Nature Of God

Question 1

What is the omnipotence paradox/paradox of the stone

Answer 1

If god is all powerful, can he create a stone so heavy he cannot lift it?

Question 2

What is Descartes model of omnipotence

Answer 2

God can do the logically impossible
He created the laws of logic so he can break them

Question 3

What is Aquinas model of omnipotence

Answer 3

God can only do the logically possible
To argue that God is limited because he cannot do the logically impossible is an error in logic

Question 4

Explain the idea that god has self imposed limitations

Answer 4

God created a limited universe and decided that he should only operate within the laws he created
John hick says God deliberately put himself at an epistemic distance

Question 5

What is the doctrine of kenosis

Answer 5

Self emptying
God deliberately emptied himself of some of his divine attributes before coming to earth as jesus

Question 6

Explain why it could be argued there’s not even a problem with Gods omnipotence

Answer 6

Believers don’t seek an exact scientific definition of omnipotence - religiously it is not a problem, only philosophically
Catholic church says it can be left as a mystery as we should avoid exactness when talking about God

Question 7

What is meant by personal omnibenevolence

Answer 7

God’s goodness is understood in terms of his love and mercy

Question 8

What is meant by metaphysical omnibenevolence

Answer 8

God’s goodness is understood as perfection - he has no flaws

Question 9

What is meant by ethical omnibenevolence

Answer 9

God’s goodness is understood in moral terms, as he is the origin of moral goodness

Question 10

What is the euthyphro dilemma

Answer 10

Question of whether morality is created by God or independent of him

Question 11

What do miracles say about god’s benevolence

Answer 11

How can a benevolent God perform miracles for some and not others - problem was put forward by Maurice wiles

Question 12

What does it mean to say God is timeless

Answer 12

He knows absolutely everything there is to know including out future

Question 13

What does it mean to say God is everlasting

Answer 13

God exists within time, he knows everything that is logically possible to know

Question 14

Who was boethius

Answer 14

6th century, wrote the consolation of philosophy where he discussed how free will and god’s omniscience can both exist

Question 15

What is boethius’s simultaneous present

Answer 15

The idea that God is eternal, so he possesses all of existence at the same time

Question 16

What is Aristotelian logic

Answer 16

Something cannot both be and not be at the same time, so all actions are necessary when we are doing them

Question 17

How does Boethius use Aristotelian logic

Answer 17

Uses this to say that God knows out of necessity, so he is only seeing us do something because we have already chosen to do it

Question 18

What is simple necessity

Answer 18

Boethius’s idea of knowledge that God has of natural, physical laws

Question 19

What is conditional necessity

Answer 19

Boethius’s idea of knowledge that God has of our freely chosen actions

Question 20

What does Anselm aim to do with his four dimensionalist approach

Answer 20

Agreed with Boethius that God is timeless but wanted to suggest a more immanent God

Question 21

How does Anselm suggest a God who is more immanent

Answer 21

Says that God is eternity, so he is there with us for all of our experiences

Question 22

What is preceding necessity

Answer 22

Anselm’s term for knowledge that God has of the laws of nature

Question 23

What is following necessity

Answer 23

Anselm’s term for God’s knowledge of our free choices

Question 24

How does Swinburne respond to Anselm’s model of omniscience

Answer 24

Simultaneous present is incoherent
Instead, God is everlasting