God, Freedom, and Evil

120 Pages·1977·3.09 MB·English

by  Alvin Plantinga

GOD
FREEDOM,
ond
E
V
IL
AlvPilno ntingo
Publishing Company
WilliamB .Eer dmans
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[BT102.1P957682 )1 67 7-17218
ISBN0 -80I72 318 --9
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ToboifeC ontents
Introduction 1
I NATURALATHEOLOGY 5
Part
TheP robloefEmv il
a. 7
ThQeu estWhiyo Dno:e Cso dP ermEivti l? 9
1.
Doethse T heCiosntt rHaidmiscetl f? 12
2.
3.C anW eS hoThwa tT heIrsNe o I nconsistency
Here? 24
4.T hFer eWei lDle fense 29
WasI wti tChoidnP' osw teoCr r eAantPyeo ssible
5.
WorHledP leased? 34
CoulCdo dH avCer eaat Weodr lCdon taining
6.
MorGaolo bdu Nto M orEavli l?
45
TransDweoprrladav niEdts ys ence 49
7.
ThFer eWei lDle feVnisned icated 54
8.
ICso dE'xsi stCeonmcpea wtiiththb elA em ouonft
9.
MorEavlit lhW eo rClod ntains? 55
10I.Gs odE'xssi teCnomcpea twiibtNlhae t uErvaill ?
57
INTRODUcnON
viii
DoethseE xistoefEn vcMieal k Iet That
1.1 Unlikely
GodE xists? 59
OthAetrh eoloAgrigcuamle nts 65
h.
Part II NATURALT HEOLOGY 75
TheC osmoloAgrigcuamle nt 77
a.
TheT eleolAorggiucmaeln t 81
h.
c. TheO ntological Argument 85
GauniOlbo;'ensc tio 89
1.
AnselRme'psl y 90
2.
3.K antO'b;se ction 92
ThIerr eleovfKa annctOe'b s; ection 97
4.
TheA rgumeRnets tated 98
5.
ItFsa taFll aw 101
6.
A ModaVles rioofnt hAer gument 104
7.
A Flaiwnt hOei ntment 106
8.
TheA rgumeRnets tated 108
9.
ThAerg umeTnrti umphant
10. III
GOD
FREEDOM,
odnE
VIL

Introduction
Thiboosk d iscaunsedsx eesm ptlhipefih eisl oosfro eplhiyog rpi hoinl,o s­
ophirceaflle cotnci eonntt rhaelmo efrs e liPghiiolno.s roepflheicctailo n
(whiincsoh mt u cdhi ffefrreonjmutt s hti nhkairnodgnt) h etshee mes
haasl onhgi stiodtra ytb:ea sca ktl eaassft aa rst hfief tche ntury
B.C.
whesno moeft hGer eetkhso ulgohantng hd a radb otuhtre e litghieoyn
harde cefirovmte hde ainrc esItnto hrCesh .r isetrsiaua cpnhh ilosoph­
icraelfl ecbteigiointnn h sfie r osrst e ccoenndt wuirttyhhe ea rclhyu rch
fathoer"r Psa,t riasstt hieacyrso ef" t ceanl ilthea dcs;o ntienvueerd
since.
Theh eaorfmt a noyft hmea jroerl igions-JCuhdraiisstmi,a nity,
Islfaomer,x amplbee-liiiGnse o fdO .fc outrhseers eel igions-theistic
religioanmso-dtnihgffe emrs aetslo hv oetwsh ceoyn coeGfio vdTe.h e
Christianf oetrxr aamdepilmtepi,ho anGs,oi dzl'eossva enb de nevo­
lenicnte h;Me o slveime ownt, h oet hhearn Gdo,dh aass omewhat
moraer bicthraarrayTc hteearrrea.e l ssuop ersopahmiosnatgli ­cates
legedly Chriswthpiora onc ttlhhaleeii ombl eorogafCit hairnoisns tian­
ityf robme liinGe ofd s,e ektiorn egp liabtcy te r uisn"t B eiintgs elf"
ort h"eG rouonfBd e inogrs" o mseu cthh iBnugft.o trh meo spta rt
itr ematirnutseh abte liinGe ofd i st hfeo undoaftt ihoegnsr ee at
relnisg.i o
Nowb eliinGe odf i nso tth e samaesb etlhtiihenGodaf gt exists,
ort htahte irsseu cath h ianGsgo dT.ob elitehGodva ete xiisssti sm ply
:z. INTRODUCI'lON
toa cceapp tr oposiotfia oc ne rtsaoirnt p-rao posaiffitrimointn hga t
theiresa p ersobneailnw gh ol,e ts'asyh ,a se xisftreodem t erniist y,
almigphetryf,e wcitslpeye, r fejcutshltay,cs r eatthewedo rladn,dl oves
hicsr eat.Tu orb eesliievnGode howevieqsru ,i atneo thmeart tTehre.
,
ApostlCer'eseb de gitnhsu "s:Ib eliienvG eo dt heF athAelrm ighty,
MakeorfH eaveann de ar.t.h. ". O new hor epetahtesws oer dasn d
means whsaatyi ssnh oest i mpalnyn ounctihnfega ctth ahtea ccepts
ac ertparionp osaistt iroumneu ;c hm ories i nvoltvheadtn h aBte.l ief
inG odm eantsr usGtoida,nc gc eptHiinmgc, o mmittoinnegl' istf oe
HimT.o t hbee lietvheeern tiwroer lldo odkisff erBelnutse.k yv,e rdant
foregsrtesma,ot u ntasiunrsg,oi cnega fnr,i eannddfs a milloyv,ie ni ts
manyf ormasn dv arimoaunsi festatiboenlsi-estveheetersh etshei ngs
asg ifftrsoG mo dT.h ee ntiurnei vetraskeoe nsa p ersocnaasflto h ri m;
thfeu ndametnrtuaatlbh o rueta liitstr yua tbho uaPt esroSno.b e lieving
inG odi sm orteh aanc cepttihpnerg o postihtaiGtoo nde xisSttsii.lt l ,
isa tl eatshtam tu chO.n ec ans'etn sibbellyii enGv oed a ndt hanHki m
fotrh meo untawiintsh obuetl ietvhianttgh eiress u cahp erstoonb e
thankaenddt, h aHte i si ns omwea yr esponfsoitrbh lmeeo untaNionrs .
caonn te ruisnGt o da ndc ommit otnoeH siemwl ift hout b!:ehlaite ving
Hee xis"tHsew: h ow oulcdo mteo G odm usbte litehvahete i sa,n dt hat
hei sar ewarodfet hro wsheo s eehki m("H ebI.I 6:) .
Onei mportaasnpteo cfpt h ilosoofpr heyl igcioonnc etrhnilssa tter
beliefb-etlhtiehe afGt o de xistthsat,th erreea ilsalb ye ionfgt hseo rt
theicsltasit mow orshainpdt ruTshti.bs e liheofw,e vhearsn, o tb een
univerascaclelpyMt aendy.h avree jecittse;od m hea vcel aimtehdai tt
isp laifnallyas nedt haitti si rrattiooa ncaclei ptBt.y w ayo fr esponse
somteh eoloagnidta hnesi pshtiilco sohpahveterr sit eogd i vseu ccessful
argumeonrpt rs ofooftrsh ee x istoefnG coedT .h iesn terpirsci aslel ed
natutrhaelo lThoegn ayt.u trhaelo lodgoieansno tt,y picoafflelhryi ,s
argumeinnot rsd teorc onvipnecoep olfGe o d'esx isteanncdie nf; a ct
few wahcoc etphte ibsetlidiceo sf ob ecautsheefi yn ds ucahna rgument
compellingt.h Iteny sptifecuaandlc toifno ant utrhaelo lhoagbsye etno
shotw harte ligbieoluiisesr f a tionaaclcleyp tOatbhleepr.h ilosophers,
ofc ourhsaev,pe r esented afrotgrhu fem eanltsseo fht hoeoidbs etliice fs;