Divine Attributes of God

Description

- Eternal - Perfect - Personal - Omniscient - Omnipotent - Good - Transcendent - Immanent - Judge - Lawgiver - Creator - Craftsman
Summer Pearce
Slide Set by Summer Pearce, updated more than 1 year ago
Summer Pearce
Created by Summer Pearce over 8 years ago
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Resource summary

Slide 1

    Overview
    The concept of God is at the heart of the philosophy of religion. There are many different views of God's nature, however most world religions believe that God is 'maximally great', that nothing can ever be greater than God. Other attributes of God include; personal (immanence), omniscience, omnipotence, supreme goodness, eternal and transcendence.

Slide 2

    God's Eternity
    The idea of God being eternal has been strongly influenced by classical philosophy;e.g) Plato and his unchanging reality of the FormsNicholas Wolterstorff suggested that the idea of God's eternity is appealing not just because of classical influence, but because God is different from human's experience of life.e.g) Before modern medical advances, death was a prominent feature in people's lives, but God can never die. God is also not swayed by emotion, which makes him a constant for people, a 'rock'. Anselm suggested that God exists outside of time, because God is eternal, so nothing can contain him.

Slide 3

    Why is God eternal?
    Christians traditionally believe that God is eternal because; The Bible suggests that God has always existed. (Isaiah 57:15 God is not a physical being like us, therefore he is not subject to change. God is the divine creator of the universe. Time passing is a feature of the universe, therefore God created time, and he cannot be contained by something that he created. God is the ultimate cause of all that exists and explains why there is change in the universe. Time passing implies imperfection, as you change with time and lose what you were previously. God is unchanging and perfect, so he must be outside of time. (This argument is found in Anselm's Proslogion. God exists necessarily. God is self-sufficient (dependent on nothing else for existence). If something else brought God into existence, he would lack the perfect quality of self-sufficiency, so God must have existed for all time.  Equally, if something had the power to end God's existence, he is dependent on that thing (not exercising its power) to exist.

Slide 4

    Caption: : Boethius
    Boethius on God's Eternity
    Christian beliefs were strongly influenced by Boethius. He argued that; God doesn't change. God doesn't exist within time. Eternity is "the whole, simultaneous and perfect possession of unending life". Life is not only endless, but it is not like physical life, as there is no change and it is not experienced as a series of events following each other. God's life is limitless and He/She possesses the whole of their life eternally without end. For God, there is no past, present or future. Instead, all of time is present to God at the same time. God is simple; He does not learn new things and time doesn't pass for God.

Slide 5

    Caption: : Aquinas
    Aquinas on God's Eternity
    Aquinas was heavily influenced by the ideas of Boethius. He quoted him, "The primary intrinsic difference of time from eternity is that eternity exists as a simultaneous whole and time does not."Aquinas believed: God exists unendingly without a beginning or conclusion. God must be outside of time. Time and change are inseparable, and since God cannot change, God must be outside of time. Furthermore, time consists of beginnings and ends, but because God has no beginning or end, God must be outside of time. God is the creator of the universe, who has always existed and will always exist. Time involves living life successively (one event after another), but this is not the case for God.

Slide 6

    Is God everlasting or eternal?
    If God exists in time, then God's existence is everlasting, as he exists throughout all time.If God exists outside of time, then God's existence is eternal or timeless. In this case, God's existence has no beginning or end as the ideas of beginnings and ends only make sense within time, as something can only stop or start existing within time. God is not within time, so he cannot stop or start existing.

Slide 7

    God gets Personal
    Many religions describe God as personal. Properties that characterise a person include intellect and will.  God having intellect means he has rationality and knowledge, and God's will is shown through morality, freedom and the ability to act (power). Some philosophers argue that to lack either intellect or will would mean God is not perfect, therefore God must have both intellect and will in order to be 100% perfect.  Intellect and will are properties of the mind, as God possesses these properties, he had perfect intellect and perfect will. Perfect intellect includes perfect wisdom, rationality and knowledge (omniscience). Perfect will includes perfect goodness and perfect power (omnipotence).

Slide 8

    God gets Personal cont'd
    Although God is personal, God cannot be described as person. God has attributes essentially associated with being a person, but there are some differences: As the most perfect possible being, God cannot become any more perfect. He also cannot become any less perfect, otherwise he wouldn't be God. God cannot change, unlike people, who are constantly changing.
    People also have bodies, and God, cannot have a body because; Anything made out of matter changes over time. God cannot change. Anything made out of matter has parts, and whatever has parts depends on other parts for its existence. Perfection is often associated with self-suffiency, therefore, as the most perfect being, God cannot depend on anything for his existence.

Slide 9

    Omniscience
    Perfect knowledge is taken to mean 'omniscience'.The definition of omniscience: The most obvious definition of omniscience is 'knowing everything'. (Latin: omni = all, scient = knowing) However, although God is the most perfect being, perhaps it is impossible to know everything. Some philosophers argue that omniscience means 'knowing all the truths it is possible to know.' For example, if humans have free will, perhaps it is impossible for God to know what human action will be. 
    Omniscience is not just a matter of what God knows, but also how. Aquinas argued that God knows everything directly, rather than through inference or understanding a system of representation (such as language or thinking in terms of propositions) - taken from Summa Theologica Other philosophers disagree, and argue that is God doesn't know all true propositions, then there is something that God doesn't know, thus, for God to know everything, he must have propositional knowledge as well as direct knowledge

Slide 10

    Omnipotence
    Power is the ability to do things. Similar to omniscience, omnipotence can mean different things; The most obvious definition is 'all-powerful', including the power to do anything, even the logically impossible. Other philosophers, like Aquinas, argue that God has the most perfect power possible. However, even if God cannot do the logically impossible, there is still nothing God cannot do.
    Caption: : God's omnipotence is shown in Genesis 1 where He controls the chaos before creation and in Job 38 - 'laid the foundations of the earth'

Slide 11

    God's Greatness and Perfection
    Similarly, God is described as perfect. Augustine says that to think of God is to 'attempt to conceive something than which nothing more excellent or sublime exists.' Some philosophers claim that God is the most perfect being that could (and/or does) exist. What is perfect is more real than what is not. Perfection has been thought to involve self-sufficiency (not to be dependent on anything and not to lack anything). God is traditionally thought of as the ultimate reality - the basis for everything to exist.

Slide 12

    God's Goodness
    Firstly, we must consider the definition of goodness.  A good dog is loyal. A good person is honest. A good night out builds relationships with others. A good film is challenging. These attributes all apply to God. Perhaps God has the goodness of everything in the world, and this is what is meant by perfect goodness.If goodness is just perfection, then saying God is perfectly good is the same a stating that he is perfectly perfect, the most perfect possible being.God is therefore the ultimate standard of goodness, as he lacks nothing. 
    The other sense of goodness is the moral sense. God being perfectly good therefore means that God's will is always in accordance with moral values. God's goodness is a source for all the good in creation. This is similar to Plato's idea of the Form of the Good. Plato and Augustine connect the two understandings of perfect goodness. What is perfect includes what is morally good, as evil is a type of lack, or 'falling short' of goodness. If evil is a lack or 'failure' what is morally good is more perfect that what is not.

Slide 13

    God's Goodness cont'd
    This attribute of God is characterised by his setting of a moral standard for humans to follow. It is also expressed by his direct activity in the lives of his people. Goodness is not a remote quality. Similar to Plato's Form of the Good, God's goodness permeates all of his other attributes. We cannot compare God's goodness to human goodness, as he is more than just a model of goodness, he is perfectly good (also like Plato's Forms that are perfect examples of a given property).

Slide 14

    God's Goodness cont'd
    Peter vardy (199*) said that having a relationship with God may call a person to do something that goes against the accepted, social norms and something that is not 'rational, reasonable or understandable.' God's goodness does not depend on circumstances or on him acting in an unpredictable and apparently irrational manner. For example, Jesus and Job suffered at the hands of God, but both of them still took for granted that God's goodness was constant, eternal and ultimately incomprehensible. The goodness of God is shown in the following Bible verses; Genesis 1:26-31, Exodus 20:1-17, Samuel 1:9-27, Hosea 11:1-9 and Psalm 23:1-6. God's goodness is also revealed through His creation - natural beauty could be considered solely for human enjoyment. God's goodness is revealed through Jesus, as His universal love for all and sacrifice for their sins expresses God's love for humanity.
    Caption: : Vardy

Slide 15

    God's goodness = immeasurable?
    God's goodness cannot be measured by human standards of goodness but it is experienced through a relationship which is based on faith not reason. An example of this is found in the Old Testament. Abraham was called by God to kill his son Isaac. Vardy says that Abraham trusted his relationship with God and believed two contradictory facts; God would deliver on his promise to give him descendants through Isaac. He would sacrifice Isaac to God as he was commanded. Although Abraham was not required to carry out the action, Abraham behaved as if he was.

Slide 16

    Transcendence
    The idea of transcendence suggests that God is very different from his creation.  Firstly, God is outside or beyond the universe. Since God is self-sufficient and the creator of the universe, God cannot be reduced to a part of the universe. God is not a spatial or physical being, like his creation is. Many philosophers argue that God is eternal - being beyond time.  Whilst God is personal, (intellect and will) he is very different to people.

Slide 17

    Immanence
    Emphasising God's transcendence can make it seem like God is very remote to humans. However, the idea of immanence describes the close connection between God's existence and and the existence of everything else. It is said that God is omnipresent (that he exists everywhere and in everything). In being everywhere, God knows everything from the inside out. God's omnipresence helps Him to be aware of everything that is happening in the universe and to sustain His creation. Some philosophers argue that God is everlasting, and immanent in time, giving a sense that we work alongside God in producing what is morally good.

Slide 18

    Immanent and Transcendent God
    Immanence without transcendence would lead to pantheism - the belief that God and the universe are the same thing. It would also lead to the denial of God being personal, as the universe isn't.Transcendence is necessary for the traditional conception of God, and immanence is necessary to prevent God from being impossibly remote from us.

Slide 19

    God as Judge
    God is described as morally perfect, and therefore the only one who is worthy to judge human actions. He is the one that decides what is right or wrong. (see the Euthyphro dilemma) On Judgement Day, God will separate the 'sheep from the goats' and decide who can enter the Kingdom of God (AKA Heaven) Humans are not fit to judge others as we are not morally perfect. The story of the adulterous woman in John 8 tells us 'Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.' Sodom and Gomorrah

Slide 20

    God as Lawgiver
    God gives commands to his people in both the Old Testament (10 Commandments) and the New Testament (teachings of Jesus, e.g. 'love thy neighbour') As God is morally perfect, he has the authority to decide what is acceptable and what isn't. The laws included in the 10 Commandments and Leviticus provide a moral grounding for people, and they are present in the basic structure of society. The Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount, and Jesus' teachings; 'Do unto others as you would have them do to you', and 'remove the plank from your own eye and you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother's eye,' are more examples of where Jesus acts as a lawgiver.  Giving the law shows his compassion for humanity and his goodness. His punishment of humanity when we break rules is seen to be good so we can learn from our mistakes.

Slide 21

    God as Creator and Craftsman
    There are two basic accounts of the creation of the world in the Bible; Genesis 1 = six days version = God creating by word aloneGenesis 2 = story of Adam and Eve = God moulding/crafting things into existenceBoth accounts regard humans highly in creation.When God is described as Creator in the Bible, this means: God causes the universe to exist God is responsible for the universe coming into existence and sustaining it God is responsible for everything in the universe
    God as CreatorOther passages in the Bible tell us about God's creative nature, such as Isaiah 40:22-23 and Job 38.Genesis 1: Earth 'without form and void' and the 'spirit of God' (logos) moving over the face of the earth God seems more remote and transcendent (like PM) God creates different parts of the universe on each day Creation action is by Word - 'God said let there be...' - this shows His omnipotence and intelligent aspect God pre-exists the creation of the world and God has complete power over His creation This story seems to have Greek influence, spirit of God = 'logos' = the wisdom/Word of God. Logos is sometimes compared to Plato's Forms

Slide 22

    God as Creator and Craftsman cont'd
    God as Craftsman God is the skilled builder of the world  In Job 38, God is seen as the designer who laid the foundations of the earth This concept shows how God relates to mankind, and that there is a relationship that allows God to reward or punish man This shows a different depiction of God than the sterile power that was portrayed by the Greeks
    Genesis 2: God is depicted in a more super-human way, (walking, talking, getting angry and having more of a relationship with humanity) the featured creation activity is crafting/moulding Adam is made 'of dust from the earth and is breathed into the breath of life' - likened to a potter shaping the clay shows the purpose of humanity; 'The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it.' (Genesis 2:15) God is more involved and immanent with His creation (provisions and getting angry when they disobey) shows an intimate relationship between God and humanity

Slide 23

    Other Attributes of God
    Giver of free will - God's omnipotence in Creation means He is the only being capable of giving humans free will to make decisions between right and wrong. Immutable - God is unchanging and doesn't have the potential to develop, as He is already perfect.  Similarities with Aristotle's Prime Mover: Transcendence - the PM created by thought alone, which is similar to God creating with word alone.
    Differences with Aristotle's Prime Mover: Immanence - the PM cannot interact with the world, as that would give it potential to change, thus meaning it is no longer the unchanged PM. Genesis 2 shows God being high and mighty, whilst also being intimately involved with creation. The PM is just high and mighty.
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