|
|
|
|
|
[논문] THE ARGUMENTS FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD IN CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS (영문) (34)
|
|
|
PAUL
|
2023-12-22 13:40:25, 조회 : 183 |
|
|
Paul Jang
✝✝✝ A DEMONSTRATION OF GOD AND THE ARGUMENTS
FOR THE EXISTENCE OF CHRISTIAN GOD IN CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS (34)
by Dr. Paul B. Jang (Ph.D. Christian Apologetics) (영문) ✝✝✝
CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF THE LITERATURES:
PHILOSOPHICAL AND THEOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK OF THE CONCEPTS AND EXISTENCE OF God
HISTORICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL SURVEY
THE ARGUMENTS FOR THE EXISTENCE OF God.
Rational Arguments:
The Cosmological Argument (4)
This cosmological reasoning (Kosmou Logos) for the argument of God s existence has been called aetiological argument because it requires the sufficient effect. The term aetiological derived from aitia which means cause in English.
Charles Hodge said, this is founded on the principle of a sufficient cause. Syllosgistisally stated, the argument stands thus: Every effect must have an adequate cause. The world is an effect. Therefore, the world must have had a cause outside of itself and adequate to account for is existence (Hodge, 1973, 208).
In other words, the everything that was begun must have an adequate cause. Therefore, by the syllogism, it is necessary that (1) the universe began, (2) the universe which was begun must have an adequate cause for productions, (3) in conclusion, the cause is God.
Because cause and effect can be recognized nothing more than the effect but not cause through the infinite and casualty, it comes to the necessary, real, and self-existent accounting the first cause.
This was firstly advocated by Aristotle, and then admitted by Cicero and so on. Aristotle gave the definition of God to the first mover, the originator of motion, the unmoved mover (unmovable), and the non-Creator of the universe (Aristotle, 1971, 307, 326-28, 314-19, 344-5). Alfarabi also proved the existence of God by the concept of the unmoved mover according to the argument for God s existence of Descartes.
Henry Thiessen suggested two premises: (1) major premise and (2) minor premise. He stated the major premise based on the Scripture as this: the major premise is implied in Heb. 3:4: Every house is built by some one; but he that built all things is God (Thiessen, 1976, 57).
And the minor premise has held either that the universe is eternal or that it has been eternally created, but this is challenged by many (Thiessen, 1976, 58).
The writer presents an overview of many different attitudes of the cosmological argument. Especially, the writer is going to state the advocators of the cosmological argument of God s existence.
Plato s Argument for the Existence of God
Plato (B.C. 427-347) inferred from, so called the World Soul, or the First Mover of the all regular motion in the cosmos in order to prove the existence of God in the Laws and in the Phaedrus (Hamilton and Huntington, 1941, Laws: 894-897, Phaedrus: 245). He arrives at a Demiurgos or world Former and the Good by a cosmological reasoning process.
He does develop his reasoning for the argument as this: (1) Things move, (2) Whatever moves is moved by another, (3) Self-movers are priori to non-self-movers for the antecedent is logically priori to the consequent, (4) self-movers must be eternal or else there would be no motion, (5) There must be at least two self-movers in the universe, (6) The movers that accounts for the regular motion, (7) Therefore, there is a supreme soul (God) who is the self-mover of the regular (good) motion of the universe (Plato s Laws and Phaedrus).
But this argument has several big problems: the problem of Demiurgos, who was created by efficient casualty, and his creative activity is eternal, and the Good does have a Pseudo-religious function, and the Good is not the creating God, nor is it the personal God of Christian belief.
Aristotle s Argument for the Existence of God
As mentioned above, Aristotle (B.C. 384-322) gave the definition of God to the first mover, the originator of motion, the unmoved Mover, and the non-Creator of the universe. His First Cause is not the same as the producing cause that brought the cosmos into existence but a final cause, and the Unmoved Mover is not a personal God. And the First Cause is not infinite.
His cosmological argument is developed as this: (1) Things do change, (2) All change is passing from potentiality to actuality, (3) No potentiality can actualize itself, (4) Therefore, there must be an actuality, (5) An infinite regress of actualizers is impossible, (6) This first actuality actualizes things by final causality, (7) There are either forty seven or fifty five of these pure actualities, (😎 Ultimately, there is only one heaven and one God (Aristotle, Metaphysics, 12. 😎.
But his God is not the absolute Creator who created the world (universe) out of nothing (ex nihilo), but the God who created the world (universe) out of himself (ex deo).
Augustine s Argument for the Existence of God
Augustine (A.D. 354-430) had used the essential elements of Platonic tradition for the purpose of explaining his Christian God. In a sense, Platonic philosophy has much more influenced on the philosophy and theology of Christian religion.
Augustine presented an argument for the existence of God that can be put in an a posteriori form as this: (1) There are timeless and immutable truths, (2) Immutable truths cannot be caused, (3) Therefore, there must be a timeless and immutable Mind causing these immutable truths (Augustine, On Free Will, 2.1-15).
Anselm Argument for the Existence of God
Aneslm (A.D. 1033-1119) developed his theory of the cosmological argument for the existence of God using the three concepts:
perfection, goodness, and being in his book, the Monologium in contrast to the Proslogium for his ontological argument for the existence of God.
He used to offer three a posteriori proofs for the existence of God as follows:
I. The first argument from goodness
(1) Good things exist (2) Their goodness is derived from many different goodnesses of one goodness, (3) It cannot be derived from many different goodness, (4) Therefore, all things derive their goodness through one good, (5) This one good is the supreme God.
II. The second argument from perfection
(1) Some beings are more nearly perfect than others, (2) Things cannot be more nearly perfect unless there is a wholly perfect (by which they can be compared and judged to be more or less nearly perfect than it), (3) Therefore, there must be almost perfect Being.
III. The third argument from being
(1) Something exists, (2) Whatever exists, exists either through something or through nothing, (3) Something cannot exist through nothing, (4) This something through which something exists is either one or many, (5) If many, then they are either mutually dependent or all dependent in one for their existence, (6) They cannot be mutually dependent for their existence, (7) Therefore, there must be one being through which all other beings exist, (😎 This one being must exist through itself, (9) Whatever exists through itself, exists in the highest degree of all, (10) Therefore, there exists a supremely perfect Being that exists in the highest degree of all (Anselm, Monologium 1-3).
Thomas Aquinas Argument for the Existence of God
Thomas Aquinas did approach to the argument of the existence of God with Aristotle s concept of term God. As his argument, he firstly thought of an Unmoved Mover back of all cosmic motion because an eternal series of motions is inconceivable.
The second concept of Thomas argument for the existence of God is Cause. He argues that if there does exist a chain of casualty, then either it is itself eternal as a chain, or it originated in an eternal potential Cause, or it originated from nothing. The third concept of Thomas argument for the existence of God is contingency. The fourth concept is the perfect and imperfect, and finally it is teleology (Aquinas, 1947, Summa Theologica, 1.2.3). 💗💗💗
- To be continued -
. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
선교운동소개
동역자실 