Perfect God Research Articles

The Human Being as the Image of God

Abstract This is a theological exposition of the biblical statement that the human being is created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26). The treatment concludes that this affirmation is the clal gadol, the foundational principle of the whole Torah (as Ben Azzai says, Talmud Yerushalmi, Nedarim, ch. 9, h. 4). There are four dimensions to the image of God: (1) Intrinsic dignities—that all human beings (no matter gender, skin color, race, religion) are endowed by their Creator with three intrinsic dignities: infinite value, equality, and uniqueness; (2) Capabilities—God has infinite consciousness, power, relationship (=love), freedom, and life. Humans have these capabilities in a finite but remarkable, i.e., Godlike, form. According to Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, humans fulfill the commandment of Imitatio Dei (v’halachta b’drachav) by developing these capabilities. God bestows these capabilities on humans to use in fulfilling a mission to perfect God’s Creation in partnership with the Divine (=covenant); (3) These dignities are rooted in love. That all humans possess these dignities reflects the fact that God loves all life, especially humans (the most advanced form of life); (4) Prophetic messianism envisions this planet turned into a Garden of Eden (paradise). This is a reality worthy of an image of God, i.e., the enemies of life (poverty, hunger, oppression, war, sickness) are overcome and the fullness of human dignity (infinite value, equality, uniqueness) is honored, in actual practice, in daily life.

Rethinking God : Rethinking Ontological Arguments and Arguments Against it

This article is rethinking both the ontological arguments and arguments against it. It is rethinking ontological arguments of St. Anselm and Descartes because through subjective idea of God in mind of Anselm and Descartes to claim of the objective existence of God cannot be proved through ontological reasoning. It is rethinking the method of ontological arguments of Anselm and Descartes because the truth of existence of idea of perfect God (the existence of idea of God in which part of brain or minds) cannot be determined through reason. Neurophilosophers claims that the truth of non-existence of idea of perfect God in mind or brain can be determined by through the objective scientific method in Evolutionary Biology of Mind, Genetics of Mind and Neuroscience of Mind. Since there is no idea of perfect God in mind, therefore perfect God does not exist.

Pain, Life, and God: Theodicy Informed by Biology and Evolutionary Medicine

Pain is a ubiquitous phenomenon. Since the beginnings of philosophical thought, the question of the nature and origin of pain has developed. However, it also raises the question of how an omnipotent and morally perfect God can allow so much pain and suffering in the world. In this paper, we analyze the findings of biology and evolutionary medicine to better understand the phenomenon of pain. Based on these insights, we then seek to enrich theological and theodicean reflections on the relationship between pain, humans, and God.

К. МакГинн. Деонтологическая теодицея/ пер. с англ. В. А. Сергеевой

The essay examines the inconsistence problem of the existence a perfect God and evil in the world. It contains criticism of the traditional view that the concept of God as a morally perfect entity is paradoxical. Essay is demonstrated that such views are based on an extreme form of utilitarianism. It is argued that the idea of God and evil coexisting in the world is not inconsistent if we accept the deontological view in ethics that the general obligation to eliminate suffering wherever it occurs cannot be one’s moral duty. It is proved that the idea of the coexistence of God and evil in the world does not contain a contradiction if we accept the deontological point of view in ethics that the obligation to eliminate suffering wherever it occurs cannot be anyone’s moral duty.

Mükemmeliyetçi Dindarlık Ölçeğinin Geliştirilmesi ve Geçerliği-Türkçe Versiyon (MDÖ-T)

The fact that the absolute is only God, and therefore, God is the first to come to mind when perfection is mentioned, is a common occurrence among believers. Perfectionism was also associated with God by the early personality theorists, moved away from its religious meaning over time, and its relationship with piety was little taken into account until recently. The fact that perfectionism, which has a religious motif in its essence, came to life in the field of religious sciences in general and psychology of religion in particular, in other words, bringing the concept of religious perfectionism into the literature became possible by a limited number of measurement attempts made after 2010. In this study, religious perfectionism, which is based on setting high standards for religious life, was discussed as a whole with order, discipline, inadequacy of one's self, perfect religious expectations and generalizations about others. Our study aims to fill the gap in the relevant literature by making the operational definition of religious perfectionism and measuring it. After determining the need for scale development and literature review, multidimensional perfectionism scales were reviewed and an item pool was created. Some features of perfectionism, such as discipline, generalization, and performance control, which are not dimensioned in multidimensional scales, were also adapted to piety. Previously developed religious perfectionism scales were also examined and, unlike them, we attempted to emphasize both the individual's religious life and the perfect God perception. The opinions of five experts in the field of Psychology of Religion were consulted about the adequacy of the items, so the first form of the scale was prepared for the pilot scheme. The study group consists of 610 Muslim participants who live in Turkey, believe in Allah (God), and regularly perform at least one worship. A total of 254 people, 192 (75.6%) of whom were female and 62 (24.4%) were male, participated in the pilot scheme. A total of 356 participants, 242 (68%) of whom were women and 114 (32%) were men, participated in the main study. The participants' educational background was undergraduate or postgraduate, and most were between the ages of 18-30. In order to determine the validity of the scale, construct validity and criterion-related validity were examined. Explanatory Factor Analysis (n=254) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (n=356) were used for construct validity and correlation analysis was performed for criterion-related validity. In addition, the differences between the item mean scores of the lower 27% and upper 27% groups were tested with the unrelated T-test for item discrimination. The reliability of the scale was determined by Cronbach's Alpha (a) and test-retest methods. As a result of Explanatory Factor Analysis, the scale was divided into two factors as Positive Religious perfectionism and Negative Religious perfectionism, as designed. The positive dimension of the scale included items that included the very high standards that the person set about God and his religious life, the order and discipline shown in worship. In the negative dimension of the scale, items such as finding the worship inadequate, doubting the actions, and worrying about making mistakes, as well as the general acceptances that the individual has about himself, God, or others, were included. The total score of the dimensions showed the general religious perfectionism level, and as the score gets higher, so does the religious perfectionism level. The scale can be used to measure the general religious perfectionism level based on the total score in the studies to be carried out. It can also be used by dividing it into its positive and negative factors. The internal consistency coefficient of Positive Religious perfectionism was 0.913; it was 0.876 for Negative Religious perfectionism, and the overall reliability for the 22-item structure of the scale was 0.904. As a result of the test-retest performed with a new study group of 95 people with an interval of 14 days, a significant positive correlation was found between the pretest and retest levels (r=0.960 p<0.01). In addition, it was determined that the participants' lower 27% and upper 27% values were significant for all items (p<0.01). As a result of the correlation analysis for criterion-related validity, significant positive relationships were found between religious perfectionism and perfectionism, and intrinsic religious motivation. Finally, the values obtained as a result of the Confirmatory Factor Analysis performed to confirm the factor structure were found to be in the range of acceptable (X2/df=3,306; RMSEA=0,079; GFI=0,92; AGFI=0,90; RMR=0,068; SRMR=0,052) and perfect fit criteria (CFI=0,96; NNFI=0,96; NFI=0,96). All these findings revealed that the scale was a valid and reliable measurement tool that measures religious perfectionism.

God and the Problem of Blameless Moral Ignorance

A morally perfect God necessarily desires that all rational agents behave morally. An omnipotent and omniscient God has the power and knowledge to ensure that all rational agents have sufficient moral knowledge to do what morality requires. So, if God exists, there are no rational moral agents who lack sufficient moral knowledge to act morally. However, there has been a wide range of moral agents who, without blame, have lacked the moral knowledge to behave morally. Therefore, God does not exist. The preceding argument from non-blameable moral ignorance of our fundamental moral obligations is resistant to some of the standard theistic responses to the problem of evil and divine hiddenness. Moreover, some of the standard theistic responses to the traditional arguments for God’s non-existence lend support to the argument from blameless moral ignorance.

GOD AS THE IMPLICATION OF ALIENATION: A CRITICISM OF RELIGION IN LUDWIG FEUERBACH'S ANTHROPOLOGICAL ATHEISM

In the history of thought, the effort to get rid of the religious and theological teachings of the Middle Ages, together with the Renaissance and reform movements, causes an evolution in the search and perception of reality. As a matter of fact, it is seen that the questioning about the belief in God increased in the period after the Industrial Revolution, starting with the modern period, and especially during the 19th century. One of these ideas, in which man is put in the center for the sake of independence from God and religious authorities, belongs to the German materialist Ludwig Feuerbach (1804-1872). Contrary to the innate approach of modern thought that became systematized with Descartes, Feuerbach argues that the idea of God is formed in the human mind afterwards and through experiences, and the concept of God is a manifestation and result of man's reflection of his own nature outward. Man, who thinks that he submits to God and loves him, creates a sort of external "other" imagination in order to attribute the features he wants to have but cannot have indeed. In other words, the source of man's vision and belief in God is the weakness inherent in his nature, then the search for an external existence that he can complete this weakness. By attributing the feelings or values that inherently exist in the human-human relationship, to a sacred other, man becomes alienated from himself. Thus, attributing the features that exist in him to God as another being, includes the meanings of man's alienation from himself, denial of his own self or essence. This alienation caused by religion and theology exposes the detachment of man from his own essence and nature, the desire to complete the deficient nature of his self with an absolute other who does not have this deficiency in himself. Alienation, which causes human depreciation, is a result of religious theology's assuming that man is a weak being in the face of God, an external other. Representing the transition from classical German idealism to materialism and positivism, Feuerbach continues to use Hegel's idealism and dialectic as a tool. However, by reading/interpreting it in reverse, he adopts the flow of thought towards the search for truth from the Absolute Spirit to the individuality. Hegel, in the problem of the relationship between mental objects and external objects, emphasizes that the thought corresponds to existence, and the guarantee of this is the Absolute Mind. Hegelian monistic idealism claims that the Absolute mind, which provides the unity between the mind and the external world, existed before the world. On the other hand, Feuerbach argues that general knowledge can be reached from particular minds. Because he argues that the truth can be acquired only if a path is followed from the object to the thought, not from the thought to the object. Thus, Feuerbach, who adopted the inductive method in his criticisms of religion and theology, said that atheism should essentially be real humanism and theology should actually be anthropology; therefore, he argues that the being believed to be God is actually human. Despite the claim that the belief in a perfect God is in human nature and innate, he claims that this belief arises from experiences through lifetime. God, when evaluated from an objective point of view, is nothing but a subjective and individual feeling. Theology should be replaced by anthropology and religion should be replaced by philosophy in order to ensure that people have a true understanding of religion instead of their baseless beliefs full of unrealistic speculations. Because, according to him, religion consist of nothing but love, where the human seeks his own truth in the reflection of reality that has become unreal due to theology, but can find it (his own truth) directly in relation between you and me. Thus, any union between two people through love is religion. The aim of our study is to reveal that in Feuerbach's thought, God is a result of human psychological weaknesses and deficiencies in his nature. It is emphasized that Feuerbach's philosophical background, his views on human nature and alienation are decisive in the formation of the aforementioned thought. Indeed he argues that God is a fictional being created by man, and that all the characteristics attributed to God are essentially belong to human nature. Therefore, by believing in God and glorifying him, man becomes alienated from his own nature. This shows that Feuerbach clearly adopted an anthropomorphic idea that sublimates human nature instead of a classical idea of God. However, although this approach generally includes serious criticisms of the belief principles of all holy religions, it is based on a body of humanistic principles that specifically and predominantly targets Christian theology, which claiming authoritarianism in the interpretation of belif in God and other principles of Christianity.

12 anathematisms of St. Cyril of Alexandria and the Christology of the Armenian Church

It is well known that the Christology of the Armenian Church is based on the Christological teaching of St. Cyril of Alexandria. Following St. Cyril, the Armenian Church confirms the invariability and perfection of divine and human natures in Christ. The hypostatic union of Christ does not lead to a change or amalgamation of natures. It admits the union of Christ with God the Father in deity and with us in humanity. Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, is a perfect God and a perfect man, begotten before the ages from the Father according to deity, and for our salvation from Mary the Virgin according to humanity. And therefore, there is one nature of God the Word incarnate, revered together with His flesh in one worship. This is what the Armenian Church has believed since the 5th century to date. This article will examine the connection of 12 anathematisms contained in the letter of St. Cyril of Alexandria to Nestorius with the Christological teaching of the Armenian Church.

A STUDY ON SIMILE AND PURIFICATION IN THE “PHILOSOPHY OF DECORATION” OF IRANIAN ISLAMIC ART FROM IBN ARABI’S POINT OF VIEW

Iranian Islamic art refers to the works of culture and civilization of the Iranian Muslim nation in the Islamic era. In its thinking and epistemological nature, it has a different language from simile and purification and is associated with a rich philosophy called "decoration" based on spiritual manifestations. Therefore, in creating works based on a simile and purification attitude, the existence of truth has never been neglected and the art world has been considered as manifestations of truth. This research is a descriptive and analytical research. Through documents, libraries and field observations, various data were collected by examining the principles and components of simile and purification with emphasis on Ibn Arabi's point of view and analyzing of how the Muslim artist used and his goals of using the combination of the two components in the philosophy of decoration. The results show that "simile and purification", as a mystical approach, has led to the formation of a special language in the structure of Iranian art; therefore, in the philosophy of decoration, the mystic artist has used it as a tool to manifest the beauty and perfection of God in forms through the embodiment of unity.

A STUDY ON SIMILE AND PURIFICATION IN THE “PHILOSOPHY OF DECORATION” OF IRANIAN ISLAMIC ART FROM IBN ARABI’S POINT OF VIEW

Iranian Islamic art refers to the works of culture and civilization of the Iranian Muslim nation in the Islamic era. In its thinking and epistemological nature, it has a different language from simile and purification and is associated with a rich philosophy called "decoration" based on spiritual manifestations. Therefore, in creating works based on a simile and purification attitude, the existence of truth has never been neglected and the art world has been considered as manifestations of truth. This research is a descriptive and analytical research. Through documents, libraries and field observations, various data were collected by examining the principles and components of simile and purification with emphasis on Ibn Arabi's point of view and analyzing of how the Muslim artist used and his goals of using the combination of the two components in the philosophy of decoration. The results show that "simile and purification", as a mystical approach, has led to the formation of a special language in the structure of Iranian art; therefore, in the philosophy of decoration, the mystic artist has used it as a tool to manifest the beauty and perfection of God in forms through the embodiment of unity.

Defending the Free Will Defense: A Reply to Sterba

James Sterba has recently argued that the free will defense fails to explain the compossibility of a perfect God and the amount and degree of moral evil that we see. I think he is mistaken about this. I thus find myself in the awkward and unexpected position, as a non-theist myself, of defending the free will defense. In this paper, I will try to show that once we take care to focus on what the free will defense is trying to accomplish, and by what means it tries to do so, we will see that Sterba’s criticism of it misses the mark.

A STUDY ON SIMILE AND PURIFICATION IN THE “PHILOSOPHY OF DECORATION” OF IRANIAN ISLAMIC ART (FROM IBN ARABI’S POINT OF VIEW, WITH EMPHASIS ON TWO BRICKLAYING INSCRIPTIONS FROM THE DOME OF TAJ-AL-MOLK, THE GRAND MOSQUE OF ISFAHAN IN THE SELJUK PERIOD OF THE 5-6TH CENTURY AH)

Statement of the problem. Iranian Islamic art refers to the works of culture and civilization of the Iranian Muslim nation in the Islamic era. It has properties and descriptions, which in its thinking and epistemological nature, have a different language from simile and purification and are associated with a rich philosophy called "decoration" based on spiritual manifestations. According to the type of subject, nature and method, this research is descriptive and analytical. Through documents, libraries and field observations, various data were collected by examining the principles and components of simile and purification with emphasis on Ibn Arabi’s point of view, analyzing how the Muslim artist used and his goals of employing the combination of the two components in the philosophy of decoration, and also recognizing the sacred geometric patterns in Iranian Islamic art (with a sample of studies on two geometric inscriptions from the dome of Taj Al-Molk in Isfahan Grand Mosque). Results. The analysis of the data and the results show that since "decoration" means the refinement and separation of the individual from his/her individuality, and "simile and purification" , as a mystical approach, has led to the formation of a special language in the structure of Iranian art; therefore, in the philosophy of decoration, the mystic artist has used it as a tool to manifest the beauty and perfection of God in forms through the embodiment of unity and expressed his/her immediate and intuitive perception of his/her inner journey without relying on material concepts or purely aesthetic perceptions to manifest the idea of the holy by using symbol and irony in simile and purification. He/she decodes and expresses the most exalted realities of creation and the actual concept of real unity in a mental state, in material and abstract forms, and geometric patterns to be understood by all. His/her art in all its aspects has been based on the monotheism of wisdom and on the emanation issued by the Divine speech. In fact, in his/her art, the Iranian Islamic artist combines the two principles of beauty and spirituality with " simile and purification" in the " philosophy of sacred decoration " and manifests the " sacred art ".

The Concept of Perfection in Lev Karsavin’s Religious Metaphysics

ABSTRACT This article examines the concept of the perfect, a key idea in Lev P. Karsavin’s metaphysics that largely determines his understanding of personhood and its ontological status. The associated concept of the perfect person develops throughout the entire philosophical period of the thinker’s work, from his Philosophy of History to his treatise “On Perfection,” written in the last year of his life in the Abez’ camps. In this article, I argue that the concept of perfection is the main structural element in Karsavin’s religious–philosophical system, making it ontologically full and complete. I believe the Christian idea of the perfection of man in God, philosophical variations of which Karsavin finds in Nicholas of Cusa’s system of total unity and Vladimir Solovyov’s idea of Godmanhood, is both the initial intellectual intuition and the ontological premise of the thinker’s metaphysical constructions. His religious–philosophical work has a continuity with Russian culture’s spiritual tradition, where patristic thought of man considers the ideal to be the spiritual transcendence of the person in his striving toward the Perfect God. This evangelic idea turns out to be the central binding element both of Karsavin’s Christian personology and of his metaphysics of history, which is resolved in a metaphysical vein.

The Seductions of Gnosticism: Lev Karsavin and Gnosis

ABSTRACT This article looks at Lev P. Karsavin’s experience with the heritage of early Christian Gnosticism, from his attempts at stylization based on his study of genuine Gnostic texts and his systematic presentation of Gnostic systems in art almanacs published in the Soviet Union, to his perception of Gnosticism as a kind of “other principle” in his original religious–philosophical texts. We show that, following Silver-Age traditions, Karsavin uses myth as a form of philosophical thinking. He teeters on the edge of Gnosticism, applying certain Gnostic concepts, but he generally turns to Gnostic thought only to distinguish it from his own, which he presents as authentic to the Christian tradition. He criticizes both ontological and anthropological postulates of Gnosticism: the hierarchization of intradivine life, the introduction of the cosmic feminine into the bosom of the Divine, the interpretation of the Fall as the kenosis of God in time, and the explanation of the perfect God from the imperfect world, as well as the type of religious personhood that leads to a rupture in theory and personal faith. We examine Karsavin’s reception of Gnosticism against the background of interest in Gnosticism in post-revolutionary Russia, as expressed by Kropotkinite anarchists, A. Karelin, V. Murav’ev, Yu. Danzas, and M. Kuzmin.

The Afterlife Dilemma: A Problem for the Christian Pro-Life Movement

Many “pro-life” or anti-abortion advocates are Christians who believe that (1) there exists an all-powerful, all-knowing, and morally perfect god who created our universe; (2) restricting abortion ought to be a top social and political priority; and (3) embryos and fetuses that die all go to hell or they all go to heaven. This paper seeks to establish that Christian pro-life advocates with these beliefs face the Afterlife Dilemma. On the one hand, if all embryos and fetuses that die go to hell, they need to abandon their belief in the morally perfect god of traditional Christianity. On the other hand, if all embryos and fetuses that die go to heaven, a plausible triage principle suggests that they must abandon their view that restricting abortions ought to be a top priority. Either way, this popular Christian pro-life view is untenable. The Afterlife Dilemma implies that many pro-life Christians must abandon some aspect of their current beliefs about God, the afterlife, or the comparative moral importance of abortion.

Evil and the Problem of Impermanence in Medieval Japanese Philosophy

The problem of evil is widely considered a problem only for traditional Western monotheists who believe that there is an omnipotent and morally perfect God. I argue, however, that the problem of evil, more specifically a variant of the problem of evil which I call the ‘problem of impermanence’, arises even for those adhering to the philosophical and religious traditions of the East. I analyse and assess various responses to the problem of impermanence found in medieval Japanese literature. I argue that the only response that is potentially satisfactory requires supernaturalism. I conclude, therefore, that the problem of impermanence is a unique problem posing a greater challenge to naturalists than to supernaturalists

Evil And The Problem Of Impermanence In Medieval Japanese Philosophy

Abstract. The problem of evil is widely considered a problem only for traditional Western monotheists who believe that there is an omnipotent and morally perfect God. I argue, however, that the problem of evil, more specifically a variant of the problem of evil which I call the ‘problem of impermanence’, arises even for those adhering to the philosophical and religious traditions of the East. I analyse and assess various responses to the problem of impermanence found in medieval Japanese literature. I argue that the only response that is potentially satisfactory requires supernaturalism. I conclude, therefore, that the problem of impermanence is a unique problem posing a greater challenge to naturalists than to supernaturalists.

God as the Highest Perfection in al-Farabi’s Theology

This article discusses the idea of God as the highest perfection and the most perfect knowledge in the theological doctrine of al-Farabi. Al-Farabi considers his doctrine of the perfection of God in the famous work “On the Perfect state”. Most of this treatise is about proof of the existence and perfection of God. Al-Farabi describes the qualities of God not only directly, but also through the attributes of life, knowledge, wisdom, reality, and truth. Al-Farabi calls God the First Cause, or simply the First. The idea of ​​perfection, according to al-Farabi, is manifested not only in the laws of the universe, but also in the process of ruling the city and the state. So, if a ruler and inhabitants are guided by faith and the idea of ​​God, then their life will be reasonable since the reason and perfection of God are identical in the theology of al-Farabi. Thus, the metaphysics of al-Farabi is closely connected with the idea of ​​ perfection of Reason, which manifests itself in a detailed theologo-philosophical doctrine. Keywords: The First Being, metaphysics, theology, the idea of ​​God, perfection

Conversational implicatures cannot save divine command theory from the counterpossible terrible commands objection

AbstractCritics of Divine Command Theory (DCT) have advanced the counterpossible terrible commands objection. They argue that DCT implies the counterpossible ‘If a necessarily morally perfect God commanded us to perform a terrible act, then the terrible act would be morally obligatory.’ However, this counterpossible is false. Hence, DCT is false. Philipp Kremers has proposed that the intuition that the counterpossible above is false is due to conversational implicatures. By providing a pragmatic explanation for the intuition, he thinks that DCT proponents can then maintain that the counterpossible is actually true. In this article, I argue that Kremers's conversational implicature response fails because (a) there is good reason to think that no conversational implicature arises given what critics of DCT have expressed, (b) a competent reader would not understand the critics' utterance that TCC is false as implicating that TCC* is false, and (c) the counterpossible terrible commands objection can be easily modified to be immune to the conversational implicature response by cancelling any potential implicature. Thus, an appeal to conversational implicatures cannot save DCT from the counterpossible terrible commands objection.

Kontroversi Ajaran Doktrin Tritunggal di Masa Kini: Urgensi Teologi Pembebasan Atau Sensasi

The purpose of writing this article is to examine the controversy over the doctrine of the Trinity Doctrine today, as well as to analyze the relevance of the urgency of liberation theology to this teaching today, using a descriptive qualitative method approach through literature analysis and data collection techniques through Bible sources, various books and journals, as well as various documents related to the object of research. As a result, there is a massive effort to evoke Sabelianism in terms known as “Oneness Pentacostalism” today, especially in Indonesia. In conclusion, the Call for Liberation Theology and the controversy surrounding the Trinity Doctrine is not a sensation in a massive effort to evoke Sabelianism in terms known as "Oneness Pentacostalism" today, especially in Indonesia, so that the relevance of the urgency of the call for a liberation theology to the term and the Trinity teaching is not clear and has the same basis as in the past, even today it is still not strong because precisely the Trinity is not only a characteristic of Christian belief, but also the only way of understanding the Living and perfect God YHWH insofar as He reveals Himself to His people and also in this world.