Podcast
Questions and Answers
What does omniscience imply about God's knowledge?
What does omniscience imply about God's knowledge?
Which statement best describes omnipotence?
Which statement best describes omnipotence?
What is the primary attribute of God described as omnibenevolence?
What is the primary attribute of God described as omnibenevolence?
What characteristic does the timeless view attribute to God?
What characteristic does the timeless view attribute to God?
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Which philosopher is associated with the timeless view of God?
Which philosopher is associated with the timeless view of God?
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Why is God's omnibenevolence significant in classical theism?
Why is God's omnibenevolence significant in classical theism?
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Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of God's omniscience?
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of God's omniscience?
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What does the everlasting view of God suggest?
What does the everlasting view of God suggest?
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What does redefining omnipotence mean in the context provided?
What does redefining omnipotence mean in the context provided?
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What is the implication of believing that something is good because God commands it?
What is the implication of believing that something is good because God commands it?
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What challenge does the Euthyphro Dilemma pose to divine authority?
What challenge does the Euthyphro Dilemma pose to divine authority?
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What do proponents of compatibilism argue regarding free will and divine foreknowledge?
What do proponents of compatibilism argue regarding free will and divine foreknowledge?
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According to the content, how do some theologians resolve the Euthyphro Dilemma?
According to the content, how do some theologians resolve the Euthyphro Dilemma?
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What does the timelessness response suggest about God's knowledge?
What does the timelessness response suggest about God's knowledge?
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What is a consequence of believing that moral goodness exists independently of God?
What is a consequence of believing that moral goodness exists independently of God?
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What does the argument about human free will and divine omniscience ultimately question?
What does the argument about human free will and divine omniscience ultimately question?
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What is the main criticism of the concept of a timeless God?
What is the main criticism of the concept of a timeless God?
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What does the everlasting view of God suggest?
What does the everlasting view of God suggest?
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Which of the following is a consequence of the Paradox of the Stone?
Which of the following is a consequence of the Paradox of the Stone?
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What is a supporting argument for the everlasting view of God?
What is a supporting argument for the everlasting view of God?
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What potential issue arises if God is believed to exist within time?
What potential issue arises if God is believed to exist within time?
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Which logical problem does the Paradox of the Stone specifically address?
Which logical problem does the Paradox of the Stone specifically address?
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What is a common argument against the notion of a timeless God?
What is a common argument against the notion of a timeless God?
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What do proponents of the paradox argue about the nature of omnipotence?
What do proponents of the paradox argue about the nature of omnipotence?
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Study Notes
God as Omniscient, Omnipotent, and Omnibenevolent
- God is described as possessing three attributes: omniscience (all-knowing), omnipotence (all-powerful), and omnibenevolence (supremely good).
- These attributes define God's nature and differentiate God from other beings.
Omniscience
- God's omniscience means God has complete and perfect knowledge of everything.
- This includes past, present, and future events.
- All truths about the world, including human thoughts, decisions, and actions.
- All possible realities—God knows not only what happens but what could potentially happen under different circumstances.
- God's knowledge is comprehensive and without limits or ignorance.
Omnipotence
- God's omnipotence means God is all-powerful and capable of doing anything that is logically possible.
- God can create, sustain, and intervene in the universe in any way.
- God's omnipotence does not mean that God can do the logically impossible, such as creating a square circle.
Omnibenevolence
- God's omnibenevolence means God is perfectly good and desires the well-being and flourishing of all creation.
- God's actions are motivated by love and moral goodness.
- God is committed to bringing about the greatest good.
Competing Views on God's Relationship to Time
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God as Timeless (Eternal): God exists outside of time, experiencing all of time (past, present, and future) simultaneously.
- Supported by classical theism and emphasis on God's transcendence.
- Critics argue that a timeless God cannot meaningfully interact with the world or have personal relationships.
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God as Within Time (Everlasting): God exists within time, experiencing it sequentially like humans, but God's existence extends eternally into the past and future.
- Supported by the ability to interact with the temporal world, respond to events, have relationships.
- Aligns with biblical depiction of a personal God.
- Critics argue that if God is within time, then God's omniscience or immutability might be compromised. Alternatively, experience of time could limit God.
Arguments for the Incoherence of the Concept of God
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The Paradox of the Stone:
- Can God create a stone so heavy that God cannot lift it?
- If God can, God isn't omnipotent.
- If God cannot, God isn't omnipotent.
- Responses: Some argue that omnipotence only extends to logical possibilities, while others redefine omnipotence to mean the ability to do all that is logically possible.
The Euthyphro Dilemma
- Is something good because God commands it, or does God command it because it is good?
- Option 1: Morality is arbitrary. God could have commanded anything to be good.
- Option 2: God commands what is already good. Suggests a standard of goodness external to God.
- Some theologians argue that God's nature is the standard of goodness and that God's commands are based on that nature.
The Compatibility of an Omniscient God and Free Will
- Argument: If God knows in advance what choices a person will make, does that person truly have free will? God's foreknowledge potentially limits human freedom.
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Responses:
- Compatibilism: God's foreknowledge doesn't determine human choices; God knows what people will freely choose.
- Timelessness: God exists outside of time, so God's knowledge is not foreknowledge in the human sense.
- Open Theism: God knows all possible outcomes but not all future free choices, preserving human freedom but not traditional omniscience.
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Description
Explore the fundamental attributes of God, focusing on omniscience and omnipotence. This quiz delves into what it means for God to be all-knowing and all-powerful, and how these qualities define divine nature. Test your understanding of these theological concepts and their implications.
