...The definition of “God” is the supernatural that is conceived as the perfect, omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe. God is the object of worship in monotheistic religions. After having studied this subject frequently back in the past and this chapter, there are many arguments for the existence of God such as the cosmological, the teleological, the ontological, and the moral arguments, etc. Although they are very powerful arguments, each one of them also has their own weakness. There are not only arguments towards the existence of God; however, there are also arguments against God as well. These are called the Empirical, Deductive, Inductive, and Subjective arguments. But, again, these arguments each also have their own strengths and weaknesses just like the arguments for the existence of God. One popular form of the Cosmological argument states that things exist and it is possible for those things to not exist; there is an uncaused caused for everything that has been brought into existence. So, according to this argument, the cause and what created the universe must have been God’s doing. However, this argument is thought by some to be completely illogical, as God would have to be caused as well. So, if God had a cause, what created God? Then there must be a higher power even above God. But yet, God is supposed to be all-powerful. Maybe it created itself? How is that possible? Perhaps the universe was always there, perhaps God was always there. I am...
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...Ashly Elias EGL375 29 September 2014 How God Evolved with Humans Throughout the Five Books of Moses, God has chosen certain individuals for duties and missions in his name. The interpersonal relationships God has with these select few affects one’s understanding of who he is. Also, his persona wavers from person to person, revealing parts of himself through his actions and emotions. At first God is as an all-powerful creator, an artist designing the world. However, he has a different, fatherly side to him when he creates Adam and Eve. He is happy, content and even hurt and betrayed. God also goes through period of wrath and anger as he copes with the disobedience of man. He slowly changes, and begins to transform with other characters as he starts to have empathy and understand them. Most importantly, he begins to evolve with humans as the timeline progresses. Before learning about God through his relationships with humans, it is necessary understand who he was before humans existed. The bible begins by saying, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” The immensity of these ten words pulls one into the abrupt beginning of life, and who it is that created it. The very first characteristic stated about him in Genesis is that he is a creator. He has formed the heavens and the earth for mankind to flourish upon. Much can be learned about him through his process of creation. First, God is a god of order. He created life in a matter of six days with specific...
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...Sahiba Kaur Persuasive Speech 18 November 2014 Professor Liedke Topic: God Exists God, are you there? Today I will dispel the myth that God exists. God is all knowing and powerful. He created the world and us humans are created in his image. God is love, gracious, good and merciful. People who believe in God believe they are sinners when they were born, and trust they will go to hell if they do not believe in Him. Christians will believe they will go to heaven if they believe in the Christian God, and they believe they will go to hell if they do not. Muslims believe they will go to heaven and have 72 virgins waiting for them if they kill in the name of their God, and believe they will go to hell if they do not. Thankfully, this belief is false. If God is love, then why will he send someone to Hell? People in this world need to believe in something. They want to believe someone created the whole universe, thus the manmade creation of God. In an article published by Osho International foundation, Bhagwan Rajneesh states, “The Christians say God created the world, in fact, the hypothesis of God is needed for the creation. The world is there, someone must have created it, and whoever created it, that creator is God. But do you see the implication, if the world is created then there can be no evolution, evolution means creation continues. Think of the Christian story, God created the world in six days, and on the seventh day, he rested. Since then he’s been resting. The...
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...reference God. To me, the most significant and meaningful term used for God is “Father”. Growing up, I had a father figure, but he wasn’t a very good one. I won’t really get into that. And although I had him as a father figure, I didn’t count him as someone to look up to. So for me, when the Bible eludes God as Father, it strikes home. There are many incidences where this reference occurs, and sometimes it’s very subtle. In my opinion, I believe a father should have certain qualities that include forgiveness, being kind, being reliable, and caring for their child. All of these are exemplified in the Bible when God is talked about and talked to. Forgiveness is displayed throughout the entire Bible since God allows for repentance. However, one line that sticks out to me is in the Book of Numbers. It says “Then the Lord said ‘I do forgive, just as you asked me…’” (Numbers 14:20) This is an important factor in fatherhood because I feel a father should always forgive you and still love you, no matter what you do. That is the main reason it stood out to me. With my real father, if I did something he didn’t approve of I would be judged and looked down on, which is not right. Now, the motto I live by is “forgive me to gain forgiveness”. I’m not going to waste my time with someone who won’t forgive, but wants forgiveness. Being kind is a big deal as well because with kindness comes a closer relationship with another. That is why God is considered...
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...main reason people believe in God is the �Argument of Design�. When we look at the world around us we are so awestruck and think how this all came into existence and are forced to believe that there must be some creator or force behind the creation of this complex universe. We believe that the force is God. Dawkins himself did not believe in the Argument of design. He believed that natural selection is the cause of the complexity of all organisms. But Dawkin is not able to prove that evolution or natural selection occurred without intelligence. He does not accept that the complex universe is the creation of God based on the fact that God is not complex. Dawkins is also not able to prove the probability of evolution which he thinks is the cause of creation of all complex beings. "that the watch must have had a maker: that there must have existed, at some time, and at some place or other, an artificer or artificers, who formed it for the purpose which we find it actually to answer; who comprehended its construction, and designed its use." I believe that there is some power behind the creation of this complex universe. There is some source behind the creation of all complex organisms. One can say that this source or power I believe in could be God. It is this belief that gives me hope and faith that things will change and gives me strength to move forward every day. It also gives me peace of mind. I believe in existence of GOD. I think the question of God is how we perceive the idea...
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...the existence of God I believe have been biased in a sense but have evolved in the present day into seeing things with a greater outlook. What I mean by biased is essentially the majority of my life I have been surrounded by a big family that is strong and firm believers in God and the Catholic religion. I went to a private Catholic school from grades k to 12th. I have been baptized and have also completed my first communion, both of which signify an individual to becoming a child of God. I have always been taught to believe in one way and this particular way is the right way. Even the slightest doubt in the Catholic religion would bring a sense of fear because doubting the Father is a sin. I understand that an individual is fully capable of concluding their own ideas of God regardless of their family’s religion but my personal religious upbringing has had an impact on me. I feel as if I have instilled this idea of God, the almighty father, the creator of all, in my head but I have learned as I have gotten older that a lot of questions arise. I have learned that after I graduated high school the idea of God is still there but the practice aspect of the religion I have slowly gravitated away from. I guess I have kept the idea of God because I find comfort in the idea that relatives that have passed before me are in heaven resting peacefully and when my day comes, I will also rest in an eternal afterlife. Death essentially is what contributes to my belief in God because when we die...
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...THE GOD PROJECT Religion has always been a fascinating subject to me. It captured my attention as a young boy growing up in a Christian community because of festivities such as ester, Christmas among other festivities. Growing up in Colombia, a country composed of a large Christian population and attending a catholic school I was ignorant to other religions and cultures. After all I was a catholic because that was how I was raised. After moving to Canada I was exposed to other cultures and forms of faith which expanded my knowledge and understanding of cultures and religions. As I started to mature and began the quest of becoming a young adult many questions about my faith began to linger in my head. As my knowledge of the history of the Catholic Church and other religions expanded, I started to develop a negative image of organized religions. Mainly because I began to believe religion is used to manipulate people by influencing their social, political, and cultural beliefs of what is right or wrong. From the Catholic Church’s crusades to current extremist terrorism organized religion has caused more problems than it has solved. I believe the church and the state should be two separate entities and in countries like Iran mixing the two has only caused problems for this nation. I find it extremely hard to have blind faith when it comes to super natural things. This ofcourse is one of the basic things religions ask for. I’m constantly trying to arrive to a “rational” conclusion...
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.... . 0/ The GOD of the Hebrews versus the Egyptian gods Rev. Bryant S. Williamson Prof. Linda Reaves Writing and Research 215, Strayer University November 8, 2011 Intoduction There is a belief in a supreme being by all religions on earth. I believe that the same GOD of the Hebrews is this GOD because of his display of power over the Egyptian gods. This report looks at one account of many in the bible where GOD uses an ordinary man to free his people from bondage in Egypt using signs and wonders. The God of the Hebrews Versus the Egyptian gods One of the most awesome displays of power and love in the Bible is the deliverance of Gods’ people from Egypt. They were lead out of Egypt by Moses, a Hebrew found floating in an ark by Pharaohs daughter as a child. Moses, now grown, went out unto his people and saw an Egyptian beating one of his brethren and killed the Egyptian. After hearing of what Moses had done the Pharaoh sought to kill him but Moses had fled to the city of Midian and as time went on the King of Egypt died and the children of Israel (Hebrews) cried out to God because of their bondage. Thus the Lord remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and Jacob and sent Moses as the deliverer of his people. Moses is then encountered in the presence of God being called out of the mist of a burning bush and is given instructions to return to Egypt with Aaron where he demands that Pharaoh set his people free. And Pharaoh replies “Who is the Lord that...
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...Rebecca Monter Philosophy 101 God Thesis All through time men of different cultures have been in search of the greatest question of all time. Is there a God? A great Infinite being who is all knowing, all good, and created this world within which we exist in only seven days with just speaking? Some of the greatest thinkers of Philosophy have had their arguments and disagreements on this one big question. Some of the philosophers were for God while others were not. It is a question that no one here on this earth can answer. The argument that states that one should believe in God even if there is a strong chance that he might not be real, because the penalty for not believing, is the unthinkable anguish of spending the rest of eternity in hell. Where there would be no good thing since the person(s) had their good thing(s) while living. (p52) It is more prudent that individual(s) should take their chances to believe. It is in the nature of man human to be curious about many things with which there was no absolutes as how the situation would turn out. Let us then consider, withal our imperfections what the explores were able to do, they made the choice to wager and won what then can we today learn from our history? Therefore, I humbly submit to you why my views agree with Blaise Paschal. Who is the author of “The Wager” gives us some very perplexing questions that one must put a lot of time and consideration into before offering up an answer? I sincerely hope...
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...Image of God As we look into the Christian faith we see that people are made in the image of God. Genesis 1:26 says, ”Then God said, Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness” This is a belief that I hold close to my heart as a Pastor. I am of the opinion that the“ image of God” is not that God is human. We see that God is a spirit because he can be everywhere at once. But rather believe that Jesus took on human flesh so that we could identify with Him. It is much easier to understand the trial and temptations that He faced as a man. There are many other reasons He took on flesh but for the sake of this essay we will keep it simple. The image of God also shows our soul and conscious. It is my belief that everyone is born with a conscious (knowledge between right and wrong). That knowledge is a likeness of God. Not that God is bad, rather since God is holy and perfect in every way, we carry with us that same nature of God. The bad comes from the world. It is that conscious that allows us to see our errors and a need for a Savior. Since we have a soul it is very important to understand that just like God it will never die. Our soul will spend eternity in either heaven or hell. Matthew 10:28 says, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” We must have a relationship with Jesus in order to spend eternity with him in heaven. As a Pastor I am...
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...PHL 101 11 March 2012 A Summary of the problem of evil and a critical evaluation of how it is said to undermine the traditional characteristics of God. This paper will attempt to review the philosophical quandary of the existence of evil and if evil exists can God exist and if so can this God still be declared perfect? The epistemological issue that arises is One’s knowledge of God and the validity of God’s existence. What is good and what is evil? The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines evil as: 1. a : morally reprehensible : sinful, wicked <an evil impulse> b : arising from actual or imputed bad character or conduct <a person of evil reputation> 2 a: archaic : inferior b : causing discomfort or repulsion : offensive <an evil odor> c : disagreeable <woke late and in an evil temper> 3 a : causing harm : pernicious <the evil institution of slavery> b : marked by misfortune : unlucky For the purpose of this paper, we will use the first definition. Evil is a trait that we as human beings possess. Whether we choose to use it is up to the individual. But what is evil? Do we as humans consciously choose to be good or evil? What plays a role in bringing out that evil? We next need to look at what is God and does he exist? God as defined by Merriam-Webster is: 1. capitalized : the supreme or ultimate reality: as a : the Being perfect in power, wisdom, and goodness who is worshipped as creator...
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...Gloria Omole 1. There are two books that give me my divine stance: the one God wrote himself (scripture) and the alternative for those who don’t seek the bible (nature). Those who have not seen his teachings firsthand know of him through his scripture. 2. The sun caused the ones that know him through scripture to appreciate him; it was a miracle that was to be taken note of above all his other miracles 3. The pagans knew how to read the word better than Christians themselves, although they read less into it then those with faith do. 4. I do not forget to give God credit for nature, which is not the foundation of motion and rest, but the normal pace of mankind. 5. Every new day is marked by the revolution of the sun because that’s how God intended it to be. It cannot move without God’s push. 6. The various courses of nature, God rarely changes, but when he does it’s to perfect, using his strength in good context carefully. 7. One is only able to do impossible things with God’s guidance, like Moses making water drinkable with God’s voice. He has a precise way of doing things. 8. Nature can be named as one of the major works of God, because it is so complex. 9. Everything God created is beautiful. 10. He created everything for a reason, detail by detail. To call a creation ugly would be an abomination 11. There is no such thing as a deformity but there is such thing as a monstrosity, which can be mistaken for deformity because it is...
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...What our world needs is a greater knowledge about God. When individuals know the true God, they are inclined to think more purely, conduct themselves with greater righteousness and seek greater personal excellence. When a society knows God and lives by his precepts people care more about each other, crime diminishes, and people are safer. Having a desire to increase knowledge about God in our world, I plan to write one short essay about God each month and add it to this website. These essays can be printed on the front and back sides of a single 8½ X 11 inch page from the .pdf file. When printed with the free Adobe .pdf© reader, they will look like the originals. Feel free to print and distribute these to others. They can be used by Bible class teachers, personal evangelists, missionaries, preachers, and others who are interested in knowing and promoting knowledge about God. If you want to receive each month’s essay by e-mail, please send me your name and e-mail address. If you want these monthly essays to be sent to others, please send me their names and e-mail addresses. However, if you send me names and e-mail addresses of others, be sure to inform them about it. That way they will know why they are receiving these essays. Resources About Biblical Theism: A reading of these books will give a very good understanding of the overall subject of biblical theism. Of course, the best source for understanding biblical theism is the Bible itself. (pdf...
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...Northern Baptist Seminary ! ! ! ! ! ! ! God and Job ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! A Research Paper Printed in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Course OT 458 Old Testament Theology ! ! ! by James L. Brooks May 27, 2013 ! ! ! !2 ! ! ! Introduction The book of Job is a classic. Many have read this book, especially when seeking answers to suffering. Whenever Christians talk about suffering, more than likely the story of Job will be mentioned and Job’s sayings will be quoted. Although the “Job story” is frequently discussed, there are still many unanswered questions. Where was God? Why did God allow Job to go through all the trials and tribulations? What kind of God is this? Why does God make a deal with Satan? What about Job’s friends and their response to his suffering? These are all questions that will continue to haunt readers after reading the story of Job. This paper will examine the character of God and his parental attributes. No matter what the reader may think, God is ultimately in control. Although God gives Satan the latitude to do what he will with Job, short of killing him, still it is all within the scope of God’s permissive will. The story of Job, although it may be rather simple to read, is complex in theological understanding. The God of Job is inscrutable, but yet he is in control. “The book of Job challenges the principle of retribution: that trouble in life must be a person’s own fault.”1 The prologue is in prose. The epilogue is in poetry. The conclusion...
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...Who is God? God is God. God is different to different people, to many He is the Almighty, conquering and definite epitome of a hero. And to some he is a Saviour, friend and companion. And to others, God is everything. He is a friend, the pillow that they cry on, and the One who is with them in battles. He is the Almighty and the friend. And ultimately God is our Saviour. We as humans are needy, according to C.S Lewis, we have this innate need for love, and care and affection; how much ever we try to deny it, called Need-Love. It is the kind of love that we require when we feel alone or scared. We are needy, and we go to God when we are needy. It is this sweet spot that God tells us to translate in ourselves and be kind and generous to those who are in need. We have this need to clean this record of all the wrong and start anew; we can have this with God. We need someone who is going to accept us with grace no matter what our history or track record shows. God tells the Israelites to be Holy for He is also Holy. God calls them out to be generous and kind to those who are needy. God reminds them that they too were once in bondage, and that God had delivered them from this bondage. In the Old Testament, Israelites are shown to do this by adhering to the festival of Sabbath. Sabbath is the day where they follow the example of God, whereby God created the entire universe and rested on the seventh day. The Israelites in the same way practiced Sabbath in their daily lives....
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