The Existence Of God & # 8211 ; Approaches/Criticisms Essay, Research Paper

There are three major statements that attempt to explicate the being of God. First, it is of import to set up a definition of God. Harmonizing to philosophers God is an boundlessly perfect being that upholds a godly integrity of ultimate goodness and of ultimate power. God is referred to as Omniscient, Omnipotent and Eternal. God has unlimited cognition and intelligence, so fundamentally God is the ultimate theoretical account of perfectionism. Though all Philosophers agree with this definition of God, it does non province whether or non this ideal construct of God exists. The Ontological, Cosmological and Teleological have been developed throughout clip to try to turn out God being. There have besides been many unfavorable judgments into these statements, which attempt to confute each statement.

The Ontological statement was developed by Anselm ; a theist who argued for the being of God. In his statement he refers to God as a perfect being, hence? that than which nil greater can be conceived? . He began his statement by stating that even a? sap? ( atheist ) can hold on or understand the construct of a being than of? which nil greater can be conceived? as they already have an apprehension or thought of what it means in their head. Though this thought exists in their head, it does non intend God doesn? t exist in world. Anselm refers to God as a perfect being, and because he is so perfect he must hold infinite perfectionism, hence Anselm is reasoning that if God lacked being he would non be perfect, as he is perfect he must be.

There are many unfavorable judgments to why Anselm? s Ontological statement fails. Kant saw Anselm? s statement as simply a word game, playing on words and non world. In this sense, Kant sees the Ontological statement as an exercising in verbal analysis, the agencies where anyone can anaylse the significance of a word or construct, and pull a logical account from it. Therefore, Anselms? words? necessary being? are logical portion of a defined construct of God but they do non uncover whether God exists in world. Kant? s 2nd unfavorable judgment lineations that an thought of something does non automatically do it be in world. Its existent being is something extra to the thought of a thing. Kant referred to this construct where? being is non a predicate? ; that is it is non a specifying quality of a thing like size, coloring material, form and so on.

The Cosmological statement refers to the procedure of reasoning from the universe? ? universe? , to the being of God. The Cosmologic statement fundamentally draws upon St. Tomas Aquinas? Five Ways for the being of God. First, the cosmogonic statement says it is of import to set up that every event has a cause, and everything has a beginning. Therefore there must hold been a first cause that requires no anterior causes, which is referred to as God. Leibniz besides developed an statement where he asks the inquiry? Why is at that place something instead than nil? ? He claims that a sufficient ground to account for world there must be a being which is able to make being.

St. Aquinas? foremost of five statements back uping the Cosmological semen from the statement of gesture that was foremost developed by Plato. Basically in this statement it refers the thought where everything has been moved by something else, ? Therefore it is necessary to get at a first mover, moved by no other ; and this everyone understands to be God? . Aquinas? 2nd statement comes from the cosmopolitan fact of cause and consequence, where everything a individual experiences is an consequence ensuing from a anterior cause, hence Aquinas says? it is necessary to acknowledge a first efficient cause, to which everyone gives the name God? . The

3rd statements outlines that God is the necessary being which brings everything else into being. The 4th manner refers to God as an ultimate criterion of goodness, truth, aristocracy and so on. Aquanis says? Therefore there must be something which is to all existences the cause of their being, goodness, and every other flawlessness ; and this we call God. ? The fifth and concluding manner provinces that God is the intelligent Godhead of intelligence, ? Therefore some intelligent being exists by whom all natural things art directed to their terminal ; and this being we call God? .

There are many unfavorable judgments against the Cosmologic statement. First, Hume states that the statements put frontward reveals that the universe logically demands a causal account, but this may lie within the nature of the universe itself with respects to scientific grounds. Hick besides disagrees with the statement as it fails explicate the cause of God. Kant says it fails as to talk of causing outside of clip and infinite has no significance, because causing requires clip and infinite. Another statement against the cosmogonic statement comes from Mill. He draws his decision from experience, observing that experience Teachs that all events are caused. God, as a cause that was non itself caused can non be conceived, so experience does non logically back up the first cause, hence this construct of God does non be.

The Teleological statement from the Grecian word telos, intending? terminal or? aim? is besides referred to as the Design Argument. It is based on the contention that there is grounds that supports intent and design in the existence and in life itself. William Paley ( 1743-1805 ) , came up with the analogy of a ticker found in a field, which required a interior decorator, that of a horologist. He explains that there is no logic to claim that it was non designed and carefully crafted in order to hold a intent. So in contrast, it is said that the complex order and design of the existence is evidently the work of an intelligent designer, to which we call God.

Hume strongly critised Paley? s Design Argument. He came up with five grounds to why it fails to turn out the being of God. First, it does non give a ground to believe the universe really serves some intent, despite it is clear that parts of it do. Hume besides develops the thought of organic analogy that challenges the mechanical analogy which suggests an intelligent interior decorator made the universe. Hume shows that through organic analogy, there is no demand for a interior decorator as elements of the existence such as the vegetation and zoology, come into being through coevals and development, so hence the same could be said about the existence. The Design Argument merely accounts for a? interior decorator? with infinite intelligence. The interior decorator might be intelligent, but is surely non all-knowing nor almighty, capable of planing but non necessary capable of making. Hume? s 4th statement puts frontward the illustrations of immorality and agony in the universe, as they contradict the posed? order and aim? set frontward by the Design Argument. Hume fundamentally asks the inquiry ; if God is perfect so why does evil be? The last statement of Hume coincides with scientific grounds, every bit good as the thought that the existence came into being as the consequence of purely opportunity.

Together the ontological, cosmogonic and teleological statements provide three exhaustively examined statements for the being of God. The unfavorable judgments of each position have besides been carefully scrutinized to confute God? s being. Though the being of God is a really controversial issue for theists and atheists likewise, these three positions and unfavorable judgments towards God? s being provide good penetrations into this major issue in modern-day doctrine.