1

MLA
Baumgarth, William, and Richard Regan. God and Creation. Associated University Presses,
1994.

My source is a book called God and Creation by William Baumgarth based off of
Thomas Aquinas studies. It was published in the year of 1994 by Associated University
Presses, Inc. St. Thomas Aquinas was one of the key contributors in natural theology in which
he claims the reasons of God in the 1200s. The Catholic Church honors Aquinas as a saint and
addresses him as the model teacher for those studying for the priesthood. Even today, the study
of his works was used as a core of the required program of study for those seeking ordination
as priests or individuals in religious formation. One of the Catholic Churchs greatest
theologians, Thomas Aquinas is clearly very resourceful and credible. This book translates the
views of Aquinas by William P. Baumgarth who proves to be very reliable through his education
and achievements. Richard J. Regan is also reliable as a professor in Politics and Philosophy
who helped with translating the book however Baumgarth is credited with most of the work.
Baumgarth, a Harvard Graduate, earned a PhD and currently teaches multiple Philosophy
courses for the Rose Hill Honors Program in New Jersey. Previously he was recognized for
multiple Chair positions such as in the Political Science and President of Faculty Senate. He
has published two other articles called Niccolo Machiavelli and Friedrich von Hayek that state
similar claims on the influence and role of God. Due to the fact that my inquiry is about the
existence of God, I thought this book would be very helpful in my research.

This book was created to show the different perspectives on the thought and creation of
God. Aquinas explains misconceptions as well as proofs of Gods presence. However, my main
focus for this source lies near the beginning of the book about the knowledge that we learn and
how we come about these general or self-evident notions. The existence of God comes from the
belief of an individual. Since God is derived from the intellect of ones mind, as soon as we
comprehend the term God, the existence itself of this being is easier understood. The way
people view God is mainly based on the mindset of each particular person. In general, people
naturally are known of Gods existence in a very general way which entails a incertitude on the
subject. Because nobody knows exactly what God is, the entire idea becomes difficult to grasp
but needs to be demonstrated by things that are more usually common to us. Baumgarth states
on page 38 that When one understands what the term God means, one immediately grasps
that God exists, for the term God means that than which nothing greater can be signified.
Many people visualize riches while others have other pleasures that represent the perfect
human good. Someone who hears term God usually fails to understand that it means nothing
greater can be thought of past this being. God is often believed to be lesser than its importance.
He supports his case of a general understanding that the majority of people have preconceived
notions even without having to specifically learn about the subject. Considering we cannot
specifically demonstrate that God exists, it is reliant on the individual and the influences that
impact him/her.
The following are quotes that I believe to be very interesting.

We cannot have perfect knowledge about a cause by means of effects unproportioned

to their cause, but we can nonetheless clearly demonstrate the specific existence of
such a cause by any one of the cause effects.
Even supposing that someone understands that the term God means what we assert,
namely, that than which nothing greater can be thought, yet it does not follow that such a
 one would understand that what the term means, exists in the real world, but only that it
exists i the intellects apprehension.
The existence of God is an article of faith. But we cannot demonstrate what belongs to
faith since demonstration causes knowledge while faith concerns things that are not
evident.

When I was initially skimming through this book, it appeared to be very confusing to simply pick
and choose which aspects to read. The authors of this book broke down each aspect on the
creation of God well so once I begun to thoroughly read the beginning, it became a lot easier to
understand. The information in this book is intended for various theologians in their area of
study or other individuals interested in the creation of God in depth. This source can help other
people pursuing similar questions get more information on the perspective and reasoning of
general notions when it comes to God. There be slight bias on the writing simply because St.
Thomas Aquinas is particularly involved in the religion of Christianity. However the majority of
his claims around God are generalized so it is not like his ideas are directed towards solely
Christianity. For every good inquiry question, it requires a solid understanding of what is
generally thought of about the subject. This book gave me the information I need to further
understand my inquiry question on such a confusing topic of God.

2
MLA
McClendon, James. Is God God? Abingdon, 1981.

My source is a book called Is God God? by James W McClendon. It was published in

the year of 1981. James McClendon was a Christian theologian and ethicist in the baptist
tradition. He studied at the University of Texas and completed his theological studies at
Princeton Theological Seminary resulting in a Th.D. After his education, McClendon continued
to teach theology at several famous institutions. Professor for multiple universities such as
Stanford and Baylor University, James McClendon taught theology for over forty years. During
his time, he helped found what came to be known as the narrative theology movement in the
late 1960s. Narrative Theology is the movement for Christianity to be regarded as an
overarching story. Using its own culture, grammar and practices, it can only be understood by
individuals with reference to the religions own internal logic. This theological movement
bChecame very popular in the late twentieth century so there were many supporters. Judging
his extensive education and career in theology, the novel is clearly very credible to use for
research. I would like to learn more about my inquiry topic of God which is why I decided to
choose this book as one of my sources.

McClendon discusses multiple aspects of popular cultural assumptions however I

focused on the fifth chapter called Constructing the Concept of God. God is neither alive nor
spoken as if God is dead. God is used as a conjuring word in which spoken as if it is a code for
higher human aspirations. James McClendon argues God is female, not male; black not white.
This quote stood out to me because it describes how God is often considered to be a power
very different than the normality of thinking. It creates a general notion of one being that
represents all of the minority aspects that society usually doesnt characterize.The use of the
word God involves ample creativity and constructive thinking that is often not understood.
Because God is brought up so much as if personified, we often forget that we are unable to
check our concepts of the being for accuracy as we can with most ordinary objects. Instead,
understanding the theory is only attained entirely through ideas constructed by the mind.
Therefore, the notion of God is ultimately grounded upon and centered around whatever each
person sees as uniquely superior. On page 111, God claims Father of us all, Creator of all
things both visible and invisible, Lord of history, Judge of all the earth. All of these images are
taken from general political, social, or cultural experiences. With this already preconceived idea,
the values lay with each unique individual. God is the ultimate point of reference and focus of
life for human devotion. The following are a list of quotes that I believe to be very interesting.
When considering this phenomenon, what seems to be at stake here is a claim
that human individuals and communities need a center of orientation and
devotion outside themselves and their perceived desires and needs, if they are to
find genuine fulfillment.
God is not to be understood as our tool or device. Or to be used for our
advantage or as we please. We are Gods servants, not God ours.
When the mystery of God appears in this form, it can be a living ground of
theology, and a ground reflecting the knowledge of God in faith.

Theology is already generally very confusing to understand. This book goes into great
depth using complex vocabulary so it was very difficult to read.The information in this book is
intended for various theologians to expand their area of study or other individuals interested in
the creation of God in depth in comparison to common beliefs. However the information
contained within Is God God? was beneficial in my research. There was a bias because most of
McClendons work is based off the ideals of Christianity. His entire lifes work is based off of
Christian theology so it is understandable that this book reflects Christianity as well. The source
gave me evidence for the difference in values that affects your knowledge of what God should
be. Every conceptual idea about God is derived from a general predetermined theory made
from society or culture. The definition of the term God varies from each individual because it is a
phenomenon that cannot be justified through concrete evidence. Using this source could help
other people pursuing similar questions to explain the level of personal devotion and
imagination that is required in God.

3
MLA
Coolman, Boyd. Knowing God by Experience. The Catholic University of American Press, 2004.

My source is a book called Knowing God by Experience that translates the spiritual
senses in the theology of William of Auxerre by Boyd Taylor Coolman. It was published in the
year 2004 by The Catholic University of American Press. The book was written for individuals or
other theologians that hope to broaden their understanding on the existence of God. William of
Auxerre was a French scholastic theologian and official in the Roman Catholic Church. He
contributed to the adaptation of Classical Greek philosophy to Christian doctrine. He became a
master in theology and later an administrator at the University of Paris. A historical theologian of
medieval Catholicism, Boyd Coolman proves to be credible in reiterating the views of William of
Auxerre. After earning a Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame, he now teaches theology at
Boston College. William of Auxerre was very prominent toward Christian theology so he is
clearly credible as well. His teachings are incorporated in Aristotelian philosophy for breaking
new ground in medieval intellectual culture.

The focus of this source is the sixth Chapter called Faith: Knowledge of God in a Visual
Mode. For William, Faith in God is one of the key factors for grasping your understanding of the
concept. He proposes diverse, faith-enabled acts of spiritual perception and the necessity for it.
Whether it may be prayer or acts of kindness, some sort of act is important to prolong your faith.
He also argues that many people do not truly have faith in the almighty and simply call for help
when in need. William claims that faith is the act of having the same mentality with God
regardless of the desperation in need. For the love of God, William argues it can be
misinterpreted as the feeling of desiring specifically for something. He is saying that there
should be no end goal or need for your faith in God. It should come from within your soul and
not forced. Faith should be continued through physical or emotional challenges, not simply
when an individual is encountered with a problem. It is easier and more common to focus ones
attention and belief on a good outcome.
The following are quotes that I believed to be interesting for this source.

Faith tends immediately toward the first truth through its act of cognition, while charity
tends immediately toward the first suavity through its act of desire.
As a virtue, faith is substantially related to the good; but as an act of the speculative
intellect, it is directed toward the good as true.
The virtue of faith relates the soul directly and immediately to God as the perfecting
habitat of the souls rational power.

This book is very difficult to read because it constantly refers to Medieval terms. There is a slight
bias because the book is based of William of Auxerres ideas which were mainly from Christian
theology. The information in this book is intended for various theologians in their area of study or
other individuals interested in exploring true faith.His work was also during the 1200s so the
culture was very medieval which is very different to our modern generation. The sixth chapter
which was the main focus in assisting my inquiry question and gave me a lot of information
about Faith in God as it clearly shows from the title. When things dont go exactly how you
expected it to be, real faith is never doubting Gods presence. Faith is a very big part of the
belief in God so this chapter would be very beneficial to other people pursuing similar questions.

4
MLA (Peer Review)
Mason, Andrew. Belief in God: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion. Hume Studies,
Volume 32, Number 2, November 2006, pp. 357-361. Project Muse,
http://muse.jhu.edu/article/383392/pdf. Accessed 23 May 2017.

This source is a peer reviewed article by Andrew S. Mason that reflects on T. J.

Mawsons views of the belief in god. It was published in 2006 by Project Muse. Mawsons
research reflects on parts of David Humes psychological basis of human nature with a focus on
religion from the 1700s. Hume was a Scottish philosopher, historian, and economist who is best
known in being highly influential of philosophical empiricism, skepticism, and naturalism.
Mawson, a graduate of St. Peters College, later finished his education in the Queens College
in Oxford. Soon after, he held a plethora of lectures about religion at colleges around Oxford. A
very educated and intelligent man, TJ Mawson returned to St. Peters in 1998 where he is
currently one of two Philosophy Fellows. Having many years of study in philosophy and the
creation of God, Mawson proves to be very credible in his work.
 The focus of this database is to discuss the philosophy of religion through the ideas
about Gods general nature and arguments on his existence in the world. This source is meant
for individuals that want to grasp a wider perspective of the human nature of personal gain in
relation to God. There is a God in the majority of religions around the world. However, in each
culture, there is an apparent similar claim of God and his intentions. Whether it may be Judaism,
Hinduism, or Christianity, all of them are alike in the presence of the greater god. Mawson
argues that those who believe that there is a God are best interpreted as believing that there is
a being who is essentially personal, transcendent, immanent, omnipotent, and non-essentially
creator of the world. God was created to represent distinctive values that range between each
person. Hume implores it is irrelevant if we are concerned simply with an argument for the
existence of the creator; there is no reason to reject that simply because it does not allow us to
infer other interesting things. Different people have varied considerations and values for
different things and one aspect cannot be a reason to disapprove another. The act of seeking
out for God is best described for a better outcome in a situation. Some people tend to pray to
God for emotional or physical gain in the time of need so true faith is generally very difficult to
understand. There will continue to be selfish motives however that is how human nature works.

Some quotes that I found to be interesting are:

All of our reasons for believing in matters of fact not directly observed, including those
believed on the basis of testimony, rest on the uniformity of experience.
There has never been found;a miracle attested to by a sufficient number of men, of
such unquestioned good sense, education and learning, as to secure us against all
delusion"
The appetite for wonders provides some motivation for people to invent miracle stories
even if they are not true, and this diminishes the probability that they are true.

After reading the database, I was glad to notice that the reading was a lot easier compared to
some of my other sources that I had used. The author did a very good job of breaking down his
thoughts on God in clear terms for the reader to easily comprehend. This source is meant for
theologians and other individuals that want to grasp a wider perspective of the human nature of
personal gain in relation to God. This source gave me sufficient information on the possible
break down for so many people wanting to connect themselves with God. This database is
intended to keep an open mind without any right answer to avoid bias. Mawsons views were
described in its entirety so that both sides of the argument has been considered. Gods nature
and reason for existence lie within each individual. This source could quite possibly help other
people that are curious about the creation of God and the motives behind its existence.
Understanding the perspective of personal gain being a factor in the level of faith in God is a
large component in the almighty.

5
MLA
Nickell, Joe. Looking for a Miracle. Prometheus Books, 1993.

My source is a book called Looking for a Miracle that talks about the term miracle in
various perspectives with a connection in God. This book was written by a man named Joe
Nickell, an American prominent skeptic and investigator of the unknown. It was published in
1993 by Prometheus Books. An individual holding a B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. from the University of
Kentucky, Nickell has researched and helped written many books in many genres. Having a
Ph.D. in English, he holds the associate dean position of the Center for Inquiry Institute which
focuses on religion, society, and the exploration of the paranormal. Nickell is consulted very
often by news reporters for his vast perspectives in the unknown. Nickell is also a reappearing
guest on the radio show podcast which has been previously ranked among the best science
podcasts available in iTunes. Joe Nickell is very passionate for his philosophies and clearly has
a great deal of experience with the subject so he proves to be very credible.

The focus of this source is the sixth Chapter called Faith Healing. This chapter deals
with the efficiency of faith in correlation to miraculous phenomenon. Joe Nickell identifies and
illustrates multiple unbelievable stories that could be attributed with the work of God. One topic
that Nickell covers is the belief that cures of diseases and mental issues can be effected by
divine intervention which is usually through the form of prayer. Illnesses of multiple forms have
afflicted mankind for thousands and thousands of years. Healing occurs very naturally in the
body. Wounds, cuts, and infections are habitually cured by the body which itself is a
phenomenon. However, there are many cases of untreatable diseases or broken body parts that
somehow heal magically. For example, medical science has still not discovered reasoning
behind Cancer patients that somehow undergo spontaneous remission. There is not adequate
scientific proof or evidence to support how such miracles occur, although God or a supernatural
power can be attributed with such situations. Joe Nickell describes a miracle is an extraordinary
event taken to manifest the supernatural power of god fulfilling his purposes. Nickell uses God
to interpret the findings of so many unexplainable cases. This term can be used to describe a
plethora of situations so society easily attributes God and Gods actions to explain the
impossible that occurs around the world.
The following are quotes that I believed to be interesting for this source.

An interesting class of reputed miracles consists of icons, divine portraits, or other

images that are supposed to have been supernaturally produced.
If the body is dismembered, so the belief goes on, the power within it is not diminished;
on the contrary each part will be as full of potency as the whole.
These miraculous gifts can come to those who undergo baptism in the Holy Spirit - an
experience the resurrected Jesus promised to his disciples.

This book was very easy for me to read and understand as the reader as well. The author did a
decent job of including diverse examples in religion especially in the sixth chapter.The
information in this book is intended for various theologians to expand their area of study or other
individuals interested in the mysteries between miracles and a superior being. From my reading,
Christianity, Judaism, and parts of ancient Egyptians were addressed. However, the main focus
was directed toward Jesus so there was a slight bias because of a concentration in perspectives
derived from the Bible. This book would be very beneficial to individuals that are interested in
learning more about the connection between God and explaining the impossible. There are
many cases that are elaborately described to be miraculous that could be connected to faith in a
supernatural or God from this book.

6
MLA (Peer Reviewed)
Davies, Brian. D.Z. Phillips on Belief in God. Philosophical Investigations, Volume 30, Issue 3,
June 2007. Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 10.1111/j.1467-9205.2007.00321.x. Accessed 27 May
2017.
 This source is a peer reviewed database written by Brian Davies that reflects on the
views of the belief in God by D.Z. Phillips. The database was written to individuals interested in
theology and curious about the belief in god with human society. A leading contributor of the
philosophy of religion, D.Z. Phillips held the Danforth Chair in Philosophy in religion at
Claremont Graduate University. He was also a Professor of Philosophy at Swansea University.
He is most famous for his publications in the philosophy of religion but has also published many
articles in ethics and literature as well. With an academic career of about 50 years, he is clearly
very knowledgeable and credible in his work. Brian Davies spend his first 13 years of teaching
at the University of Oxford as a lecturer in Theology and Philosophy. Davies continued teaching
however switched to Fordham University in the year of 1995. He studied Theology at the
University of bristol and completed his graduate studies at Kings College London. Both authors
appear to be very intelligent and experienced in theology and the philosophy in religion so this
source is credible.

The focus of this database is to discuss the general belief of God and the reasoning
behind it. One of the first topics that he covers is that the individuals that claim to believe in God
often have very different views. God through the means of religion is simply to satisfy all the
different human desires that are contained in every human. Whether or not God truly exists in
the world, religious belief is more commonly aimed at fulfilling basic wants. There are varying
interpretations throughout religions due to the difference in values from each group. Author of
this database, Brian Davies asserts The biblical view is that Gods commands provide all the
standards needed for evaluating people - these commands not themselves being responses to
standards to which God rightly conforms. He is trying to proclaim how faith consists in the
almightys accordance from the people. Therefore both the belief of God and all its followers
feed off of each other to continue the faith among humans.
The following are quotes that I thought to be very interesting:
One may utter the words God exists so as only to express a commitment to God or to
praise him. Normally, though, God exists, coming from those who believe in god,
typically mean something that is divine.
Talk about God can surely also be distinguished from other kinds of talk.
Some of the Old Testament prophets explicitly write of him as living through painful
experiences familiar to many of us as Isaiah does when speaking of God as a woman
in labour, or as Hosea does when presenting him as a husband who has been cheated
on by his wife.

This database covered many different topics for the belief of God so it was very difficult to pick
and choose which ideas that I thought were important for my research. Most of D.Z. Phillips
work reflects the Christian religion which was the main stance for the source. He had reflected
back on the Bible many times but the views that I chose to include were for a move generalized
view of God through multiple religions. Even though the information was all over the place, my
main focus was explaining the reasoning behind the belief of God based on D.Z. Phillips. This
information would help others pursuing similar concepts because individual values is a common
reasoning for the belief in God.

7
MLA
Pattison, George. God & Being. Oxford University of Oxford, 2011.
 My source is a book called God & Being that goes into depth about the knowledge of
God and how people consider the existence of the almighty. It was written by a man named
George Pattison. George Pattison is an important British theologian and Anglican priest. After
being a parish priest for the Church of England for 14 years, Pattison was the Dean of Kings
College from 1991 - 2001. Later on, he taught Practical Theology at the University of Denmark
for two years. A holder of 1640 Chair of Divinity at the University of Glasgow, Pattison became
Master of St. Benets Hall at the University of Oxford in the year of 2012. George Pattison, a
current member of the Editorial board of Medieval Mystical Theology, edited the journal Modern
believing for approximately five years. In addition to multiple publications, Pattison has
participated in the translation of Kierkegaards Journals and Notebooks. With a total of 13
publications and an abundance in experience on the subject, he is clearly very credible in his
research.

The focus of this source is the first and fifth chapters called Being, Salvation, and the
Knowledge of God and Selves and Others, respectively. The book was written for individuals
that are curious on learning more about the reasoning of the existence of God or other
theologians hoping to gather research from different perspectives. Pattison claims that saying
God is good is not simply to assure ourselves of the goodness of the world God has created,
but also to affirm something that is integral to any hope that the world as we know it is a world
open to the fullest possibilities of human flourishing. The creation and salvation in the belief of
God depend on the motives that are invested for the individual. In some cases, when people
feel a lack of personal control, they relieve the pressures by believing that a superpower called
God is in control. A basic human characteristic is the need for someone to assist in holding a
steady control in life. Especially when many negative occurrences come up, a sense of unease
arises. With at least the knowledge of the existence of a supernatural being, there is a sense of
hope and possible luck to be led in the right direction. Another common motive is a need for
justice either personally or with others. When individuals believe that a God is always watching
from above, it gives a more forceful sense to act morally in ones actions. Similarly, the need to
punish others without specifically doing anything to cause any harm can be attributed with the
belief in God. By believing that what comes around goes around, a feeling of peace can arise.
Pattison argues that to say that God is creator is to say that he is the one who brings about both
actuality and possibility.
The following are quotes that I believed to be interesting from this source.

God is claiming that all things are possible or that all things are possible is God.
The excessive and mysterious character of forgiveness means that there cannot be a
general law of forgiveness such that I am obliged to forgive, but that God will always
forgive.

This book was fairly easy to read because there were not a lot of medieval and older
terminology like my other sources. Most of the work reflected Christian theology so there was a
slight bias due to that. However his points could be used for multiple religions that have the
similar image of a God. Pattison goes into great depth to explain the human nature and motives
that goes with the existence of God. Using Pattisons work would be very beneficial by
understanding what fuels the continuation of existence of the unknown being called God.