Does Good Exist Outside Of God?

[Laudate_Dominum]

What comes to mind is not a specific author, but the idea that you might get into a philosophy of religion anthology. Maybe you'll thereby find some authors that you think are interesting. For example: Philosophy of Religion: A Guide and Anthology, edited by Brian Davies; and Philosophy of Religion: The Big Questions, edited by Eleonore Stump. 

 

Just a thought.

[Annie12]

St Augustine speaks of this in his Confessions. I actually just finished a paper on this. When we speak of goodness we speak of creation which God has made but God is also inherently good. So, goodness is God and a constant product of God because God is constantly creating until the end of time. Good is existence while evil is non-existence or in other words a perversion of existence.

 

Goodness is only "uncreated" in that it is not technically speaking a substance.

Edited May 14, 2013 by Annie12

[LouisvilleFan]

God's nature is good. Evil is defined as the absence of good. God cannot do evil. With all of this considered, would "goodness" be considered a characteristic of God? If so, does that mean that "goodness" is uncreated? Does the concept of good exist outside of God?

 

No.

 

 

Elaboration: Nothing was good until God created it.

[Apotheoun]

Goodness is an uncreated divine energy, and the divine energies are the mode (τρόπος) of God's existence outside of His ineffable essence (οὐσία). As far as God's nature (φύσις) or essence (οὐσία) is concerned, it is beyond description or participation.

[CatholicsAreKewl]

Thank you all for the replies. I apologize. I am going to ask another more specific question.  Is God limited to act good or are all of his works good merely because he does them?

Edited May 15, 2013 by CatholicsAreKewl

[havok579257]

good does not exist without God.  pretty simple really.

[Tab'le De'Bah-Rye]

Holy scripture states man can know good, which is God (the father.) Jesus says something like " only the son knows the father and those whom the father chooses to reveal the son." That is way off what it says exactly (sorry,) but it is words to that effect. Only God truely knows what is good because he is all good. And the only way to the father whom is all good is through the son.This doesn't mean that those outside of the christian faith can not have any experience of good/love/god. Jesus also says "i stand at the doorway of your heart and knock," he is omnipotent therefore none is exempt, he knocks at the door of every heart,there is only one way to the father which is through the son, but possibly various ways to open the door of our hearts. God gives each person enough grace and time to gain heaven and avoid hell. None are exempt from this grace, no one, zip, zero, zilch.

 

God is Good, God is Love.

 

[LouisvilleFan]

Thank you all for the replies. I apologize. I am going to ask another more specific question.  Is God limited to act good or are all of his works good merely because he does them?

 

I'd say none of the above. God is not limited in anything, and the goodness of something has more to do with its inherent qualities than with the simple fact that God did it. It's not like God is tempted to do evil, and using the phrase "limited to act good" shows that you're looking at it from a worldly view. It was evil that brought limitations into our world; without evil, we would have full freedom to enjoy true goodness. And we can trust that anything is good if God did it, but everything God does testifies to its own goodness by showing the traits of its Creator: loving, open, life-giving, beautiful, etc. So by its fruits we know it is good and is therefore comes from God.

[CatholicsAreKewl]

I'd say none of the above. God is not limited in anything, and the goodness of something has more to do with its inherent qualities than with the simple fact that God did it. It's not like God is tempted to do evil, and using the phrase "limited to act good" shows that you're looking at it from a worldly view. It was evil that brought limitations into our world; without evil, we would have full freedom to enjoy true goodness. And we can trust that anything is good if God did it, but everything God does testifies to its own goodness by showing the traits of its Creator: loving, open, life-giving, beautiful, etc. So by its fruits we know it is good and is therefore comes from God.

 

Thanks for the response!