Existence of God ~ slide 1

The existence of God: introduction

The existence of God: introductory comments Are most people theists, agnostics,

or atheists because of rational arguments?

Why examine rational arguments? To satisfy our rational side To integrate our religious faith

with reason

Existence of God ~ slide 2

The existence of God: introduction

To discover which approach toward God questions is the most sound

Rational arguments are not found in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, and the Qu’ran. Why not?

Existence of God ~ slide 3

The existence of God: introduction

Some suggestions The Jewish people & Mohammed were

not concerned with the existence or non-existence of God, but with monotheism and polytheism.

The Jewish religion was not an evangelical religion; hence they did not develop an apologetic approach toward their religious faith. Cf. Christianity

Existence of God ~ slide 4

The existence of God: introduction

The gap between the God of reason & the God of scripture

Some jargon ontological arguments (Greek,

ontos - “being” or “existence) a priori & a posteriori arguments design or teleological arguments

Existence of God ~ slide 5

The existence of God: Anselm

Anselm’s ontological argument Anselm of Canterbury (Italian, 1033-

1109)

Existence of God ~ slide 6

The existence of God: Anselm

Bayeux Tapestry (1073-1083)

Musée de la Reine Mathilde

Bayeux, France

Existence of God ~ slide 7

The existence of God: Anselm

In the Proslogium (1078) Opens with a prayer! And it was written for his monks.

Why? Anselm’s position on the

relationship between religious faith & reason “Faith seeking understanding”

(Proslogium, pt. 1)

Existence of God ~ slide 8

The existence of God: Anselm

The argument 1. I have an idea of “a being

than which nothing greater can be conceived.”

2. Ideas can exist in the mind only or both in the mind & in reality. For an idea to exist only in the mind is less perfect than for it to exist both in the mind & in reality

Existence of God ~ slide 9

The existence of God: Anselm

3. If the idea of the greatest being conceivable were only an idea in the mind, then it would not be the greatest being conceivable. Such an idea contains a contradiction.

Existence of God ~ slide 10

The existence of God: Anselm

4. Therefore, God exists both an an idea in the mind & as a reality.

Guanilon’s objection We can apply the same reasoning

to the existence of the greatest possible island, or the highest possible mountain. But these do not necessarily, by the fact of such reasoning, exist.

Existence of God ~ slide 11

The existence of God: Anselm

Anselm’s reply to Guanilon We can always think of a more

perfect island or higher mountain. The idea of God is different; it is unique. We can’t conceive of a being greater than the greatest being conceivable.

Is Anselm’s argument a priori or a posteriori?

Existence of God ~ slide 12

The existence of God: Anselm

Critical evaluation What follows from the idea of “a being

than which nothing greater can be conceived” (GBC)? Whenever I have the idea of GBC, I

must logically have [the idea that GBC exists both as an idea in the mind and as a reality]. But both of these (the idea of GBC & everything in brackets) are ideas in the mind.

Existence of God ~ slide 13

The existence of God: Anselm

Briefly, the argument makes an unwarranted leap from the realm of ideas to the realm of reality. Is such a leap always fallacious?

Partial mitigation: The argument may be taken as a meditation on the attributes of God--all-loving, all-wise, all-powerful, etc.