the concept and nature of God

Question 1

omnipotent

Answer 1

having perfect power, often defined as having the ability to do anything it is possible to do

Question 2

omniscient

Answer 2

having perfect knowledge, often defined as knowing everything that it is possible to know

Question 3

omnibenevolent

Answer 3

being perfectly or supremely good, often defined as being perfectly morally good

Question 4

everlasting

Answer 4

god exists within time
temporal being

Question 5

eternal

Answer 5

god exists outside of time
atemporal being, timeless

Question 6

the paradox of the stone

Answer 6

• can god create a stone that he can’t life? if the answer is no then God cannot create the stone
• if the answer is yes then God cannot lift the stone
  > either way there is something that God cannot do, so God can’t be omnipotent
  » no being can be omnipotent, the concept of an omnipotent being is incoherent, because no being could have the powers to create a stone it can’t lift and to lift that stone

Question 7

the euthyphro dilema

Answer 7

the relationship between God and morality is one of two options
1. morality is independent of what God wills, to be good, Gods will must conform to something independent of God, God wills what is morally right because it is right
2. Morality is whatever God wills, what is morally right is right because God wills it

> if the second option is the case then morality is independent of God, which challenges his omnipotence because he’s not powerful enough to make moral wrongs good

> > if the first option is true, then God created morality then whatever God says can be true, but then why does God say some things are bad compared to others, challenges his omnibenevolence

Question 8

the compatibility of the existence of an omniscient God and free human beings

Answer 8

p1. for me to do an action freely, i must be able to do it or refrain from doing it
p2. if god knows what i will do before i do it, then it must be true that i will do that action
c1. therefore, it cannot be true that God knows what i will do before i do it and be true that i dont do that action
p3. if it is true that i will do that action, then nothing i can do prevents it from coming true in the future that i am doing that action
c2. therefore, if god knows what i will do before i do it, then i cannot refrain from doing that action in the future
c3. therefore, if god knows what i will do before i do it, then that action is not free