Notes - Proofs for God’s Existence By: Saint Thomas Aquinas Dominican Priest, Writer, Doctor of the Church Wrote a Summary of Theology called the “Summa Theologica”

Background One of Aquinas’s many accomplishments in the area of helping the Church teach about Natural Revelation, is The Five Proofs of God’s Existence According to Aquinas, the reality of God can be proved, or logically demonstrated, in five ways.

Background on the 5 Proofs The 5 Proofs of God’s Existence logically point to the existence of God as the First Mover, First Cause, Necessary Being, Model of Perfection, and Intelligent Being.

Background - Catechism Paragraph 34 Each Argument emphasizes that we can come to know that there exists a reality which is the first cause and final end of all things, a reality that everyone calls God.

Notes The First Proof: The First Mover 1. The universe constantly moves. 2. Everything continuously moves and changes.

Notes 3. Human beings can see a need for a First Mover who set everything in motion and guides the actions of humanity. 4. We call that First Mover – God.

Notes - The Second Proof: Causality 1.All things are caused by something else. 2.Nothing can create itself. 3.There must be an Ultimate Cause, which is not created by something else. 4.This uncaused First Cause is God.

Notes - The Third Proof: Contingency * Contingency means being dependent on something else for existence. 1. The universe contains many contingent things – that is, things that came into existence because of something else.

Notes 2. If everything were contingent, there would have to be a time where nothing would exist. 3. This point in time would have been in the past. 4. But things do exist. 5. If they exist they cannot do so without a Necessary Being.

Notes 6. A Necessary Being is one who creates but is not created. 7. That Necessary Being, which gives life to all beings, is God.

Notes - The Fourth Proof: Perfection 1. Most of us can point out the imperfections of the world and humanity. 2. In naming imperfections, we acknowledge there are varying degrees of beauty, goodness, and knowledge.

Notes 3. The Question then arises in our mind: How do we know perfect beauty, goodness, and knowledge? 4. We know perfection because there is one all-perfect being who sets the infinite standard for wisdom and truth. 5. We call this all-perfect being God.

Notes - The Fifth Proof: Intelligent Being 1. There are things in the universe that on their own have no intelligence. 2. Regardless of their lack of intelligence, they still act toward and achieve their end.

Notes 3. One can then deduce that if things that lack intelligence still achieve their end, something that does have an intelligence and knowledge of their end and directs all things to their appropriate end must exist.

Notes 4. This something can be seen as the intelligent designer behind our complex universe. 5. We call this intelligent designer and magnificent architect God.