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What is Theism?



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Theism is the concept of a deity who creates the world. It is also known as the concept of Platonic cosmology. This philosophical approach fails to recognize the fundamental role that experience plays in Theism. We would miss the essence of Theism if we ignored experience.

Arguments

There are many reasons to support theism. First, the morally right agent argument. It's based on a thought experiment that allows an agent to help a car accident victim by paying for tow trucks or flagging down vehicles. This argument can be used by someone to argue that it is in an agent's best interests to assist the car accident victim even if he/she doesn't believe God.

Another argument supporting theism in this area is the evidential dilemma of evil. Also known as the probabilistic puzzle of evil. This problem presumes that God's existence would be incompatible if there is no free will. It also assumes that God cannot prevent gratuitous evil. However, some people do not endorse this argument.

Sub-divisions

There are several sub-divisions of theism. The pro-theism positions are listed in the first column. Others can also be subdivided. This chart will continue to grow as more general answers become known. These distinctions are important because they serve different purposes. For example, some people argue that it is difficult to defend wide personal/impersonal theism, while others argue that it is possible to be both broad and narrow personal anti-theists.


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You can subdivide theism into two groups: atheism and agnosticism. Although atheists don't believe in formal religions they might have strong spiritual beliefs. They might believe in fairies or angels, karma, or a divine plan. They may even believe in ghosts and Ouija boards.

Morally Good Agents Argument

The Morally Good Agents Argument against theissm posits that a deity is not all good. If a God were all good, there would no reason to allow the deity to do evil. It is also not possible for a deity to be evil because he created a world filled with moral evil.


God must have created significant amounts of free people in order for this to be avoided. These agents would still be evil in at minimum one world. God could not have created an ideal world that had morally good agents in all worlds.

Platonic philosophy

Some debate exists about whether Platonic philosophy is compatible with Theism. Platonism as well as Theism have historically been incompatible. But there are differences. One of these is the belief that God is the creator of everything.

According to Platonic philosophy God creates all things. He created the universe and created people. But what about the relationship between God & humans? Both are based in belief.


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Conflicts within traditional theism

Disagreements regarding religious beliefs can cause conflicts with traditional Theism. There can be disagreement about the nature of God. The belief that God is good and omnipotent can be incompatible with the existence or evil. One could also be committed to traditional theism but have moral convictions. One could, for instance, believe God is not capable or willing to allow evil.

There are also differences in the definition of the divine attributes. Some believe that God is omnipotent, all-knowing, and omnipresent. Others view him as an inexorable entity with no beginning or ending. Others say that God is neither eternal nor finite, but rather a person with characteristics like love and knowledge.



 



What is Theism?