The Argument Against The Existence Of God - 1827 Words

HJ McCloskey in 1968 wrote a paper that tried to argue against different Christian philosophy theories. He tried to argue against the existence of God, specifically in the Cosmological Argument and Teleological arguments. He also tries to use the existence of evil as an argument against the existence a God. His arguments ultimately show a lack of understanding. A lack of understanding of these basic christian arguments and basic Christian theology. The issue at the very beginning of this article is that of differing definitions. McCloskey comes out with talking about Christians not having proofs, and how he will refute them. He is continually using this language throughout the article. The problem is that a Christian would not define the arguments as proofs. A proof, when defined, has the idea that you are 100 percent certain that you are right about your thesis. It is really more of a scientific or mathematical term. The Christian would argue that you can never completely know if Go d is real. There is an element of faith involved. Instead of saying we are going to use â€Å"proofs† to â€Å"prove† God, it is probably more accurate to believe to use the word argument. Instead of proofs, a Christian is coming up with the best possible answers to the questions of the universe. On one hand this may upset the atheist. The atheist may wonder why you would believe in something that you cannot one hundred percent prove. This is faulty thinking, in that there many things that we do notShow MoreRelatedThe Problem Of Evil : An Argument Against The Existence Of God1922 Words   |  8 Pagesof suffering) is an argument against the existence of God †¢ The argument against the existence of God is incompatible with the existence of an all-loving, all-powerful God. Greek Philosopher Epicurus The Epicurean Paradox †¢ Is God willing, but not able to prevent evil? †¢ Answer: Then he is not omnipotent †¢ Is God able but not willing? †¢ Then he is malevolent †¢ Is he both able and willing? †¢ Then whence cometh evil? †¢ Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him god? J.L Mackie TheRead MoreOntological Argument For The Existence Of God1083 Words   |  5 Pagesthis paper I will discuss the argument of Anselms ontological argument for the existence of god. His basis of his argument being an analytical breakdown for the reason fot gods exsistence. While also establishing that Anselms inferences found with his use of deduction and logical means to prove the existence of a higher being are indeed true. In addition I will defend Anselms argument by depicting other people’s objections against his argument. Specifically the argument made by Gaunilo, who disagreedRead MoreDoes God Exist1417 Words   |  6 PagesDoes God exist? Does God exist? This seemingly simple question is in fact loaded with a myriad of twists and turns that scientists and theologians have debated for years without reaching an accepted conclusion. Part of the problem lies in the many definitions of God. Traditionally it is accepted that God is a supreme being, infallible, perfect, and existing outside of the material world of humanity. It is this definition that is generally used when debating Gods existence. There have been severalRead MoreDoes God Exist?1074 Words   |  5 PagesDoes God Exist ? 1. What role do arguments play in answering this question? I think arguments have played an important role in analyzing and understanding the depth of this question, for mankind. Although the question itself seems factual (either it does or it doesn t), yet no arguments have been able to answer this question conclusively, despite many debates going on for centuries. One possible reason for that inconclusiveness may lie in our intuition and the way, humans define God and existenceRead MoreEssay on The Ontological Argument for the Existence of God1545 Words   |  7 PagesThe Ontological Argument for the Existence of God The ontological argument is an a priori argument. The arguments attempt to prove Gods existence from the meaning of the word God. The ontological argument was introduced by Anselm of Canterbury in his book Proslogion. Anselms classical argument was based on two principals and the two most involved in this is St Anselm of Canterbury as previously mentioned and Rene Descartes. The ontological argument argues that ifRead MoreAnselm s Argument On The Ontological Argument1614 Words   |  7 PagesAnselm argues that God exists, otherwise known as the ontological argument. Anselm believes that â€Å"there is no doubt that something than which a greater cannot be thought exists both in the understanding and in reality (Anselm, Proslogion, 7).† In other words, we cannot imagine something that is able to be greater than God; it would be a contradiction to think being greater than the greatest possible being that can be thought of. A number of philosophers do not agree with Anselm’s argument, such as GauniloRead MoreEssay on The Ontological Argument1589 Words   |  7 PagesOntological Argument The Ontological argument is a group of different philosophers arguments for the existence of God. Ontological literally means talking about being and so in this case, that being is the existence or being of God. The main component of the Ontological argument can be found in the Anselm’s Proslogion which is a short work that tries to demonstrate both the existence and the nature of God. His main aim in writing the Proslogion is not to directly prove the existence of God but toRead MoreMccloskey Responses1660 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction H. J. McCloskey gets most of his strong statements against the belief by asking the atheist to provide sufficient proof that God exists. However, McCloskey is not the only person who is unsure and asks questions God’s existence based on personal beliefs or influence. From the beginning many people have had questions about God and his existence. He wrote numerous books on atheism between 1960 and 1980 including the famous book, God and Evil. This paper evaluates the credibility of McCloskey’sRead MoreA Logical Argument For God s Existence Or Nonexistence1471 Words   |  6 PagesA logical argument for God’s existence or nonexistence is the cosmological argument. William Craig says in his book that there are three statements that give the cosmological argument form. Craig concluded that whatever begins to exist has a cause. The Universe began to exist therefore the Universe had a cause. What that cause was, is widely challenged. The argument against the existenc e of God includes the Big Bang Theory. The Big Bang Model is a broadly accepted theory for the beginning and evolutionRead MoreIs There Good Evidence for or Against the Existence of God?1557 Words   |  7 Pagesevidence for or against the existence of God? Throughout the ages, the topic of religion has always been discussed and argued over. Some people will always argue that God does exist, whilst others will argue that he doesn’t. Firstly I would like to start my argument with the famous 13th century philosopher, Thomas Aquinas. Aquinas’ argument is known as the cosmological argument. This is the idea of: the unmoved mover, the uncaused causer and idea of contingency, these three arguments are all a posteriori