Philosophy - Nature of God Flashcards
1
Q
W. Chalmers Smith Quote and explanation
A
‘Immortal, invisible God only wise, In light inaccessible hid from our eyes, Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days, Almighty, victorious, Thy great name we praise.’
This quotation shows God’s eternal nature, since he is ‘immortal’ and so never dying. It also shows he is transcendent through ‘inaccessible hid from our eyes’.
2
Q
Psalm 139:2-6 and explanation
A
‘You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.’
This quotation shows that God has omniscience (all-knowing). God is aware of all our actions and knows so much more than we are capable of knowing (‘Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it’). It also shows that God is transcendent, meaning above and beyond the universe or outside time and space as God has this knowledge from ‘afar’.
3
Q
Psalm 90:2 and explanation
A
Psalm 90:2 –
‘Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God’
This shows God’s omnipotence (‘you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God’) and his eternal nature (‘from everlasting to everlasting’).
4
Q
Catechism of the Catholic Church 198 and explanation
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‘Our profession of faith begins with God, for God is the First and the Last, the beginning and the end of everything. The Credo begins with God the Father, for the Father is the first divine person of the Most Holy Trinity; our Creed begins with the creation of heaven and earth, our creation is the beginning and the foundation of all God’s works.’
Shows God’s eternal nature (‘God is the First and the Last’), and his omnipotence (‘creation of heaven and earth’).
5
Q
Hebrews 1:20-12 and explanation
A
‘In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.’
This quotation shows God’s omnipotence (‘you laid the foundations of the earth’) and his eternal nature (‘They will perish, but you remain’).
6
Q
Quote from apostles creed about God having power
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‘I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.’
7
Q
Quote from nicene creed about God having power
A
‘We believe in one God, the Father almighty, Maker of all things visible and invisible’
8
Q
God is conceived to be not only the most powerful being, but the …
A
source of all existence (creator) and the source and origin of all power (almighty)
9
Q
Does Omnipotence mean the power to do literally anything? Rene Descartes view
A
Yes – God can do literally anything
.Descartes says that omnipotence means that God has the power to do actions which are logically impossible or contradictory
.E.g. God could make it so 1+1=5
.This seems nonsense to us, since God has made a world with unchanging laws such as arithmetic, such that 1+1 equals 2
.God could have created a different world with a wholly different arithmetic
.God is the creator not just of the world but of the laws of logic and mathematics as well
.God could change the laws of physics if he wanted
.It is logically impossible for God to do certain miracles as they go against the laws of nature, but he does them
10
Q
Analogy to understand Descartes view on omnipotence
A
.Imagine God as the game designer, the universe the game, and us the players, we can’t change the rules of the game, but God can access the code and change the rules for himself if he so pleases
11
Q
Does Omnipotence mean the power to do literally anything? Richard Swinburne view
A
No – God is limited to the logically possible
.Most theists insist on limiting God’s power to the logically impossible
.Swinburne says that God cannot make a round square because this is a nonsense task
.The phrase ‘round square’ makes grammatical sense but does not make any real meaningful sense
.For Swinburne, God not being able to do nonsense is no limit for God since there really is no task being described by the phrase ‘making a round square’
.Most theists have thought that God is able to do anything, but added the qualification ‘as long as it is logically possible’
.There are no round squares in the realm of possibility, so it is no limit on God that God cannot make one – there is nothing to make
12
Q
Finish the Aquinas quote, ‘It is better to say that some things …
A
cannot be done, rather than God cannot do them’
13
Q
If we take Swinburne’s view on omnipotence, it raises the question of the possibility of God doing evil. Outline the two views given to answer this problem
A
.Some theists say that God is able to sin, but because he is supremely good, God will never actually choose to sin
.God has such a moral fortitude that he will never give in to temptation, this is what makes him praiseworthy
.Others, such as Aquinas, say that God cannot sin
.It is just something that is impossible for God to do
.Aquinas thinks that sinning is not a rational action and instead a failure to do what is right
.It is an error, a consequence of not being perfect
.Since God is perfect, he cannot sin, but this doesn’t ruin the concept of God, since God is a perfect being he can’t make mistakes and so cannot sin
14
Q
Problems that arise with Descartes view on omnipotence
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Can God commit evil acts? Can God create a stone too heavy to lift? Does this contradict the Bible? The logical problem of evil
15
Q
The definitions and ideas about God in the Judaeo-Christian tradition were heavily influenced by classical Greek philosophy, how?
A
Plato (form of the good) and Aristotle (prime mover)
16
Q
Where does the idea of divine limitation goes back to?
A
ancient Christians and their idea of kenosis – the claim that God, by becoming Jesus, had to humble himself or become less than omnipotent
.God had to take on flesh and so make himself vulnerable to being hurt and hungry and eventually had to endure death on the cross
17
Q
What is self-imposed limitation?
A
.A popular approach in recent times, idea that God in creation deliberately limits himself
18
Q
How can self-imposed limitation be understood?
A
.One way to understand self-limitation is to think about creation
.Before creation, there would have been only God, and here God would have literally all the power since he is the only existing thing
.After creation, does God still have all the power? Or has he given some of it away to creation itself?
.Think of a tree, it is taking up water, absorbing light and resisting wind, doesn’t this mean it has its own powers?
19
Q
Charles Hartshorne views on self-limitation?
A
.A process theologian like Charles Hartshorne accepts that after creation God is limited in the sense that he creates other things which have powers that are their own
.Creation means that God creates other centres of power, these other centres of power are not God
.Therefore, God has imposed limits on himself by creating things that are not God
20
Q
Peter Vardy views on self-limitation
A
.God’s omnipotence is limited and it is wrong to suggest that everything which happens is because of the will of God
.God created the universe in such a way that his ability to act is limited
.It is tuned in such a way that if God acted differently, everything could not exist as it does
.It is perfectly suited for free, rational humans and to remain so, God’s omnipotence must be limited
.However, this limitation is self-imposed
21
Q
John Hick views on self-limitation
A
.Philosopher John Hick presents the ‘Vale of Soul Making’ theodicy
.Through his theory he suggests that God exists at an ‘Epistemic’ distance from the world
.This distance allows humans to have genuine freedom
.If God does not impose limitations on himself we would be like robots who are preprogramed to behave and act in certain ways
.God has the omnipotence to interact within the world but chooses not to
22
Q
Genesis 1:27-28
A
‘God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and rule it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.’’
23
Q
How does Genesis 1:27-28 support Vardy, Hick and Hartshorne?
A
This quote supports Vardy, Hick and Hartshorne’s views that God has self-imposed limitation as it shows that God has given some of his power to humans to rule the Earth.
24
Q
Aquinas’ views on self-limitation
A
.Aquinas disagrees with the idea that God imposes limits on his omnipotence
.Aquinas wants to say that Gods creating of something that is not God (the world) makes no difference to God’s power, he is just as omnipotent as before and after creation
.In order to answer this, Aquinas distinguishes between primary causes and secondary causes
.According to this distinction, God is the primary cause of everything
.This means that the tree continues to exist and perform its various activities since God gives it the power to do so
.God is the ever present battery that powers the tree, he continues to give it existence and all its powers
.If God were to withdraw his power even for a second the tree would blink out of existence
25
How does Aquinas combat the idea that his views on self-imposed limitation imply that the tree itself does not do anything?
.Aquinas claims that it does not imply that
.Despite God continuing to have all power, the tree (and world) are independent of God in some sense
.There is a sense in which the tree has its own powers, Aquinas says the tree has its own secondary powers
.It is not wrong to say that the tree draws up water to its roots or that it resists the wind
.God, through primary causation, confers secondary causation on trees and creation as a whole
26
State some analogies that can be used to support Aquinas' views on self-imposed limitation
.Imagine someone sawing some wood with a saw
.Without the person sawing the wood would not be cut, but this does not mean that the saw does nothing
.The saw is the secondary cause and the person sawing the primary
.Similarly, Aquinas says that created things in the world can do things like collect water from their roots even though it is also God who is doing it since he continues to give the tree the power to do so
.Other useful analogies might be, a plug as the primary cause and TV as the secondary, or a satellite as the primary cause and Netflix as the secondary
27
What other arguments does Aquinas' self-imposed limitation views link to?
.Aquinas’ ideas appeal to his Aristotelian roots and is also similar to his cosmological argument
28
Why are Aquinas' views on self-limitation good?
.If we accept Aquinas’ distinction, then it seems that God can have all the power and at the same time accept that things in the world have their own secondary powers
.If we accept this distinction, Aquinas argues that we can disagree with those who say that in creation God limits himself
.We can say that God does not limit himself in the slightest when he makes things which are not God
29
What does the reference to God's omniscience point to?
the belief that God is aware of all that people do and that God has complete knowledge of the Universe; both how it comes to exist and why it exists
30
.God is described as knowing people through and through in Psalm 139: 1-4, which is:
‘O Lord, You have searched me and know me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you understand my thought from afar.’
31
God's omniscience stretches before birth, what quote can be used to back this up?
‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.’ Jeremiah 1:5
32
The religious concept of God’s omniscience is echoed within philosopher’s comments, such as Anselm’s claim from the Poslogian, which is:
‘You are supremely perceptive’
33
In general the two definitions of omniscience can be split as follows:
Unlimited omniscience
| Limited omniscience
34
What is unlimited omniscience
refers to God’s unlimited knowledge, including all history, past, present and future. According to this view, God is outside of time and has knowledge of the whole of time from beginning to end. This view fits in with belief that God is eternal timeless which means God exists outside of time and space
35
What is limited omniscience
refers to God being limited to what is logically possible to know or God chooses to limit what he knows to allow humans free will. According to this view God’s knowledge changes over time, since God acquires new knowledge as events occur. This view fits in with the belief that God is everlasting which means God has always existed but time passes for God
36
.Boethius argued that ...
... God is changeless and does not exist in time – God’s life is not only endless but it is not like physical life, it does not involve experiencing life as a series of events one following the other
37
The problem of unlimited omniscience is
if God infallibly knows what I will do tomorrow, then, the future must be fixed, but if what I will do tomorrow is fixed, then I cannot be free since I cannot do anything else but what I do, divine foreknowledge seems to destroy freedom and require everything to be fixed in advance
38
Boethius quote for stating problem of unlimited omniscince
‘Therefore, human thoughts and actions have no freedom, because the divine mind in foreseeing all things without being led astray by falseness binds human thoughts and actions to a single manner of occurrence.’
39
Boethius quote for fixing problem of unlimited omniscience
‘Let us consider the nature of God’s eternity for this will make clear to us both the nature of God and his manner of knowing. Eternity, then, is the complete, simultaneous and perfect possession of everlasting life.’
40
What is Boethius' answer to the problem of unlimited omniscience?
.Boethius contrasts our relationship with time with God’s
.Any creature has only a limited amount of time that is present to it, we only have the present moment, tomorrow is yet to come and is not presented to us, while yesterday has been and gone
.Boethius believes that God is the kind of being that knows all of time – yesterday does not fade away – it is present to God, likewise God does not have to wait until tomorrow
.To God all is as if it were present in his complete and perfect possession of the whole of time
.Boethius explains that, if you see someone in the present moment doing something, then, you can know with certainty that you are doing it, but that knowledge does not make what they are doing inevitable
.Present infallible knowledge of someone’s actions does not require their actions to be fixed
.If God is in time like us, and infallibly knows the future, the future would have to be fixed since otherwise how could he infallibly know it?
.But Boethius says that God’s knowledge is not like our knowledge, God knows what you will do tomorrow not by prediction (as that would require a fixed future) rather he sees you do it in his perfect present moment where all of time is seen at once
41
Boethius’ Answer to the Problem of Divine Foreknowledge in a Nutshell:
- The problem is that it appears that if God infallibly knows yesterday what you are going to do tomorrow, then, tomorrows actions must be fixed
- He cannot infallibly know that something will probably happen, therefore the future must be fixed for God to know it
- This means that there can be no free will since everything is fixed
- Boethius’ solution is to argue that God’s knowledge is not like our knowledge, God is present to the events of what we call tomorrow, this means he witnesses your free actions in his present
- Witnessing a free action and therefore knowing it with certainty does not require that the action is fixed or inevitable
42
Why does divine foreknowledge seem to destroy freedom?
Divine foreknowledge destroys freedom as if God knows what we will do then it is fixed, unchangeable, and so we don’t have freedom to change this future action of ours
43
Outline the difference between how humans view time and how, according to Boethius, God views time
4. Humans view time chronologically, from today to tomorrow, only living in the present. Whereas Boethius says God views time as one, not chronologically, he witnesses past, present and future all at the same time – living at all points in time at once
44
How does Boethius' view overcome he problem of divine foreknowledge
5. By having God view time in this way, Boethius can overcome the problem of divine foreknowledge by having God witnesses actions as if they were happening in the present – when we witness actions (in the present) it does not mean that we have control over them, so by having God witness everything as present then it does not mean the action is fixed or inevitable
45
Swinburne's view on Omniscience and Boethius
Limited omniscience
.Swinburne supports the view that God is everlasting
.He argues that Boethius’ idea of events occurring simultaneously to God cannot be made sense of
.He suggests that belief in an everlasting God fits more satisfactorily with God as revealed in the bible
46
Swinburne quote about eternal vs everlasting
‘For myself I cannot make much sense of this suggestion – for many reasons. For example, I cannot see that anything can be meant by saying that God knows (as they happen) the events of AD 1995 unless it means that he exists in 1995 and knows in 1995 what is happening then … hence I prefer that understanding of God being eternal as his being everlasting rather than as his being timeless.’ Swinburne, Is there a God?
47
Difference between everlasting and eternal
.Saying that God is everlasting is not meant to indicate any lessening of the power of God – it is a statement that God exists without end at all points in time but not that God exists timelessly in the sense of Boethius
48
Wolterstorff's view on human actions
.Wolterstorff argued that the only way to understand some of God’s actions as indicated in the Bible is to understand them as free actions in response to human being’s behaviour, suggesting that God’s actions involve time passing
49
How can the everlasting view of God change the problem of omniscience
.When the everlasting view of God is adopted, then it can be thought that God can acquire new knowledge as time passes for God
.So as the events of history occur, God gains new knowledge
.Omniscience on this view is a claim that God can know what is logically possible to know
.So if the future has not yet happened, there is no future to be known, and God’s omniscience is not limited because it is impossible to know what does not exist or has not existed yet
.Instead, God is omniscient as God has perfect knowledge of what has occurred and is occurring
.Humans can have free will as God does not know future events until they occur
50
For swinburne, why is God's omniscience limited?
.The reason why God’s omniscience is limited is that knowledge of future events would damage human freedom and take away the need for responsibility and development
.Swinburne argues that if God does not allow us to make real choices, including those to do harm, he would be like an overprotective parent who will not let his child out of sight for a moment
51
Swinburne and Wolterstorff’s Answer to the Problem of Divine Foreknowledge in a Nutshell –
- Both Swinburne and Wolterstorff reject Boethius’ idea that God is timeless and views all of time simultaneously or in one glance
- For Swinburne, this concept simply makes no sense
- Likewise, both Swinburne and Wolterstorff argue that the Bible implies God exists in time and reacts and responds to the actions of humans (for example, Genesis 3 – The Fall)
- It is God’s reaction to human action that shows they must have free will – the Bible implies that God reacts to the actions of humans
52
.All three of Boethius, St Thomas Aquinas and Anselm of Canterbury argue that God’s omniscient is unlimited
.They hold this view for two important reasons:
- God is a perfect and immutable being – this means God is without fault. God must have unlimited omniscience or God would learn new information and this would mean he is changing and less than perfect
- God is a timeless/transcendent being – this means God exists above and beyond our known universe thus having the ability to view all of time
53
.Both Wolterstorff and Swinburne argue that God can only know what is logically possible
.They hold this view for two main reasons:
- God cannot know the future because it has not happened yet. You can’t have knowledge of a non-event
- God exists within time and witnesses events chronologically – time passes for God
54
Why does Swinburne reject the view of Boethius?
Swinburne rejects the view of Boethius as he feels it is logically impossible to have knowledge of an event that has not actually happened yet, so instead he believes that God exists in time and witnesses events chronologically. As well as this, he believes Boethius’ view is not Biblically accurate but his is (since his allows for interaction with humans (Genesis 3 The Fall) but Boethius’ doesn’t).
55
.Theism from Plato onwards has affirmed that God is what?
purely good and could not do anything evil, God must possess perfect goodness, he must be good in all ways at all times and towards all other beings
56
What problem does God's omnibenevolence bring?
.Is a loving God right to judge the actions of human beings? Does judgement (in particular punishment) fit with the understanding that God is all loving? Is judgment just (fair)
57
What is Swinburnes view on Divine benevolence and just punishment?
.God has limited omniscience and so punishment is just
.God has provided humans with clear guidance on how they act and behave (Bible and the Church)
.God has given them free will, so they have a choice between good and evil
.If humans misuse their free will and make bad decisions then God is just in his judgement and punishment
58
How does Swinburne liken God to a father when discussing divine benevolence and just judgement
.If we view God as a father, then like any good parent there is a requirement that bad actions are corrected
.It is the most loving thing to do so that children can learn from their mistakes
.We would question the actions of a parent if they continually overlooked their child’s bad actions due to ‘love’, just as we should question God’s actions if he were not to judge and/or punish
59
What does Boethius believe about divine benevolence and just punishment?
.Just because God knows what a person with free will is going to choose, doesn’t mean that he directed it
.God knows all things before they happen, but he doesn’t interfere with the free will of human beings
.God is outside of time so does not see the progression of events
.God knows the world in one single act, which includes knowledge of all choices of all human beings from the beginning of the wold to the end
.So he doesn’t influence these choices, but he knew of them as part of the whole foreknowledge of the world perceived in one single instance
.Therefore, God is just in his judgement because he does not control or influence human action
60
Is a loving God right to judge the actions of human beings? Does judgement (in particular punishment) fit with the understanding that God is all-loving?, who says yes?
```
Swinburne – God as a father is right to judge/punish
Augustine – The fall/original sin
Boethius – Humans are free
Catholic Church – Under judgement
John Hick – Universalism
```
61
Is a loving God right to judge the actions of human beings? Does judgement (in particular punishment) fit with the understanding that God is all-loving?, who says no?
Hume and Mackie – Inconsistent triad
JSM – The world is not just
Rowe – Evidential problem of evil (unnecessary evil)
Moral weakness Augustine – undeserved punishment
62
What are some other problems caused by omnibenevolence?
.John Mackie – inconsistent triad
.William Rowe – evidential problem of evil
.John Stuart Mill – poor design
.John Hick – soul making theory suggests God allows suffering to occur
63
Is it possible, or necessary, to resolve apparent conflict between the divine attributes? (Kierkegaard)
.Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard thinks not
.Unlike other scholars who look for solutions, he simply accepts that God is byon human understanding meaning that not understanding God causes no problems
64
Kierkegaard quote for attributes of God, latin and english
.Credo quia absurdum – ‘I believe because it is absurd’
65
Is it possible, or necessary, to resolve apparent conflicts between the divine attributes? Rene Descartes View
Yes
.Rene Descartes – It is possible due to God’s divine power
.Gods power means he is able to do anything including the logically impossible, for example, it appears logically impossible for God to perform certain miracles as they go against the laws of nature
.But imagine God as a video game designer, he can change the rules of his game to suit him, much like God can with the world as he created it
.God is not just the creator of the world but of the laws of logic and mathematics as well, God can do whatever God wants to o even if were unable to understand it
66
Is it possible, or necessary, to resolve apparent conflicts between the divine attributes? Boethius and Anselm view
Yes
.Boethius and Anselm would both argue that the divine attribute of omniscience does not cause problems for human freedom
.God has no foreknowledge as God is eternal
.God does not know the future, God just knows everything including all history as in a single glance
.Augustine supported this view and argues that God simply knows our choices (De Libero Arbitrio)
.For Boethius, God knows everything that is true, but God, being eternal, does not know things at a particular time or in an order through history – God simply knows eternally
67
Is it possible, or necessary, to resolve apparent conflicts between the divine attributes? Richard Swinburne view
Yes
.Richard Swinburne believes that God is everlasting rather than timeless, this makes it so time passes and God learns of the future as it unfolds
.The past is closed and unchangeable, and the future is open and not necessary
.What happens in the future may depend on events that are occurring now but what exactly will happen in the future remains open
.Luis Molina has suggested that God’s omniscience includes all possibilities of the future, in this sense there is no conflict with God’s omniscience
68
Is it possible, or necessary, to resolve apparent conflicts between the divine attributes? Kierkegaard view
No
Kierkegaard – Danish philosopher who celebrated the puzzles, paradoxes and conflicts between our different ideas about God
.He said these were not evidence against God, but FOR God
.Kierkegaard liked a quote from Tertullian, who had similar thinking to him on this topic:
Credo quia absurdum
‘I believe because it is absurd’
69
Is it possible, or necessary, to resolve apparent conflicts between the divine attributes? Evil and suffering argument
No
Evil and Suffering –
1. If God is omnipotent, why does he not prevent evil and suffering?
2. If God is omniscient, would he not have known that evil and suffering would have occurred?
3. If God is omnibenevolent would he not want to remove evil and suffering?
4. Therefore God is either not omnibenevolent, omniscient, omnipotent, or as Hume suggests, he does no exist
70
Is it possible, or necessary, to resolve apparent conflicts between the divine attributes? Free will argument
No
Free will –
.The most significant challenge to Gods omniscience
.Omniscience implies that God knows what I’m doing at 10 and at 11 and at the times in between
.Boethius says that God takes in all of history at a single glance, this suggests that God knows what I’m doing at 10 and knows the decision I will make at 10:30 before I have even made it
.If this is correct it means I don’t really have a real choice as God already knows what I will do
.Can we have genuine human freedom if God has unlimited omniscience?
71
In Judeo-Christian philosophy, the concept of God being eternal can have two senses, what are they?
Divine eternity (timelessness) and Divine action in time (everlasting)
72
What is divine eternity?
Divine eternity (timelessness) refers to God existing outside of time and space, this is often referred to as God being a transcendent being. To be transcendent means that God exists above and beyond the physical world.
73
What is divine action in time?
2. Divine action in time (everlasting) refers to God having no beginning and no end, but time does pass for God. This is often referred to as God being an immanent being, to be immanent means that God exists within us, within the universe and is very much part of our time.
74
.Christian Philosophers use the word ‘simple’ as a description of God
.By ‘simple’, philosophers are referring to what?
the traditional way in which God was thought of as not being changeable and not having parts or characteristics
75
.St Augustine commented that God is ________ and thus cannot lose or gain any _________
Unchangeable
| Characteristics
76
.St Thomas Aquinas spoke of God as being simple as God signifies ___________
‘being/existing’
77
.By saying that God is ‘simple’ philosophers are saying three things about God, what are they?
God is God (perfect)
God is immutable (unchanging)
God is immaterial
78
What does God is God (perfect) mean?
God cannot be broken down or explained in terms of parts
Philosophers like Aquinas say that God’s nature and God’s existence are the same thing because to talk of God is to talk of a being that exists
Much like in the ontological argument, Anselm claims that existence is a predicate of God
Anselm refers to God as ‘That than which nothing greater can be conceived’ which implies that God must exist in reality, as if he did not then by nature of the definition, God would not be the greatest being
79
What does God is immutable (unchanging) mean?
God is unchanging because change involves movement from being one thing to being another
Because God is perfect, God lacks nothing and is not capable of changing into something else and remaining perfect
Christian philosophers have argued that only something unchanging can logically be the cause of the created world that changes
Brain Davies ‘If something changeable accounted for there being a world in which change occurs, it would be part of such a world and could not, therefore, account for it’
Davies is claiming that anything that changes is part of the world and not distinct from it, as God is
80
What does God is immaterial mean?
As argued by Aquinas and many other scholars
God does not have a body which has characteristics
God simply is God
Linked to Aquinas’ argument of a necessary being – a being separate from time and space
81
What analogy dos Boethius use that Aquinas will later use?
God is like the centre of a circle and time is the circumference, all of the circumference is equally present to the centre
82
How are Anselm's views similar and different to Boethius?
.Boethius says that God’s ways of knowing are different from our ways of knowing
.Anselm’s views are very similar, but he is even more clearly and emphatically a four-dimensionalist (although that is a modern term he does not use)
83
What is Four-Dimensionalism ?
.Modern physics does not usually talk about time and space as separate, instead they are combined in something called space-time
.Time becomes the fourth-dimension, and the other dimensions are length, breadth and height
.According to modern four-dimensionalism, all of time is equally real – the future equally exists in a 4d block along with the past and present
.This is sometimes called the block universe understanding of time
.It is this 4d idea that Anselm is trying to get across in his views on God’s eternity and its relationship to time
84
Explain how God views time according to Anselm
.In one of Anselm’s books, Monologium, he argues that God is in all of space and time, but is not confined to just there
.In other words, he is ‘outside’ this as well since he is transcendent
.Because God is present to each time and place and also outside all of time and place, he can view all events that occur in time and place and know them immediately
.He sees the battle of waterloo (which is the past for us) while also timelessly seeing any future battles (which as far as we are concerned do not exist yet)
.They are not in the future to God as they are present to the whole of time and space (or space-time)
.God’s eternity (his being present to all time and outside of all time) means that he has a unique perspective
85
Finish the Anselm quote, ‘For eternity (God’s perspective) has its own unique simultaneity in which ...
... exists all the things that exist at the same time or place, and whatever exists in the different places and times’
86
What is Anselm’s View of God’s Eternity and its Relationship to Human Freedom?
.Anselm’s solution to the problem of human freedom is similar to Boethius’
.How can we be free if what we do tomorrow is already seen by God? Gods knowledge of the future threatens to take away our freedom
.Anselm says that God does know today what you will choose tomorrow, but says that this knowledge is no threat to freedom because God knows in a different, timeless way
.God knows because God ‘sees’ you do it from his eternal perspective
.He sees the whole of time because time is a four dimensional block with all-time being equally real
.As we saw, God’s seeing something from his present eternal moment is no threat to freedom
.To put it another way, what God sees is a result of our free choice
.It is not God that makes Donna eat an apple, but it is Donna eating an apple which makes God see it, if she had eaten a pear then God would have seen, in this other reality, Donna eating a pear
.In this world, the 4d block of all time, God sees what people actually decide to do
87
Anselms beliefs about God and time and human freedom simply put
.Boethius’s views and Anselm’s views are very similar, but Anselm has a more obvious 4d understanding of time
.A 4d understanding of time means that all of time is equally real, all of time is laid out like a block
.God is outside the block as well as within the block and can see it all from his timeless perspective
.Anselm says that God knows what you will do tomorrow because every moment is present to God when he looks at the 4d block
.It is your chosen, free actions in the block which enables God to see them, not the other way round, so there is no threat to freedom from God’s knowledge of your free actions
88
Finish the Aquinas quote, 'He who goes along the road does not see those who come after him; ...
... hereas he who sees the whole road from a height sees at once all those travelling it'
89
How to Include Simple ? (different scholars views on it)
* If we accept Richard Swinburne and Nicholas Wolterstorff’s view of divinity and time then we cannot accept that God is simple. This is because God exists within time and has limited omniscience.
* Boethius, Anselm and Aquinas all argue that God is simple which means perfect, immutable and immaterial. However, if God acts in time as Swinburne suggests then God cannot be perfect and must change.
* If God is in time and time passes for God then he will learn new things. A perfect being cannot learn. If God reacts and responds then he changes which a simple being cannot do.
* Therefore, if we accept that God is simple then the timeless approach of Boethius, Anselm and Aquinas has to be accepted. God has unlimited omniscience but does not impact upon human freedom.
90
.According to Boethius, eternity is what?
'the whole, simultaneous and perfect possession of unending life’
91
.Boethius is saying that God’s life is not only endless, but that it is ...
... not like physical life as it does not involve change and as it does not involve experiencing life as a series of events one following the other
92
For God, there is no past, present and future
| .Instead, God exists _____ and all of time is present to God at the same time
eternally
93
.God does not see the future as it happens; instead, Boethius argued that all time is present to God ____________
‘simultaneously’
94
Finish this quote from Boethius, Consolation of Philosophy, ‘God ponders all things as if they were enacted in the present ...
... Hence your judgement will be more correct should you seek to envisage the foresight by which God discerns all things not as a sort of foreknowledge of the future, but as knowledge of the unceasing present moment.’
95
.Boethius argues that God sees everything in ‘one glance’, explain this in terms of a film
.If time was like a film, Boethius believes that God would not see the film from start to end but see it all at the same time in ‘one glance’
96
The reason why Boethius believes God is eternal is because ...
... God is simple and hence does not learn new things and time does not pass for God
97
Finish the quote from Boethius, Consolation of Philosophy, 'And God possesses this present instant comprehension of and sight of ...
... all things not from the issuing of future events but from his own simplicity’
98
.Boethius asks the question how can there by human freedom if God knows all past, present and future? How does he assert that free will must be true?
.He asserts that there must indeed be free will as no rational nature could exist without it
.Judgement and the ability to choose are inherit in a rational nature
.The more rational a person is, and the more they choose virtue and the pursuit of true happiness in God, the freer that person is
.If a person is wicked or enslaved to vice, that person becomes progressively less and less free, and controlled by vice and error
99
How does Boethius argue that God does not influence free will?
.The mind of God knows everything that has occurred, past and present
.Just because God knows what a person with free will is going to choose, doesn’t mean that he directed it
.God knows all things before they happen, but he doesn’t interfere with the free will of human beings
.God does not ‘know’ the world in the same way that human beings do
.God is outside of time, so he doesn’t view the world in a progression of events
.For God, no future event is uncertain, no past event forgotten
.God knows the world in one single act, which include knowledge of all the choices of all human beings from the beginning of the world to the end
.Therefore he doesn’t influence these choices, but he knew of them as part of the whole foreknowledge of the world perceived in one single instance
100
Overview of Boethius’ Beliefs around the Nature of God
God is changeless
God does not exist in time
God’s life is without beginning or end
Past, present and future don’t apply to God
All of time is simultaneously present to God
God is simple so doesn’t learn anything new
He sees all of time in ‘one glance’
God is a transcendent being – he does not know time as we know it
101
The BASICS of what does Swinburne think of human freedom and God's omniscience
.Swinburne thinks that God limits his omniscience if God makes beings with free will
.Swinburne argues that God cannot foreknow genuine free future actions
102
.If an action is genuinely free, then, it cannot be necessary, explain why?
.If I blink when a piece of dust goes into my eye, no one can blame me because it is physically necessary
.A genuine free action cannot be one where it was physically necessary, there has to be chance or opportunity to do something else
103
.Can God know yesterday what you are freely going to do today?
.Could God use the laws of physics to work out what you will do tomorrow?
What would Swinburne think?
.No, says Swinburne, since then the action would be one which is physically necessary
.It would not be free, it would be like a reflex action, one that simply obeyed the laws of cause and effect
.Genuine free actions cannot be predicted with any certainty since they are ones that do not obey the laws of physics
.They are ones where there was a genuine chance of something else happening
104
Swibnburne, .If God makes free creatures God limits his omniscience since ...
... he is making creatures that do not simply obey the laws of physics
105
Swinburne, .He deliberately makes unpredictable beings who are ‘outside’ the normal laws of nature in some sense, this means God ...
... denies himself the knowledge of what they will do
106
Swinburne, what does God know of the future?
.He can know much of the future, those events that obey the laws of physics, but in making free creatures he makes beings who are outside his predictions
107
.The reason that Swinburne does not use the same solutions as Anselm and Boethius is that ...
... Swinburne rejects the idea that God is outside of time
| .Swinburne thinks that God is in time like we are, but unlike us he never begun to exist and never will cease to exist
108
What does Swinburne believe about God's interaction with time?
.Swinburne believes that God is everlasting
.This means that he is in time but can neither be created or destroyed
.He lasts for all of time without end
.Swinburne rejects the idea that God is outside of time as he thinks the idea that everything happens simultaneously for God makes no sense
.He also thinks that the Bible reveals a God who is in time who interacts with human affairs
109
.What knowledge does an everlasting God have?
.As God is in time, going along the timeline with us, the future is not real for God
.In fact, Swinburne believes that the future does not exist yet in any sense
.The events of tomorrow are not real for anyone, including God
.We have to wait till tomorrow for the events of tomorrow to become real
.God can know things if they obey the laws of physics, but he cannot know genuinely free actions since they do not yet exist in any sense and are not physically necessary
.He has to find out what you will do tomorrow when tomorrow comes
.God could override your freedom tomorrow and make you decide to do certain things, but Swinburne thinks that this divine taking over must be limited in extent if God is going to respect our freedom
.Like us, God has to find out about future free actions
.He limits his omniscience by making beings who do simply obey the laws of physics
110
Swinburne’s Views on Omniscience and Human Freedom in a Nutshell
.Swinburne argues that God has limited omniscience because he has made free beings
.This means that he cannot know infallibly what you will do tomorrow because what you freely do tomorrow cannot be necessary
.Swinburne cannot use the option that future events are present to God’s timeless eternity since he thinks that God is in time
.God is everlasting and not timelessly eternal
.A timelessly eternal God would have all of time at once, Swinburne thinks this makes no sense
.Swinburne says that the Bible reveals a God who is in time and who interacts with his creation
.The future does not exist yet, and God has to wait until the events become real in order to know them
111
Swinburne, finish the quote “In my opinion the timeless view is incompatible with ...
... everything else that religious believers have wanted to say about God”.
112
Swinburne believes that God does exist within time and that time passes for God because God is ...
... ‘reactive and responsive’.
113
Swinburne, finish the quote “Humans sin, God becomes angry, Humans repent and God forgives ...
... This shows that God responds to the actions of humans.”
114
Nicholas Wolterstorff, how can he be used to support Swinburne and his views on omniscience and human free will
.In his famous 1975 paper “God is ‘everlasting’, not ‘eternal’”, Nicholas Wolterstorff argues for a non-classical view of God along the lines of ‘immanent’
.A point he makes is that the Christian tradition has been too often wedded to Greek understandings of God’s eternity derived from Plato and others and not taken seriously enough the Biblical picture of God. They simply do not teach that God is ontologically immutable
115
Wolterstorff, finish the quote, “It is not because he is outside of time that we worship and obey God. It is because ...
... of what he can and does bring about within time that we obey him.”
116
Examples to Support Swinburne (everlasting God
Genesis 3
23 So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.
Exodus: Parting of Red Sea
Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided.
New Testament: Jesus
40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
117
Swinburne –
“To think of a God unmoved by the prayers of those who suffer seems to be a denial of faith”
explain
Prayer is to develop a relationship with God. If God is timeless then this relationship is impossible. Swinburne is arguing that the God of Christianity is a God that is reactive and responsive. If God exists outside of time then God can't answer prayers and we have no relationship.
118
Barth –
‘God’s revelation through Jesus Christ as mediated in the Bible must be our focus.’
explain
In other words, the belief in Jesus as the Son of God is a case of God acting intentionally and decisively in human history. Christians believe Jesus is the 'Incarnation' which means 'God made flesh'. This shows clearly that God exists in time.
119
Finish the Boethius quote 'There seems to be a considerable contradiction and inconsistency ...
... between God’s foreknowledge and the existence of any free will’
120
Who's ideas did Boethius develop?
.Boethius took Aristotle and Augustine, developed their ideas and passed them on to Aquinas
121
.’God is eternal’ has two meanings, what are they?
- God is non-temporal or timeless
| - God has no beginning and no end; God has always existed and will continue to exist forever
122
What is Boethius' view of God's relationship with time?
.Boethius believes that God is non-temporal or timeless
.Boethius says God lacks a life lived moment to moment
.God has no before or after, no history or biography, God just ‘is’ (Simple God)
123
Who defends Boethius view on divine eternity?
.This classical view of God has been defended by the likes of Augustine, Anselm, Aquinas, Descartes and Calvin
124
Finish the Anselm quote 'Yesterday and today and tomorrow are completely in time; however, ...
... you, though nothing can be without you, and nevertheless not in place or time but all things are in you. For nothing contains you, but you contain all things.’
125
.There are two basic views when it comes to God’s relationship with time, what are they?
- God is eternal timeless, outside of time and sees our past, present and future simultaneously, this is called the block universe view
- God is eternal everlasting, involved in our time, present to it, engaged with it, this is the unfolding universe (presentist) view
126
Finish the Genesis quote 'In the beginning ...
... God created the heavens and the earth’
127
Those who believe in an eternal timeless God tend to see God as immutable, meaning that?
he is not affected by the goings on in the unfolding life of the cosmos
128
.Those who believe in an eternal everlasting God tend to speak of God as reactive and responsive, it follows that God can be?
influenced and affected by events in the universe
129
What is the Block Universe, who is it accepted by?
.Accepted by Boethius, Augustine, Anselm and Aquinas
.God is outside of time, looking down from eternity, onto the whole of created history all at once
.God knows all things absolutely truthfully
130
What is the unfolding universe?
.God must know the world according to its developing nature
.God will know events in succession or chronologically
.Requires the acceptance of God as everlasting and immanent in the universe
.The creator will know every event of creation exactly as and when it happens
131
.In his 1975 paper ‘God is ‘everlasting’, not ‘eternal’’, Nicholas Wolterstorff argues for a non-classical view of God along the lines of ‘immanent’
.He believes that ...
... the Christian tradition has been too often webbed to Greek understandings of God’s eternity derived from Plato and others and not taken seriously enough the Biblical picture of God
132
.Wolterstorff’s final paragraph from 'God is ‘everlasting’, not ‘eternal’’?
- ‘Though God is within time, yet he is Lord of time. The whole array of contingent temporal events is within his power … It is not because he is outside of time – eternal, immutable, impassive – that we are to worship and obey God. It is because of what he can and does bring about within time that we mortals are to render him praise and obedience.’
133
.All Christians accept that people have free will, what is free will?
we can decide to do things freely without God controlling all our actions
134
What is the analogy of the woodman using a saw to cut wood?
.In the analogy of the woodman using the saw to cut the wood, the saw has no free will, it is just an inanimate bit of metal and wood and cannot do anything on its own, to do its job it must have an external power source, God must be the ‘battery’ which powers the saw to do its job, but what if the saw had free will? Could its free will be entirely powered by God, or would it have to have its own power source so to speak?
135
What is the analogy of the shooting (in relation to free will)?
.Imagine a shooting where someone is killed, everyone clearly saw that John pulled the trigger of the gun, who is to blame for the killing? John or the gun? Could John use the primary and secondary distinction and say that it was the gun that killed the man? He might say that it is just as much true to say that the man was killed by the bullet and the gun as it was to say he was killed by John. After all, the bullet truly kills the man. It is therefore the bullets fault. But surely this defence is wrong
136
What conclusion can be drawn from the shooting analogy (in relation to free will)?
.The conclusion to draw from this analogy is clear to process theologians, if God gives us free will, this means that we can do things entirely on our own in the sense that no one else is responsible, this is exactly what they think happened in creation, God deliberately lost some of his power by giving people in the world free will, now they have the ability to go against God, and this is entirely due to themselves rather than God
137
How is human free will shown through Adam and Eve?
.Imagine Adam and Eve freely picking the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, God could have interfered at precisely the right moment so they chose differently, God has the power to do so, and is omnipotent in a genuine sense, but he chooses not to do so since he gives Adam and Eve their own independent power of choice, God limits himself by not interfering in the processes of creation because he respects the freedom that agents have as independent centres of activity
138
What do process theologians believe about the primary and secondary distinction in relation to free will?
.According to process theologians, we cannot use primary and secondary distinction here since God gives us the power to be the primary cause of our own actions
.In other words, our free actions cannot be secondary causes; they have to primary
.This they claim is what free will means – the power to be prime (first) starter of your own actions
.They might agree that God is the primary cause of everything else, but insist that free actions are caused directly by the agent who decides what the action will be
.In this approach, God limits himself in creation by making people who have genuine free will – who are the first prime causers of their actions
139
.God is commonly portrayed as being ‘eternal’
| .There is more than one way to understand the concept of ‘eternal’, what are the two ways?
.On the one hand, God may be thought of as ‘everlasting’ which means that God has existed though all of time
.On the other hand, God may be thought of as ‘timeless’ which means that God exists outside of time, unconstrained by the process of cause and effect
140
.The Christian belief that God is eternal was strongly influenced by the philosophy of ______, who argued that God is changeless and does not exist in time
Boethius
141
.According to Boethius, eternity is ‘the whole, simultaneous ...
... and perfect possession of unending life’
142
.Boethius is saying that God’s life is not only endless but that it is ...
... not like physical life as it does not involve change and as it does not experience life as a series of events one following the other
.Humans live life successively or chronologically, whereas God exists timelessly free from its trappings
143
.Boethius argued that God’s life is limitless and that God possesses the whole of his/her life eternally without end
.For God, there is no ______, ________ and _______ instead God exists eternally and all of time is present to God at the same time
past, present and future
144
.God does not see the future as it happens, instead Boethius argues that all time is present to God ___________
‘simultaneously’
145
What is Boethius' idea is partially divided from?
the characteristics of God being omniscient even though we retain free will
.If God exists outside of time, then God can observe all events throughout the course of our history as if they were simultaneous
.Thus, God knows what our future holds without also affecting our present – or our free will
146
Finish the Thomas Aquinas quote and explain it - ‘He who goes along the road does not see those who come after him; ...
... whereas he who sees the whole road from a height sees at once all those travelling it.’
.A timeless God is thought to observe the entire course of history at once, just as a person might observe the events along the entire course of road at once
147
How does the greek philosophy influence God's eternal nature?
.A more important basis for defining ‘eternal’ as ‘timeless’ is the ancient Greek idea that a perfect God must also be an immutable God
.Perfection does not allow for change, but change is a necessary consequence of any person who experiences the changing circumstances of the historical process
.According to Greek philosophy, especially that found in the Neoplatonism which would play an important role in the development of Christian theology, the ‘most real being’ was that which existed perfectly and changelessly beyond the troubles and concerns of our world
148
Explain the everlasting God and why it is more popular?
.Eternal in the sense of everlasting presumes a God who is part of and acts within history
.Such a God exists through the course of time like other persons and things, but unlike other persons and things such a God has no beginning and no end
.An everlasting God cannot know the details of our future actions and choices without impinging upon our free will
.Despite that difficulty however, the concept of ‘everlasting’ has tended to be more popular among average believers and even many philosophers because it is easier to comprehend and because it is more compatible with the religious experiences and traditions of many people
149
What are some arguments for that God exists in time?
.For example, he is thought to be alive, but lives are a series of events and events must occur in some temporal framework
.Also, God acts and causes things to happen, but actions are events and causation is linked to events, which are rooted in time
150
.The attribute of ‘eternal’ is one of those where the conflict between the Greek and Jewish heritage of philosophical theism is most obvious, how?
.Both Jewish and Christian scriptures point to a God who is everlasting, acting in human history, and very much capable of change
.Christian and Neoplatonic theology on the other hand is often committed to a God who is so ‘perfect’ and so far beyond the type of existence we understand that it is no longer recognizable
151
Definition of omnipotence –
Descartes’ Idea: God can do anything including the logically impossible
advantages
Makes God seem more powerful, he creates not only the world but all of the laws of mathematics and logic
Everything depends upon God’s will
God is the designer and creator of the universe, it is logical for God to be able to control the universe as he sees fit
152
Definition of omnipotence –
Descartes’ Idea: God can do anything including the logically impossible
Disadvantages
Logically impossible tasks like ‘making a round square’ are meaningless strings of words which appear to make sense but don’t, there’s no limitation on God if he cannot do nonsense
We cannot talk or think about God at all since now he is beyond any rational reach
Most theists have rejected Descartes’ idea, it makes God incomprehensible (we can’t understand what God is)
153
Definition of omnipotence - Can God sin?
Yes, he can, but won’t
Advantages
More straightforward in keeping with the idea of omnipotence as able to do anything that is logically impossible
God is praiseworthy as he consistently refuses to sin
154
Definition of omnipotence - Can God sin?
Yes, he can, but won’t
DIsAdvantages
Sin is an error or weakness, God cannot be in error or weak which means he is not all powerful
It seems that God can be tempted, surely this is a weak God
155
Definition of omnipotence - Can God sin?
No, he can't
DIsAdvantages
Why praise God for being good when he cannot help it?
| It is strange to say that God is able to do anything which is logically possible except for sin
156
Definition of omnipotence - Can God sin?
No, he can't
Advantages
We can trust God absolutely and without reservation
| God has no weaknesses and is completely reliable
157
Does God limit himself in Creation? –
Aquinas vs. Hartshorne
Aquinas advantages
God is just as omnipotent before and after creation
| God is the primary cause of all that happens and exists, but trees really do things as well
158
Does God limit himself in Creation? –
Aquinas vs. Hartshorne
Aquinas disadvantages
If God is the primary cause of everything, then how can there be free will?
How can there be evil in the world if everything’s primary cause is God? Is God responsible for evil?
159
Does God limit himself in Creation? –
Aquinas vs. Hartshorne
Hartshorne disadvantages
Everything is too independent of God is they have their own genuine powers
God might seem less than God if he imposes limitation on himself
160
Does God limit himself in Creation? –
Aquinas vs. Hartshorne
Hartshorne advantages
God leaves room for creatures to be independent of God
| Free will seems to require that people are primary causers rather than secondary causers of their own actions
161
Problem of Foreknowledge, Free Will and Omniscience –
Boethius’ Solution –
advantages
God is present to the whole of history and sees everything all at once
No past moment is lost to God, he continues to be present to all time timelessly
God can ‘know’ future actions by being present to them, this keeps God fully omniscient
162
Problem of Foreknowledge, Free Will and Omniscience –
Boethius’ Solution –
Disadvantages
Is a timeless God really comprehensible?
Can a God outside of time be one who interacts with the world like the God of the Bible?
Seeing all of history at once does not make sense
163
Problem of Foreknowledge, Free Will and Omniscience –
Anselms’ Solution –
Disadvantages
Is a timeless God really comprehensible?
Can a God outside of time be one who interacts with the world like the God of the Bible?
Seeing all of history all at once does not make sense
164
Problem of Foreknowledge, Free Will and Omniscience –
Anselms’ Solution –
Advantages
God is present to the whole of history, and sees everything all at once
No past moment is lost to God, he continues to be present to all time timelessly
God can ‘know’ future actions by being present to them, this keeps God fully omniscient
Anselm’s four dimensionalism where all of time equally real fits with modern physics’ idea that all of time is a four dimensional block called space-time
165
Problem of Foreknowledge, Free Will and Omniscience –
Swinburnes’ Solution –
Advantages
God is in time, so he seems closer and less distant than a timeless God
The Biblical God does not seem outside of time
It is easier to see how we can have free will if God cannot infallibly know our future actions because he chooses to limit himself to limited omniscience
166
Problem of Foreknowledge, Free Will and Omniscience –
Swinburnes’ Solution –
Disadvantages
Is God too much like one of us and so not worthy of worship?
God cannot know future free actions, this seems to condemn God to ignorance and he does not seem truly omniscient
Creation has a lot of risks if God does not know what we are going to do, is God completely sovereign here?
167
Finish the Aquinas quote 'Nothing which implies contradiction ...
... falls under the omnipotence of God’
168
Finish the Descartes quote ‘I do not think that we should ever say ...
... of anything that it cannot be brought about by God’
169
Boethius believed God is immutable, what does this mean?
unchanging, can’t learn anything new
170
In Judaeo-Christian philosophy the concept of God being eternal can have two meanings, what are they?
1. Divine Eternity (timelessness) refers to God existing outside of time and space, God is a transcendent being
2. Divine action in time (everlasting) refers to God having no beginning and no end, but time does pass for God (God is in time), God is an immanent being
171
What does immanent meant?
in your face, in time, interactive
172
What ways can the phrase 'God is simple' be viewed?
God is God
God is immutable
God is immaterial
173
What does God is God mean?
.God is by definition perfect
.He cannot not exist
.For something to be perfect it has to be real
.’God is that than which nothing greater can be conceived’
.Aquinas and Anselm believe that if you accept the definition of God then logically God exists
.Another word for God being simple is God is perfect
174
What does God is immutable mean?
.God cannot change
.If something is perfect it has no reason to change
.Only something changing can logically be the cause of the created world that changes
.Brian Davies, ‘If something changeable accounted for their being a world in which change occurs, it would be part of such a world and could not, therefore, account for it.’
175
What does God is immaterial mean?
.If God was material he would change
.If God is perfect he cannot change so logically cannot be material
.God does not have a body which has characteristics
.God simply is God
176
Finish the Aquinas quote, ‘He who goes along the road does not ...
... see those who come after him; whereas he who sees the whole road from a height sees at once all those travelling it.’
177
- If we accept Swinburne and Wolterstorff’s view of divinity and time then we cannot accept that God is simple, why?
because God exists within time and has limited omniscience
178
- Boethius, Anselm and Aquinas all argue that God is simple which means perfect, immutable and immaterial
However, if God acts in time as Swinburne suggests then
what?
God cannot be perfect and must change
179
- If God is in time and time passes for God then he will learn new things, why is this a problem?
A perfect being cannot learn
| If God reacts and response the he changes which a simple being cannot do
180
if we accept that God is simple then the timeless approach of Boethius, Anselm and Aquinas has to be accepted
God has unlimited omniscience but
what?
does not impact upon human freedom
181
Finish the swinburne quote ‘Humans sin, God becomes ...
... angry, Humans repent and God forgives. This shows that God responds to the actions of humans.’
182
Finish the swinburne quote ‘In my opinion the timeless view is ...
... incompatible with everything else that religious believers wanted to say about God’.
183
Finish the swinburne quote God is ‘reactive ...
... and responsive’
