This search reached a zenith in Kant's attempts to work backward from moral certainty to a proof that God exists. While the argument is complex, it can be abstracted as a variant on the familiar cosmological proof: rather than establish a first physical cause or creator, Kant establishes a first moral cause and defines the divine in those terms (Palmquist 76)
In this approach, human nature is split between conviction (or faith) on the one hand and anxiety on the other. "The anxiety of sinfulness manifests itself either as an anxiety about evil or as anxiety about good," and both can result in moral paralysis (Walsh 95)
And one respect in which it can be said that morality needs religion is that the goal of the moral life is unreachable without religious practice. […] In the premodern age and even today in large portions of the world, the relation between morality and religion was taken for granted (Zagzebski 344-5)
In other words, one cannot think of God as perfect without supposing God's existence. If someone objected that God does not necessarily possess perfection -- pointing for example to the Greek gods who were almighty but not perfect -- Descartes would reply that the idea in him (Descartes) is of a perfect God, not an imperfect one
It is explicitly stated throughout these passages that the nations will know that Yahweh is the lord through these actions, and this is often interpreted as the primary reason for their destruction and, by association, for Ezekiel's prophecies of God's actins in these areas (Malick 2009). It is used to stress to the exiled Israelites how completely and entirely they and everyone else in the world is under God's control; the Babylonians and Nebuchadnezzar specifically are singled out as being rewarded in their plundering of the other nations because they are righteous while the others, including Israel, have all acted in ways that are displeasing to God and thus warrant punishment (Block 1997, pp
It is explicitly stated throughout these passages that the nations will know that Yahweh is the lord through these actions, and this is often interpreted as the primary reason for their destruction and, by association, for Ezekiel's prophecies of God's actins in these areas (Malick 2009). It is used to stress to the exiled Israelites how completely and entirely they and everyone else in the world is under God's control; the Babylonians and Nebuchadnezzar specifically are singled out as being rewarded in their plundering of the other nations because they are righteous while the others, including Israel, have all acted in ways that are displeasing to God and thus warrant punishment (Block 1997, pp
This interpretation in both its more positive and negative connotations most essentially views Ezekiel's prophecies against the foreign nations as emphasizing and reinforcing the appearance of God's power in the political and military workings of the mortal world. It is explicitly stated throughout these passages that the nations will know that Yahweh is the lord through these actions, and this is often interpreted as the primary reason for their destruction and, by association, for Ezekiel's prophecies of God's actins in these areas (Malick 2009)
Strengthening Condemnation One of the most basic and simplistic yet compelling motives attributable to Ezekiel's prophecies against the foreign nations is the implication that this prophesying has on the prophet's condemnation of the Israelites. This pattern appears, though in reverse, in other prophetic books, with prophecies condemning foreign nations culminating in direct comparisons (Tuell 2009, pp
Using these nations as examples not only provides greater room for explanation and imagery for various purposes, as explained above, but it also simply and directly adds to the legitimacy of the prophet as a whole. The question of Ezekiel's position within his community has been the subject of no small amount of scholarly debate, and linguistic parsings of his prophecies and the minute details of the different sections and the organization of his text all arrive at different conclusions as to how the prophet was trying to present himself, and the degree to which he claimed divine inspiration, guidance, and even communicative abilities with God (Ward 2006; Zaspell 1985)
The continued scholarly and lay fascination with the text and prophecies of Ezekiel are a testament to the personal power with which his prophecies are conveyed. The prophecies against the foreign nations form a large part of this power, and attempts to ascribe modern place names to those used in the Book of Ezekiel during these prophecies -- both in the section primarily focused on herein and in later predictions made by Ezekiel -- have been fairly commonplace throughout the eras of biblical scholarship up until contemporary times (Zaspell 1985)
Some theologians argue that atheism is itself illogical. "We can conceive of the non-existence of computers and tables and planets, but not of God -- indeed, the very idea of God not existing is conceived as being logically contradictory," (Cline)
The apparent manifest multiplicity of the universe is further proof of the necessity of God. "Abstract objects depend on God for their existence, and abstract objects exist in every world; therefore, God exists in every world," (Davidson)
Using an ontological argument, one can also offer a compelling case on the necessary existence of God. The 11th century theologian Anselm posited that God exists because "nothing can be greater than a being than which no greater can be conceived," (Oppy)
Many people love God and yet engage in immoral acts. With this consideration, it is possible to love morals and practice them even without having to be in love with God (Dorff, 2007)
In the present world, it is possible to believe in religion no matter its origin. The existence of ancestors and their beliefs does not reflect positivity or negativity with believing in God (Fuchs, 1983)
Referring to God qualifies one to be moral from the perspective of those who have had imperial evidence and practice of love for God. Nonetheless, to some people, morals are the source of everything and it does not necessarily have to be God (Moreland & Craig, 2004)
The impairment of morals and sensible approaches of handling life come with assurance of living in the presence of God. With God being an assurance to a moral sustenance of human life, one can be moral and never belief in God (Mosser, 2010)
On the other hand, morals are thought to have consequences attributed to the maker called God. The existence and triumph of morals among people is a direct attribute to human embrace of them and not an immediate love for God (Sapontzis, 2012)
Essentially, morality rules that failure to love God is a true way of saying that that person is immoral. With sound doctrines, one can live within the morals of the society even without having a single glimpse of a loving God (Smith, 2010)
The world of science is determined to explain everything it comes across, with the matters that are not yet explained generating numerous debates. Scientists typically perceive nature "as a collection of inert material particles governed by external mathematical laws" (Lindberg & Numbers 169)