Judeo-Christian Influence on the Philosophy of Religion

Judeo-Christian Influence on the Philosophy of Religion

1. God

   • Creator
     • creatio ex nihilo
     • spoke things into creation
       • deliberate action of God (Gen 1:1, Job 38)
     • Theistic view
       • God is transcendent and immanent simultaneously
         • creation is an ongoing process
     • Deistic view
       • creation is a thing of the past
   • Craftsman
     • relationship with humanity
     • skilled builder in designing things
     • creates things in perfection and harmony
     • natural beauty
     • given people talents and skills
     • organised pre-existing matter to create the universe
       • "The Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground" Gen 2:7
         • God brings order to his creation
           • "first cause" Cosmological argument
             • universe could not have caused itself but must have been caused by God
               • concept of crafting undermines argument
                 • if all matter is eternal, perhaps the universe did cause itself after all, and God is a mere designer
                   • is crafting less important than creating?
                     • takes away some of God's omnipotence
                   • if God didn't create out of nothing, then something else is eternal
                     • God is not unique
     • Psalm 8:3
   • Divine attributes
     • Divine Attributes of God
     • omnipresence
       • everywhere all at once
         • Psalm 147:8-9
           • doing several things at once
     • omniscience
       • all-knowing
     • omnipotence
       • all-powerful
         • control over everything
           • Psalm 147:8-9
       • supreme power
     • omnibenevolence
       • all-loving
         • forgiving
         • merciful
         • Psalm 147:8-9
           • cares for cattle and young ravens
     • Immanent
       • present in the world, knowable, within us
     • Immutable
       • cannot change
     • Transcendant
       • entirely above created universe, beyond human understanding
         • unknowable
       • Job 38:4-6
     • eternal
   • Links to Aristotle's Prime Mover
     • transcendent
     • cause of world
     • eternal and unchanging
     • ultimate perfection
     • has to exist out of necessity
   • Goodness
     • Divine Attributes of God
   • Judge
     • At the end of the world, on Judgement Day, God will judge every person, and separate the righteous from the wicked (or the sheep and the goats)
   • Perfect
     • no flaws, completely sinless

2. Genesis 1

   • describes 7 days of creation
     • Day 1
       • heavens and earth, day and night
     • Day 2
       • sky
     • Day 3
       • land and sea, plants and trees
     • Day 4
       • sun, stars and moon
     • Day 5
       • sea creatures and birds
     • Day 6
       • animals, Adam and Eve
     • Day 7
       • God rested (Sabbath)
   • Gen 1:27 - "God created mankind in his own image... male and female he created them."
   • First commands
     • "Be fruitful and increase in number" (Gen 1:28)
     • dominion: "Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves along the ground." (Gen 1:28)
   • Overview
     • suggests male and female were created at same time
       • in God's image
         • important over all other life
       • given dominion
       • fruitful
     • God creates by word alone
       • shows a transcendent, powerful God
     • helps to explain the Sabbath (holy day of rest) as God rested on the final day of creation
     • poetic structure to this account, familiar patterns and phrases are repeated
       • e.g) "And he saw that it was good", "the third day"
     • Creatio ex nihilo
       • 'creation out of nothing' in Latin
       • God wasn't made, he just is there
         • needs no introduction or explanation
       • Bible does not explicitly say God created the world from nothing
         • Genesis described the pre-creation state as a 'formless void'
         • Myth of Babylon
           • before the heavens and earth were formed, there were dark and swirling waters
             • some scholars argue that the writers of Genesis used this myth when writing the account;
               • "Spirit of God" hovering above the waters
         • Creatio ex nihilo did not become a part of Christian teaching until the 12th Century when it was defined by the Lateran Council
       • opposition to the Greek understanding of creation
         • Platonic: demiurge (creator) crafting out of pre-existing matter
         • Aristotlean: Prime Mover attracting change in the universe
       • did God create evil?
       • Key quotes
         • "Nothing comes from nothing" - Aristotle
         • "All things were made through him" John 1:3
         • "When I laid the earth's foundations" Job 38:4
       • Gnosticism
         • distinction between God of the OT and God of the NT
           • doctrine of creatio ex nihilo developed due to rising pressure of this belief
           • creator and redeemer
           • God of OT regarded as lesser deity
         • Irenaeus (130-200 AD) argued against belief in two Gods
           • and against the Greek belief in pre-existing matter
             • everything was required to be made from nothing

3. Genesis 2 & 3

   • Gen 2 is different creation account to Gen 1
     • "The Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being." Gen 2:7
     • "The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground - trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food." Gen 2:9
     • "It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a suitable helper for him." Gen 2:18
       • God created all the animals, and man named them
         • the animals were not suitable to be helpers
           • God took a rib from Adam whilst he slept, and formed woman
             • "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh." Gen 2:23
   • The Fall (Gen 3)
     • "You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die." Gen 2:17
       • Serpent appears to Eve and tells her to eat from the tree, as they will then know as much as God
         • Eve, then Adam eat the fruit from the tree
           • They realise they are naked, hear God and hide
             • Man blames woman, woman blames serpent
               • Punishments
                 • Serpent: Its legs are removed, and God tells the serpent that humans will hate the species and kill it
                 • Adam and Eve
                   • banished from the Garden of Eden
                   • pain in childbirth
                   • Man will have to work all his life and will eventually die
           • world becomes imperfect
   • Overview
     • explains origin of evil
     • shows immanent God involved with his creation
     • anthropomorphic (human structure) view of God
     • suggests man was made first, and woman made from man
       • craftsman, made and sculpted us
     • focus on good and evil, temptation and responsibilty

4. What is God's responsibility within good and evil?

   • The Problems Caused by God's Divine Attributes

5. What are the problems caused by God's divine nature?

   • The Problems Caused by God's Divine Attributes