1. Divine Attributes Miscellaneous Proofs of the existence of God
Omniscience
Omnipotence
Omnibenevolence
Eternal
Everlasting
Immanent
Transscendent
Immutable
Metaphysical Freewill
Predestination
Determinism
Paradox of the Stone
Euthyphro Dilemma
Creator God
Interventionist God
Abrahamic faiths
Proofs of the existence of God
Ontological Argument
Anselm
Gaunilo
Descartes
Kant
Subject & predicate
Design Argument
Paley
Teleological
Swinburne
Temporal regularities
Cosmological Argument
Aquinas
1st way : motion
2nd way : causation
3rd way : contingency
The problem of evil
Theodicies
Augustine
Soul-making
Irenaeus
Miscellaneous
Temporal
Spatial
Corroborating evidence
Conflicting evidence
Tautological
Political Freedom
Necessarily true
Contingently true
Reduction ad absurdum
Argument by analogy
Relevance
Adequacy
Ad hominem arguments
The Multiverse
Prime Mover
Fallacy of Composition
Infinite regress
existentialism

2. Omnipotent Definition All-powerful Illustration
God’s omnipotence is a classic example of his perfection
Contrasts/alternatives
Omniscience (all-knowing).
Subdivisions/special cases
Creator God : being able to create the universe from nothing is a special case of God’s omnipotence. The _________________________ (Mavrodes) shows that not all things are logically possible. Can God do things which are self-contradictory?

3. Omniscience Definition Illustration Contrasts/alternatives
Subdivisions/special cases
A limitation of omniscience : can God know about human’s actions in the future if they have ____________?

4. Omnibenevolence Definition Illustration
An omnibenevolent God would ensure that we lived in the best of all possible worlds (Spinoza)
Contrasts/alternatives
Subdivisions/special cases
The Euthyphro Dilemma challenges the view that God can both define what it is to be good, and be omnibenevolent. The question it poses is …

5. Eternal
Definition
Existing beyond time : existing in a ‘space’ unaffected by time.
Illustration
If God is eternal, then he is unaffected by the passing of time, and hence __________________ (unchanging)
Contrasts/alternatives
Everlasting : continuing until the end of time. But it is possible that God will exist after time stops (and existed before it began).
Subdivisions/special cases
If God is eternal, it is difficult to explain how he interacts with beings that are subject to time. Does he know what time it is NOW?

6. Immanent Definition Illustration Contrasts/alternatives
Transcendent : God is beyond human understanding – and therefore beyond the attribution of qualities?
Subdivisions/special cases

7. Metaphysical freedom Definition
Humans’ ability to give meaning to things – enabling them to always choose between options, even if the options are limited
Illustration
A person in prison choosing torture over a confession which would endanger their family (Sartre example)
Contrasts/alternatives
Determinism - everything is determined
Political freedom – not being interfered with by the State
Subdivisions/special cases
_________________________ – you are condemned to be free
Used in theodicies as a ‘second order’ good

8. Determinism Definition
The belief that all events are determined by their causes – as by the cogs of a giant machine.
Illustration
Laplace offered a thought-experiment in which he argued that a demon could know the future movements of all particles if he knew the positions of them now, and the laws of nature.
Contrasts/alternatives
Those who believe in metaphysical freewill – like existentialists – disagree that everything is determined – claiming that determinism would eradicate human ____________________ for their actions.
Subdivisions/special cases
Physical determinists claim that the laws of physics are complete (affect everything) and everything else can be reduced to physics.

9. Paradox of the Stone Premise
If God is omnipresent then he is able to create a stone that is too heavy to lift
Premise
Premise
Conclusion

10. Euthyphro Dilemma Premise Premise
If goodness is defined as ‘what God wills’ then …
Premise
If goodness is defined independently of what God wills then we must explain what determines what is good.
Conclusion

11. Creator god Definition Illustration Contrasts/alternatives
Interventionist God – one who affects the everyday running of the universe – with miracles for instance.
Subdivisions/special cases

12. Abrahamic faiths Definition
The collection of religions that include the story of Abraham in their history of their relationship with God.
Illustration
Abraham is significant because…
Contrasts/alternatives
Subdivisions/special cases

13. Anselm’s Ontological arg
Premise
Premise
Premise
Conclusion
God exists

14. Gaunilo’s response to Anselm
Premise
Let ‘Jamaica’ be the name of the perfect island.
Premise
The perfect island must have all perfect qualities – including sunshine, bountiful food, friendly people.
Premise
Existence is a good quality
Premise
Conclusion

15. Descartes’ Ontological arg
Premise
Premise
Premise
Conclusion

16. Kant’s response to Ontological args
Premise
Premise
Premise
Conclusion

17. Paley’s Design Arg Premise
If we find a _____________________, we INFER it has a designer.
Premise
This is because of the complex and sensitive interplay of its parts, and its unity in fulfilling its purpose
Premise
The universe is like the watch in all these significant ways
Conclusion
By analogy, the universe must have a designer
That designer is God

18. Aquinas’ 1st way Arg
Premise
Premise
Premise
Conclusion

19. Aquinas’ 2nd way Arg
Premise
Premise
Premise
Conclusion

20. Aquinas’ 3rd way Arg
Premise
Premise
Premise
Conclusion

21. Augustine’s theodicy
Premise
Premise
Premise
Conclusion

22. Irenaeus’s theodicy
Premise
Premise
Premise
Conclusion