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philosophy > nature of god > Flashcards

nature of god Flashcards

1
Q

2 ideas on the problems of omnipotence

A
  • If God can do anything, can he make a 5 sided triangle ?
  • can God change the past? one scenario raised by Michael Dummett concerns hearing on the news that the ship your loved one was on sank two hours ago with few survivors. Does it make sense to pray in that situation ? could God ch age what happened if is your loved one already safe because God knew that you would pray ?
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2
Q

define paradox

A

a situation where two contradictory statements both appear true

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3
Q

define coherence

A

making attributes work together somehow

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4
Q

define omnipotence

A

all powerful

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5
Q

explain the idea ‘can God make a stone too heavy for him to lift ?’

A
  • if God can create a stone that is too heavy to lift then he is limited and not all powerful as he cannot lift it
  • however, if God can’t make a stone that is too heavy for him to lift then again he is limited
  • maybe God has the power to do anything but he limits himself
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6
Q

4 ideas on biblical views of omnipotence

A
  • the creation is an example of gods omnipotence
  • Jesus said ‘with men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible’
  • miracles is another example of gods omnipotence
  • ‘nothing is impossible with God ‘ Luke 137
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7
Q

explain Descartes view on ‘God can do all things’

A
  • God could change the fundamental laws of physics which apply universally
  • he thought that omnipotence meant God had no limitations
  • argued that God must be omnipotent in the sense of being able to do even the logically impossible, because God has all the perfect ions so therefore he has no limitations
  • this mean that God can create a stone too heavy for himself to lift
  • argued that the laws of mathematics only exist in the way that they do because God created them that way and God can overdo them whenever he likes
  • he rejects other limitations of omnipotence as it limits God
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8
Q

two criticisms of Descartes ideas on ‘God can do all things’

A
  • saying God can do the logically impossible doesn’t actually refer to anything as there is no thing which is logically impossible
  • considering the evil in the world, if God had the power to stop if but chooses not to, what kind of God is he ?
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9
Q

criticism of Descartes from J.L. Mackie

A

-stated that the idea of something being logically impossible was ‘only a form of wonder which fails to describe any state of affairs ‘

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10
Q

explain kenny’s argument for ‘God can do anything that is logically possible for God to do ‘

A
  • God is limited
  • God can do anything which is logically possible for a being with the attributes of God to have

weakness = he isn’t really saying anything. He is effectively saying that God can do all things that God can do

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11
Q

explain Plantinga’s argument for ‘God can do anything that is logically possible for God to do ‘

A
  • argued that an omnipotent being may not have omnipotence as a necessary quality
  • he may choose to limit his powers in certain circumstances in order to preserve human free will
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12
Q

explain Anselm’s argument for ‘God can do anything that is logically possible for God to do ‘

A
  • omnipotence means that God has unlimited power

- God could lie but he wouldn’t lie as this would clash with his omnibenevolence

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13
Q

explain George Maurodes suggested solution to the paradoxes

A
  • if the task is defined as ‘to create a stone that God cannot lift’ and God by definition, is a being of unlimited power, this would make the idea of a stone he cannot lift self contradictory
  • so to create a stone too heavy to lift is a logical impossibility for an all powerful being
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14
Q

explain the idea that God is timeless

A
  • God stands outside of time and that all time is equally present to him.
  • past, present and future are all alike to him
  • this is known as atemporal or eternal
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15
Q

explain the idea that God is everlasting

A
  • within time
  • moves along the same timeline as us but doesn’t begin or end
  • sempitermal
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16
Q

Issues with God as eternal

A
  • if God is outside of time that how can be interact with us ?
  • if God is timeless can he predict the future or change the past ?
  • problem of incarnation of Jesus. if God is outside of time then how can Jesus be in our time.
  • if God is inside time then why doesn’t he stop evil
  • if God is outside of time then is there any point of partying r
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17
Q

explain Boethius’ ideas on the eternity of God

A
  • “eternity is the simultaneous possession of boundless life which is made clearer by comparison with temporal things”
  • gods time is different to ours. We experience time as events going along a timeline but God sees time as everything happening at the same time. God sees everything in the presence and as a single moment (eternal presence). God is timeless
  • we are temporal beings. We can remember parts of the past but not the future. God is looking down on us, he can see our whole lives.
  • anything that exists in time cannot be eternal as it doesn’t embrace the infinity of life all at once. Therefore, God isn’t everlasting because God can’t be eternal if he can only experience the past and present- God is better than this.
  • our choice can’t be change. Suggest that life is pre determined. This counters with free will
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18
Q

3 issues raised by Boethius’ ideas on the eternity of God

A
  • prayer is going to be a problem. Can’t ask God for changes in our lives as he is outside of time
  • if life is pre determined then we don’t have free will. Who’s responsibly for our actions? Is there point in being good ?
  • is God responsible for our bad actions ?
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19
Q

what is Boethius’ solution

A
  • God knowledge is providential (happening at a favourable time) not foreknowledge ( god knows the future so can’t be changed )
  • simple necessity e.g. the sun. Something nobody can change.
  • conditional necessity e.g. walking. Our choices and free will

-so God sees future things that are the result of human free will; these things, then, are necessary, on the condition that they are known by God, but considered only in themselves, they are still free in their own natures.

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20
Q

what is Boethius conclusion

A
  • the freedom of human will remains completely independent of gods foreknowledge
  • as God sees us above in his eternal present then he distributes rewards and punishments
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21
Q

use middle knowledge to counter Boethius

A
  • middle knowledge = God knows all possible outcomes of all possible choices as God is everlasting as he goes along the same timeline as us
  • Boethius believes that God is outside of time and not in the same timeline as us.
  • middle knowledge suggests that God doesn’t actually know the outcomes of our choices he just knows the possible outcomes of which we choice from but Boethius believes God knows all of our choices as he knows the future
  • Boethius would come back at this saying that middle knowledge is only a prediction so God assumptions may not be true which then weakens his mank science. Also with middle knowledge it doesn’t seem realistic for a being to have that much knowledge
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22
Q

explain why Schleiermacher argues against Boethius

A
  • Schleiermacher argues that God knows us personally and predicts our outcomes. God is more personal and can interfere
  • Boethius believes that God is outside of time and looking down on us
  • problem with Schleiermacher view is that if God is always right in his predictions that is life pre determined ? Problems of free will.
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23
Q

explain why Kenny criticises Boethius

A
  • Kenny doesn’t believe that God sees things simultaneously ( at the same time) as all history can’t happen at the same time. This is incoherent (unclear)
  • criticism of kenny = the idea that God sees everything in the present doesn’t mean everything is happening in the present, it is just how God views it
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24
Q

explain how Swinburne criticises Boethius

A
  • Swinburne believes that God is everlasting. God knows everything that is logically possible.m
  • Therefore Swinburne argues that God cannot know the future as this is logically impossible
  • As God moves along the same timeline as us then for Swinburne God can answers prayers but Boethius doesn’t think God can answer prayers as he isn’t timeless
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25
Q

Augustine on the idea of God as timeless

A
  • questioned the problem that god had made the universe at a particular moment in time but what was he doing beforehand if he moves along the same timeline as us ?
  • the biblical account of creation points to a timeless god who created day and night and seasons
  • god is absolutely immutable
  • therefore god is outside of our time = atemporal
26
Q

Aquinas on the idea of God as timeless

A
  • when we speak of God we need to understand that the language we use in metaphorical not univocal (having one meaning)
  • we have difficulty understanding the attributes of God as we are are using our own words to describe god even though god isn’t like us
  • God could be unloving and unchanging
  • gods nature is unchanging
27
Q

3 problems of omnipotent

A
  • if god is omnipotent then why is there evil in the word
  • if god isn’t omnipotent then there wouldn’t be a universe
  • if god isn’t omnipotent then do we need to re consider the Christian interpretation of god ?
28
Q

One problem of God being outside of time (eternal)

A

Then he can’t answer prayers but then his is not all powerful or all loving

29
Q

Swinburne on God as eternal

A
  • god answers prayers/ interacts with us as god is within our time
  • story in Isaiah of king Hezekiah’s illness to support
  • god has to exist within our time so that he can respond to us with love
  • god is changing with us
  • if there is a loving God who has relationships with people then he cannot be timeless
  • god is everlasting and moves through time with us
30
Q

Argument to suggest the god is immutable ( counter to Swinburne )

A
  • gods nature doesn’t changed e.g. He is always loving

- this is aquinas’s argument

31
Q

Swinburnes quote on god is eternal

A

-‘ he was backwardly eternal…he is forwardly eternal ‘

32
Q

Problems with omniscience

A
  • if god is all knowing and already knows the fate of all of us then do we have free will?
  • if we don’t have free will that what makes us human? Also then can we really be blamed for our actions ?
  • if god is spiritual and doesn’t have a body then surely he can’t know how to do physical things
  • if good is all good and without moral fault then he cannot know if feelings such as envy, just but then he isn’t all knowing
  • maybe god knows about our lives in general but not every aspect of them. E.g. He knows that I am going to work in a cinema but not then I am going to eat cornflakes
  • maybe god doesn’t make our decisions but he knows the outcome of them
33
Q

What does Psalm 139 suggest about omniscience

A
  • “before a word is on my tongue you, lord know it completely” God know what we are thinking
  • “where can I flee from your presence?” . You cannot escape gods knowledge
  • “all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” life and the future is already set out for you.
34
Q

Explain Schleiermacher’s views on omniscience and two problems with this

A
  • gods knowledge of our actions is like the knowledge very close friends have of each other’s behaviour
  • it is a prediction. E.g. I would know what top hen would choose out of two options
  • god is everlasting and free will and omniscience are compatible
  • problem = God can’t be wrong as he is infallible (can’t be wrong) so god will know what we are going to do so we don’t have free will.
  • problem = if god isn’t infallible then he is only making predictions so his knowledge is limited
35
Q

Explain Aquina’s view on omniscience and a weakness of it

A
  • omniscience is knowledge that is non physical
  • god has self knowledge.
  • we gain knowledge through our physical bodies and be practising. God doesn’t accuses knowledge this way
  • god has knowledge through his creation but doesn’t have senses like us.
  • god is outside of time
  • if god is timeless prayer wouldn’t have an affect on him. God doesn’t experience the future so can’t pray for things we want
  • criticism = God isn’t all omniscience as he doesn’t know everything as he can’t experience things like humans can. God doesn’t have a physical body or sense experience. E.g. I can taste chocolate but god can’t. Maybe gods knowledge isn’t as good as ours
36
Q

Explain the middle knowledge theory of omniscience and a weakness

A
  • god has enormous amount of knowledge
  • god knows all possible outcomes of all possible choices but he doesn’t know which one I am going to choose
  • god is everlasting - doesn’t know exactly the future
  • prayer is good as god can then influence you and your choice
  • criticism = could just be a prediction not real knowledge as may not come true
37
Q

Explain swinburnes view on omniscience and a weakness

A
  • god is everlasting, he goes through time with us
  • god can know everything that is logically possible.
  • god doesn’t know future as it hasn’t happened yet and it wouldn’t be logically possible for god to know the future
  • gods knowledge is changing and increasing over time. This is a counter to Aquina’s view.
  • we have free will. God can respond to our prayers and we can ask god for things
  • criticism = weakens the definition of omniscience and it removes gods immutability
38
Q

Explain Calvinism and how free will is only apparent with two weaknesses

A
  • each person is pre destined by god to be saved or damned
  • we appear to make free choice but these choices are pre determined so no free will
  • hard determinism
  • our we then responsible for our actions ?
  • is there any point in being good ?
39
Q

use Geach to criticise Boethius

A
  • Geach believes we have free choice but gods plan overall will come about no matter what we do.
  • This criticises Boethius view as Boethius doesn’t believe God has a plan for all of us
40
Q

what does Nelson Pike ( process theology ) say about omniscience

A
  • ‘one must be able to respond in some way to the actions or incarnations of others. A timeless individual could not respond ‘
  • stressing the importance of the relationship between God and believers
  • this idea has implications for God acting within time (immanence) , in particular, the incarnation.
41
Q

what is presentism (Anselm)

A
  • only the present moment exists.
  • the past/future doesn’t exists
  • we cannot go back and change what happened yesterday and we cannot know what will happen next week.
  • only the present is real
  • Anselm rejects this
42
Q

what is four dimensionalism ( Anselm )

A
  • the past and the future exists in the same way that the present exists
  • ‘yesterday’ and ‘the past’ are relative terms. They are relative to the person perceiving it.
  • up and down
  • left and right
  • front and back
  • time
43
Q

how are humans limited by space ? (Anselm)

A
  • because we exist in a particular place in space. Some places near to us, some further away.
  • e.g. board is in front of me but to the left for miss. perspectives
44
Q

how are humans limited by time ?

A
  • e.g. ww1 is closer to our parents than to us

- humans are constrained by how we experience time and space but God isn’t limited

45
Q

what is eternity for Anselm

A
  • God is eternity
  • God is all encompassing
  • all times and places are in God equally not simultaneously
  • everything is equally real and equally present
  • every moment is always there, it doesn’t just disappear.
46
Q

according to Anselm, am I free to choose ?

A
  • as every time and place is within God he knows what you will choose tomorrow because he is with you when you are choosing
  • gods knowledge follows our choices
  • you are responsible for your choice. Not determined by God
  • God has allowed us to make free choices but he has limited himself as he has chose not to define our lives
47
Q

appliances the difference between a following necessity and a preceding necessity

Anselm

A
  • following necessity = our choices that are known through gods eternal present. e.g. I will eat cake for breakfast
  • preceding necessity = there is no free agent or choice. It is dependent on natural laws. e.g. Gravity
48
Q

summary of Boethius

A
  • God is in eternity
  • God sees all times and places as though they were present to him
  • God sees all events as results of choices
  • Past and future do not exist to God
  • Focus on transcendence of God
  • Eternity is an aspect of time
  • Simple and conditional necessity
49
Q

summary of Anselm

A
  • God is eternity
  • God knows because all times and places are in God equally
  • God is alongside us when we make choices
  • Past, present and future are in God
  • Focus on immanence of God
  • Eternity acts as a separate, fifth dimension that contains all presents equally. Eternity is a non-temporal concept
  • Proceeding and following necessity
50
Q

4 problems that still remain with Anselm

A
  • If God is always with us in our decision then this could be a bad thing. No privacy. No escaping it. Sins committed can’t be forgotten by God. Uncomfortable
  • Even though we have free will, God knows the choices that we are going to make. However, this is just a following necessity. Gods knowledge follows our decisions
  • Is Anselm really saying anything different to Boethius ?
  • Does God know what is happening now ?
51
Q

what things could you talk about in an essay containing ‘divine eternity ‘

A
  • being in/ outside of time
  • free will
  • justice, reward and punish
  • prayer
  • omniscience
52
Q

4 things to consider with omnibenevolence

A
  • human goodness is different to God being good
  • Jesus resurrection is the most loving thing God could do. God is self sacrificing
  • What is good ?
  • Is God good in his nature or does he obey a higher standard of goodness ?
53
Q

how does Maurice Wiles try to justify evil in the face of God

A
  • God is biased, Miracles in Bible but doesn’t intervene during holocaust. Partisan God
  • if God intervened all the time then natural laws wouldn’t make sense, we wouldn’t be able to predict things and we wouldn’t have free will
  • therefore, God has chosen to limit his omnipotence so we have free will, so he isn’t biased and to preserve his omnibenevolence.
  • God is creator and sustainer of the universe, that is all
  • problem = if God doesn’t intervene and isn’t all powerful then is the incarnation a myth ?
54
Q

weakness of Boethius idea of God being timeless

A
  • doesn’t result in a relationship
  • therefore God has to be everlasting and sacrifices his omnipotence
  • nelson pike argues this
55
Q

2 arguments from wiles and their counter arguments

A
  • Wiles = miracles seem random Water into wine in bible but no miracle during holocaust. God is unworthy of worship. Counter = for religious believers gods actions are a mystery, humans cannot fully understand his actions, requires faith
  • Wiles = laws of nature cannot be broken and miracles do not happen. Counter = fail to recognise God acting in the world. E.g. survivors of Boxing Day tsunami
56
Q

what is the euthyphro dilemma

A
  • is an action good because God demands it . Problem = God could command rape to be good and God becomes a doctor as whatever he commands becomes ‘good’
  • or does God command it because it is good. Problem = if God commands what is already good then he is limited as goodness doesn’t originate from him
57
Q

what is Aquina’s solution to the euthyphro dilemma

A
  • gods nature is goodness
  • God can only command out of his nature
  • so God will only command what is good
58
Q

scholars to mention in statement ‘are the divine attributes subject to the limits of logical possibility ( can’t go beyond attributes )

A
  • for = Swinburne on omniscience and Aquinas on omnipotence

- against = Boethius on omniscience and Descartes on omnipotence

59
Q

scholars to mention in ‘are the divine attributes subject to the divine limitation ( God limits himself )

A
  • for = Swinburne on free will, Wiles on free will, middle knowledge , Schleiermacher on omniscience
  • against = Boethius
60
Q

2 examples from the bible that show God is loving

A
  • Jesus teaching ‘love your enemies’

- Jesus teaching ‘ love the Lord your God with all your heart’

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