1. Knowing God Through Creation Chapter 1 Lesson 1

2. Read Daniel 3:52 When did you first realize that God exists? How do you know that God exists?

3. Turn to page 13 and read the first three paragraphs.

4. St. Thomas Aquinas’ proofs for the existence of God. 1.First Mover: Anything moved is moved by another. There cannot be an infinite series of movers. So there must be a first mover. 2.First Cause: Anything caused is caused by another. There cannot be an infinite series of causes. So there must be a first cause. 3.Necessary Being: Not everything is contingent. So there is a necessary being upon which other beings depend for their existence. 4.Greatest Being: Whatever is great to any degree gets its greatness from that which is the greatest. So there is a greatest being, which is the source of all greatness. 5.Intelligent Designer: What ever acts for an end must be directed by an intelligent being. So the world must have an intelligent designer.

5. God’s Existence Although we can know of God’s existence through reason alone, we can only know about God (e.g. that God is one in three Divine Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit) through revelation which is passed on to us through Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. This revelation is safeguarded by the Magisterium (the teaching Church).

6. Science Science is a way of explaining natural laws. When science reveals something true, it corresponds with God’s truths. Sometimes a theory may seem to contradict the faith, such as the theory of evolution. We must always remember that God is our Creator. Faith and science can work together, since God is the author of all nature and laws.

7. Discussion 1.Can we know that God exists by reason alone? Yes 2.How can we know that God exists by looking at Creation? From Order: We see order in nature. Things do not become ordered by chance. For example, the numbers on a watch must be put in order by a watchmaker. Creation must have been ordered by someone. From design: We see design in nature, and design is evidence of a designer. For example, a watch must be put together by someone in order for it to work. From nature’s perfection: Nature’s perfections can tell us about God. He must be powerful like the ocean and beautiful as other things in nature. 3.What can we know about God from reason alone? We can know about his existence, greatness, beauty, power, and other attributes. 4.Form reason alone, can we know God as the Triune God of Christianity? No