ris3n   05-03-2025, 11:19 PM
#1
Here is an argument connecting the existence of perfection to the existence of God:

Perfection as a Concept
Premise 1: Perfection is the state of possessing all qualities to the highest possible degree, lacking nothing essential to being.
Premise 2: Perfection is the ultimate standard by which all lesser degrees of qualities (e.g., goodness, truth, beauty) are measured.

The Necessity of a Perfect Being
Premise 1: Perfection must exist in reality because we observe varying degrees of goodness, beauty, and truth, which imply a maximum standard (the "most" good, beautiful, and true).
Premise 2: Perfection cannot exist as an abstract concept alone; it must have a real, concrete existence. An abstract idea of perfection without a corresponding reality would fail to ground the objective standards we observe.
Premise 3: Perfection must exist as a necessary being because it cannot depend on anything else for its existence. If it did, it would lack self-sufficiency, and thus, it would not be perfect.

The Connection Between Perfection and God
Premise 1: God, as classically defined, is a necessary, self-existent being possessing all perfections (e.g., omnipotence, omniscience, perfect goodness).
Premise 2: A being that is perfect must embody the fullness of existence (as existence is itself a perfection). Such a being would have no deficiencies, would be unchanging, and would be the source of all lesser realities.
Premise 3: Only a being like God can fully embody and ground perfection. Natural or finite entities are imperfect by nature and cannot account for the absolute standard of perfection.
Conclusion: If perfection exists, it must be embodied in a perfect being, which is God.

Philosophical Support
Aquinas’ Fourth Way: Thomas Aquinas argues that the gradation of qualities in the world (e.g., some things are "better" or "truer" than others) implies a "maximum" being that is the cause of all such perfections. This maximum is God.

Anselm’s Ontological Argument: Anselm contends that God is "that than which nothing greater can be conceived." If perfection exists, God must exist, because God is the greatest conceivable being.

Scriptural Affirmation
Matthew 5:48: "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." This statement implies that God is the standard of perfection, from whom all goodness and moral standards flow.

James 1:17: "Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow." This verse points to God as the source of all perfection.

Objections and Responses
Objection: Perfection could exist as an abstract ideal rather than as a personal being.
Response: Abstract ideals cannot cause or sustain reality. Perfection must exist as a self-existent being to ground the observable order and standards of the universe.

Objection: Perfection might not require God but could be a natural process.
Response: Natural processes are contingent and imperfect, relying on external causes. Only a necessary being that is the source of all qualities can be truly perfect.

Conclusion
If perfection exists, it must exist in a real, necessary, and self-sufficient way. The only plausible candidate for such a being is God, who is traditionally understood as the embodiment of all perfections. Thus, the existence of perfection necessitates the existence of God.
This post was last modified: 05-03-2025, 11:19 PM by ris3n.
  
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