In Anselm’s Proslogion, Anselm utilizes the perception of God’s character and individuality to affirm the existence of God. Because of this, he interprets that in spite of the fact that there are numerous things God cannot do, God is all-powerful. This essay will demonstrate how Anselm’s allegation is substantial because what God can and cannot do corresponds to the nature of God.
To be omnipotent means being capable of anything; to have power with no boundaries. Anselm indicates that God is this omnipotent being, but there are numerous limitations on what he can and cannot do. How can God be all- powerful, if his capabilities limit his power? Anselm mentions the limit of what God cannot do. For example, God does not have the capability to be corrupted or to tell a lie, or make what is genuine be false, or what has just happened not need to happen. Although these are few of the many things he cannot do, it does not mean he is not omnipotent. After reading Anselm proslogion, I unveiled that God is significantly more than what individuals anticipate. God is love, God is holy, God is righteous, God is merciful, God is just, God is the truth, God is life, God is before and beyond all things, God is eternal. For this reason, the many things God cannot do correspond with the nature of who He is. God is immeasurable and is able to do everything and anything with His power, however, He is only capable of performing the many things that line up with the nature of who He is. With this being said, If God only performs the many things that line up with the nature of whom He is, then why does evil exist? Does God not want to use His omnipotence to remove evil? Does He not want to protect those who are righteous from those who are unrighteous? And, what about those righteous individuals who commit evil acts for good reasons? It has been said that “evil exist due to human free will”. This claim is entirely accurate and occurs daily throughout life.
Due to the fact that God is a compassionate God, He permits us the judgment on whether to play out the demonstrations of evil or the demonstrations of good. For instance, acts such as committing terrorism or volunteering at a shelter are demonstrations that God gives us free will to execute. However, the actions we carry out are never unnoticed by God. Although God does not take out the individuals who commit evil acts, it does not mean He does not punish them. He fairly punishes those who are shrewd. If God eliminates every individual who has done evil, mankind would no longer exist since everyone, even those who are righteous are capable of committing an evil act at some point in their life. Several evil acts are well thought out, others are impulsive reactions. With that being said, that is why individuals live through suffering and adversity. God punishes them through their experiences in life. However, God only inflicts pain that will eventually bring joy and comfort. This is what Anselm is referring to when he mentions how God punishing those who are evil is beneficial to them because it is just. However, sparing them is beneficial to God because it aligns with His goodness.
All through this paper, I asserted that God is all- powerful, in spite of the way that what he can and cannot do has restraints. For this purpose, I utilized Anselm’s proslogion and J. L. Mackie’s article to uncover the impression of God's character and distinction to insist why He does things that relate to His temperament. What’s more, these articles additionally added to my reason to why evil exists and how God punishes the individuals who commit evil even though they are then spared. This brought about God being all-powerful.
