attributes of god

Question 1

intro

Answer 1

xians adopt anthropomorphism
Nt suggests he is timeless

conflict between attributes 
omnis = no free will
benev = evil and suffering
benev and potent = capable of evil
timeless = no relationship

council of Trent, 1543: ‘great mysteries lie concealed under almost every word’

Question 2

omnipotence summary

Answer 2

gen 1:3
luke 1:37, with god all is poss
intro - necc for salvation. used in ontological argument
resurrection/pentecost

problems: evil an suffering, free will, stone he cannot lift (however, aug overcomes this. why would god want to make a stone?)

Question 3

5 types of omnipotence

Answer 3

god can do the logically impossible
logically possible 
god limits power for our benefit 
problem of RE lang
god = unsurprisingly great

Question 4

god can do anything

Answer 4

Descartes
square circle
existence is prior to laws of logic

• Mackie. logical contradictions do not show anything
  + luke 1:37
  + salvation
• stone paradox

Question 5

god can do the logically possible

Answer 5

aquinas and Swinburne
favoured by classical theists
square circle does not mean anything and so it doesn’t limit him

• can god ride a bike?
• process Theo

Question 6

god limits power for our benefit

Answer 6

vardy = not a chess master, we have free will. power is necessarily limited
+ plantinga
+ omnipotent being doesn’t need it as a quality

macquarrie = analogy, JC kenosis. 
\+ phil 2:5-8, Jesus is a servant
\+ geach, omnipotent capacity for power
\+ Martin
\+ stephen evans, kenosis 

brightman = personalistic idealist and theist finest. power limited in case of evil and suffering
+augustine, god does not will what he does not want

Question 7

power is problem of RE lang

Answer 7

aquinas and macquarrie

analogical

Question 8

god is unsurprisingly great

Answer 8

process theologians
whitehead and hartshorne
total power is not impressive, power with free will is more so

+wainwright, needs perfect goodness
+ rechenbach, morally perfect

Question 9

omniscience

Answer 9

problems - free will vs. predestination

different types of knowledge: knowing what it is like to be something (is god ignorant?) knowing how to do something (can god ride a bike?)

schleiermacher, intimate knowledge of us

Question 10

god and time, boethius

Answer 10

de consolatione …

god is eternal and atemporal
simutaneous present, not affected by time or space. like general relativity, future does not change
simple vs. conditional necessity
e.g. man on lofty peak

\+ Augustine, thy today is eternrity
 \+ Aquinas, will is eternal
 \+creel, god knows all possibilities 
\+free will
\+kotarbinski, perhaps god is an object 
\+ 2 Peter 3:8
\+ durmett, god has objective view of knowledge 

• no relationship (h, wiles)
• Bible says he interacts
• indexical sentences
• lucas (h, purtill. future does not change)

Question 11

god and time, anselm

Answer 11

god is eternal and atemporal
boethius does not go far enough 
4d approach
humans are presentist. god is not, eternity is an atemporal concept 
free will

\+ Augustine, thy today is eternrity
 \+ Aquinas, will is eternal
 \+creel, god knows all possibilities 
\+free will
\+kotarbinski, perhaps god is an object 
\+ 2 Peter 3:8
\+ durmett, god has objective view of knowledge 
\+ c.s. lewis, god does not foresee, he just sees 

• no relationship (h, wiles)
• Bible says he interacts
• indexical sentences
• lucas (h, purtill. future does not change)
• Nathan Ottley, change is essential

Question 12

god and time, Swinburne

Answer 12

everlasting, sempiternal. has always existed
relationship, in time
changing, like biblical god

\+ free will
\+ rep with God 
\+ process Theo, god suffers with us 
\+ Nathan Ottley 
\+ wolterstorff. needs to change 
\+ karl popper (however, Brian Davies)
\+ tillich, living god
\+ Barth, incarnation

• not omnipotent
• not omniscient

Question 13

benevolence general

Answer 13

OT = Hosea 11:1-3
NT = John 3:16

agape, parental love

rely on eschatological verification

evil maybe loving e..g James Martin, bike

Question 14

benevolence people

Answer 14

aquinas, god is goodness itself. analogical. creation is good. justice is god giving us what we need and not asking for anything back

process Theo = god suffers with us. changes

boethius = if god rewards/punishes justly, he is benevolent

Aristotle - to be good, god must perform just actions. must be benevolent and beneficent.

Wilkinson - goodness is part of creative action

Question 15

benevolence problems,s

Answer 15

does god feel pain?

does god love evil people? (h, frankena. justice is not treating everyone the same. relative contribution)

evil and suffering?