GCSE Philosophy and Ethics Practice Exam

What does the cosmological argument reveal about God's nature?

1. God is omnibenevolent

2. God is omnipotent

3. God is omniscient

4. God is transcendent

The correct answer is: God is omnipotent

The cosmological argument primarily seeks to establish the existence of God based on the existence of the universe and the principle of causality, asserting that everything that exists has a cause. This line of reasoning leads to the conclusion that there must be an uncaused cause, which is identified as God. The nature of God revealed by the cosmological argument is that of omnipotence, meaning God is all-powerful. This is because, in order to be the uncaused cause of everything, God must possess the ability to create and sustain the universe without being dependent on any other source or force. The argument suggests that since everything within the universe is contingent and requires a cause, the existence of God as the necessary being implies immense power, as this being is responsible for the existence of all that is. While the other attributes, such as omnibenevolence (all-goodness), omniscience (all-knowing), and transcendence (beyond and independent from the material universe), could also be intellectual conclusions drawn about God in philosophical theology, the cosmological argument directly points to God's omnipotent nature as the fundamental aspect that allows for the existence of everything else.