Understanding Seeking Faith

Catholic Theology for the 21st Century

Tag: Supreme Being

  • Path to Theism: Step 2

    Path to Theism: Step 2

    In Step 1 on the path to theism, we defined the word “God” as Supreme Being and Ultimate Reality, meaning something with maximum existence, or something that exits to the greatest degree.

    In step 2, let’s consider more deeply what it means for something to exist to the greatest degree. How shall we measure degrees of existence? What gives a being or reality more or less existence?

    We must consider two related criteria:

    1. How much a being depends on other realities for its existence.
    2. How much other beings depend on it for theirs.

    When we examine the world around us, we find that many beings have fleeting existence because they are contingent on a multitude of necessary conditions to produce and sustain them. If any of those necessary conditions fail to exist, then so do the beings that depend on them.

    We also discover more fundamental and permanent realities that serve as necessary conditions for many contingent beings. But even these necessary conditions are themselves contingent realities, depending for their existence on still more fundamental necessary conditions.

    So we can say that a being has a greater degree of existence if (1) it is contingent on fewer necessary conditions and (2) it serves as a necessary condition for more contingent beings.

    What then shall we say for a being with maximum existence? A reality that exists to the greatest degree must have at least two unique attributes:

    1. It must have zero contingency. In other words, it must be self-existent, meaning it depends for its existence on nothing other than itself.
    2. It must be a necessary condition for all beings. It must be that reality without which nothing else could exist.

    So, in short, a Supreme Being must be a self-existent necessary condition for all beings.

    Let’s summarize this argument with a syllogism:

    • Premise 1: Let Ultimate Reality mean something that exists to the greatest degree.
    • Premise 2: Something that exists to the greatest degree must be a self-existent necessary condition for all realities.
    • Conclusion: So an Ultimate Reality must be a self-existent necessary condition for all realities.

    But the key question still remains: is there any such Being or Reality? In Step 3 on the path to theism, I will make an argument for yes.

    Read Next:

    Parsing the Second Leap

    Path to Theism: Step 1

  • Path to Theism: Step 1

    Path to Theism: Step 1

    In my first post, I highlighted three leaps of faith involved in the decision to join the Catholic Church. The first leap, from atheism to theism, is the belief that God exists. In this post, I will map out the first small step on the path to this leap of faith: correctly defining the word “God.”

    Some people think that “God” refers to a magical man in the sky. Some atheists even use this phrase to poke fun at theists. If it were an accurate definition, then we should all agree that there’s no such thing. But this is not what most theists mean when we affirm that God exists.

    The two most common simple definitions for God are “Supreme Being” and “Ultimate Reality.” We can gain a better understanding of the word “God” by comparing these definitions.

    The words supreme and ultimate are both synonyms for maximum, which describes something of the greatest degree. The words being and reality both mean something that exists or simply existence itself. So these definitions, taken together, suggest that God would be something that exists to the greatest degree, something that has, or is, maximum existence.

    But merely defining God as something with maximum existence doesn’t make it true that God exists. It may be the case that nothing at all fits this description. But if something does, then that Supreme Being, that Ultimate Reality, is what we should call “God,” regardless of whatever other attributes it may or may not have.

    So now, the key question is this: Does something with maximum existence actually exist? Is there really something that exists to the greatest degree?

    Before we can answer this question, we need to consider more deeply what it means for something to exist to the greatest degree. What is the greatest degree of existence? And what criteria should we use to measure it? We will tackle these questions in Step 2 on the path to theism.

    Read Next:

    Path to Theism: Step 2

    Parsing the Second Leap

    Three Leaps of Faith