Is it Reasonable to believe in God? People have since the beginning of time asked the question Why?-Why do we or anything exist? Plato- Noticed that certain patterns and shapes constantly appeared in nature. He saw orderamongst chaos-therefore he thought there must be an Ultimate Source Aristotle –Noticed that everything was moved by something else. This constant mo tion but be caused by an Unmovable mover St. thomaS aquinaS’ 5 WaYSA 13th Century Dominican Friar. One of the mo st influential thinkers within the Church and still essential for Catholic theologians. His Five Ways or Proofs are not proofs in the modern scientific sense , but ratherdemonstrate that belief in God is reasonable. They bring together the work of pagan philosopher and Christian thinkers such as St. Augustine and St. Anselm I) First Mover: Some things are in motion, anything moved is moved by another, and there can't be an infinite series of movers. So there must be a first mover . A mover that isn't itself moved by another. This is what we call God. II) First Cause: Some things are caused, anything caused is caused by another, and there can't be an infinite series of causes. So there must be a first cause . A cause that isn't itself caused by another . This is what we call God. III) Necessary Being : Every contingent being at some time fails to exist. So if everything were contingent, then at some time there would have been nothing -- and so there would be nothing now -- which is clearly false. So not ever ything is contingent. So there is a necessary being. This is God. IV) Greatest Being: Some things are greater than others. Whateveris great to any degree gets its greatness from that which is the great- est. So there is a greatest being, which is the source of all great- ness. This is God. V) Intelligent Designer: Many things in the world that lack intelli- gence act for an end. Whatever acts for an end must be directed by an intelligent being. So the world must have an intelligent designer. This is God. St. Thomas Aquinas 1225-1274 Feast: 28th January Y ouCat Qs: 1-6; 14-16; 40-48; 56-70
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