Existence of God due to Efficient Causes Gods have been worshiped by many cultures throughout the entirety of human existence. Gods are seen as saviors, and every culture around the world maintains their own interpretation of God. Just like Gods have been idolized, they have also been questioned. Many philosophers throughout history have debated the question of whether God exists. In his paper The Existence of God, Thomas Aquinas claims that God exists because he is the first efficient cause of all things in the universe (43). Even though critics of this argument maintain that there can be many concurrent causes to all events, this paper will argue that God exists because he is the exception to this objection. Through the works of Aquinas,
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And, this first cause must not be changed by anything before it. Since nothing exists prior to itself, there must be a first efficient cause for all things in the universe that sparked the chain (43). If the first cause does not exist, the effects that follow would not occur either. This is why there is a necessity for a first cause. In the modern world, many believe this to be God (43). There is a never-ending chain of events, starting from the first cause. The domino effect displays this phenomenon. If there are multiple dominos lined up in a row, there is a possibility for a chain reaction to occur. By knocking down the first domino by a push of a hand, a chain reaction occurs. One after the other all the dominos fall down. The push of the hand is the efficient cause that started this chain. If the push of the hand did not occur then everything that follows would not either. So, the first efficient cause is necessary for all the dominos to fall …show more content…
For example, X or Y or Z can cause D. Some of these possibilities might not be known or discovered yet, but they may still exist and invoke change. The rest of the possible causes sometimes cannot be known due to grounds of experience. This proves to show that there is an invincible about of possibilities in the real world, and finding the one that truly sparks the change is the challenge. Concurrent causes have been used in legal situations. In a possible legal situation, a car may be damaged because of wind from a heavy storm or water from a possible flood. Both these causes are equally as likely. It is impossible to know whether the wind or water caused the damage to the car. The insurance may only cover one of the causes. So, it is the job of the owner to prove that there are no possible concurrent causes by eliminating the possibilities of the them.
Another example would be stress. Many things, such as schoolwork or family matters, can cause stress. Since there can be many different causes to stress, it is impossible to determine which one is the actual one. When there can be many different causes to a singular event, it may be difficult to know which cause is the actual one. This relates to how the people view the universe to be created. Many people believe in either the Big Bang theory or God. In order for something to create the universe, it must be something
And, this first cause must not be changed by anything before it. Since nothing exists prior to itself, there must be a first efficient cause for all things in the universe that sparked the chain (43). If the first cause does not exist, the effects that follow would not occur either. This is why there is a necessity for a first cause. In the modern world, many believe this to be God (43). There is a never-ending chain of events, starting from the first cause. The domino effect displays this phenomenon. If there are multiple dominos lined up in a row, there is a possibility for a chain reaction to occur. By knocking down the first domino by a push of a hand, a chain reaction occurs. One after the other all the dominos fall down. The push of the hand is the efficient cause that started this chain. If the push of the hand did not occur then everything that follows would not either. So, the first efficient cause is necessary for all the dominos to fall …show more content…
For example, X or Y or Z can cause D. Some of these possibilities might not be known or discovered yet, but they may still exist and invoke change. The rest of the possible causes sometimes cannot be known due to grounds of experience. This proves to show that there is an invincible about of possibilities in the real world, and finding the one that truly sparks the change is the challenge. Concurrent causes have been used in legal situations. In a possible legal situation, a car may be damaged because of wind from a heavy storm or water from a possible flood. Both these causes are equally as likely. It is impossible to know whether the wind or water caused the damage to the car. The insurance may only cover one of the causes. So, it is the job of the owner to prove that there are no possible concurrent causes by eliminating the possibilities of the them.
Another example would be stress. Many things, such as schoolwork or family matters, can cause stress. Since there can be many different causes to stress, it is impossible to determine which one is the actual one. When there can be many different causes to a singular event, it may be difficult to know which cause is the actual one. This relates to how the people view the universe to be created. Many people believe in either the Big Bang theory or God. In order for something to create the universe, it must be something