Why God?

• What have you found challenging about this topic in philosophy?

What I found challenging about this topic is due to the fact that I am a firm believer in God, it was difficult listening to the instructor talk about God in ways I have not heard.  If I didn’t have the strong belief that I do, it would be very hard for a philosopher to persuade my thoughts or actions because of my beliefs. I agree with Aquinas’s view of God’s existence more than Mackie’s view. The only challenging thing about this topic was trying to convince people whether or not God exist. It’s an individual’s choice whether they believe in God or a higher being.  I also find it challenging to think that because I believe in God’s goodness and his mercies, blaming God for the evil in the world is thought provoking.   Perhaps, God put evil in the world to challenge us or to learn from mistakes or maybe to allow humans to know that it is God and it has dominion over the entire world.

• What have you enjoyed (if anything) about studying this topic in philosophy?

I enjoyed the conversation about trying to prove the gender of God. It was very thought provoking as well as the questions and conversations about who wrote the bible.  I enjoyed my peers refuting the philosophers’ views in class especially other peoples’ opinions from different religions.

• What things in your daily experience have you noticed that you might not have prior to studying this topic in philosophy?

I noticed that I started to question God about peoples’ purposes in life especially because he controls everything. Also, I began to question God about the struggles in life and the reasons for its occurrences. Perhaps, God wants adoration no matter what the predicament may be in our lives.

• What things have you learned about yourself that you might not have prior to studying this topic in philosophy?

I learned that I am a theist gnostic. I believe in God and know He exist by the fact it keeps blessing me beyond measures. I just cannot accept the fact that God is not real because of the way I was raised and my beliefs.  I am now more aware about other peoples’ beliefs and their perspectives about God and its existence.

• Which thinking disposition did you find that you needed to use or feel that you should have used better during this section? What would it have helped you do? 

For this topic, I needed to use open-mindedness because it would have helped me accept Mackie’s view more willingly. It would have also helped me too understand the beliefs and perspectives of others about God.  I believe God is all the adjectives we described it to be in class, however, evil can be done to make us more aware or make us trust God through any situations. God knows what he does and we as humans have to choose whether to do right or wrong.