One, Two, Three, Four, Five Ways

Mondayyyy! Thanks Jessica for letting me borrow your notes :D
love you baby boo!

First Way: Argument from Motion

-An object put in motion by other object or force

• Nothing can move itself
• Every object in motion has a mover
• The first mover is the unmover, called God.

Second Way: Causation of Existence

-Uncaused first cause (God)

• Exist things that are created by other things
• Nothing can create itself
• Cannot be endless string of object causing other object to exist

Third Way: Contingent and Necessary Objects

-Two types of universe: Contingent beings & unnecessary being

• Contingent beings are caused
• Not every being can be contingent
• Must exist & being which is necessary to cause contingent being
• Necessary being is God

Fourth Way: Argument From Degrees and Perfection

• Degrees graduation of a quality
• Perfect standard by which all qualities measures - perfections contain God

Fifth Way: Argument from Intelligent Design

• Observable universe & order of nature
• Physical laws + order of nature & life = designed + ordered by God (Intelligent Designer)

Being a Christian, all the five ways of St. Thomas Aquinas apply to me and I believe in it. However, if I had to point the worst one it would be the first and the second way. It is not because I find it faulty but I feel that those two ways would bring up many questions to a non-believer. The first way states that God is the unmover but people might think how can God have created everything we see here on Earth without being able to move. The second way might be hard for non-believers to accept because they might not understand where God came from. They wonder where he was created, whom he as created by or does he even really exist. These two ways are something that I grew up to accept as the truth and never bothered questioning it because I KNEW it was true. However, going through Unit 2: Monotheism to Polytheism, my eyes opened up to the standpoint of many who don't have the same belief as I do. And I did start to question and got a lot more than what I've expected to gain from the unit. I felt that it made my walk as a Christian stronger because throughout my whole life. I was never questioned as a Christians and even after I've been questioned, my faith did not shift. It made me realize that God is stronger than any argument or attack that might come my way. God indeed is my shield & my everything.

My feelings are mutual about the fourth way. I don't believe in the word perfect. I only believe in it when it comes to God. However, I feel that people need that sense of "perfection" to achieve their best on everything they do. I try not to use the word because just like St. Thomas Aquinas states, perfections contain God. No one can measure up to who God is, what He has done, and what He has planned for us on Earth. People might ask how do we know what perfection is if we don't see it with our physically eyes. I feel that the whole idea of "religion" is faith. Without faith, there IS no religion. Christianity is having a relationship with God; whether or not we are able to see Him.

The best way for me is the fifth way. The fifth way is a strong statement as well because Intelligent Design, as we have learned from a article we read in class is supported by Law of Thermodynamics; a law we believed to be of truth. This shows that Intelligent Design must be true. Additionally, something so amazing and incredible like our universe could not have developed by some mutation without any mover or creator.

xoxo