Speakers Notes for Philosophy Final 7/26/08
Axia College of the University of Phoenix
PHI 105 Introduction to Philosophy
July 26, 2008
Does God, or the idea of God beginning with Genesis or with Jesus? How long has the concept of God been around?
As early as 14, 000 years ago God was conceived-people needed a way to explain the world around them. There are ideas of how god exists: He has always been or The Gods came forth two by two from a divine substance that was all over the universe (Enuma Elish) (ultimately only three Gods came out) (Armstrong, 1993).
Was this divine substance something like the concept of ambrosia? In classical mythology ambrosia was the food of the Gods and was said to bring immortality to those who ate it (ambrosia, 2008).
Father Wilhelm Schmidt wrote The Origin of God, in 1912. He theorized that God fell out of favor. All over the globe this seems to be a trend as seen with the Mother Goddess depicted in Europe, Middle East and India. The Gods of Egypt, as well as the ancient Greek Gods all seem to have scum to this fate. Each and every one of these higher powers were once held in high regard, then as time changed and people learned of their surrounding the Gods were called up less, until they were very rarely called upon. People changed, no longer afraid of the world around them they changed their concepts of God. Monotheism may be a very old concept, however people needed away to infuse God in their everyday life, so as the concept of God changed and people developed the idea of lesser easier to relate to Gods. Instead of being omnipotent, these Gods had powers and control over parts of life, controlling the winter or the harvest. These lesser Gods flourished for sometime, until monotheism came back in the form of Christianity.
The history of Christianity starts with Jesus of Nazareth, of whom the teachings of Christianity are based. There are some 33,000 different denominations of Christianity with approximately 2.2 billion followers. At this point one may argue the teachings of Christianity. If we are all united under one God, then why are there so many denominations of Christianity? The answer is not always easy-it begs the question; is God personal? This concept will be further explored later. Christianity was heavily influenced by philosophy. Plato's Theory of Forms, prompted Aristotle to form his own ideas-leading to the influence that Aquinas had.
To ask someone who is Christian who or what God is the answer would almost sound rehearsed. "God is our father and the Creator. We were made in His image, and he gave to us His only begotten son, Jesus Christ." The answer that is received never quiet seems to fit the question, though it is the best one can hope for.
When asked for more information about God, one is told to read the Bible and to pray-with these two actions God will answer, though not out loud.
The Bible is the word of God, as written by the prophets, who were told by God what to write. Although the Bible has been translated many time and in many way (kids versions, to name just one), the Good Book, always starts out with God the Creator-the creation of heaven, earth and of course mankind. The Bible depicts creation and how mankind got started as well as the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Also covered in the Bible is the death and resuriction of Jesus among many other stories of importance; David and Goliath-Noah's Ark and how Moses came by the Commandments. God came to Moses with the Commandments, telling Moses to spread the word-that these are the rule Our Father intends for us-the rules we should live by;
~thou shalt have no other gods before me
~thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images
~ thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain
~remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy
~honor thy mother and thy father
~thou shalt not kill
~thou shalt not commit adultery
~thou shalt not steal
~thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor
~thou shalt not covet
The last six of the ten commandments, are not religious, they are good moral standards. Does one need religion in order to have morals?
The first commandment raises questions-"thou shalt not have no other gods before me." IF in fact there is only one God-He would know it and this would not be a commandment it would be a given. Why command the lack of believe in other gods or that any other god be lesser? Just maybe the concept behind there being lesser Gods is more accurate then previously thought. IF no God is to be put before, then could that be God's acknowledgement of lesser Gods-those that aid him in keeping the cosmos in order. Other than depictions of Jesus, does anything else come closer to the image of God? We are all created in God's image-so if we took an image of everyone who has ever been, is and will be and place the pictures into a computer that will mesh them all into one person, we would be left with the image of God. Right? However it would be an ever changing image as more people are born, the image changes. Is this where the concept of the Holy Trinity comes in or is it a different religion altogether?
Earth, air, wind, fire and water-in some cases spirit, other religions teach harmony with our surroundings. Paganism is defined by dictionary terms as belief in a religion other then those established through Christianity-it is any religion that in non-Abrahamic. In terms of word origin, pagan is derived from the Greek word paganus, meaning country dweller-quiet possibly the reason that those who are described as pagan often live in harmony with their natural surroundings. For most followers of a pagan describe religion their path is theirs to set, as long as no harm comes to anyone, including themselves. There are a few readily described pagan religions; Druidism, Wicca, Asatru and Neo-paganism, all having pre-Christian roots. Neo-paganism is broader term for those that follow other traditions, like ancient Greek, Roman and Egyptian. Wicca can be traced back to pre-Celtic time; Druidism is based on the faith and practices of the ancient Celtics. The followers of Asatru practice a pre-Christian Norse religion. Those who follow paganism do not reject other religions, however the idea of a "one-size" fits all religion is rejected, belief is personal (this concept will be explored more later).
"A man would not in any way be worthy of honor if he were a bad man: honor is the reward of excellence, and is paid to none but to the virtuous."
A quote from the moral philosophy of Aristotle, written in a translation by Edwin Hatch 1879. Aristotle wrote a great deal on the honor and virtue of man, even with out translation the majority of what Aristotle had to say on the subject was understandable and agreeable.
Actions have been the concern of moral philosophers for most of the last 400 years. These philosophers have in part answered how we should behave; however the answers as to what kind of people we should be has not been covered, at least not in the same extent (Dupre, 2007). To have virtue is to have morals, or is it the other way around? By dictionary definition morals refer to right and wrong human behavior, more precisely good behavior. The definition of virtue is particular goodness, of character-good qualities and to be virtuous is to very good and very honest. Morals equal good behavior, virtue equals good character-equating this, anyone person cannot have one without the other. Since behavior is learned, good character would have to come first. By this logic then, morals are learned, virtue is not. One cannot be born with morals, which are learned by experiences in our surrounding. However learned morals can be a result of our born virtue. Since virtue is character or personality, it is inherent in each person from the start, a sort of genetic marker, though no one is predisposition to be bad or good.
How do we learn, good from bad, right from wrong or just from unjust? Is there a standard for morals or is that standard only defined by mankind? Does one need religion in order to have morals?
Unfortunately there is no sure way to test how much influence religion has on moral standards, because rather it is a denomination of Christianity or Paganism, the majority of the world does believe in something.
Plato, no other philosopher has had a greater influence or wide range of influence as him. Plato had a view on all philosophical thought; much of his work revolves around his Theory of Forms. To explain Forms, one must think outside what is perceived as real-for only unchanging is real and eternal. Plato's theory holds that for there to be that which changes, there must be that which does not change-these then are Forms. This is the school of thought that opened the door for Christian theology (Stokes, 2007).
Zeno of Citium or Zeno the Stoic was a student of Crates of Thebes and was a merchant until age 42 when he started the Stoic school of philosophy in Athens. Virtue, reason and natural law were the prime directives of the Stoic philosophy. Zeno held that by living this way, being detached from useless emotion and having the utmost self control, one would be closer to God. The universe was caused by God willing himself away from the corporeality-in this act God willed himself away from being physical.
Thomas Aquinas was the philosopher of the Catholic Church. Aristotle was Aquinas' main influence and so Aquinas clarified Aristotle's ideas. Thomas Aquinas' notable achievement was the "Five Ways." For Aquinas these proved the existence of God.
The Five Ways were infallible to Aquinas; they offered the clearest way to prove that God exist.
The first way is considered in the concept of change. Everything around us is changing, not only in a physical sense, everything is moving as well. Change for Aquinas was not only in the concept of night changing to day-it was in movement. To move we change from one spot to another-these movements are not simple and they need control, this control is God the Mover.
The second way is similar to the first, in that nothing can cause itself. There is only one thing that can cause itself, and that is God.
Still in keeping with the first two, the third way states that nothing can come from nothing, so God has always been.
Aquinas offered his own version of the Ontological argument as a way to explain number four. Things vary in degrees, more hot, more cold-hence more bad, more good-that which is most good is God.
Borrowed from Aristotle, was the fourth way-the notion of purpose. All things have an ultimate goal, an end to meet. Everyone is guide to that end, and that which guides everyone to that end is God.
Consider Anselm's Ontological argument, "God exists because the concept of God exits." This will be discussed more later.
When studying with the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints (LDS), one will learn from the point of view of the LDS Church that God is made of flesh and bone; otherwise we could not be created in his image. This concept is in keeping with the thought process of Zeno the Stoic, who said that God willed himself out of corporeality. Does this mean God willed himself to a higher plain of existence? That would mean that God was a mere mortal from the start and if that were the case he would have to come from somewhere, and therefore could not have always been, as suggested by Aquinas.
For arguments sake, contemplate existence precedes essence, according to existential philosophy. To be, to exist comes first-this happens before we have any concepts of anything. Since we cannot ask an infant about its essence, it is logical enough to assume that at the very least our existence precedes our essence, in a way that can be explained. Since it is then safe to say that we cannot contemplate our own existence then we cannot by any means contemplate the existence of God. God is learned, behavior is learned and then morals are acquired. Can morals be acquired before one learns the concept of God? Yes, the virtue of our parents or mentors teaches right from wrong and good from bad, before we have the knowledge to completely grasp the concepts.
Anselm said that God exists because the concept of God exists, in this case if all one needs is to conceive something in order for it to exist then we also have to believe in dragons, unicorns and the monster in the closet. Right? One cannot base their beliefs on a mere concept, like any scientific process concept is just ideas until they are proven as fact. God cannot be proven as fact, because He is just a belief.
"God has been one of the greatest human ideas of all time" (Armstrong, 1993).
Does it make a difference if there is or is not a God? Since God has been a possible concept in the least by men for 14 thousand years, then it is logical to think that the lack of belief would have an impact on things, how ever consider what difference it would make. God is a belief—you either belief in God or you do not belief in God, either way it is a belief and it is personal. Rather or not you choose to believe is your choice, no one else's. The choice to belief and what to believe in is a very personal matter, as we all perceive it differently.
God is considered perfect, existence is not perfect, therefore God cannot exist, however for the sake of those who believe, the argument of give and take applies. In order to exist we require energy, creation requires energy. God used His energy to create all that surrounds us. Does this mean that God is all around us, in the things which have been created? One cannot create so much and not be a part of it. Is this why God rested on the seventh day, because of the energy he expended? In keeping with Absolutes and Forms, this would mean that God is the Absolute Form of man, Good, and energy. God would have to be pure energy in order to create all that has been created without completely losing Himself within it. Considered this, science has proven that the universe is constantly expanding and ever changing-since the universe is still being created in this manner does it mean that God is still creating the cosmos and life as He did with us? Riddle this one-since the universe is ever expanding-What is it expanding into? Could it be another of God's creations or is it Enuma Elish (ambrosia)?
Concluding this is difficult, the concept of God and His existence has been around for some 14,000 years, and although God has been an ever changing idea of mankind, the concept that is God will never disappear. The faith and hope that the belief brings is personal and to that should be respected, on an individual level. Belief it or not the concept of God is here to stay and for those who truly believe, it does make a difference rather or not there is a God.
"One loses nothing believing in God, if He does not exist," (Kierkegaard).
References
ambrosia. (n.d.). The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. Retrieved July 24, 2008, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ambrosia
Armstrong, K. 1993©. A History of God: The 4, 000 year quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Retrieved July, 18, 2008 from Amazon Online Reader:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0345384563/ref=sib_fs_top?ie=UTF8&p=S00U...
Dupre, B. 2007. 50 Philosophy Ideas; you really need to know. Quercus Publishing Plc © 2007.
Hatch, E. 1879. The Moral Philosophy of Aristotle: Consisting of a Translation. Retrieved July 24, 2008 from Google Online Books; http://books.google.com/books?id=LqT312Gm0wwC&pg=PA210&lpg=PA210&dq=virt...
Robinson, B.A. 2007. What do Paganism and Pagan mean. Retrieved July 25, 2008 from Religious Tolerance.org: http://www.religioustolerance.org/paganism.htm
Sheets, S. and Brown, S. 2006. What is means to be Pagan. Retrieved July 21, 2008 from http://paganwarrior.info/Documents/What%20Pagan%20Means.pdf
Stokes, P. 2007©. Philosophy: The Great Thinkers. Arturus Publishing Limited.
Vaz, P. 2007. The Facts and Stats on 33, 000 denomination. Retrieved July 25, 2008 http://www.bringyou.yo/apologetics/a106.htm
