Natural theology

“In the beginning God created the Heaven and the Earth” (King James Version Gen. 1.1). This well known verse of scripture has influenced countless lives and debates during its existence. Many theologians and philosophers have argued not only if the bible is true, but if there is an actual existence of God. Saint Thomas Aquinas was one such philosopher, and created 5 intriguing arguments for the existence of God. Each argument is compelling and interesting; however, it is only the first four that…

Before analyzing the moral implications of divine favoritism, one should ask how is it defined? The word “favoritism” is not used directly in the Old Testament, instead “favor” is used, which alludes to a differentiation between humanistic and divine ideologies of favor. When God favors man, he essentially is utilizing him to convey a larger message to humankind. The Old Testament takes a varying stance on the justification of divine favoritism; moreover, there are cases when God favors man…

In an effort to argue for the existence of God, Saint Thomas Aquinas provides five cosmological arguments in his piece “The Existence of God”. The second argument he states examines causes and effects and looks to explain these series in regard to their beginning, or first cause (43:1-2). Aquinas says that the chain of causes and effects cannot go back to “infinity” (43:60) because when the first cause is taken out, so is its effect and every following effect (43:61). I find this claim plausible…

Philosophy Essay #2 Different philosophers have had different thoughts on the idea of God and faith with regard to the need for proof or not. Spinoza believed that beliefs are foolish without proof. Bargman argued that sometimes it’s okay to have faith in something without proof. I stand more with Spinoza’s argument, however I am able to understand why some people will have faith in something that they cannot prove. Spinoza makes the argument that believing without proof is like mindlessly…

In H.J McCloskey’s article, he made clear to his readers that the major dispute to theism is the presences of evil in the world. This essay will provide a response to many of the arguments McCloskey made and hopefully offer some clarifications and point out some issues with other objections to the topics of evolution, indisputable, issues of morality, and the subject matter that questions the existence of God, which he also has expressed in his article (McCloskey). The arguments were meant to be…

Our comprehension of fickle Fortune and the role it plays in our lives are questions that both Boccaccio and Boethius attempt to answer. In his Consolation of Philosophy, the medieval philosopher, Boethius, believes that we should not embrace fickle Fortune’s goods because they can easily be taken away. A devout Christian, Boethius sees Fortune as a spiritual test on our path to finding God and eternal happiness. In the Decameron, Boccaccio takes a more earthly view, claiming that Fortune is…

Therefore, he gave the thought that both human body and soul contributed to the human nature [1]. So, the concept of human nature is very controversial. But in simple words, we can claim that the human nature set the basis of human development. Natural is something we cannot choose. Despite the individual and cultural variations, human nature remains the same. Human nature is simply the way we tend to act established on our intuitive and…

Reeves argues that we look at God in a very one-dimensional way and that humanity tends to look at God and project qualities that only exhibit a part of God. (pg 20) Quoting Karl Barth Reeves argued that even Hitler knew who God was, but that Hitler missed the full point that “… God is almighty, but he wanted to make very clear that mere might is not who God is.” (pg 20). God goes far beyond just power, and Reeves moves on to show that God doesn’t just flex muscles at us in hopes of us loving…

Man’s role in Salvation One majorly debated topic is what man’s role in salvation is, if he has any at all. Through this essay readers will be given information to better discern their opinions on if they can be saved by grace alone or if it is a choice. By looking through philosophical foundations, Biblical evaluations, historical development, theological formulation, and practical application, readers will be able to understand their views on man’s role in salvation. One important aspect of…

Analytical essay In the “World’s religions: continuities and transformations,” Clarke, Peter B., Beyer, Peter note the challenges in defining religion. As they point out, the definition of religion has been the question of many scholars for years and yet have not gotten an answer and probably will not in the near future. The strong quest for defining religion has been challenging for many scholars mainly due to two factors. The first challenge is that the term “religion” can be used for a…