Overview

God is the central concept of theism and a major subject of metaphysical inquiry. Philosophers don’t just ask “Does God exist?” but “What is God?” and “Is the concept of God coherent?”

Core Idea

The core idea is the Ultimate Reality. God is usually conceived as the necessary being, the uncaused cause, and the ground of all existence.

Formal Definition

In classical theism, God is defined by the “Omni” attributes:

  • Omnipotent: All-powerful.
  • Omniscient: All-knowing.
  • Omnibenevolent: All-good.
  • Omnipresent: Everywhere.

Intuition

God is the answer to the question “Why is there something rather than nothing?”

  • Cosmological Argument: Everything has a cause. The universe must have a First Cause. That cause is God.
  • Teleological Argument: The universe looks designed (fine-tuning). There must be a Designer.

Examples

  • The Problem of Evil: If God is all-good and all-powerful, why does evil exist? (The most famous argument against God).
  • Pascal’s Wager: It is rational to believe in God because the potential gain (heaven) is infinite, while the loss is finite.
  • Spinoza’s God: God is Nature itself (Pantheism).

Common Misconceptions

  • Misconception: Faith is believing without evidence.
    • Correction: Many theologians argue faith is trust based on reason and revelation.
  • Misconception: Science disproves God.
    • Correction: Science studies the natural world; God is usually defined as supernatural or outside space/time. They are often seen as “Non-Overlapping Magisteria” (NOMA).
  • Theology: The study of the nature of God and religious belief.
  • Atheism: Disbelief or lack of belief in the existence of God.
  • Metaphysics: The branch of philosophy dealing with the first principles of things.

Applications

  • Ethics: Divine Command Theory (Is something good because God commands it, or does God command it because it is good? - Euthyphro Dilemma).
  • Meaning of Life: For many, God provides the ultimate purpose.

Criticism and Limitations

  • Incoherence: Can God create a rock so heavy He cannot lift it? (Paradox of Omnipotence).
  • Hiddenness: If God exists, why doesn’t He make it obvious?

Further Reading

  • The Miracle of Theism by J.L. Mackie
  • Reasonable Faith by William Lane Craig