God as the creator Flashcards
Genesis 1.1
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the Earth”
omnipotence omniscience immutability
all powerful all knowing unchanging
Overcoming chaos and dragons
God created the world in formless chaos, he overcame dragons and demons e.g. Behemoth and Leviathan to achieve order
How did God create the world
Emmanation- overflowing from Gods nature due to his creative energies
Construction- craftsman who constructs the world
Psalm 127.1 describing God like a potter creating the world out of clay
Artistic expression- creation as handicraft of God
What did God create the world out of
Nicene Creed says ex nihilo is the orthodx definition
Plato criticises traditional christian view and argues God did not create the world ex nihilo (out of nothing) but ex materia (preexisting materials)
Ex deo- out of the being of God
Augustine- time
Creation did not happen at a particular time but that time itself was created with the rest of created order
Stewardship/ dominion Genesis 1.28
“Rule over the fish of the sea, fowl of the air, cattle of the land and everything in it”
Afterlife A.McGrath
Argues Gods creation is good however original sin left the world fallen from grace
Argues the world is not as intended so there will be a “restoration of creation”
Afterlife Augustine
“you made us for yourself and our hearts are restless until they find their rest with you” therefore we will return to our creator in the afterlife
Humam Freedom challenge
If God is in control of everything that happens within the created world we are not able to deviate from God’s plan therefore we are not free.
Human Freedom response
Kennedy responds God knows both necessary and contigent truths. Humans are free to choose from all possibilities.
Miracles challenge
If an omnipotent, omniscient God creates out of nothing and therefore has the power to change anything and knows in advance what evil will happen, can the idea of God intervening be justified. For example, imagine a person is prevented by God from boarding a plane by measles or a traffic jam and the plan they would have caught crashes killing all on board. When the person gives thanks to Gods miracle wouldn’t they ask “Why wasn’t the traffic jam bigger or strain of measles more infectious?”
Free will defence to miracle challenge
If God always intervened through miracles to prevent evil humans would lack free will.
God’s omnipotence challenge
Paradox of the stone “Can God create a stone so heavy he cannot lift it?”
The idea of omnipotence is inconsistent and logically impossible
William Ockhams response
God had two powers
Absolute power- before creating the world when God could do anything
Ordering power- once he created the world he chose to set limiting rules
Because of this Gor can’t do things that would break his own rules
God’s omnipotence vs immutability
If God is immutable then he cannot change anf if God is omniscient then he knows everything. Does God know what the time is? If his knowledge changes he is not immutable and if he does not know he is not immutable
Norman Kretzmanns reponse
Just because time itself changes doesnt mean knowing the time counts as a change in knowledge
