st 503 day 3/1&2

Existence: The concept of existence is discussed without restrictions; existence itself is unlimited.
Specifying Existence: Specifying existence leads to limitations.
God's Attributes:
- Many attributes of God are described negatively:
  - Immutable: God is not changeable.
  - Infinite: God is not finite.
- Attributes that can be stated positively are convertible with being.

Finite Godism:
- Proponents include philosophers like John Stuart Mill and William James.
- Rabbi Harold Kushner has also contributed to this perspective.
Pantheism:
- Belief that everything is God, associated with Hinduism, Buddhism, and the New Age movement.
- Critiques include the lack of personal relationship (I-thou) dynamics.
Theism vs. Deism:
- Theism: Belief in a personal God who intervenes in human affairs.
- Deism: A more detached view of God. Proponents include:
  - Thomas Paine
  - Thomas Jefferson
  - Benjamin Franklin
Types of Deism:
- God of No Concern: Uninvolved in earthly affairs.
- God of No Moral Concern: Interested in natural happenings but not human morality.
- God of Moral Concern for this Life: Concerned with morality in life but not beyond it.
- God of Moral Concern for This Life and the Next: Concerned with morality and offers afterlife reward/punishment.
- Miracles: Deists generally do not believe in miracles. Jefferson famously ended his Bible with a lack of resurrection narrative.

Different Perspectives on Evil:
- Atheism: Acknowledges the existence of evil but denies God.
- Pantheism: Acknowledges God but denies the reality of evil.
- Theism: Affirms both God's existence and the reality of evil.
Problems of Evil:
- Evidential Problem of Evil: Argues that the types and amounts of evil suggest a theistic God likely does not exist.
- Logical Problem of Evil: Questions the consistency of a good God co-existing with evil.
  - Divine Power: God cannot produce or promote evil, only permits it.
  - Free Will: God cannot create free will agents that only choose good, as this limits true worship and love.

Creation of Will:
- The will is created by God, who is pure act.
- God sustains human will and existence.
Natural Inclination:
- Human will has an inclination towards the universal and infinite good (God).
True Freedom:
- Freedom exists within the context of God’s perfect freedom.
Self-Determined Action:
- Emphasizes the responsibility of individual moral choices based on free will and choices made by Adam and Eve.
Free Will:
- Adam was free; the act of sin was a self-determined decision.
Moral Objective:
- Sin is a choice between perceived goods, which can be higher or lower.

Pre-Fall State:
- Possible not to sin (passe non piccari) and possible not to die (passe non mori).
Post-Fall State:
- Not possible not to sin (non passe non piccari) and not possible not to die (non passe non mori).
Nature of Sin:
- Although humans sin, they are not entirely incapable of doing good or making volitional choices.

Death as Separation:
- Spiritual Death: Separation from God due to sin (Isaiah 59:1).
- Physical Death: Inevitable result of Adam's sin.
- Eternal Death: Permanent separation from God (the second death).
Transmission of Sin:
- All Adam's descendants are affected by sin – a theological discussion point.
Inherent Capability:
- Humans are capable of rejecting divine grace but require it to accept God.