The Concept Of God

Question 1

Omniscient - contradicts with Free Will?

Answer 1

No, “possible to know”
No, atemporal (outside time). Sees all as now (CS Lewis, Boethius’ circle)

Question 2

Omnipotence - Paradox of the stone + Responses

Answer 2

P1 If God can create an immovable stone, then God cannot move it
P2 If God can move the immovable stone, then God cannot create it
C1 Either way, there’s something God cannot do.
C2 Therefore, God is not Omnipotent.

—> Mavrodes - Argues omnipotence in creating is possible, and so is lifting. By combining both, God remains powerful enough to do both.

—> Savage - Above concept is still self-contradictory. But, specifying God, “Nothing is impossible for God”, He can create at one moment, then lift the next.

Question 3

Omnibenevolence - Euthyphro Dilemma (Plato) + Response

Answer 3

= God is perfectly good
Is something good because God said it to be good (arbitrary)? Or is it good because it is inherently good (not omnipotent)?

—> Morality is justifiably grounded in God’s love

Question 4

Omnipresence - Stump and Kretzmann + Boethius’ circle

Answer 4

Boethius’ circle = Human beings’ time as point in circumference. Eternal being at centre, seeing all simultaneously.
T-Simultaneity - Temporal, within time (humans)
E-Similtaneity - Atemporal/Eternal, outside time (God)

Question 5

Plantinga’s Free Will Defence

Answer 5

P1 A world of significantly free creatures > a world without significantly feee creatures.
P2 God can create significantly free creatures.
P3 To be significantly free = able to decide bw good and bad.
P4 If significantly free creatures were caused to do only good, then they would not be free.
C Therefore, God cannot cause significantly free creatures to do only what is right.