God's relationship with time - Nature or attributes of God

Question 1

Define Omniscience

Answer 1

God knows everything and there is nothing that he does not know

Question 2

Both sides of the debate (Introduction)

Answer 2

If God knows everything then does he know in advance all moral decisions and if he does, because God’s knowledge is perfect then how can people be judged on their actions if there is no possibility that they could have acted otherwise.

Question 3

Section one: theme

Answer 3

Timeless (atemporal) Boethius

Question 4

Section one: theme AO1

(Boethius)

Answer 4

God exists outside of time. He sees the past, present, future as one ‘timeless present’ looking down on us as if from a ‘lofty peak.’ He does not know what moral choices we will make in advance of our making of them because there is no such thing as ‘in advance’ for God- all events occur simultaneously for God, in an eternal present

Question 5

Section 1: AO2 FOR

(Boethius)

Answer 5

1)Allows for moral evil as God does not know the future. There is no future for God as all events happen simultaneously.
-God can retain omnibenevolence without it being a contradiction to evil.

2) Simple vs Conditional necessity:
Simple: the predicate is inherent to the subject (all men are mortal as mortality is part of the nature of being human) Conditional: the predicate is conditional not essential to the subject. Someone walking is conditional rather than simple – they did not have to walk just because they were observed – observation only suggests conditional necessity. God foreknowledge is only conditional – observes free choice.

Question 6

Section 1: AO2 AGAINST

(Boethius)

Answer 6

1) if God foreknows something it can’t be any other way, and in that case it happens by necessity

2) Still a contradiction if we had the power not to be here today, we had the power to change gods timeless knowledge that we’d be here – contradiction to his sovereignty and would change an immutable being

Question 7

Section 1: AO2 CONCLUSION

(Boethius)

Answer 7

Boethius strong as it fixes the problems of the inconsistent triad

Question 8

Section 2: theme

Answer 8

Swinburne (sempiternal)

Question 9

Section 2: AO1

(Swinburne)

Answer 9

belief that God moves along the same timeline that we do but never begins or ends. The past is past for God as well as us, and past events are fixed for God just as they are for us. The future is unknown to us and is also, to some extent at least, unknown it to God because it has not happened yet. God is described as sempiternal

Question 10

Section 2: AO2 FOR

(Swinburne)

Answer 10

1) Allows meaningful relationships with God as allows divine interactions within prayers and miracles.
Allows free will as God would not have divine foreknowledge

2) Not supported biblically - that he should change his mind”- Numbers 23:19 suggests that intentions are not fixed

Question 11

Section 2: A01 AGAINST

(Swinburne)

Answer 11

1) Limited - not know what the outcomes of actions might be; He would have to wait and see how events turn out before deciding what to do next. omnipotence and omniscience Would be reduced to a point where gods could hardly be described as all powerful and all knowing

2) Wouldn’t meet Anselm’s’ definition of a being which nothing greater can be conceived because we would be able to conceive of a greater being than one who was constrained by having to exist within time.
- Anthropomorphises and belittles God into our contingent understanding
Self-contradiction to God’s nature

Question 12

Section 2: AO2 CONCLUSION

(Swinburne)

Answer 12

Fixes the problems of omnibenevolence but does not fix the problems of omnipotence

Question 13

Section 3: Theme

Answer 13

Anselm – 4th dimension

Question 14

Section 3: AO1

(Anselm)

Answer 14

God is not limited by time and space as all time and space is ‘in’ God. This is created and sustained by God. God can see our choices in the past and the future as one simultaneous present looking down on us literally from a ‘lofty peak.’ God is an observer, who can see us all at times in time in one eternal present and thus can judge us for our actions, without contravening and causing our actions.

Question 15

Section 3: AO2 FOR

(Anselm)

Answer 15

1) (Kenny counter) failure to distinguish between human and divine perspective. In Anselm’s 4th dimension approach means that time works differently. God is separate from time and space but rather experiences eternity as a dimension rather than in terms of time
-free will is preserved. As the future for God is not a matter of time, but it is a matter of time for us, the future is unchanging for God, but changing for us

2) The idea of a timeless eternity does not seem self-contradictory even if it is difficult for temporal beings such as us to comprehend the idea

Question 16

Section 3: AO1 AGAINST

(Anselm)

Answer 16

Kenny - if A is simultaneous with B, and B is simultaneous with C, the A and C must be simultaneous. Means the founding and falling of Rome are simultaneous as both simultaneous with all of eternity- the idea of timeless eternity leads to absurdities.

Question 17

Section 3: AO2 Conclusion

(Anselm)

Answer 17

God obtains omnipotence and omnibenevolence