Theistic finitism, also known as finitistic theism or finite godism, is the belief in a deity 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 The problem of evil is the question of how to reconcile the existence of evil and suffering with an omnipotent, omnibenevolent, and omniscient God.The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy,The Problem of Evil, Michael TooleyThe Internet Encyclo ...

. Most finitists accept the absolute goodness of God but reject

omnipotence Omnipotence is the quality of having unlimited power. Monotheistic religions generally attribute omnipotence only to the deity of their faith. In the monotheistic religious philosophy of Abrahamic religions, omnipotence is often listed as o ...

Definition

Finitistic theism denies that God is omnipotent. Ray Harbaugh Dotterer 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 William James (January 11, 1842 – August 26, 1910) was an American philosopher, historian, and psychologist, and the first educator to offer a psychology course in the United States. James is considered to be a leading thinker of the la ...

(1842–1910) was a believer in a finite God which he used to solve the

.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 Omnipotence is the quality of having unlimited power. Monotheistic religions generally attribute omnipotence only to the deity of their faith. In the monotheistic religious philosophy of Abrahamic religions, omnipotence is often listed as on ...

, omnipresent, omniscient or a creator of the universe. Theologian

Clarence Beckwith Clarence Augustine Beckwith ( Charlemont, Massachusetts, July 21, 1849 – 1931) was an American theologian and writer. He was a teacher at the United Church of Christ's Chicago Theological Seminary from 1905. He lived at Little Deer Isle Littl ...

(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

freethinker Freethought (sometimes spelled free thought) is an epistemological viewpoint which holds that beliefs should not be formed on the basis of authority, tradition, revelation, or dogma, and that beliefs should instead be reached by other methods ...

s and rationalists advocated a finite god in opposition to the

God in Abrahamic religions The concept of God in Abrahamic religions is centred on monotheism. The three major monotheistic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, alongside the Baháʼí Faith, Samaritanism, Druze, and Rastafari, are all regarded as Abrahamic reli ...

. H. G. Wells advocated a finite God in his book ''

God the Invisible King ''God the Invisible King'' is a theological tract published by H. G. Wells in 1917. Argument Wells describes his aim as to state "as forcibly and exactly as possible the religious belief of the writer." He distinguishes his religious beliefs ...

'' (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 (1884–1953) defended theistic finitism in his book ''A Philosophy of Religion'', published in 1940. Brightman stated that theistic finitism began with

Plato Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institutio ...

and he traced the idea through history to

Marcion Marcion of Sinope (; grc, Μαρκίων ; ) was an early Christian theologian in early Christianity. Marcion preached that God had sent Jesus Christ who was an entirely new, alien god, distinct from the vengeful God of Israel who had created ...

, Mani and

Manichaeism Manichaeism (; in New Persian ; ) is a former major religionR. van den Broek, Wouter J. Hanegraaff ''Gnosis and Hermeticism from Antiquity to Modern Times''SUNY Press, 1998 p. 37 founded in the 3rd century AD by the Parthian prophet Mani ( ...

Pierre Bayle Pierre Bayle (; 18 November 1647 – 28 December 1706) was a French philosopher, author, and lexicographer. A Huguenot, Bayle fled to the Dutch Republic in 1681 because of religious persecution in France. He is best known for his '' Historica ...

, John Stuart Mill, 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 Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

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

Definition

History

Recent

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Further reading