Philosophy 101

So, I'm taking a Philosophy class right now and I've got to say it's pretty much a beating. Fascinating yes...but picture me and Tyson going glove to glove in the boxing ring...it's that kind of beating. None the less, I was baffled to study some of the reasoning given by early philosophers around the existence of God. While they at first seem a little crazy - in a weird, I suppose, Philosophical sense...maybe not so crazy. Such as...

Eidological Argument: I have an idea of perfection (I know what "perfect" is in my mind). I have never experienced perfection in anything; therefore, the idea couldn't have come from me (you can't manifest an idea from something you have yet to experience). Only a perfect being could have caused the idea (an imperfect being could not create perfection). Therefore, a perfect being must exist.

Hmmm, or this one...(this one's good)

Ontological Argument: God is the greatest possible being. God exists at least in the mind or understanding (meaning we can think and conceive of God). A being who exists only in the mind is not as great as a being who exists in reality as well as in the mind. If God exists only in the mind, then He would not be the greatest possible being. Therefore, God must exist in reality as well as in the mind.

For as crazy as it all sounds - I suppose there is some round about truth to it all. When you start looking into our thought process and where it all comes from - the ideas and thoughts have to come from somewhere outside of ourselves, right? The problem is...men like Descartes (responsible for the 2 arguments above) attempt to explain a God greater than anything in this universe by our own ignorant standards and understanding. They try to box him up into this nice, neat little package that can be explained into existence when the reality of it is...you will never be able to explain God, He is just too great...I find it fascinating that there are men out there who have devoted their entire existence to figuring out the what and the why's of the world and of our role in it - when there is quite simply one answer...it's all for God's glory. Watching people try to explain God, reminds me of just how awesome He really is. I've been humbled this week to once again realize that absolutely nothing I do could ever effect the way God works. My salvation is not a product of my work, nor are the blessings that God bestows upon me. It is all orchestrated by Him in the ways that will best glorify Him in the end. For every single thing that happens in this life there is one consistent theme, it is to glorify God in some way at some point in time. I may not understand it now, but eventually I will and eventually the glory will come to pass for all to witness.

Too bad I wasn't around in the day of Descartes and Aristotle...I could have made it so much simpler for them...