The Cosmological Argument

1987 Words8 Pages
The Cosmological Argument PHI 208 The Cosmological Argument The philosophy of religion, and associated fields such as theology, explore issues of faith in the specific context of religious belief. (Mosser, 2010). There are three classical arguments that seek to prove the existence of God; Ontological Proof, the Cosmological Argument, and the Argument from Design. (Mosser, 2010). Although all three arguments are popular the Cosmological argument has the strongest proof of the existence of God. “Ontological” comes from the Greek word for “being,” and the ontological argument depends, fundamentally, on the nature of God. (Mosser, 2010) The idea behind the ontological argument is actually pretty simple. (Mosser, 2010) If we assume, which seems plausible, that the greatest possible being one can think of would deserve to be call “God,” then the being we refer to using the name “God” would have to exist. (Mosser, 2010) For if the being we are now calling “God” did not exist, it would be easy to think of a greater being; it would be that same being, only one that actually existed. (Mosser, 2010) Since you recognize that the being you are thinking of is the greatest possible conceivable being, that being must include existence as a part of its nature. (Mosser, 2010) Therefore, God exists. (Mosser, 2010) The cosmological argument is one of the great arguments for God’s existence – or, better. (VanArragon, 2010) In general, cosmological arguments consider the question, “Why does the world exist, anyway?” and arrive at the conclusion that God must be responsible for it and hence must exist, too. (VanArragon, 2010) For instance, you exist because your parents brought you into existence. (Mosser, 2010) The universe exists because God created it. The Christian belief is that, in the beginning, the Christian God made heaven and earth. (Oppy, 2009)

More about The Cosmological Argument

Open Document