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 Gods 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 Gods 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 mans 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 personallyAs if I saw. Chapter Five. The Pragmatic Argument for Gods 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 ones 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 Gods existence in the philosophical history is French Mathematician Blaise Pascal with his brilliant work Penses. 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 lifes 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 Gods existence. Smith distinguisihes between the Holy and the profane by stating that the Holy is something different from the ordinary matters in ones 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 Anselms 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 objectsthe 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 mans 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 Penses, 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 ones 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 individuals 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 persons life. There are many opinions and arguments which I never even have heard before my reading expedition. First of which is St. Anselms 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 Anselms 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 Gods 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 arguments 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 mans 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.