Essay on Anselm and Aquinas on the Existence of God

Does God exist? That question has been asked by people for centuries. Christians, Jews, and Muslims would all say that God exists. They would claim that He is the creator of all things and is of a higher being than man is. Others would claim either that God does not exist or that God is not what the Christians, Jews, and Muslims say He is. Both Anselm and Aquinas address this question: Anselm in his Proslogion and Aquinas in his Summa Theologica. The opinions of Anselm and Aquinas as to the nature of God are the same, although Anselm lacks the proof to back up his claims. In the Proslogion, Anselm states that God is something greater that which we can conceive of nothing. This very confusing statement, which is likely†¦show more content†¦I know this because there are many things that people believed on faith long before it was ever proven of even suggested scientifically. One example is the fall of the walls around the city of Jericho. The bible tells us that the hand of God pushed them down. While it is unlikely that it will ever be proven that it was actually the hand of God that did this, recent archeological evidence tells us that something pushed down the walls of Jericho. People believed that this happened centuries before this evidence surfaced. So I say that the notion that matters of faith cannot be demonstrated is absurd. The second argument is for the notion that the existence of God can be demonstrated. It states that everything has a cause. He claims that by using the theory of cause and effect we can demonstrate the existence of God. If we say that every effect has a cause, we can go further and further to infinity. But because of our own logic, we know that this is not true. We know that it must end somewhere. That somewhere is a first cause, and that cause is God. This is very similar to the idea of the unmoved mover. He goes on to say that through the effects, we can demonstrate that God does exist, but we cannot know what God is like. Next comes the bigShow MoreRelatedAn Examination Into The Respective Proofs Of St. Aquinas1288 Words   |  6 Pagesof St. Anselm and St. Aquinas During the Medieval Period, philosophers shifted their focus primarily to proving the existence of God, as well as other religious tenets. Two Saints of the Catholic Church, St. Anselm and St. Thomas Aquinas, developed their own respective proofs for the existence of God. These proofs have gained fame over the subsequent centuries and still face debate and comparison today. 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Although both St. Anselm and St. Thomas Aquinas both offer proofs for the existence of God, the proofs differ drastically due to the distinct argumentativeRead MoreAnselm and Aquinas Argument Regarding God1678 Words   |  7 PagesAnselm and Aquinas Argument Regarding God The article I am writing is about Anselm and Aquinas views on God’s existence and the different arguments trying to find out the same thing, does god exist? And if so what is he? The following will be a comparison about Anselm and Aquinas views on god. I mostly agree with Anselm on the topic of that if god were to exist that he would have to be greater than anything conceived. Although I think Aquinas argument that if everything has the possibilityRead MoreAnshelm ¬Ã‚ ¥s Proof of God ¬Ã‚ ¥s Existence1466 Words   |  6 PagesThe question about the existence of God or, more generally speaking, of a supernatural entity that steers the course of the world, is probably as old as humanity itself. 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