Proof for God’s Existence

1. The UTRUM:

"Whether or not it is the case that there is proof for God's existence."

2. The VIDETUR:

"It seems that the existence of God can be proven in five ways by the Cosmological Argument."

Saint Thomas Aquinas, put forth his own theory on the existence of God. In his text "Whether God Exists", he stated that through his five arguments he could prove God's existence. His five arguments are from motion, from first efficient cause, from possibility and necessity, from gradation, and from design. Aquinas begins his text with two objections as to why God does not exist. The first states that God does not exist because the word "God" has the meaning of infinite goodness. Therefore, if God actually existed there would be no evil in this world. Because there is evil, God cannot exist. The second objection states that all natural things can be attributed to reasons other than God's existence. The objection states that natural things are the result of human reason or will, without need for God's existence. Aquinas then goes on to explain his first argument, the argument from motion. In this he states that it is evident to everyone that certain things are in motion, and were put into motion by something. He defines motion to be "the reduction of something from a state of potentiality into a state of actuality" Aquinas gives an example of this in his text. He states that something that is actually as hot as fire will make the potentially hot piece of wood actually hot. Furthermore he states that it is not possible to be in a state of actuality and potentiality at the same time from the same point of view. From different points of view, however, this is possible. In the case of the wood, it can be actually hot while at the same time being potentially cold. With this he is basically saying that nothing has the ability to move itself. According to Aquinas, everything has been put into motion by an original force or first mover, and this he believes to be God. Aquinas' second argument is the argument from the formality of efficient causation. In this he states that there is an order of efficient causes