God is Necessary & Self-Existent:
It might seem odd to list “existence” as an attribute of God, but that’s not actually the point here. Of course believers think that their god exists - what is at issue is how God exists. According to philosophical theism, God exists in a very special and unique way: God’s existence is necessary rather than contingent. Read More...
It might seem odd to list “existence” as an attribute of God, but that’s not actually the point here. Of course believers think that their god exists - what is at issue is how God exists. According to philosophical theism, God exists in a very special and unique way: God’s existence is necessary rather than contingent. Read More...
God is the Creator & Sustainer of Existence:
A very common attribute of gods in religious traditions around the world is that of creation — our universe, our world, and indeed our very selves often owe their existence to creative acts of the gods. In the Western traditions of philosophical theism, the existence of everything is owed to a single creative act by a single perfect God. Read More...
A very common attribute of gods in religious traditions around the world is that of creation — our universe, our world, and indeed our very selves often owe their existence to creative acts of the gods. In the Western traditions of philosophical theism, the existence of everything is owed to a single creative act by a single perfect God. Read More...
God is Worthy of Worship: Divine Perfection:
There several divine attributes which receive a lot of attention, but there is none quite so important for traditional believers as the general principle of absolute perfection and the narrower implication that, therefore, God is worthy of our worship. These are the reasons why the existence of God is the subject of so much debate. Read More...
There several divine attributes which receive a lot of attention, but there is none quite so important for traditional believers as the general principle of absolute perfection and the narrower implication that, therefore, God is worthy of our worship. These are the reasons why the existence of God is the subject of so much debate. Read More...
God is Omnipotent: What does it mean to be all-powerful?:
Omnipotence, sometimes known as being all-powerful, refers to God’s ability to do absolutely anything God wants. This characteristic is usually treated as implied from God’s characteristic as absolute creator. Unfortunately, the most absolute sense of omnipotent has been found to be incoherent. Read More...
Omnipotence, sometimes known as being all-powerful, refers to God’s ability to do absolutely anything God wants. This characteristic is usually treated as implied from God’s characteristic as absolute creator. Unfortunately, the most absolute sense of omnipotent has been found to be incoherent. Read More...
God is Omniscient: What does it mean to be all-knowing?:
Omniscience, also sometimes known as being all-knowing, refers to God’s ability to know absolutely everything. This characteristic is usually treated as a consequence of one of two ways in which God exists: either because God exists outside of time, or because God exists as part of time. Unfortunately, the most absolute sense of omniscience has been found to be incoherent. Read More...
Omniscience, also sometimes known as being all-knowing, refers to God’s ability to know absolutely everything. This characteristic is usually treated as a consequence of one of two ways in which God exists: either because God exists outside of time, or because God exists as part of time. Unfortunately, the most absolute sense of omniscience has been found to be incoherent. Read More...
God is Omnibenevolent: What does it mean to be all-loving?:
The concept of omnibenevolence stems from two basic ideas of God: that God is perfect and that God is morally good. Therefore, God must possess perfect goodness. Being perfectly good must entail being good in all ways at all times and towards all other beings — but there remain questions. First, what is the content of that goodness and second what is the relationship between that goodness and God? Read More...
The concept of omnibenevolence stems from two basic ideas of God: that God is perfect and that God is morally good. Therefore, God must possess perfect goodness. Being perfectly good must entail being good in all ways at all times and towards all other beings — but there remain questions. First, what is the content of that goodness and second what is the relationship between that goodness and God? Read More...
God is a Person: Personal Relationships with God:
For many people in Western religious traditions, the idea that God is a “person” is a necessary and fundamental part of their beliefs. Indeed, the very idea that God might not be a person is almost inconceivable for that would render them unable to adequately explain their religious history and their own religious experiences. Read More...
For many people in Western religious traditions, the idea that God is a “person” is a necessary and fundamental part of their beliefs. Indeed, the very idea that God might not be a person is almost inconceivable for that would render them unable to adequately explain their religious history and their own religious experiences. Read More...
God is Transcendent & Immanent:
On the face of it, the characteristics of transcendence and immanence appear to be in conflict. A transcendent God is one who is beyond perception, independent of the universe, and wholly “other” when compared to us. An immanent God is one which exists within - within us, within the universe, etc. - and, hence, very much a part of our existence. How can these qualities exist simultaneously? Read More...
On the face of it, the characteristics of transcendence and immanence appear to be in conflict. A transcendent God is one who is beyond perception, independent of the universe, and wholly “other” when compared to us. An immanent God is one which exists within - within us, within the universe, etc. - and, hence, very much a part of our existence. How can these qualities exist simultaneously? Read More...
God is Eternal: Timeless vs. Everlasting:
God is commonly portrayed as being eternal; however, there is more than one way to understand the concept of “eternal.” On the one hand, God may be thought of as “everlasting,” which means that God has existed through all of time. On the other hand, God may be thought of as “timeless,” which means that God exists outside of time, unconstrained by the process of cause and effect. Read More...
God is commonly portrayed as being eternal; however, there is more than one way to understand the concept of “eternal.” On the one hand, God may be thought of as “everlasting,” which means that God has existed through all of time. On the other hand, God may be thought of as “timeless,” which means that God exists outside of time, unconstrained by the process of cause and effect. Read More...
The Importance of Defining God:
The question of God’s existence is a bit pointless until we establish what, exactly, we are talking about when we use the term “God.” Although that makes some logical sense, the fact remains that people spend a lot more time discussing the existence of God than discussing the nature and attributes of God — why is that? People do have some idea already of what they mean by “God,” thus rendering discussions about God’s existence meaningful to them. Unfortunately, it’s not necessarily “meaningful” in the same way to the others involved in the discussion.
The question of God’s existence is a bit pointless until we establish what, exactly, we are talking about when we use the term “God.” Although that makes some logical sense, the fact remains that people spend a lot more time discussing the existence of God than discussing the nature and attributes of God — why is that? People do have some idea already of what they mean by “God,” thus rendering discussions about God’s existence meaningful to them. Unfortunately, it’s not necessarily “meaningful” in the same way to the others involved in the discussion.
In other words, the term “God” may not carry the same meaning to all of those engaged in a debate about the existence of God. One person may be asserting the existence of one god while another person may be denying the existence of another god entirely; thus, they are just talking past each other rather than communicating meaningfully. This is an example of a common problem: getting involved in a complicated discussion without defining and explaining the most critical concepts. Debating the existence of God is pointless unless people take the time to set some “ground rules,” including what they mean by “God.”
Although there is potentially infinite variation in what people mean by “God,” there are some common attributes which are often discussed, especially among those who come from a generally Western tradition of religion and philosophy. Because it relies heavily upon a long tradition of intersecting religious and philosophical inquiry, it is commonly referred to as “classical theism,” “standard theism,” or better still “philosophical theism.”
