universe requires a necessary being

Question 36

de dicto necessity

Answer 36

- existence is a logical part of the concept of God | - ontological argument

Question 37

faith based necessity

Answer 37

- can Christians do without God? | - is he necessary to their worldview

Question 38

Humes criticism of cosmological

Answer 38

- does everything have a cause? - if God caused himself, couldn't the universe? - why can there not be infinite regress? - do the limitations of the universe point to an infinite creator?

Question 39

Russell criticism of ontological

Answer 39

if existence was a predicate you would get the following syllogism 1. men exist in the world 2. santa claus is a man 3. therefore Santa Claus exists

Question 40

Russell definition of existence

Answer 40

existence = not a property of things, but an idea of those things

Question 41

Charles Hartshorne

Answer 41

existence isn't always a property but that doesn't mean it never is 1. existence is a property 2. if God is necessary, he's greater than contingent beings 3. if to have necessary existence means he must always exist, it's logically impossible for him not to exist

Question 42

Norman Malcolm

Answer 42

- religious people refer to God as an unlimited being | - if God is maximally great he cannot be contingent as this means he must depend on something else

Question 43

Malcolm's argument

Answer 43

1. within religious understanding, God is by definition an unlimited being 2. the existence of an unlimited being is either logically necessary or logically impossible 3. the existence of an unlimited being is not logically impossible 4. therefore the existence of God is logically necessary

Question 44

Descartes ontological argument

Answer 44

1. God is a supremely perfect being 2. existence is a perfection/predicate of a perfect being C. God has existence as a perfection