APL 113

God as the
Ultimate Value:
Theism
DR. ALLAN C. ORATE
DR. ALLAN C. ORATE, UE
 GOD
=
VALUE
 THEISM God exists.
ATHEISM God does not exist.
MONOTHEISM There is only one God.
POLYTHEISM There are many gods.
PANTHEISM Everything is God.
AGNOSTICISM God cannot be known by
the human mind.
FIDEISM God cannot be known
rationally but only by faith.
DEISM God created the world then
abandoned it completely.
 θθθθ POLYTHEISM
Greek and Roman

θθθθ Mythology/Religion
Hinduism
MONOTHEISM
Judaism
Christianity
(Unitarian or Trinitarian)
Islam

PANTHEISM
Baruch Spinoza
θ=
 Augustine

AGNOSTICISM
GOD
Infinite

HUMAN
MIND
Finite
 ANSELM
Credo ut intelligam.
“I believe so that I may understand.”
FIDEISM
Faith

God
Reason
 THEISM
TYPES OF PROOFS
FOR GOD’S EXISTENCE
Ontological
Cosmological
Teleological
Moral
Mystical
ONTOLOGICAL PROOFS
FOR GOD’S EXISTENCE

Anselm of
Canterbury
Rene
Descartes
ANSELM of Canterbury
1033-1103 AD
Doctor Mirabilis
Father of Scholasticism

Monologion
Proslogion θ
“The fool said in his heart:
there is no God above.”
Φ
 ANSELM
Ontological Proof

God is the greatest thought

the human mind can conceive.

A being that exists in reality

is greater than a being that
exists only in the mind.

Therefore,
God exists in reality.
 RENE
DESCARTES
1596-1650

Father of Modern Philosophy

Rationalism and Innatism
Meditations on First Philosophy
Discourse on Method
 DESCARTES
Rationalist Method of Knowing
World
Things

ASCERTAINING
Sense Data

DOUBTING
Other Selves
Things God
Self
World
Mind
Thought
INDUBITABLE
“I think, therefore I exist.”
 DESCARTES
Ontological Proof
I have in my mind a clear
and distinct idea of God
as a perfect being.

Therefore,
God exists in reality
(because if God does not exist
in reality, then God is
not perfect).
 STRUCTURE OF THE
ONTOLOGICAL ARGUMENT

MIND WORLD
Logical Ontological

God as God as
“ideal being” “real being”

EXISTENTIAL FALLACY
Illicit transition from idea into reality
 COSMOLOGICAL
ARGUMENTS FOR
GOD’S EXISTENCE
 BASIC STRUCTURE OF THE
COSMOLOGICAL ARGUMENT
OUTSIDE
WORLD
THE WORLD

Things as God as
“real beings” “real being”

Immanent Trancendent
 FIVE WAYS
(QUINQUE VIAE)
for Demonstrating
God’s Existence by
Thomas Aquinas
Summa Theologica
Part 1
Question 2
Article 3
 LOGICAL STRUCTURE
OF THE FIVE WAYS

STEP 1 Observation Method of

by the Senses Knowing

STEP 2 Facts in the Reality of

World Things

STEP 3 Consideration Ultimate

of First Cause Reality

STEP 4 Logical Therefore,

Conclusion God exists.
 FIRST WAY
Argument from Motion

STEP 1 Observation “Things move and they

by Senses are moved by another.”

STEP 2 Facts in the “There are movements

World and movers of things.”

STEP 3 Consideration “There must be the

of First Cause unmoved mover.”

STEP 4 Logical
Conclusion “Therefore, God exists.”
 SECOND WAY
Argument from Cause

STEP 1 Observation “Things exist as they

by Senses are caused by another”

STEP 2 Facts in the “There are causes of

World things.”

STEP 3 Consideration “There must be the

of First Cause uncaused cause.”

STEP 4 Logical
“Therefore, God exists.”
Conclusion
 THIRD WAY
Argument from Contingency

STEP 1 Observation “It is possible for

by Senses things not to be.”

STEP 2 Facts in the “Things in the world

World are contingent.”

STEP 3 Consideration “There is a

of First Cause necessary being.”

STEP 4 Logical
Conclusion “Therefore, God exists.”
 FOURTH WAY
Argument from Gradation of Being

STEP 1 Observation “There are things better

by the Senses than others.”

STEP 2 Facts in the “There is hierarchy of

World beings in the world.”

STEP 3 Consideration “There must be an

of First Cause absolute perfect being.”

STEP 4 Logical
Conclusion “Therefore, God exists.”
 FIFTH WAY
Argument from Design

STEP 1 Observation “Things move in orderly

by the Senses and purposive way.”

STEP 2 Facts in the “There is an intelligent

World design in the world.”

STEP 3 Consideration “There must be supreme

of First Cause director of all things.”

STEP 4 Logical
Conclusion “Therefore, God exists.”
θ
SUMMARY OF THE FIVE WAYS
Fact First Conclu
Principle sion
First Motion Unmoved God
Way Mover
Second Cause Uncaused God
Way Cause
Third Contingent Necessary God
Way Being Being
Fourth Gradation Absolutely God
Way of Being Perfect Being
Fifth Design in Intelligent God
Way the Universe Supreme Being
MORAL PROOF FOR
GOD’S EXISTENCE

Based on
Immanuel Kant’s
Moral Postulates
 IMMANUEL KANT
1724 -1804

Integration of
Rationalism and Empiricism
Critique of Pure Reason
Critique of Practical Reason
Critique of Judgment
 KANT
Moral Postulates

Freewill
Existence of God
Immortality of the Soul
 KANT
God’s Existence as Moral Postulate
Morality is possible if
good people are rewarded and
evil doers are punished (Justice).

Since complete justice

is not rendered in this world,
there must be a being who delivers
eternal justice in the afterlife.

Therefore by practical reason,

it is assumed that God exists as
the supreme giver of justice.
 TELEOLOGICAL PROOF

Pragmatic
Justification for
God’s Existence

MEANS END
Belief Practical
in God Result
 PRAGMATIC
JUSTIFICATION FOR
GOD’S EXISTENCE

William James
Blaise Pascal
 WILLIAM JAMES
1842-1910

PRAGMATISM
Varieties of Religious Experience
“The Will to Believe”
 PRAGMATISM
Gk. Praxis = Practice
PRAGMATIC THEORY OF TRUTH

“Truth happens to an idea.”

Practice Experience Theory
 PRAGMATIC
THEORY OF VALUE

VALUE
Anything relevant
to human life
Practical solution
to a problem
Act that works in producing
practical result
 JAMES
The Will to Believe

Meaningful
Belief in
Life/ Solution
God
Put into to Problem
Means Practice Result
 θ Justification
of Suffering
World Peace
National Unity
Belief in God
Personal
Contentment
Having a Job
 BLAISE PASCAL
1623-1662 The Pensees

Pascal’s Gamble
 OBJECTIVE
PASCAL’S
GAMBLE God God does
exists. not exist.

All Gain: No Loss:

1
SUBJECTIVE

I believe. Eternal
Salvation
2
“So what?”

I don’t All Loss: No Gain:

believe. 3
Eternal 4
“What a
Damnation waste!”
 DEISM

θ God created the world,

then abandoned it completely.
God is totally trancendent
and self sufficient.
 DEISM

θ EPICURUS
Hedonism
LUCRETIUS
De Rerum Natura

God does not

meddle with the
world and with
human affairs.
DEIST INTERPRETATION IN
AMERICAN CONSTITUTION

“The Congress shall

make no law respecting any
religion and prohibiting the
free exercise thereof.”

STATE CHURCH
Politics Religion
Citizens God
AMERICAN EMPIRIALISM BASED

θ
ON DEIST IDEOLOGY

Economy
Politics
Military