Concept of God Flashcards

1
Q

Was does omnipotence mean?

A

All-powerful

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What did Descartes say about omnipotence?

A

Absolute omnipotence - God can do anything, even things beyond the realm of logical possibility as he created the laws of logic (e.g he could make 2+2=5)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What did Aquinas say about omnipotence?

A

God can do anything which is logically possible and does not contradict his nature (e.g. sin)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Explain the paradox of the stone?

A

P1: Either God can make a stone too heavy to lift or he can’t.
P2: If God can do this, he is not omnipotent as he is unable to lift the stone.
P3: If God cannot do this, he is not omnipotent as there is something he cannot do.
P4: There is nothing logically impossible about either of these tasks.
C: Therefore, God is not omnipotent.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

How does Mavrodes respond to the paradox of the stone?

A

The paradox is unsuccessful because God does not lack power if a task is impossible. Mavrodes says that creating a stone too heavy to lift is self-contradictory for God as he is omnipotent.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Explain the argument that God is eternal

A

P1: Everything in time changes
P2: But God is immutable and does not change
C1: Therefore, God cannot be in time
C2: Therefore, God exists outside of time (he is atemporal/eternal)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What is Kenny’s criticism of ‘eternal God’

A

He says this is an incoherent concept; how can the burning of Rome in 64BC be happening simultaneously to me revising now?

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Explain the argument that God is everlasting

A

P1: God is without beginning or end
P2: God interacts with and has a personal relationship with the world
P3: The world is temporal
P4: Any being that interacts with the temporal world is itself temporal
C: Therefore, God is everlasting

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What is the issue with ‘everlasting God’

A

Means he cannot know the future yet - not omniscient

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What are some issues with the concept of omniscience?

A

If God is incorporeal, can he know how to do things? (i.e. can he have any ability knowledge?)

Does God know the future and, if so, what are the implications for free will?

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Explain the issue of free will and omniscience - Kenny

A

P1: Humans have free will and some of their actions are genuinely free.
P2: God is omniscient and so knows beforehand everything that will happen.
P3: Therefore, God knows beforehand in all cases what humans will do.
P4: If God knows what we will do, our actions are not free.
C: Therefore, human free will and God’s omniscience are incompatible.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Responses to the issue of free will

A

Calvinists - free will is an illusion
Luis of Molina - middle knowledge, God knows every choice we might make
Swinburne - God is everlasting and does not know the future
Boethius - God sees everything in a simultaneous present
Kretzmann and Stump - E-T simultaneity

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Explain Kretzmann and Stump’s E-T simultaneity

A

P1: Humans have free will and we haven’t yet chosen what we will do in the future.
P2: God knows and sees everything simultaneously outside time
P3: Therefore God can see our past, present and future actions all at once from a position of eternity (E-simultaneity)
P4: Although God can see everything that we have done and will do, we will still freely choose our actions
C: Therefore human free will and God’s omniscience are compatible.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Explain the Euthyphro dilemma for omnibenevolence

A

The Euthyphro dilemma attempts to prove that the concept of God’s omniscience is incoherent. It asks: is something good because God commands it or does God command something because it is good? The first horn is problematic as it suggests that morality is arbitrary. God could command trivial or even cruel acts and they would be good. The second horn is problematic because it suggests that morality is independent of God, limiting him to be constrained by the same ethical rules as us. Therefore, the concept of God’s omnibenevolence is incoherent.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What does it mean to say that God is omniscient?

A

To say that God is omnipotent is to say that he possesses perfect knowledge. This not only means that he knows everything, he also knows how to do everything (such as creating the world). Aquinas argued that God knows everything directly, rather than through inference or deduction.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What does it mean to say that God is omnipotent?

A

To say that God is omnipotent is to say that he has perfect power, i.e. the most power possible. This has been interpreted in different ways: Descartes argues that God has absolute omnipotent (meaning that he can do anything, including the logically impossible), whereas Aquinas believes that God is able to do anything except the logically impossible (e.g. making 2+2=4) or that may which contradict his nature (e.g. sin).

17
Q

What does it mean to say that God is omnibenevolent?

A

To say that God is omnibenevolent is to say that he is supremely good. This can be interpreted as God having complete moral perfection, meaning that he would not do or command anything morally wrong in any circumstance. It also means that God is the source of all moral goodness insofar as He determines what is right and wrong.