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Discussing Metaphysics

Discussing Metaphysics. With Joey Figurniak. Do I Believe in God?. My initial response was that I didn’t believe in God per se; however I did join the “agree” group because I do believe in a Supreme Being. I agree with the statement that God is both omnipotent and omniscient.

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Discussing Metaphysics

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  1. Discussing Metaphysics With Joey Figurniak

  2. Do I Believe in God? • My initial response was that I didn’t believe in God per se; however I did join the “agree” group because I do believe in a Supreme Being. • I agree with the statement that God is both omnipotent and omniscient. • I do not think that God is a bearded man (or woman) living in the clouds – I do not think God is a person, or an individual organism.

  3. Pantheism • Baruch Spinoza, the 17th century Dutch-Jewish philosopher, was a panentheist. • Sub specie aeternitatis -> under the aspect of eternity. • Sub specie durationis -> under the aspect of time. • God is infinite; ergo, nothing can limit God – in other words, nothing can be outside God or have an existence separate from God, (Paquette).

  4. Utilitarianism • Founded by the English philosopher, Jeremy Bentham, who lived from 1748 – 1832. • Utilitarianism comes from the word “utility” and is a theory of ethics. • A morally good choice is one that results in the greatest good for the greatest number of people, (Paquette).

  5. Pascal’s Wager

  6. Catholic God • "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says the LORD.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:6-11)

  7. The Genesis Tub (Simpsons Clip)

  8. Free Will / Determinism • If Gods existence is true then it can be argued that our lives are religiously determined, as if God has already etched in stone the story of our lives. • However, the existence of God does not disprove the concept of free will. • If God exists in time, he knows all that can be known at any given time but not of what the future holds.

  9. Theodicy • Theodicy is a term first coined in 1710 by German philosopher Gottfried Leibnitz. • Theodicy is an attempted answer to the problem of evil. • Christian apologist Gregory A. Boyd -> God’s all-powerful nature does not mean that God chooses to exercise all power. • Because of sin, the world has fallen from the grace of God.

  10. Theodicy (Continued) • One argument is that, due to mankind's limited knowledge, humans cannot expect to understand God or God's ultimate plan. • The 5th-century theologian Augustine of Hippo maintained that evil was only privatio boni, or an absence of good, much like darkness is an absence of light. • Concepts such as yin and yang argue that evil and good are complementary opposites within a greater whole.

  11. Conclusion • My belief in the existence of God was altered in favour of panentheism. • I believe there is a God; objectively I take the panentheism position; however, from a subjective perspective I believe the idea of God proves most effective to the utilitarian.

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