God I & II

What does a theist believe?

A theist believes that God exists.

What does an atheist believe?

An atheist believes God does not exist. Many atheists are also naturalists (they believe science fully explains reality).

What does an agnostic believe?

An agnostic is unsure whether God exists or not.

What is monotheism?

The belief in only one divine being (e.g., Judaism, Christianity, Islam).

What does "aseity" mean?

From Latin ‘a se esse’ ("being from oneself"); God is self-existent and ontologically independent.

What does "omnibenevolent" mean?

God is perfectly good and sets the standard of goodness (Aquinas: "God is goodness itself").

What does "omnipotent" mean?

God is all-powerful.

What does "omniscient" mean?

God is all-knowing.

How does St. Anselm define God?

"A being than which nothing greater can be conceived."

Why must God exist, per Anselm? (Ontological Argument)

1. Existing in reality > existing only in the mind.

2. If God were only in the mind, a greater being (existing in reality) could be conceived.

3. Therefore, God exists in reality.

Summarize Descartes’ view of the Ontological Argument

1. God has all perfections.

2. Existence is a perfection.

3. Therefore, God exists.

What is Gaunillo’s criticism of the Ontological Argument?

1. A perfect island has all perfections.

2. Existence is a perfection.

3. Therefore, a perfect island exists.

   This exposes the flaw in assuming existence by definition.

Why does Kant reject the ontological argument?

Existence is not a property (e.g., saying "God exists" doesn’t add traits—it just asserts actuality).

What is Paley’s watchmaker analogy? (Design Argument)

Just as a watch’s complexity implies a designer, the universe’s complexity implies God.

Why might the cosmos seem designed without being so? (Argument against Design Argument)

Life-friendly universes could arise by chance (anthropic principle) or natural laws (e.g., evolution).

Why is the watch-universe analogy weak? (Paley’s Argument by Design)

The cosmos isn’t clearly like a designed object (e.g., it could resemble a hummingbird—complex but not obviously designed). So why must the designer be God?

State the logical problem of evil against God’s existence.

1. An all-good, all-powerful God would prevent evil.

2. Evil exists.

3. Therefore, God does not exist.

How does free will address moral evil?

Moral evil results from free choices; a world with free will is better than one without it.

Can God create beings who always freely choose good?

If free will requires the possibility of evil, this may be a necessary trade-off.

What is natural evil?

Suffering caused by natural events (e.g., earthquakes), not human actions.

How does Aquinas explain evil? (Thomistic Theodicy)

Evil is a privation (absence of good), not a positive thing.

How does Augustine explain evil? (Augustinian Theodicy)

Evil provides contrast to appreciate good (like shadows in a painting).

What is C.S. Lewis’s view on quantifying evil?

Evil’s amount/distribution can’t be measured, but natural laws (which cause suffering) enable science/prediction.