The Existence Of God And Theism

In the argument with McCloskey about using “proofs” to establish a case for Gods existence I would first agree with McCloskey that we should not use “proofs” for Gods existence since “proofs” cannot be a 100% proof of Gods existence. But there are two arguments that can help explain the existence of God. The first is the best explanation approach which is the best explanation for the things we witness. Another classical argument is cumulative case approach, in this approach we use more than one argument to make a case for Gods existence. Both of these approaches to the existence of God is easier to understand than just the “proof” argument. We must also understand the defeaters of the arguments and also that the God of the Bible is

In the article “ On Being an Atheist,” H.J. McCloskey attempts to inform his readers that the belief in atheism is a “much more comfortable belief” by effectively using a disdainful rhetoric towards theists and their faith. McCloskey delves into both the Cosmological and Teleological arguments, which within he criticizes the arguments and to further his argument against theism, he also presents the Problem of Evil and why evil cannot possibly exist with a perfect God being the creator of universe. What will be displayed in this essay are the counter-arguments to McCloskey’s criticisms and the attempt to discredit his claims that regard the “comfortable” position that lies within atheism and its arguments.

In the past hundred years, a great debate has shaken the foundation religious and scientific beliefs of society. Philosophers have been arguing about such a debate for hundreds of years, but there does not seem to be any consensus on whether on the existence of god and the universe. The ancient world never battled over such questions, rather they had accepted the fact that the natural world was created by some being. However, as society made major advancements, the question about god 's existence and his creation arose causing many debates and arguments to come about. The design arguments are a popular example of such debates, which is very prevalent amongst philosophers and society at large. “Simply put, the design argument, or the argument from design, states that the order and purpose manifest in the works of nature indicate that they were designed by an intelligent being” (Velasquez 251). The greatest proponent of the design argument was philosopher William Paley, who formulated the argument. As a student of philosophy and avid proponent of god 's existence, I support the design argument and philosopher William Paley. I would like to argue against the beliefs of atheism and agnosticism while supporting the design argument as a means of god 's existence. I believe that god is the creator of that which surrounds us and science and nature is a means to prove the existence of god, not rebuttal it. Also I will support the design argument with the

The term theism, obtained from the Greek theos, or "god", typically refers to belief in God, the notion that all finite things are dependent on one supreme, self-existent reality who is spoken of as having personal essence or identity. God is widely regarded to have attributes that human beings are also capable of emulating. In classical theism, God is described as having attributes such as goodness, love, grace, compassion, and other personal attributes that are common to human beings as well. Attributes which can be enhanced through our determination and responsibility (Mackie, 1983).

Over the centuries, there have been many attempts by religious philosophers to prove the existence of God. Though the history of the philosophy of religion has been dominated by attempts to prove the existence of God, there also exists a number of arguments that seek to disprove theism. In philosophy, it is important to be clear about the meanings of the terms that are central to the argument. Theism is the belief that there is a deity that is distinct from and transcends the world, which it creates and intervenes in. Atheism is the opposite of Theism which is the belief that there is no such thing as a deity. The arguments for the existence of God sets out to explain each of the common philosophical arguments for theism, and so to explore

Arguments against God and His existence have been a constant occurrence throughout history. From the beginning of time there have always been people that rebel against God and argue against the fiber of his existence. There are many naturalists who argue against God and whether or not he exists or is present in the world. These ideas and arguments are based on the reality of evil and clearly deviate from God’s word of scripture. There are theists who have opposing arguments against these naturalists. These theists believe in the existence of God and believe that he is present in the world and in the lives of people. The naturalist argument against God and the arguments of theist have always been constantly debated with and against

The worldview I chose was Christianity. I started out answering yes to the first few questions saying that I believe that there are truths out there that remain true despite of what others think, that it’s possible to know what is true, and that there are things that are objectively good and bad. The next question asked me if there was more than one valid religion and I answered no because I believe that there is only one way to heaven. These questions lead me the important question of “is there a God?” Answering yes to this question categorized me as a Theist worldview which means that I believe that there is a God. The next few questions asked about the character of God. I answered the questions saying that I believe that God has emotions

The existence of God has been in question for as long as mankind has existed and thought logically. Many questions have plagued the human mind in regards to God, and there have been many arguments drawn with the hopes of proving the existence of a supreme being whom we know as God. The “God” question has been presented to every individual at some point in their lives. It is a topic that will bring forth never-ending questions and an equal amount of attempted answers. Many philosophers have formulated different rationales when examining the topic of God, some of which include how the word itself should be defined, what his role is in human existence, whether or not he loves us, and ultimately, if he even exists at all. Mankind cannot

Religions are an answer to the reoccurring question of “Where did we come from?” Humans have had a constant inquisition of the reason for their existence burning in their mind since the beginning of time. It seems logical that in order for something to come into existence it has to start with a beginning, but it is hard for humans to wrap their minds around and label what must have existed before us that prompted the start of our time on earth. Religion started to emerge when humans realized that something had to exist outside of the earthly realm that created them, whether on purpose or by accident.

Throughout the course of this essay we shall examine two of the major philosophical arguments for the existence of God. The arguments that we are going to focus on shall be the Design argument and the Ontological argument. We shall compare, evaluate and discuss both the Design (or teleological) argument for the existence of God and the Ontological Argument for the existence of God, as well as highlighting philosophical criticisms of both theories too. By doing so, we shall attempt to draw a satisfactory conclusion and aim gain a greater understanding of the respective theories and their criticisms of each theory.

Arguments for Existance of God I have chosen the Christian religion to examine in this particular piece of coursework. Over the centuries philosophers and theologians have put forward a number of different arguments to argue the existence of God. The particular arguments I will be looking at are the Teleological Argument and the Cosmological Argument. = ==

Throughout the history of mankind, humans have believed in a variety of supernatural deities; some have believed in deities on a personal level while others view them as all-powerful protectors. Currently, a large percentage of the United States citizens believe in the God of Christianity, Yahweh. Christianity has had pagan influences, which means that Christianity religion has existed for twenty centuries; paganism predates Christianity, and this gives both paganism and Christianity an extensive lifetime. Christianity has garnered more notoriety and has become quite prominent in modern times. However, regardless of the lengthy history Christianity has had, is belief in its God justifiable? Can the existence of the Christian God be proven by empirical standards or is faith alone a reasonable and logical way of proving its existence? The arguments produced by theists are not exempt from critique, though the arguments produced by atheists are not exempt either. Both sides in this persistent topic deserve an in-depth analysis. The existence of Yahweh (or any particular deity) requires one to look at each side and the information presented. Neutrality must be taken into consideration, but it is important to develop one’s own perspective, especially when it pertains to something as controversial and long-debated as this topic. Regardless of this, through discussion and analysis of various points provided by theists and atheists, it is

One of the most prevalent arguments for the existence of God is the moral argument. It states that God alone makes sense of moral values, and since moral values exist, then God exists. A great number of people nowadays, including atheists and agnostics, trust in moral values. However, they do not agree with the Christian answer to provide a basis for those values. For many years homosexuality has been a debate over acceptance but has been for the most part considered an immoral act based on religious beliefs and the obligation to obey God’s commandments. These views on homosexuality can relate to the Divine Command Theory because morality is dependent upon the actions God commands us to do. There is however controversy with the Divine Command Theory that argues that morality may not be what God says it is therefore, the basis of homosexuality being immoral and moral comes into question. Thus, when we debate homosexuality as moral or immoral, the last thing we need to say is that homosexuality is wrong because the Bible says so. But before we can go any further we must understand what a moral action is, a moral action is one that results in the maximization of both individual and collective happiness, freedom, and fulfillment without imposing unreasonable or unjustified costs upon third parties or the broader civilization (Kennon). Thus, Gay and Lesbian relationships are not morally wrong based off the concepts of morality and the weaknesses of the Divine Command Theory.

When asked to choose a term or concept and establish what it means, the vast vocabulary humanity has established hindered Jennifer from making her choice. Jennifer understood the word had to be defined beyond its denotative meaning. While critically thinking and searching for the particular word, she thought about faith. According to dictionaries, the word faith has two distinct definitions. First, it is defined in the American Heritage Dictionary as being confident or having an unquestioning belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing (American Heritage Dictionary). Likewise, faith is defined in the Oxford Dictionaries as a strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof (Oxford Dictionaries). Faith is either trusting and having confidence in a person or thing, or having a strong religious spirit while accepting the existence of God as real. Usually, faith is parallel to god and religion, but faith can be found in values, in society, in the community, in organizations, in the universe, and most importantly, in individuals themselves.

Men always wonder about their own existence. They ask questions that hinted an existence of a God. Like the common questions that was probably asked by all men; who created me? , what am I? , who am I? These questions lead to the topics on how Plato and Aristotle came up with their different theories that supports the idea of the existence of a God. The problem here is that we cannot know the existence of a God if there really is a God by just thinking by ourselves because we may have the mind to think but we may also not have the capacity to think like Plato and Aristotle from which they are the main philosophers that the Medieval philosophers like Saint Bonaventure based their work not just by simply agreeing on the works of Aristotle or Plato but by commenting on their works and continuing or extending what their works are. The theory of forms by Plato indicates that there is a Primary Being that can be perceive through the use of the mind wherein reason is the main instrument being used in order to see what you cannot perceive using your external senses. The external sense cognition by Aristotle from which uses the five senses of a human person which are the sight, touch, smell, hearing, and taste. The world that we perceive by the use of our external senses make us believe that there is a God that created all that we see, smell, touch, hear, and taste. I propose to assimilate Saint Bonaventura in my paper because of my elaboration about