...June 1, 2013 Seminar Paper 1 Chapter 1 Does God exist? The question of “is there a God” has been asked ever since Man became conscious of his existence. It is a question rooted in the understanding that we did not create ourselves or the world we live in, therefore something greater than Man must exist. There is a need to know what created us in order for us to discover why we were created. Having a “God concept” allows us to rationalize things we don’t understand such as miracles, freak accidents, death, and eternity. The “God concept” gives us hope and something to strive for because we believe that we can become one with or be like the thing that created us. We program our lives around the characteristics we believe God possess. We decided what we will and won’t do based on our beliefs of what God does and doesn’t like. We live each day believing that if we act in accordance with what we believe is the will of God, that when we die we won’t be faced with eternal suffering. The belief that there is a God is man’s way of answering the unanswerable questions of creation, life, purpose, death, and the future. Because we don’t actually know the truth, we will use God as the source and sustainer of all things. The Design Argument The Design Argument is the most plausible of all arguments concerning the existence of a God. It states that “If we look around us at the natural world we can’t help noticing how everything in it is suited to the function it performs: everything...
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...Does God Exist The question of God’s existence has lingered in the mind of man since the dawn of religion. The simple fact that billions of people consider themselves to have some allegiance to a deity means that this question deserves to be seriously considered. In this paper I will argue for the sake that God does exist and the reasons why. I will include many of the arguments found in our philosophy book and those covered in class as well as other subjects such as human suffering and the reasons God chose to make the world as it is today, also including examples from life and the movies we watched in class. St. Thomas Aquinas had many arguments for the existence of God and one of those was the fifth way. In the argument of the fifth way Aquinas says “The fifth way is taken from the governance of the world. We see that things which lack knowledge, such as natural bodies, act for an end, and this is evident from their acting always, or nearly always, in the same way, so as to obtain the best result. Hence it is plain that they achieve their end, not fortuitously, but designedly. Now whatever lacks knowledge cannot move towards an end, unless it be directed by some being endowed with knowledge and intelligence; as the arrow is directed by the archer. Therefore, some intelligent being exists by whom all natural things are directed to their end; and this being we call God”. Here St. Thomas Aquinas is basically saying that the existence of order and apparent purpose in the universe...
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...Introduction God is the source of much doubt and controversy, of peace and of war. At this point in our human existence what was once certain and unquestionable has become the most questioned topic. The faithful, believing people have become unsure. I guess the question is either God exists or He doesn't. There really is no middle territory, and any attempt to remain neutral in relation to God's existence is automatically putting you in the category of unbelief. The age old question is far from being an irrelevant one, because if God does exist, then nothing else really matters; if He does not exist, then what does really matter at all. Until now I've never been put in a position where my faith was questioned. I found this title somewhere, I cannot remember where I saw it, but it describes me the best it can; as a recovering Catholic, I really am in no man’s land. Do I believe or not believe, that is the stand I have to take in this paper one way or another, yes or no, black or white. At that point this became more than a final paper. Can I, comfortably write a paper stating that God does not exist? After thorough personal inflection, I had my answer, and with much of my upbringing weighing down on me. I will try making my case for the existence of God. ("God." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2009. Merriam-Webster Online. 29 April 2009) What better place to start, than Simon Blackburn On Blackburn's projectivist view; after he sketched the outlines of his projectivist...
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...Does God Exist “You can’t prove God exists and you can’t prove God doesn’t exist”. This is the response one often hears when the question of God’s existence is raised. If God is not material, but spiritual, then science can’t prove that he exists, because he can’t be measured. Also, science can’t disprove, because it can’t give a definite answer. In this paper, I will present both sides of the argument and conclude that God must exist. First, I will begin by examining Augustine’s evidence supporting God’s existence. Then, I will lay out the opposing viewpoints. While I present Augustine’s evidence, I will give special attention to his primary argument which is based on the fact that if there is something superior to reason, then it must be God. We are not asked to believe in God on the basis of faith alone, without any evidence, but we can indeed prove the existence of God to a reasonable degree of certainty. Even though we can prove that God exists with a reasonable amount of certainty, I ponder whether or not there is a sound argument for the nonexistence of God. I order to prove anything; we must first start with a foundation that must be accepted as truth. Augustine begins with the platform that we exist. Augustine makes this clear to Evodius by saying “It is obvious that you exist, and this could not be obvious unless you were alive, therefore it is also obvious that you are alive” (33). The mere fact that we can argue is a proof of our existence. Next he asks whether...
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...I think God does exist, firstly look at the world and how complex it is.. The make up of our bodies and how we have a set number of chromosomes from our mum and our dad which creates us as we are, the complexity of how our body functions how our heart pumps blood around our body how our brain works. The exact make up of the earth that is just right for humans to live, one fraction closer to the sun and earth wouldn't be suitable for human life. Secondly, the make up of the universe the distance from the sun, the moon the way the planets orbit the sun seems to much of a coincidence to just be perfect for the existence of human life. Even if the Big Bang is real what caused it? The chances of it happening at the exact right millisecond for it to cause the world to exist is very unlikely in my opinion and therefore if the big bang did take place something must have caused it, the Big Bang has no proof it is a theory no one was around at the time so therefore no one will ever know if it happened or not and cannot be justified as fact. Also is infinity real? something must have caused the universe it can't go on forever. Like cause an effect if you take things back everything that exists exists from something else, every effect has a cause therefore the universe must have a cause and it is more likely that God exists uncaused than the the universe existing uncaused. The world must have an intelligent designer, everything in the universe abides by the laws of physics and many these...
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...Does God Exist? Descartes’ Arguments and Proofs Rene Descartes considers what he can be sure to be true in his Meditations on First Philosophy. His meditations cover a vast variety of areas: the nature of the mind and body, the senses, the essence and existence of material things; but of all of these topics, one of his most thought-provoking and fascinating meditations is that on the existence of God. His argument is fairly well stated, but it is not flawless in its reasoning and logic. Through explanation and analysis of his position, this paper will set out his belief on the existence of God, the importance of this argument to his overall position, and to discuss several of the problems in his reasoning. The first proof at which Descartes considers God is the in the third meditation. By this point, Descartes has already concluded that the only thing thus far that he can be sure of is that he exists as some sort of thinking thing. He has considered the existence of a malevolent spirit that has set out specifically to deceive him at every turn, which has the effect of rendering any other belief spurious at best. In the face of the possibility that something is deliberately setting out to deceive him, he is left only with the knowledge that he is a thinking thing. From there, we get into the third meditation, wherein Descartes considers the possibility of the existence of God, and what precisely that would entail. (Beyssade) Descartes starts by pointing out that in order...
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...R.D. Kuykendall 5 May 3, 2015 McCloskey Response Paper “On Being an Atheist” Does God Exist? That is the question we face! For many years Theists and Atheist have debated this question for many years along with their central views and beliefs that we as human being rely on as it relates to Life and God. The Point of views and debates center around the Cosmological Argument, the Teleological argument (argument from Design) and the most debated argument as it relates to this topic called the Problem with evil? When questioning wither or not God Exist these traditional arguments play significant roles in investigating and proving or discrediting someone’s view or stance on this specific Philosophical belief. As you read McCloskey article “On Being an Atheist” he argues the Theist stance who believe in the Existence of God from the perspective view of an Atheist. McCloskey in writing this Article is not trying to discredit their belief in the Existence of God, but to raise questions, doubts and uncertainties concerning their arguments on which they stand on to prove their belief by ultimately concluding that the Theist arguments are not valid and should be disregarded as evidence to prove their belief in the existence of God. The problem with McCloskey argument against the argument of Theistic View is the Theist argument is not to literally prove their belief concretely on the existence of God, but there view is design to give us what is called “Best Explanation”. According...
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...existence of God. Some philosophers believe that due to the existence of evil and suffering in our world, it poses a serious challenge to the belief in the existence of a perfect God. In this paper however I am not concerned with the question whether God exists or not but I rather will be discussing the Western concepts of God as well as the Eastern one, followed by the dual existence of a higher being and evil. I will also emphasize on Immanuel Kant's perspectives on religion and radical evil as his views intrigued me the most among all the other philosophers, mentioning my own belief on religion and God. Western thought about God has fallen within some broad form of theism. Theism is the view that states there is a God, which is the creator and one who sustains the universe and is unlimited with regard to knowledge (omniscience), power (omnipotence), extension (omnipresence), and moral perfection. Western philosophy has interfaced most widely with Christianity, Judaism and Islam has also had some influence. The orthodox forms of all these three religions have embraced theism, though each religion has also yielded a wide array of other views. The western concept of God reveals that God created the Heavens and the Earth (which is mainly known as the cosmos) explained by the two theories. The first one was that God created the cosmos by his word, out of nothing, The second that the cosmos got created by the pre-existent matter, which was water, interpreted by the sentence : God was...
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...Does God Exist The Debate held at Biola University on whether or not the existence of God is true was illuminating. William Lane Craig had an abundance of supporting evidence to reinforce his argument. Craig approached his argument from not only a theist’s standpoint but from Philosopher’s standpoint as well, which made his speech clear and concise. The existence of God has been brought into question because of atheistic views. Whether or not God exists depends on a person’s definition of God. Dr. Craig states that contingent things should have an explanation for their existence, the universe is a contingent so therefore the reasoning behind how the universe exists is God. He expressed a total of five arguments to defend this claim and they are the following: the cosmological argument, teleological argument, fine-tuning argument, the resurrection of God, and finally religious experience. Given the premise presented by Dr. Craig, there is no question that god exists because everything presented on earth is essentially a creation and behind every masterpiece is an artist. On the other side of the debate, Christopher Hitchens states that there is no good reason that supports the existence of god because all arguments for god can be explained without god. The atheistic view can be described as a person who believes that there is no evidence for supernatural forces. Hitchens’s premise states this because you do not need god as a reason for why things happen in life I for one...
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...the existence of God is a confounding problem that has captured the interest of people for many centuries. From the point of view of human suffering, it is possible to argue that the existence of evil and suffering in the world is a basis to challenge the existence of God Johnson explains this problem using the example of a six month old infant who perishes in an inferno. “Can we consider anyone as good who had the power to save this infant from painful death and did not” (Johnson, p.1). According to the arguments put forward by atheists, the existence of God is not compatible with the existence of evil. The existence of God would require that evil would not exist in the world. Therefore, conversely, since evil exists and leads to Human...
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...Everyone seems to have their own thoughts and beliefs on whether or not a God exists who created and designed the universe and everything in it. Dr. Frank Turek and Christopher Hitchens are no exception in the matter, as they displayed in their debate at Virginia Commonwealth University on September 9, 2008. Dr. Turek, co-author of “I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist,” embraces a Christian, or theistic, worldview while Mr. Hitchens, author of “God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything,” is very explicitly an atheist. Throughout the debate, Christopher Hitchens used his quick wit and sarcasm to bring forth some strong arguments against Christian beliefs. One of the arguments was that of the presence of various religions-if there are so many different religions, how can they all be correct and true? If I were to ask a Christian, a Muslim, and a Buddhist to tell me about God, they would each have remarkably different stories to share. The Christian would of course tell me all about God, while the Muslim would praise Allah, and the Buddhist would likely speak of the Buddha, and each one would claim that their view was supreme. Another argument that Hitchens offered was that it could not be proven that Jesus was born to the Virgin Mary. When the angel told Mary that she was highly favored in Luke 1:28, she was given grace, which is only imparted upon sinners. If Mary was a sinner, then she could not have birthed Jesus Christ, as he was theoretically pure and free...
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...argues about the existence of God, and both have different opinions on it. Aquinas’ argument is about efficient causation, whereas Russell’s is the first-cause argument. I believe that Thomas Aquinas’s argument was validly challenged by by Bertrand Russell’s argument. I believe that Russell’s argument and Aquinas’ argument were both very well put together but I do believe that Russell’s argument is more valid than Aquinas’ because there is more hard evidence and facts that prove he is right, compared to Aquinas’ argument, which is more mind based and harder to grasp. There are less reasons proven to believe Aquinas’ argument over Russell’s argument. Aquinas’s argument is based on efficient causation. Efficient causation is easily understood by saying that for x to be the cause of y is for x to bring about y, or to explain y. Aquinas says that efficient cause comes in series, or causal chains. We basically cannot prove or see that something has its own efficient cause. If something happens, then something before it caused it to happen, and so on. Aquinas says “Therefore, if there were no first efficient cause, then there would be no last or intermediary efficient causes.” (Aquinas, 45). Aquinas argues that without this or any chain of events, then things would not happen. But he says that there has to be a first efficient cause. “We must therefore posit a first efficient cause, which everyone understands to be God.” (Aquinas, 45). Aquinas says that God is the very first efficient...
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...anything "out there." The world of philosophy consists of so many unanswered questions. One such question is whether or not God exists. This is the very question that has grasped the imagination of humanity since the birth of reason, and the same question that has plagued scientists and philosophers without coming close to an accepted conclusion. God is a word that means different things to different people. The definition for God, according to most monotheistic religions is the creator and ruler of the universe, and the source of all moral authority. When it comes to the possibility of God's existence, the Bible states that there are people who have seen sufficient evidence, but they have suppressed the truth about God. Up to this day, there are many differing opinions as to whether a God exists or not. The great controversy has led to my personal belief that God exists through the teleological, ontological and cosmological arguments. These major ideas help to back up my statement that God exists. Based on our everyday experiences, just about everything seems to have a beginning. William Paley was a philosopher during the eighteenth century who is best known for his exposition of the teleological argument for the existence of God. Derived from the Greek word "telos" which means "design or purpose", the teleological argument proposes that God must exist because the inner workings of the universe are too complicated and precise to just have come about on it's own. Through often...
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...God is everywhere It was one of the most challenging tasks I had been given. Mother returned from work by 3pm and said she was hungry. I had been home playing with my baby sister, waiting for Mother to come home and make lunch. Next thing she said, “Prepare rice and stew for the house, and bring mine to my room!” “Me?” I asked, totally confused and not sure I heard well. “Yes you,” she replied both in anger and irritation. “How can I have a daughter as old as you, and I come back tired from work to start cooking lunch?” That was all. She went to her room and I was left to prepare lunch. Boiling the rice was not the issue. I could put rice in water, leave it on fire and pour water till it was soft. The stew was the challenge. I had never cooked before and I could not recall watching anyone preparing stew. I was angry with mother. As I gathered the ingredients to make the stew, I wondered why she was punishing me, her seventeen year old daughter, by telling me to do something I had never done before and leaving me all alone to do it. I heard a voice saying, ‘stir the stew and taste it!” I looked for that voice and I knew it’s my mother’s seating on the stairs, watching over me while I was cooking. I hid a smile but was glad she had come to my rescue. I obeyed her. ‘How does it taste?” she asked. “Sour,” I replied, “I think the tomatoes are rotten.” She laughed. “Add salt little by little until you stop tasting the sour taste.” I did as she said. Then I noticed the sour...
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...Does the existence of evil shows God does not exist? Most folks in the world are disheartened by the bitter fact that evil happens. People are astonishment as to why God can exist and at the same time allow the evil we see and experience each and every day in our environs to prevail (Braine 1-10). They fail to fathom the reason why the capable God would by genuine reasons agree to the notion that the power of choice should be bestowed in humans. They claim that if God is really a loving God he ought to allow his creations to decide if he really hopes to see a world where utmost love can subsists at all and they think man may misuse the ability bestowed in him to select acts in a very fierce way that does not concur with the morality principles. The byproduct of a universe where the power to inculcate love in our humanly actions is an option is the widespread ethical evil that is witnessed. Evils of various kinds exit in the world. Most of these evils are referred to as natural evil. Innocent souls die day by day because of natural calamities and tragedies. The effects of maladies, epidemics and pandemics can also not be overlooked. These widespread of natural evil seemingly has no bearing to the actions of the human beings and the types of resolutions that they make in their life time. How then can all these evils that happen be accounted for? Why would God allow such misfortunes to befall His innocent and blameless creation on earth? These burning questions that touch on the...
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