The Nature of God

What is the core focus of the "Nature of God" module in OCR Philosophy? : Exploring the traditional divine attributes, the logical contradictions within them, and how God interacts with time.

Define the divine attribute of "Omnipotence". : The quality of having unlimited, supreme power, meaning God can perform any action or bring about any state of affairs.

What is René Descartes’ radical view of divine omnipotence? : Voluntarism. God can do absolutely anything, including the logically impossible (e.g., making a square circle or changing past history).

What is the primary philosophical objection to Descartes' view of omnipotence? : It reduces God to an incoherent concept. If God can do the logically impossible, then theological discussion becomes entirely meaningless.

How does Thomas Aquinas define divine omnipotence? : God can do all things that are logically possible and do not contradict His inherently perfect nature.

According to Aquinas, why can't God commit a sin or lie? : Sinning is a failure of power, a weakness, or a lack of perfection. Because God is perfect power, He cannot logically exhibit weakness.

Explain the famous "Paradox of the Stone". : A dilemma asking: "Can an omnipotent God create a stone so heavy that He cannot lift it?".

How does this paradox create a trap for omnipotence? : If God cannot create the stone, there is something He cannot do. If He can create it but cannot lift it, there is also something He cannot do.

How does George Mavrodes solve the Paradox of the Stone? : He argues a "stone an omnipotent being cannot lift" is a logical self-contradiction, like a married bachelor, so it is a pseudo-task that doesn't limit God.

How does Alvin Plantinga solve the Paradox of the Stone using free will? : He argues that God's power is limited by the existence of free agents. God cannot force a free creature to freely choose a specific action.

Define the divine attribute of "Omniscience". : The quality of having infinite knowledge, meaning God perfectly knows all things that have happened, are happening, and will happen.

What is the "Prescience" dilemma regarding omniscience? : The conflict between divine foreknowledge and human free will. If God already knows everything I will do tomorrow, my choices are not free.

What is the moral consequence of the Prescience dilemma? : If humans lack true free will because God foreknows all actions, humans cannot be held morally responsible or judged for their sins.

Define the term "Timeless" (Atemporal / Eternal). : The view that God exists entirely outside of time, experiencing all of past, present, and future simultaneously in a "changeless now".

Define the term "Everlasting" (Sempiternal). : The view that God exists inside time, moving through it along with us, having no beginning and no end, but experiencing the future as unknown.

Name three classical philosophers who argue God is Timeless (Atemporal). : Augustine, Boethius, and Thomas Aquinas (alongside Anselm).

Name two modern philosophers who argue God is Everlasting (Sempiternal). : Richard Swinburne and Charles Hartshorne (Process Theology).

Explain Boethius' analogy of the spectator on a hill. : A man traveling along a road sees only what is immediately in front of him (human perspective of time), while a spectator on a hill sees the whole journey at once (God's perspective).

How does Boethius use this analogy to protect human free will? : God does not see your future choice *before* it happens; He sees it happening in His eternal present. His knowledge is a snapshot, not a cause.

What category of knowledge does Boethius say God possesses? : "Simultaneous possession of boundless life." God sees all events across time co-existing in a single, infinite glance.

How does Anselm’s "Four-Dimensionalist" view of time differ from Boethius? : Anselm goes further by arguing that time is an actual dimension. Past, present, and future are all physically real and present to God.

What does Anselm mean by the phrase "eternity contains time"? : Time is a subset inside God's eternal nature. God is present at every point in history simultaneously, just as space is present around an object.

What is the primary strength of the classical "Timeless" view of God? : It preserves God’s immutability (changelessness) and independence from the physical universe, keeping God supreme and perfect.

What is the primary weakness of the classical "Timeless" view of God? : It makes prayer and miracle stories in the Bible incoherent. A timeless, changeless God cannot listen to a prayer or dynamically intervene in history.

How do Anthony Kenny and Nelson Pike critique the timeless view? : They argue the concept of a "simultaneous now" containing the whole of history is logically absurd; it means the fire of Rome is happening at the exact same moment as today.

Why does Richard Swinburne argue God must be Everlasting rather than Timeless? : He argues a timeless God is unbiblical and frozen like a statue. A loving God must respond to human relationships and change His mind based on our prayers.

According to Swinburne, how does an everlasting God view the future? : God knows everything that is logically possible to know. Because the future does not exist yet and relies on free will, it cannot be known.

Define the divine attribute of "Omnibenevolence". : The quality of being perfectly good, entirely loving, and completely without moral flaw or malice.

What is the "Euthyphro Dilemma" regarding omnibenevolence? : A dilemma from Plato asking: "Is something good because God commands it, or does God command it because it is already good?".

Explain the "Divine Command Theory" horn of the Euthyphro Dilemma. : The view that whatever God commands is automatically good. This makes morality arbitrary; if God commanded murder tomorrow, murder would be good.

Explain the "Independent Standard" horn of the Euthyphro Dilemma. : The view that God commands things because they are objectively good. This implies a standard of morality exists higher than God, undermining His supremacy.

How does Thomas Aquinas solve the Euthyphro Dilemma? : He rejects both horns. God’s nature *is* the standard of goodness. God cannot command evil because it would contradict His own essential identity.

What is the logical tension between Omnibenevolence and Justice? : Perfect mercy means pardoning sins without punishment, whereas perfect justice requires delivering exact consequences for sins.

How does Anselm reconcile God's mercy with His justice? : He argues God is merciful out of His own infinite goodness, but just according to our desserts; both flow harmoniously from His supreme perfection.

What is the "Schleiermacher Analogy" regarding foreknowledge? : He compares God's foreknowledge to two close friends. One friend can accurately predict what the other will choose for lunch, but that prediction doesn't force the choice.

What is the flaw in the Schleiermacher Analogy? : Human predictions can be wrong; God’s knowledge is infallible and absolute. If God knows an outcome with 100% certainty, alternate choices are strictly impossible.

Define "Molinism" or "Middle Knowledge" (Luis de Molina). : The theological theory that God knows what any free creature *would* freely choose to do in any given hypothetical situation.

How does Process Theology alter the traditional attributes of God? : It strips God of omnipotence, omniscience of the future, and immutability, presenting a evolving God who develops alongside the cosmos.

What is the "Immutability" paradox? : If God is perfect, He cannot change, because any change would mean moving toward a better state (meaning He wasn't perfect) or a worse state (meaning He loses perfection).

What is the ultimate OCR exam consensus on the Nature of God? : The traditional attributes are highly paradoxical when combined. Philosophers must choose between a classical, transcendent, timeless God or a modern, personal, everlasting God.