By: Sanjay Belani, Czarina Dalmacio, Eeda Duques5 AquinasSt. Thomas

proofs of God’s existence

Doctor Angelicus and Doctor Universalis

AquinasSt. Thomas

known as

Family‘s against to become a monk,he joined the Dominican Order

His two masterpieces,

the Summa theologiae 

and the Summa contra gentiles

 canonized July 18, 1323

feast day January 28

NOTE!These proofs assumes the existence of a God who

is uncreated and independent of the world and the universe, and their respective processes.

means that God is not reliant on the world and the universe, for God's existence.

the world and the universe are reliant on God for theirs

1st way“Motion”

action or process of moving or of changing place or position.

Nothing can be moved from a state of potentiality to actuality,

except by something in a state of actuality.

 Therefore, whatever is moved must be moved by another.

 But this cannot go on to infinity, because then there would be no first mover, 

BUT THEN

…

GOD

If everything that is moved is caused by another mover then there has to be a first mover and that first mover is :

2nd way“Causation”

there is an order of efficient causes

to take away the cause is to take away the effect

nothing is found to be the efficient cause of itself

The notion of cause and effect simply means that you cannot have the latter(effect) without having the former (cause).

It is not possible to go on to an infinity cause and effects, therefore there had to be a first cause and the first cause was

GOD.

3rd way“Contingency”

 taken from possibility and necessity

Therefore, if everything can not-be, then at one time there was nothing in existence.

Since things are found to be generated, and to be corrupted, and

consequently, it is possible for them to be and not to be. 

If nothing exists, it would have been impossible for anything to have begun to exist – till today.

4th way“Goodness”

more and less are predicated of different things according as

they resemble in their different ways

Now the maximum in any genus is the cause of all in that genus

Therefore, there must also be something which is

to all beings the cause of their being, goodness, and every other perfection;

and this we call God

5th way“Design”

 taken from the governance of the world

unless it be directed by some being endowed with knowledge and intelligence

whatever lacks knowledge cannot move towards an end

some intelligent being exists by whom all natural things are directed to their end; and this being we call God. (Aquinas)