Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Chapter 1 Of human bondage
- Chapter 2 God unlimited
- Chapter 3 How to reason if you must
- Chapter 4 The well-tempered universe
- Chapter 5 What does it all mean?
- Chapter 6 Moral equilibrium
- Chapter 7 What is life without Thee?
- Chapter 8 It necessarily ain't so
- Bibliography
- Index
- References
Chapter 8 - It necessarily ain't so
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Chapter 1 Of human bondage
- Chapter 2 God unlimited
- Chapter 3 How to reason if you must
- Chapter 4 The well-tempered universe
- Chapter 5 What does it all mean?
- Chapter 6 Moral equilibrium
- Chapter 7 What is life without Thee?
- Chapter 8 It necessarily ain't so
- Bibliography
- Index
- References
Summary
‘You can’t know everything.’
The ultimate Santa Claus
In Chapter 2 I pointed out that the omni-properties of the God of theism are there for a purpose, to allow God to have enough explanatory power to be able to account for everything that goes on in the universe. Swinburne tells us that being omnipotent, God can do whatever he wants to do, this side of logical possibility:
clearly, whatever e [e stands for ‘evidence’] is, God, being omnipotent, has the power to bring about e. He will do so, if he chooses to do so.
Earlier (Chapter 3, section 4), I cited as an example of an incredible ad hoc ‘explanation’ the hypothesis that the observed outcome of a sequence of coin-tosses happened as it did because Santa Claus willed it to, and that whatever Santa wills happens. In order to fulfil his diverse explanatory and regulatory duties, the God of theism is endowed with very similar powers. We are told that God created the universe. How could he do that? Easily: he can do anything he wants, and he wanted to create the universe. He has to create the conditions necessary for life and give a certainty of intelligent life emerging. How could he do that? Easily: he can do anything he wants, and he wanted to create the conditions for life to emerge. He can tell when any of us sins. How? Easily: he knows everything. God is the Ultimate Santa Claus hypothesis.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Objecting to God , pp. 194 - 210Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2011