THEOLOGY
Chapter One. The Ontological Argument attempts to establish the existence of God
solely on the very concept of God. This particular kind of argument does without appealing to
anything outside the realm of the human consciousness and restricts to the analysis of the
concept alone to prove its predicament. It does not rely on the facts of the observable world of
sensible experience and thus exudes an argument of a priori. The major proponent of the
ontological argument is Saint Anselm of Canterbury and through his greatest work Proslogion,
he said that „God cannot be conceived not to exist.- God is that, than which nothing greater can
be conceived.- That which can be conceived not to exists is not God.’ St. Anselm began his
argument by citing a quote from Psalm 14:1 and mentioned the fool who believes that there is no
God. The term „God‟ then is treated merely as an idea by the fool and is something that does not
have and external existence. St. Anselm argued that this is a contradictory declaration because
this God whose actual existence is denied by the fool is something that the fool understands to be
that than which nothing greater can be conceived. He also pointed out that God exists in the mind
of the fool therefore it is in his understanding. It is also worthy to acknowledge that such
argument undoubtedly leads to God‟s attributes of omnipotence, omniscience, omnibenevolence
and the like.
Chapter Two. The establishment of the Cosmological argument is based on the use of
the principle of Sufficient Reason which explicates that there must be a reason why everything
that exists, exist-- that nothing comes into being by itself. The cosmological proof makes use of
the sensible world and attempts to demonstrate the existence of God through human reason
alone. Unlike the Ontological Argument, this argument is an example of an a posteriori proof for
God. The most famous advocate of the Cosmological Argument is Saint Thomas Aquinas in the
thirteenth century. Through his magnificent piece the Summa Theologiae, St. Thomas affirmed
that the existence of God can be rationally proved with certainty. He offered five philosophical
proofs for God‟s existence which are now known as the Five Ways. The Five Ways consist of the
following: arguments from motion, efficient causes, contingency, gradation to be found in things
and lastly, the governance of the world, all of which point to a reality beyond empirical
existence.
Chapter Three. Nothing in the world is random and everything follows a certain definite
plan, pattern and design. The basis for this third argument is on the apparent order and design of
the cosmos and the nature of things. From the word teleology which indicates something that has
to do with direction or destiny, the Teleological Argument points out the fact that many things in
the universe seem to have been designed to fulfil purposeful ends. Also called the Argument
from Design, it attempts to derive the existence of God from the premise that the world exhibits
intelligent purpose, and proceeds to the conclusion that there is most probably a divine intelligent
being who caused the order that nature possesses. William Paley, one of the most famous
advocates of the argument, provided the clearest sustained treatment of the argument where he
compared a human artifact-- a watch, to the universe. The argument of design morphed as the
Analogical Argument from Design since it consists of drawing an analogy between natural and
man-made objects. Altogether, Paley claims that the universe seems to exhibit the same
purposeful arrangement of intricate and complex parts which the watch holds. He concludes that,
there is enough reason to prove that like the watch the universe was too designed by someone
and that being is namely, God.
Chapter Four. Conscience is regarded as a concrete and specific aspect of man‟s moral
experience. The phenomenon of conscience where one experiences within himself a voice telling
them what is right from wrong, has been considered as the „Voice of God‟. Cardinal John Henry
Newman, in his last major work An Essay in Aid of a Grammar of Assent, fully expressed and
profoundly developed the very distinctive path to God which is anchored on the central idea of
conscience. The Argument from Conscience is a personal, spontaneous and emotional
experience of God that is innate to all individuals. For Newman, faith in the existence of God
should be grounded in the actual life of the believer and is not the result of logical arguments. He
also said that Assent to the being of God should be real and not just notional. The being of God
should not just be understood but must also be experienced concretely and personally—“As if I
saw”.
Chapter Five. The Pragmatic Argument for God‟s existence is based on the practical
consequences or benefits that one could get out of believing in God. A belief is pragmatically
justified when there is sufficient reason for believing that having it will benefit one‟s self. This
belief appeals to common sense by letting one see the definite advantages that he can gain if he
believes that there is a god. The most famous proponent of the pragmatic argument for God‟s
existence in the philosophical history is French Mathematician Blaise Pascal with his brilliant
work Pensées. Pascal developed an argument in the form of a wager, a gamble about God. He
explicitly regarded the fact that we cannot know whether God exists or not but nevertheless,
Pascal is convinced that it is our best interest to believe that there is one that not to believe.
Using the probability theory, Pascal as a mathematician presented his argument with the pros and
cons of believing. Overall, Pascal holds that the very act and decision of believing in God carries
with it certain rewards and punishments. Those who bet on God will be infinitely rewarded and
those who gamble against him will be greatly punished.
Chapter Six. John E. Smith in his piece, The Experience of the Holy and the Idea of
God, discusses life‟s crucial junctures where he began by stating that our task is to seek an
understanding of the experience of the Holy for us to identify the distinctive features of its
presence and to express these relations to God‟s existence. Smith distinguisihes between the
Holy and the profane by stating that the Holy is something different from the ordinary matters in
one‟s life. The Holy manifests through powerful, awe-inspiring, dangerous and significant
presence that could only be approached with extreme caution and earnest.The Profane, on the
other hand, is open, manifest, obvious, ordinary, and devoid of any special mystery, reverence
and depth. Furthermore, Smith addressed that the Holy be clearly defined and marked distinct
from the Profane although separating the two is nonessential since both are related despite its
dissimilarities.
Synthesis: I have come to indulge on the facts that in the first chapter, Saint Anselm‟s
Ontological Argument explicitly makes use of the very concept of God to ascertain the being and
existence of God. God, as he had defined in his work Proslogion, is „that than which nothing
greater can be conceived”. We draw on this idea and define God as some being who is
overwhelmingly perfect, supreme and infinite without relying to any fact and evidence that he is
indeed such. As we have defined the term God, we have grasped the reality where we understand
that He is a being that is greater than anything conceivable. Only a foolish person can say that
there is no God because he is incapable of taking deeply what he is implying and he is indeed
self-contradictory. The next chapter, Saint Thomas Aquinas, in his piece the Summa Theologiae,
makes use of the sensible facts of the word and presented the Five Ways. His philosophical
proofs are the following arguments from motion, efficient causes, contingency, gradation of
things and governance of the world. It uses a posteriori proof of God unlike the Ontological
argument which uses a priori proof. On the third chapter, William Paley, a proponent of the
Teleological Argument draws a comparison between natural objects—the universe and man
made artifacts-- the watch and argues that like the artifact, the universe has too its designer and
maker both of which is God. He argues that like the watch the universe too consists of a
purposeful complex pattern and perfectly fits together to carry out purposeful ends. Then on next
chapter, Cardinal John Henry Newman makes use of the phenomenon of conscience which is
innate to any human person. The Argument from Conscience attempts to reveal God through
man‟s personal living experience. Newman argues in his, Grammar of Assent, that faith in God
should be based on the actual life of the believer. It should be real and personally experienced by
an individual “as if I saw”. Conscience as the tiny voice we hear within gives us insights about
the moral order of the world but there are many views that this voice is that of society, superego
or even of the insane and not of God. On chapter five, Blaise Pascal in his brilliant
work Pensées, developed an argument about God in the form of a wager. From the word
Pragmatic, this argument is based on the practicality and the consequences of one‟s belief or
disbelief of God. Like a toss of a coin, there is a half percent chance for one to win the wager
that there is or no God. Agnosticism is not a way one could take, for when he does not wager he
will end up losing on both accounts. Pascal states that betting on God will earn infinite rewards
while betting against Him will result to punishments. And finally, on the lastchapter, John E.
Smith argues that we must find and understand the Holy experience so as define it and relate to
the idea of God. In his work, he cites the differences between the Holy and the profane, with the
Holy being sacred while Profane as the inverse of it. Both are interrelated with each other and
not be necessarily be separated because both are part of an individual‟s existence.
Personal Stand: The overall experience of enlightenment of the matters and arguments
about the existence of God amongst different philosophical propositions to me is something that
greatly allows my self and other individuals to further develop our faith and self actualization.
By reading the six chapters of the book, The Quest for the Absolute, I have become aware with
the many arguments concerning the existence of God. It has given me the opportunity to ask my
self about my personal faith, stand and belief in God. Also, it permitted me to further realize the
significance of God in a person‟s life. There are many opinions and arguments which I never
even have heard before my reading expedition. First of which is St. Anselm‟s Ontological
Argument, his definition of God is „that than which nothing greater can be conceived‟. I know
that God does exist and I am not a fool to deny that He does not. I agree to Saint Anselm‟s
definition and concept of God for He is indeed a being that is greater than anything conceivable.
On the second chapter which holds Saint Thomas Aquinas‟ Five Ways, I agree that with the
given philosophical proofs, one can conclude that there is a reality beyond empirical experience.
We can not adequately explain ourselves and the only found answer is the existence of God-God who is the mover of things, the cause, and the necessity. With the Teleological Argument on
the third chapter, I take stand that there is a destiny and an apparent order and design of things. I
believe that everything in this world has a purpose although some are openly revealed and some
concealed. No one could prove the existence of God but it is acceptable to equate that since there
is a product there must be a source or a maker. Since the pattern which God has created is
perfectly mended and designed, He is capable of perfection therefore He is of Perfection. We, as
human beings, are perfectly created by God through a design perfect in His eyes. It is not right to
say that the product is as good as its maker for the maker as the being who has the upper hand
could decide how He would like the product to be made. The product serves as evidence that
there is a source but the product, I believe, does not necessarily equate to the maker. Then on the
fourth chapter-- the Argument from Conscience by Cardinal Newman, I believe that conscience
guides me to the true good since it helps me through my decisions in life and keeps me on the
right track. Since I believe that it does me good and helps me develop a much fulfilling life, I
would assume that this is God‟s way of revealing himself to me through my everyday acts and
activities. It does not mean that God is withholding my freedom when He leads me to goodness.
I am more willing and happier to follow Him, even more when God manifests Himself to me in
one way or another. With the Pragmatic Argument on the fifth chapter, I wager on the existence
of God for I have nothing to lose and everything to gain. This argument appeals on the
selfishness of a person but it also appeals to the practical reality. Pascal claims that there is no
way for us to find out if God exists and that reason is inutile. Many protest that this argument‟s
factor is fear and they believe that homage of reason is more gallant than blindfolded fear. I have
been raised by my parents to be God-fearing. In Psalm 112:1, one who fears the Lord finds
delight in His commands. I am not blindly following God but rather I rejoice! My motivation is
not that all of fear but the solace that I seek whenever I rejoice in His embrace. I will always bet
on Him. Last of all is the Argument presented by John E. Smith, I agree to his proposal that it is
man‟s task is to seek God, the experience of the Holy. One must come to point where he holds
his life at bay and reflects on the seriousness, value, mystery and gift of life. I attest that through
my life changing experiences that there is a God. My encounter with His grace and guidance
allowed me to feel that there is meaning to my life and I am of value. At times, it may seem that I
am alone in conquering my endless battles, but I believe to the deepest of my soul that some
higher being is with me throughout my bliss and struggles in life. I always seek God, not only in
the grandest of things but also in the meekest and humblest of matters. No matter what, I will
always confirm to my belief, as a Christian and a human person, that there is aGod.