Who is God?
Religious Studies: KS3, topic 2.6.1
Who is God?
The question 'who is God?' is a fundamental question for religious believers. It also underpins a lot of key religious ideas.
Who is God?
- 'Who is God?' is the starting point for the study of the Philosophy of Religion.
- For many religious believers, belief in God answers questions about where we came from.
- Religious believers say it was God who created the universe and everything in it.
- They also say that God must be a being that is ‘worthy of worship’.
- This means God is a being so great that humans will bow down before him and worship.
God's characteristics
- Not all religions agree on exactly what they believe God is like.
- But, most will agree that for anyone to be God they must have certain qualities.
- Some will describe God as being supremely perfect – without any weakness or flaws.
- This supreme perfection means that God must have the following characteristics:
- All-powerful (omnipotent)
- All-loving (omnibenevolent)
- All-knowing (omniscient)
God's characteristics (cont.)
- Religious believers will also say that God is transcendent.
- This means that God is not a physical human being but exists outside the physical world.
- But, many also believe that God is omnipresent, or immanent.
- This means that God is constantly involved in the lives of every human being.
Philosophy of Religion
- Philosophy of Religion considers many important questions.
- But, at the heart of the Philosophy of Religion there is one very important question:
- Is it possible to present convincing arguments that such a God exists?
- Or is it possible to argue convincingly that God does not exist?
Test yourself on Who is God?
What are the three key characteristics of God?
What does it mean to say God is transcendent?