Proofs Of The Existence Of God

[MorphRC]

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[b][font="Times"]Caelum defendet militem, Caelum exercet militem, Caelum docet militem. Amen. Amen.[/font][/b]
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[color=gray][font="Times"][b]Proofs of the Existence of God[/b][/color][/font]
[b]Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)[/b]

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[b]1.[/b]
Life is in motion. For life to be in motion, there must have been a "first mover" to get everything going. That mover is God.

[b]2.[/b]
An egg cannot just cause itself to be an egg. There must be a cause outside of the egg (in other words, a rooster and a hen!) that causes it to be an egg. Likewise there must be a first cause outside of all creation that caused creation to come into existence, and that first cause is God.

[b]3.[/b]
For the possibility of everything else to exist, by necessity there had to be something in existence first. This something we call God.

[b]4.[/b]
There is something we call truest and best against which we measure everything else that is true and good. This something isnt just an abstract concept but is God.

[b]5.[/b]
The order in nature isnt just a happy accident, An intelligent being exists to direct all things to their natural end, and this being we call God.

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These are not scientific proofs, but they are arguments based on philosophical reason. Saint Thomas Aquinas is trying to let us know that something greater than humankind must have set creation in motion. This something we call God, because definition of God is greater than anything else we can imagine.

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[font="Times"][b]Bibliography:[/b][/font]

[i]The Catholic Faith Handbook for Youth[/i], Saint Mary's Press 2004. Pages 44, [i]The Creed[/i]. [b]Nihil Obstat & Imprimatur[/b].

[Fiat_Voluntas_Tua]

We discussed these 5 proofs yesterday in my Theology class...the only thing is St. Thomas Aquinas didn't originate most of the proofs...he "polished" them up so to say...Nonetheless they are spin (cool)!

Ut In Omnibus Glorificetur Deus.

Andy

[Cam42]

Here it is from the Horses Mouth....St. Thomas Aquinas that is.......

[url="http://www.ccel.org/a/aquinas/summa/FP/FP002.html#FPQ2OUTP1"]http://www.ccel.org/a/aquinas/summa/FP/FP002.html#FPQ2OUTP1[/url]


Praise God, I love Aquinas, he is my hero.....

Another fun way to Prove God, St. Anslem's Ontological Proof.

Cam42

[phatcatholic]

welcome to phatmass Cam42! do you have a link to St. Anslem's Ontological proof?

[StColette]

I love those Proofs Paul !! We could have used those in the Paltalk room that night !!!

[Colleen]

Thanks for posting that, Paul! I love St. Thomas Aquinas!

[MorphRC]

yw:)

[Cam42]

[url="http://www.anselm.edu/homepage/dbanach/anselm.htm"]The Ontological Argument of St. Anslem[/url]


Good luck....I love philosophy. It comes from his book [u]Proslogion[/u]

Another way to put this proof is as follows: to say that God does not exist only makes sense if you understand what God is-- a being than which no greater can be conceived. But if you conceive of God as not existing, you have not conceived of that being than which no greater can be conceived; for a God that does not exist is not as great as a God that does exist. So if you conceive of God correctly, you must conceive Him as existing. That means He must exist.

St. Anslem really had it. St. Anselm's proof is very "Platonic" in that it moves from ideas in the mind to conclusions about what exists.

Now, this is interesting, Aquinas puts down this argument, in the Prima Pars Q. II

Go figure......

Cam42

[phatcatholic]

thanks Cam

[Thy Geekdom Come]

[quote name='Cam42' date='Sep 1 2004, 10:58 AM'] [url="http://www.anselm.edu/homepage/dbanach/anselm.htm"]The Ontological Argument of St. Anslem[/url]


Good luck....I love philosophy. It comes from his book [u]Proslogion[/u]

Another way to put this proof is as follows: to say that God does not exist only makes sense if you understand what God is-- a being than which no greater can be conceived. But if you conceive of God as not existing, you have not conceived of that being than which no greater can be conceived; for a God that does not exist is not as great as a God that does exist. So if you conceive of God correctly, you must conceive Him as existing. That means He must exist.

St. Anslem really had it. St. Anselm's proof is very "Platonic" in that it moves from ideas in the mind to conclusions about what exists.

Now, this is interesting, Aquinas puts down this argument, in the Prima Pars Q. II

Go figure......

Cam42 [/quote]
I have loved the Ontological Argument since I read it last year. Absolutely lovely.

Cam, have you ever read [u]Journey of the Mind to God[/u] by St. Bonaventure?