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A Theological Evaluation of Atheistic Ontological Disproofs and Modern Apologetic Responses

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A Theological Evaluation of Atheistic Ontological Disproofs and Modern Apologetic Responses A theological evaluation of atheistic ontological disproofs and modern apologetic responses DM Baeumont 24932612 Thesis submitted for the degree Philosophiae Doctor in Missiology at the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University Promoter: Prof Dr. HG Stoker May 2016 Acknowledgements This dissertation is dedicated to my family: First and foremost, my heroic wife, Elaine, whose effort in procuring me the time to accomplish this work was just as, if not more, laborious than mine in its writing. Second, my children, Michael, Ember, and Dante, for the together time we lost on my work nights. Third, baby Jake whose creation coincided with that of this dissertation. You all provided the much-needed inspiration for me to get done. Thank you for your sacrifices, and know that I shared them with you. Additional thanks go to my director, Dr. Henk Stoker, for his interest in this topic and helpful advice during the writing process. To my good friend, Dr. Jason Reed, for our many co- dependant dissertation conversations. To my seminary professors, Dr. Richard Howe and Dr. Thomas Howe, for encouraging my interest in the subjects of Thomism, ontological disproofs, and the doctrine of analogy. Thanks are also due to many others (too many to list in detail) that have lended a helping hand or mind during this process such as Dr. Scott Hahn, Dr. Bryan Cross, Dr. Michael Liccione, Mr. Brandon Dahm, Mr. Bryan Appley, and Mr. Timothy Gerard Aloysius Wilson - your advice, encouragement, and scholarly examples, were of great aid to me. Finally, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge my debt to Mr. Zev Zrihan for providing my “office space” as well as excellent coffee on many a late night. i Abstract This paper presents an exposition and critique of various contemporary responses to atheistic “ontological disproof” arguments based on the alleged incoherency of theistic attributes. Arguments in this class seek to demonstrate either an incompatibility between multiple attributes of God, or an inconsistency within a single attribute of God. The focus of this paper is on the differences between many modern apologetic responses that utilize analytic philosophy and Anselmian perfect being theology and those available from the classical traditions of apophatic theology and analogical God-talk. Special attention is paid to theologians who are contributing to this debate and who exhibit these characterisitics to various degrees in their methodology: William Lane Craig, Thomas V. Morris, John S. Feinberg, and Richard Swinburne. The resulting theological positions of these scholars will also be examined, with attention paid to any non-traditional, unorthodox, or heretical views oin contrast to more classical, orthodox doctrines. The overall debate will then be cast in a more classical context via the thinking of Thomas Aquinas and his followers. Thomistic analogical theology will be explicated, contrasted with these modern apologists’ views, and then offered in response to atheistic ontological disproof arguments. The Thomistic system, with its apologetic strengths and more traditional theology, will be recommended as not only a viable, but a more desirable, response to such arguments. Key Terms Atheism, Ontological Disproof, Apologetics, Philosophy of Religion, Anselm, Greatest Possible Being, Analytic Philosophy, Thomism, Analogy, Orthodoxy, Heresy, Theology. ii Table of Contents Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................... i Abstract / Key Terms .................................................................................................................. ii Table of Contents ....................................................................................................................... iii List of Figures ............................................................................................................................. v Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background: Modern Atheistic Arguments and Apologetic Answers .................. 1 1.2 Problem Statement: Non-Traditional and Unorthodox Theology ........................ 2 1.3 Objective and Methodology ............................................................................... 4 1.4 Content Summary ............................................................................................. 5 Chapter 2: Atheistic arguments .................................................................................................. 6 2.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 6 2.2 Atheistic argumentation ..................................................................................... 6 2.3 Theistic ontological disproofs ...........................................................................17 2.5 Conclusion .......................................................................................................37 Chapter 3: Apologetic responses ..............................................................................................39 3.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................39 3.2 Richard Swinburne ...........................................................................................40 3.3 Thomas Morris .................................................................................................50 3.4 John S. Feinberg ..............................................................................................56 3.5 William Lane Craig ...........................................................................................61 3.6 Theological evaluation ......................................................................................68 3.7 Conclusion .......................................................................................................72 iii Chapter 4: Anselmian theology and analytic philosophy ............................................................74 4.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................74 4.2 Anselmian theological method ..........................................................................74 4.3 Analytic philosophical method ..........................................................................87 4.4 Conclusion ..................................................................................................... 101 Chapter 5: Apophatic theology and analogical God-talk .......................................................... 104 5.1 Introduction .................................................................................................... 104 5.2 Via affirmativa: kaphatic theology ................................................................... 105 5.3 Via negativa: apophatic theology........................................................................ 113 5.4 Via media: analogical theology ....................................................................... 141 Chapter 6: A Thomistic response to ontological disproofs ....................................................... 161 6.1 Introduction .................................................................................................... 161 6.2 Metaphysical Prolegomena ............................................................................ 161 6.3 Thomistic theology of God .............................................................................. 167 6.4 Thomistic resolutions to ontological disproofs ................................................. 171 6.5 Conclusion ..................................................................................................... 184 Chapter 7: Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 186 Appendix 1: Protestant doctrinal statements ........................................................................... 188 Appendix 2: Thomistic analogy ............................................................................................... 190 Bibliography ................................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined. iv List of Figures Figure 1: Analogy Comparison Chart…………………………………………………………………154 Figure 2: God’s Attributes Chart……………………………………………………………………….170 v Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Background: Modern Atheistic Arguments and Apologetic Answers Arguments concerning the existence of God are nothing new to philosophy of religion. The pre-Socratic philosophers had as part of their project the dismantling of the religious myths surrounding the natural realm (Copleston, 1993a:16), and Socrates himself was killed for (allegedly) denying the existence of gods.1 Although forms of atheism predate modern Western theistic religions, it was not until after the Enlightenment that atheism really began to come into its own as a system, and begin presenting theists with new and serious challenges. The most philosophically powerful of these challenges – ontological disproofs – showed a dramatic rise in popularity during the second half of the twentieth century (e.g., Flew and McIntyre, 1955; Kretzmann, 1966; Drange, 1998 and Grim, 2007). The atheist philosopher Michael Martin devoted 70% of his reader The Impossibility of God (2003) to arguments based on God’s
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