Nature of God - AO1 - Definitions and Ideas about God

Question 1

God as Simple

Answer 1

Perfect, Immaterial and Immutable

• God is God, cannot be broken down or described in parts
• God never changes because he is perfect and change means lack of perfection
• God is immaterial so does not have a body or characteristics

Question 2

Boethius - Eternal (Timeless)

Answer 2

• Inspired by Plato and Aristotle’s ideas of an ultimate being
• God exists outside of time and space
• Boethius said God is immutable and does not exist in time
• Gods life is limitless, past present and future do not apply to God
• God does not see the future as it happens; Boethius argues God sees time ‘simultaneously’
• God sees everything is ‘One Glance’

Question 3

Aquinas - Eternal (Timeless)

Answer 3

• God exists unendingly without beginning or conclusion
• God must exist outside of time because time involves beginnings and endings
• Time involves living life ‘successively’ (one event following another)
• For God this is not the case as He exists outside of time and space

Question 4

Richard Swinburne and Nicholas Wolterstoff - Eternal (Everlasting)

Answer 4

• Everlasting means God exists and will exist without end, however, time passes for God
• Swinburne argues the idea of events occurring simultaneously to God cannot be made sense of
• Belief in an everlasting God fits more satisfactorily with God as revealed in the Bible - God is reactive and responsive (Miracles such as Parting the Red Sea and Joshua in Battle
• God being everlasting does not diminish Gods power, God exists in time but without ending
• Wolterstoff argues we worship God because of what He can and does do in time
• He is a being worthy of worship because we share a close relationship with God and He can act in time

Question 5

God as Omnipotent

Answer 5

• Two ways in which Gods Omnipotence can be viewed

1. Rene Descartes - “God can do anything including the logically impossible”
   - God could change the fundamental law s of physics and perform miracles
   - God is similar to a computer games designer - the rules do not apply to God
2. Thomas Aquinas - “God can do anything which is logically possible for God”
   - Gods power is different from our powers (Our powers are of no use to God)
   - His power is infinite and not limited by anything
   - It is linked to God being timeless and answers questions such as ‘Can God climb a tree?’

Question 6

God as Omniscient

Answer 6

• Omniscience can be described as unlimited and limited
• Unlimited refers to Gods unlimited knowledge, including all history, past present and future
• This suggests God is outside time and fits with the eternal (timeless) idea

Limited omniscience refers to Gods knowledge of what is logically possible to know or God chooses to limit what He knows to allow humans free will
- This suggests God is in time and fits with the eternal (everlasting) idea

Question 7

God as Omnibenevolent

Answer 7

• Can be viewed in two ways
  1. God is perfect
• Means it is impossible for God to do anything evil
• God is the standard humans should strive for as God is the source of all goodness

2. God desires perfection
   - Means God could do evil but He chooses not to
   - This makes His goodness more praiseworthy
   - Suggests goodness exists separately to God (However suggests a lack of perfection)

Question 8

God as Creator

Answer 8

Within judeao christian tradition - 3 views

• Ex Nihilo (out of nothing) - God is the origin of everything
• Ex Materia (created from pre existent matter) - God imposed form and order upon pre existent matter, universe existed independently of God
• Ex Deo (creation out of the being of God) - God created the world from himself, World and humans share in Gods substance