Preview

Atheism

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
347 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Atheism
The argument of the existence of evil states that if God exists then he knows how to, wants to, and is able to prevent all suffering. If such a God existed, though, then we would expect him to prevent all suffering. Suffering, though, is a familiar part of the world around us; it has not been prevented. There is, therefore, the argument concludes, no such God.
The question of omnipotence is posed as a paradox, which asks, “can God create a stone so heavy that he cannot lift it?” If he can create such a stone, then there is something that God cannot do, lift the stone, therefore God is not omnipotent and cannot exist. If he cannot create such a stone, then there is another thing that God cannot do, these he is not omnipotent, and cannot exist.
There are many arguments for the existence of God. The cosmological argument argues that there was a "first cause", or "prime mover" who is identified as God, the teleological argument argues that the universe's order and complexity are best explained by reference to a creator God, and the he ontological argument is based on arguments about a being greater than which cannot be conceived.
Another argument is the moral argument. This states that human beings are aware of actions as being right and wrong, obligatory and forbidden. Such awareness carries with it the thought that they are bound to do some things and bound to avoid doing others. This is called moral normativity and is best explained through moral laws. Since a law cannot be valid unless there is intelligence which recognizes and upholds it and it cannot be human intelligence that provides the needed recognition and upholding of moral law since the moral law holds everywhere whereas the human mind is limited in its comprehension and scope. The appropriate promulgator must have authority over all human beings at all times and places. Thus the only intelligence and will that can be the source of the moral law is that found in God. The argument

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    The statement “God is omnipotent” raises more issues and complexities the any other three-word sentence, not least due to the disagreement over what omnipotent actually means. A long side this, numerous contradictions, incoherencies and philosophical problems arise, all of which lead me to conclude that man’s traditional conception of God is simply an impossibility.…

    • 2007 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Cosmological argument is an argument that attempts to prove the existence of God, it is also known as the causation argument which argues that as all events require a cause, if the universe is an event it must have a cause and that cause is God.…

    • 815 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The problem with the logical problem of evil is plain and simple to what you’re reading. The word logical is the key. We as people like to think that suffering and evil will lead to build morality and character. But where is the proof? A theist could also say that you can prevent suffering and evil by your own freedom and choices. But clearly that isn’t the case and anything could happen at any given moment. A counter-example is if a man was walking on the sidewalk and gets hit by a car from behind, and suffers and dies slowly. How can you prove that this incident was for the greater good? If there was an omniscient being how could he not prevent this or let him die instantly instead of suffering? That is the evidential problem of evil’s argument.…

    • 581 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    There are 3 main arguments that each seek to prove the existence of God; the Ontological, Cosmological, and Teleological Arguments. Each is different in its approach, but all arrive at the same conclusion. Ontological Argument argues God’s existence from the assumption of the existence a “Greatest Thing that can ever be conceived.” From there, it argues that in order for something to be “The Greatest Thing ever” it must exist physically (that is outside of the mind). The Cosmological Argument argues that since everything in the universe is contingent (or is dependent on other things for its existence), there must be a first cause that set the universe in motion.…

    • 1954 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Paradox of the Stone

    • 597 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Originally formulated by Wade Savage in "The Paradox of Stone," the argument reads: Either X can create a stone that X cannot lift, or X cannot create a stone that X cannot lift. If X can create a stone that X cannot lift, then, necessarily, there is at least one task that X cannot perform (namely, lift the stone in question). If X cannot create a stone that X cannot lift, then, necessarily, there is at least one task that X cannot perform (namely, create the stone in question). Hence, there is at least one task that X cannot perform. If X is an omnipotent being, then X can perform any task. Therefore, X is not omnipotent. This argument proves the existence of an omnipotent being to be logically impossible. Responding to this argument, there are several positions from among which a theist can choose to take. George Mavrodes, for instance, calls into question the possibility for the task to even be performed at all. Mavrodes challenges that the self-contradictory nature of the task renders it an inadequate gauge of God's omnipotence, and reminds us that power is determined only by tasks performed within the realm of possibility. God's inability to fulfill this illogical task has no bearing on the extent of his power and does not discredit belief of his omnipotence in any way. Harry G. Frankfurt offers a different, slightly more confusing, response to the paradox. Frankfurt asks you to suppose God's omnipotence enables him to do even what is logically impossible in that He actually creates a stone too heavy for Him to lift. He continues on to say that God having created the stone that He cannot lift exhibits God's ability to perform a self-contradictory task, and that the completion of one such task leaves open the possibility for other self-contradictory tasks to be completed as well. God's ability to perform the initial logically impossible task of creating the too-heavy stone stands as proof of his power for any subsequent…

    • 597 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The first standpoint is the evidential argument. Best introduced by Hume, it argues against the existence of God based on observations of the large amount of evil there is in the world relative to good. In Hume’s Argument from Evil, he writes, “all the goods in life united would not make a very happy man, but all the ills united would make a wretch indeed,” (pg. 234). The observations Hume makes of all the underserved suffering that occurs throughout the world paints a picture of evil so great that it appears to even over shadow the presence of good in the world. He argues that for the fact that evil is present in the world, God cannot exist or at least that God does not exist as the current omnipotent and omnibenevolent God that we generally perceive him to be. This is where the second standpoint of the problem of evil becomes clear. If evil exists, then at first impression, is God willing to prevent it but not able to? If so, then that would mean he was impotent. Alternatively, if he were able to but just wasn’t willing to, then that would make him malevolent. Finally, if he is both willing and able, then what is the purpose of all the evil we have in the universe (Epicurus, pg.…

    • 1952 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The existence of God is one of the greatly talked about philosophical topics throughout history. There have been many arguments proposed in order to answer the question. One argument is the ontological argument. The first person to propose the ontological argument is St. Anselm in the eleventh century. St. Anselm tries to prove the existence God from the idea of a being that which no greater being can be imagined. St. Anselm contemplated that, if such a being did not exist, then a more superior being can be thought of to…

    • 92 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The Teleological Argument

    • 2343 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Some theists of the Abrahamic persuasion claim that the harmony of the universe is proof of an intelligent designer. This argument is known as the teleological argument and has evolved from classical philosophy to modern theology. In addition, subscribers of the Abrahamic religions also hold that God has attributes that include omniscience, omnipotence, and benevolence. Fundamentally, God is all knowing, all-powerful, and all good. In contrast, God created a perfect universe that is in harmony, but occasionally practices miracles. Can the teleological argument, miracles, and God’s attributes coexist in a rational universe? This essay’s goal is…

    • 2343 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The ontological, cosmological, and teleological arguments collectively strive to prove one point, the existence of God. Ontological arguments lean on reasoning to prove its point of an a priori being or existence. Cosmological arguments focus on the idea that because there is this vast universe with an infinite amount of galaxies, God or a higher being, must have had a hand in creating the world and universe we live in. Teleological arguments emphasize on the idea that the universe was created solely to carry out the purpose or end result that it was designed for by…

    • 97 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    The cosmological argument proves the existence of God. It discusses contingent beings which exist, but could not have existed and necessary beings which exist and could not not exist. The cosmological says that there is a contingent being that exists. The existence of a contingent being must have a cause and the contingent being cannot be the cause of itself. The complete cause of a contingent being includes only other contingent beings or it includes a necessary being. Contingent beings alone cannot be the complete cause of a contingent being. The complete cause of a contingent being must include a necessary being. Therefore, a necessary being must exist. The cosmological argument shows that there must be a higher power, and that higher power is God. Everything that exists on earth is a contingent being. There is no person or animal that is not contingent. But what created everything to begin with if a contingent being cannot be the only cause of another contingent being? Everything on earth has a cause, but there must be a necessary being being that caused the Earth. There has to be something other than contingent beings. There has to be a necessary being that started everything. That necessary being is…

    • 1190 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Design Argument

    • 598 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Design argument is one of three arguments about the existence of God. The other two arguments are the cosmological argument and the ontological argument. The design argument continues on by evidence of intelligent design and of God’s existence as the best explained theory of creation. A design argument consists of an introduction that insists the universe possesses verifiable material and that it asserts intelligent design. There are two types of design arguments, global design and local design arguments.…

    • 598 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Problem Of Evil Essay

    • 1546 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The problem of evil may be described as a theory or conclusion that there is no God of the universe. Although the teleological argument can prove the existence of any God, the problem of evil simply states that if there was a God who was a “Perfect Being” then there should be no evil in the universe. According to the power point of the problem of evil, it says if God was a “Perfect Being,” that means he would be omniscient, omnipotent, morally good and the creator of the universe. With this being said, the argument is constructed in the way that proves God does not exist. The power point summarizes the idea that God being omniscient makes him see the future allowing him to…

    • 1546 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Atheism

    • 478 Words
    • 2 Pages

    After a long period of reflection, I came to this. Christianity is not for me. Although the idea of a religion that keeps people with good morals is great, I have noticed many contradictions both in the bible and the community itself. The list is long and unyielding, poking holes in the concept of Christ, heaven, hell, purgatory, and god.…

    • 478 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    This would show that the paradox is inconsistent with the definition of God's omnipotence. Simply because God, or something cannot perform a certain task, it does not mean…

    • 2513 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Now, none of these arguments make a definitive case for the existence of God, and many of…

    • 1799 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays