Cosmological Argument The cosmological argument is a posteriori argument because it is a on what can be seen in the world and the universe * The argument is based on the belief that there is a first cause behind the existence of the universe. * The argument was first developed by Plato and Aristotle. * Thomas Aquinas has developed the most popular version of the cosmological argument. He developed his five ways to prove the existence of God in his book Summa Theologica. The first of the three ways form proof for the existence of God and are Change (or motion), Cause and Contingency.
This evidence is consistent with Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Paul eluded to this when he said that God’s invisible qualities, eternal power, and divine nature is clearly seen, being understood by what has been made, so that men are without excuse (Rom.1:20). Therefore, we are to worship the Creator and not the creation (1:25). But fallen man do not give God the honor and glory for all the beauty and order He designed in His wonderful universe He created.
Whether that being our parents or people that make everyday objects that we see around us. Aquinas believed that as nothing can cause itself there must have been a first cause that caused life to exist, so he then goes on to say that the first cause for everything around us, must be god. The third way that was presented by Aquinas is the difference between possibility and necessity; he believed that nothing around us we see has to
The two definitions of omniscient each raise different problems, the former raises questions about God’s omnipotence, as one needs to assess if the laws of nature can limit an omnipotent God. The latter raises problems as, if He exists outside of time as an eternal creator and knows the past, present and future simultaneously, do we still have free will? Problems to God’s omniscience highlighted in Book 5 is Molina who states that God does not interfere with humans choices or decisions, but merely observes all possible outcomes and thus sees the past, present and future simultaneously, fitting with an eternal God. Aquinas gives the image of a man standing on a mountain and witnessing the whole road and everything that happens on it and the various paths we may take. However, it is important to note how the man on the mountain does not influence any choices and so just because one sees what is happening, this does not mean that it in any way influences the decisions made.
The teleological argument offers a way we can explain God’s existence in terms of design and nature. It explains that the world is too complex and diverse for there not to be a designer, such as God, at work. This argument derives from Thomas Aquinas’ work from his Summa Theologiae. His fifth way suggests that inanimate objects cannot have ordered themselves since they lack intelligence. For example, planets could not have put themselves into orbit, yet they are in perfect order and placement so therefore there must be a designer, an intelligent being, that did so.
Because the Prime Mover existed he set of a chain of reactions which caused the world into existence. The Prime mover caused the movement of the cause and effect chain however the Prime Mover itself did not move as it was not subject to cause and effect. Therefore the Prime Mover cannot be described as a craftsman. Another attribute of the Judeo Christian concept of god is that god is all loving and also that he interacts with his creation. This is seen in the Bible when miracles occur and also when god punishes the world.
If an individual holds to the belief that there are gods and demons that create events to guide human actions than they have a polytheism worldview. Scripture states that God created the entire world and that His eternal power and divine nature, although invisible, can be understood and seen throughout creation (Rom. 1:20, KJV). Humankind has made a choice to ignore His presence by worshipping themselves and false idols seeking their own pleasures foolishly. It is because of this foolishness that God released humanity to their selfish lust (Rom.
Free will means that God does not have any set destiny for us. If God were to create free agents that could only choose good, that would mean that God laid out a destiny of good for all agents. Even though God is omniscient, free will is still possible because while God may know the choices we are going to make, he is not the cause of them. Since God does not choose or cause our destiny, we still have free will. In response to the option in which God creates a world with free agents and no evil, a world with no evil would mean a world with no good, so it would be impossible for God to create a free agents that only choose good, since evil does not exist.
In this, Boethius’ ensures that God can be both omniscient and omnibenevolent. The basic background of this argument is the idea that God is changeless and does not act in time. Whereas we witness life events on a continuous timeline of past, present and future, God’s understanding of time does not work in this way. Instead, all time is a continuous, simultaneous present for God. For example, God sees a person being born, saying their first words, starting school, taking exams, graduating, having children, becoming grandparents, retiring and dying all in one simultaneous moment.
Existence is a part of perfection. While the ontological argument can be approached without the use of consciousness or awareness, cosmological and teleological arguments require a closer focus on the cause and the design of the universe. In earlier years Plato, then Aristotle stressed the cosmological argument as cause and motion, whereas Thomas Aquinas’ concept focused on life having a cause or a starting point. According to his premise the universe is a series of causes and the first cause would be what everyone understands to be God. This concept leads to other debates that mock the well-known adage “Which comes first, the chicken or the egg”.