Theistic finitism, also known as finitistic theism or finite godism, is the belief in a

deity A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greate ...

that is limited.Geisler, Norman; Watkins, William D. (1989). ''Finite Godism: A World with a Finite God''. In ''Worlds Apart: A Handbook on World Views''. Wipf and Stock Publishers. pp. 187-216. It has been proposed by some philosophers and theologians to solve the problem of evil. Most finitists accept the absolute goodness of God but reject omnipotence.

Definition

Finitistic theism denies that God is omnipotent.

Ray Harbaugh Dotterer Ray may refer to: Fish * Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea * Ray (fish fin anatomy), a bony or horny spine on a fin Science and mathematics * Ray (geometry), half of a line proceeding from an initial point * Ray (gra ...

in his book ''The Argument for a Finitist Theology'' (1917) summarized the argument for theistic finitism: The idea that God is and must be infinite has been a nearly universal belief amongst monotheists. Only a minority of thinkers have advanced the idea of a finite deity.

History

William James (1842–1910) was a believer in a finite God which he used to solve the problem of evil.Barnard, George William. (1997). ''Exploring Unseen Worlds: William James and the Philosophy of Mysticism''. State University of New York Press. p. 251. "James's theology answer to the problem of evil is strikingly simple, but theologically daring: God is ''not'' all-powerful, all-knowing, or all-pervasive, but rather, is finite." James rejected the divine authorship of the Bible and the idea of a perfect God. He defined God as a "combination of ideality and (final) efficacity" and preferred a finite God that is "cognizant and responsive in some way".Pomerlaeau, Wayne P. (1998). ''Western Philosophies Religion''. Ardsley House Publishers. p. 492. James's finite God was not omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient or a creator of the universe. Theologian Clarence Beckwith (1849–1931) suggested that Horace Bushnell (1802–1876) was a finitist. According to Beckwith "one of the earliest attempts in America to show that God was finite was made by Horace Bushnell in his ''God in Christ (1849)'' . A minority of historical freethinkers and rationalists advocated a finite god in opposition to the God in Abrahamic religions. H. G. Wells advocated a finite God in his book '' God the Invisible King'' (1917) . Another advocate of theistic finitism was

Peter Bertocci Peter Bertocci (1910–1989) was an American philosopher and Borden Parker Bowne professor of philosophy, emeritus, at Boston University. He was a president of the Metaphysical Society of America. Bertocci was an advocate of theistic finitism T ...

(1910-1989) who proposed that "God is all-good but not all-powerful". Most finitists have held that God is

personal Personal may refer to: Aspects of persons' respective individualities * Privacy * Personality * Personal, personal advertisement, variety of classified advertisement used to find romance or friendship Companies * Personal, Inc., a Washington, ...

, although a few such as Henry Nelson Wieman (1884–1975) have stated God is impersonal. Philosopher

Edgar S. Brightman Edgar Sheffield Brightman (September 20, 1884 – February 25, 1953) was an American philosopher and Christianity, Christian theologian in the Methodism, Methodist tradition, associated with Boston University and Liberal Christianity, liberal ...

(1884–1953) defended theistic finitism in his book ''A Philosophy of Religion'', published in 1940. Brightman stated that theistic finitism began with Plato and he traced the idea through history to Marcion, Mani and Manichaeism, Pierre Bayle,

John Stuart Mill John Stuart Mill (20 May 1806 – 7 May 1873) was an English philosopher, political economist, Member of Parliament (MP) and civil servant. One of the most influential thinkers in the history of classical liberalism, he contributed widely to ...

, H. G. Wells and others.Brightman, Edgar S. (1940)
''Historical Sketch of Theistic Finitism''
In ''A Philosophy of Religion''. New York: Prentice-Hall, Inc. pp. 286-301 Brightman developed the concept of a finite God to solve the problem of evil. He held the view that God is an infinite personal spirit but his power is limited. Brightman suggested that Wells was the "first modern writer to devote an entire book to the concept of God's finiteness." Wells dissociated his God in any respect from the biblical God. Rufus Burrow, Jr. a professor of Christian thought, has argued (2012) that Brightman was different from most other finitists as he held the view that God remains infinite in many ways.Burrow, Rufus Jr. (2012). ''The Finite-Infinite God''. In ''God and Human Dignity: The Personalism, Theology, and Ethics of Martin Luther King, Jr''. University of Notre Dame Press. This was in opposition to Plato and H. G. Wells. Burrow noted that Brightman characterized God as a "finite-infinite God".

Recent

Conservative rabbi

Harold Kushner Harold Samuel Kushner (born April 3, 1935) is a prominent American rabbi and author. He is a member of the Rabbinical Assembly of Conservative Judaism and served as the congregational rabbi of Temple Israel of Natick, in Natick, Massachusetts, ...

defended theistic finitism in his book ''

When Bad Things Happen to Good People ''When Bad Things Happen to Good People'' () is a 1981 book by Harold Kushner, a Conservative rabbi. Kushner addresses in the book one of the principal problems of theodicy, the conundrum of why, if the universe was created and is governed by a ...

'', published in 1981. Philosopher Frank B. Dilley noted in 2000 that theistic finitism is rarely discussed in modern philosophical literature.

Definition

History

Recent

See also

References

Further reading