EXISTENCE

That which calls itself into being out of the Void. Most metaphysical systems are agreed that matter is "dirt", or at least less perfect than the Void. Just as the manifest world is infinite in its variety of potential forms of matter, so the void is infinite in its parade of anti-potential forms of non-being. From a strictly logistical point of view, the imbalance within the spotless Void arises as one potentiality differentiates itself from another in its degree of anti-substantiation and non-manifestation. Therefore, some of these "nothingnesses" have more "substance" than others, which thereby creates an unevenness from which a negentropic "singularity" has to develop. Thus existence breaks forth, or "falls", in a further effort to maintain the balance, and consequently to know itself. Thereafter, new knowledge necessarily continues to create itself and to expand consciousness to the limits, as it were, of The Infinite.

(See also: EXISTENCE , Magick, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul,)

For more dictionary entries, see » Existence Dictionary

Among the first inquiries into what "being" encompassed was that undertaken by Aristotle. The term "substance" in Aristotle was a precise metaphysical term denoting an individual thing about which specific assertions may be made. Since the Aristotelian view of matter is negative, the "substance" or "being" is a real thing that exists. Since matter renders things more obscure to our perception, it follows that the true essence of an object is independent of ...

See also:

Being, Being - Being and substance in Aristotle, Being - Being in continental philosophy and existentialism, Being - Being in Islamic philosophy

Read more here: » Being: Encyclopedia II - Being - Being and substance in Aristotle

Please remove this notice after the article has been expanded. Details are on this talk page or at Wikipedia:Requests for expansion. According to Jain beliefs, the universe was never created, nor will it ever cease to exist. It is eternal but not unchangeable, because it passes through an endless series of cycles. Each of these upward or downward cycles is divided into six world ages (yugas). The present world age is the fifth age of one of these "cycles", which is in a downward movement. Each age is known as an "Aaro". ...

See also:

Religious cosmology, Religious cosmology - Christian Cosmology, Religious cosmology - Hindu Cosmology, Religious cosmology - Buddhist Cosmology, Religious cosmology - Jain Cosmology, Religious cosmology - Zoroastrian Cosmology

Read more here: » Religious cosmology: Encyclopedia II - Religious cosmology - Jain Cosmology

Please remove this notice after the article has been expanded. Details are on this talk page or at Wikipedia:Requests for expansion. ...

See also:

Religious cosmology, Religious cosmology - Christian Cosmology, Religious cosmology - Hindu Cosmology, Religious cosmology - Buddhist Cosmology, Religious cosmology - Jain Cosmology, Religious cosmology - Zoroastrian Cosmology

Read more here: » Religious cosmology: Encyclopedia II - Religious cosmology - Christian Cosmology

Framed as a formal proof, the first cause argument can be stated as follows: Everything has a cause. Nothing can cause itself. Everything is caused by another thing. A causal chain cannot be of infinite length. There must be a first cause. God was the first cause. The cosmological argument infers the existence of God from claims about the entire universe. Fundamentally, the argument is based on the claim that God must exist due to the fact that the universe needs ...

See also:

Cosmological argument, Cosmological argument - Origins of the argument, Cosmological argument - The argument, Cosmological argument - A more detailed version of the argument, Cosmological argument - Critique and Objections, Cosmological argument - Scientific positions

Read more here: » Cosmological argument: Encyclopedia II - Cosmological argument - The argument

The nature of being has also been debated and explored in Islamic philosophy, notably by Ibn Sina, Suhrawardi, and Mulla Sadra.[1] ...

See also:

Being, Being - Being and substance in Aristotle, Being - Being in continental philosophy and existentialism, Being - Being in Islamic philosophy

Read more here: » Being: Encyclopedia II - Being - Being in Islamic philosophy

This article is about the Abrahamic belief; creationism can also refer to origin beliefs in general or, centuries earlier, to an alternative to traducianism. Creationism or creation theology is the belief that humans, life, the Earth, and the universe were created by a supreme being or deity's supernatural intervention. The intervention may be seen either as an act of creation from nothing (ex nihilo) ...

Including:

• Creationism - Overview
• Creationism - Political context
• Creationism - History of the concept of creation
• Creationism - Types of creationism
• Creationism - Jewish creationism
• Creationism - Christian God as absolute origin
• Creationism - Prevalence of creationism
• Creationism - United States
• Creationism - The western world outside the United States
• Creationism - Criticism of creationism
• Creationism - Scientific critique of creationism
• Creationism - The Christian critique of creationism
• Creationism - Creationism and naturalism

Read more here: » Creationism: Encyclopedia - Creationism

Young Earth is only one of several forms of creationism; others include Old Earth creationism and Day-Age Creationism. Young Earth creationists reject these alternatives based on textual, theological grounds. In addition, young earth creationists claim the scientific data in geology, astronomy, etc. point to a young earth which the scientific community consensus views as an errant view. Young Earth creationists generally hold that when Genesis describes the creation of the Earth occurring over a period of days, this indicates normal-l ...

See also:

Young Earth creationism, Young Earth creationism - The history of young Earth creationism, Young Earth creationism - Revival of young Earth creationism, Young Earth creationism - Characteristics of Young Earth creationism, Young Earth creationism - Young Earth Creationist ideas, Young Earth creationism - The teaching of Genesis, Young Earth creationism - Young Earth creationism and other forms of creationism, Young Earth creationism - Young Earth creationism and the Omphalos hypothesis, Young Earth creationism - Criticisms of Young Earth creationism, Young Earth creationism - Theological

Read more here: » Young Earth creationism: Encyclopedia II - Young Earth creationism - Young Earth creationism and other forms of creationism

Thomas Aquinas, probably the best known theologian of the Middle Ages, adapted an argument he found in his reading of Aristotle to form one of the earliest and the most influential versions of the cosmological argument. His conception of first cause is the idea that the universe must have been caused by something which was itself uncaused, which he asserted was God. The phrase "first cause" is sometimes used as an alternative noun for God among individuals uncomfortable with the historical and religious meanings associated with ...

See also:

Cosmological argument, Cosmological argument - Origins of the argument, Cosmological argument - The argument, Cosmological argument - A more detailed version of the argument, Cosmological argument - Critique and Objections, Cosmological argument - Scientific positions

Read more here: » Cosmological argument: Encyclopedia II - Cosmological argument - Origins of the argument

The major atheistic criticism of evolutionary creationism focuses on the belief in a supernatural creator, which violates the methodological naturalism and the falsifiability requirements of scientific philosophy. This criticism would be accurate in the case of a theistic evolution proponent trying to portray his view as a scientific theory instead of explaining it as a view that adds scientific knowledge with more personal beliefs. On the other hand, an atheist portraying his personal rejection of the idea of a Creator as part of the scient ...

See also:

Theistic evolution, Theistic evolution - Spectrum of viewpoints, Theistic evolution - Deism, Theistic evolution - Other variants, Theistic evolution - Christianity, Theistic evolution - Christian Justification for Evolution, Theistic evolution - Islam, Theistic evolution - Judaism, Theistic evolution - Evolutionary biologists who were also theists, Theistic evolution - Criticisms of theistic evolution

Read more here: » Theistic evolution: Encyclopedia II - Theistic evolution - Criticisms of theistic evolution

A deity or a god, is a postulated preternatural being, usually, but not always, of significant power, worshipped, thought holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, or respected by human beings. They assume a variety of forms, but are frequently depicted as having human or animal form. Sometimes it is considered blasphemous to imagine the deity as having any concrete form. They are usually immortal. They are commonly assumed to have personalities and to possess consciousness, intellects, desires, and emotions much like human ...

Including:

• Deity - Etymology
• Deity - Relation with humanity
• Deity - Religion
• Deity - Singular God

Read more here: » Deity: Encyclopedia - Deity

Being in itself is the self-contained and fully realized Being of objects. It is a term used in early 20th century continental philosophy, especially in the works of Martin Heidegger, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and the existentialists. Being in itself - Being in itself for Heidegger. In Heidegger's philosophy being in itself is contrasted with the Being of persons, which he calls Dasein. Dasein is Being that is aware of and interested in its own Being. Dasein is, by its nature, invested in social ...

Including:

• Being in itself - Being in itself for Heidegger
• Being in itself - Being-in-itself for Sartre

Read more here: » Being in itself: Encyclopedia - Being in itself

The Catholic Church after having rejected scientific cosmological endeavors during the Copernican revolution, has in the last century been ever more increasingly involved with scientific cosmology. A Roman Catholic Priest in the employ of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, Georges Lemaître was, in fact, instrumental in the development of the Big Bang theory of the universe. The Catholic Church and many other mainline Christian denominations accepts modern cosmology as acceptably in concord with interpretations of the Bible that are more al ...

See also:

Biblical cosmology, Biblical cosmology - Background, Biblical cosmology - Sky sun moon and stars, Biblical cosmology - Stars as the Hosts of Heaven, Biblical cosmology - Planets, Biblical cosmology - The Bible and the Big Bang, Biblical cosmology - Modern day biblical cosmologies

Read more here: » Biblical cosmology: Encyclopedia II - Biblical cosmology - Modern day biblical cosmologies

There are a number of other reasons that OECs cite for belief in an old Earth that are often (though not always) held commonly by Gap, Day-Age and other old earth views. One argument is that there are a number of passages which seem to indicate the antiquity of Earth (many of which are poetic) for example Proverbs 8:22-31, although they are also compatible with a 6,000-year-old earth which is likewise "old" from the perspective of a human lifetime.[2] Others seem to relate the age of the Earth (or some aspects of Earth) to the eternal nature ...

See also:

Old Earth creationism, Old Earth creationism - Types of Old Earth Creationism, Old Earth creationism - Gap Creationism, Old Earth creationism - Day-Age Creationism, Old Earth creationism - The Framework Hypothesis, Old Earth creationism - Cosmic Time, Old Earth creationism - Progressive Creationism, Old Earth creationism - Broader Reasoning

Read more here: » Old Earth creationism: Encyclopedia II - Old Earth creationism - Broader Reasoning

Although evolutionary biologists have often been agnostics (most notably Thomas Huxley and Charles Darwin) or atheists (most notably Richard Dawkins), from the outset many have had a belief in some form of theism. These have included Alfred Russel Wallace (1823–1913), who in a joint paper with Charles Darwin in 1858, proposed the theory of evolution by natural selection. Wallace was effectively a deist who believed that "the unseen universe of Spirit" had inter ...

See also:

Theistic evolution, Theistic evolution - Spectrum of viewpoints, Theistic evolution - Deism, Theistic evolution - Other variants, Theistic evolution - Christianity, Theistic evolution - Christian Justification for Evolution, Theistic evolution - Islam, Theistic evolution - Judaism, Theistic evolution - Evolutionary biologists who were also theists, Theistic evolution - Criticisms of theistic evolution

Read more here: » Theistic evolution: Encyclopedia II - Theistic evolution - Evolutionary biologists who were also theists

Current scientific views of the Big Bang basically say that the universe had a specific beginning, starting incredibly small and massively expanding incredibily fast, then the fast expansion stopped but the universe continues to expand because space itself stretches. Below are similar quotes from the Bible. Note that they indicate two separate steps: First the heavens are created, then they are stretched out. Job 9:8 He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea. ...

See also:

Biblical cosmology, Biblical cosmology - Background, Biblical cosmology - Sky sun moon and stars, Biblical cosmology - Stars as the Hosts of Heaven, Biblical cosmology - Planets, Biblical cosmology - The Bible and the Big Bang, Biblical cosmology - Modern day biblical cosmologies

Read more here: » Biblical cosmology: Encyclopedia II - Biblical cosmology - The Bible and the Big Bang

The sky, the abode of the stars, is described as a "raqiya'" (rakia, Hebrew for a plate); that is, a rigid, broad, solid plate possessing a certain thickness. According to Genesis 1:14, this raqiya' was set in the midst of the waters, and it divided the waters above from those beneath. According to some readings, God made it of matter already existing at the time of Creation; that is, God did not "create" it at that time. The raqiya' representing the sky in Ezek. 1:22 resembled ice; therefore it is quite possible that the author of Genesis, ...

See also:

Biblical cosmology, Biblical cosmology - Background, Biblical cosmology - Sky sun moon and stars, Biblical cosmology - Stars as the Hosts of Heaven, Biblical cosmology - Planets, Biblical cosmology - The Bible and the Big Bang, Biblical cosmology - Modern day biblical cosmologies

Read more here: » Biblical cosmology: Encyclopedia II - Biblical cosmology - Sky sun moon and stars

Thomas Aquinas, the most famous philosopher of the Middle Ages, adapted an argument he found in his reading of Aristotle to form one of the earliest and the most influential versions of the cosmological argument. His conception of first cause is the idea that the universe must have been caused by something which was itself uncaused, which he asserted was God. The phrase "first cause" is sometimes used as an alternative noun for God among individuals uncomfortable with the historical and religious meanings associated with the te ...

See also:

Cosmological argument, Cosmological argument - Origins of the argument, Cosmological argument - The argument, Cosmological argument - A more detailed version of the argument, Cosmological argument - Critique and Objections, Cosmological argument - Scientific positions

Read more here: » Cosmological argument: Encyclopedia II - Cosmological argument - Origins of the argument

Much of what the Bible says concerning cosmology is couched in terminology whose definitions are uncertain and disputed by Hebrew scholars. Another difficulty in recognizing Biblical cosmology is that at times the Bible condemns as apostasy beliefs such as the worship of the sun, moon, planets and stars, cosmology derived from other religions and not from the Bible. Some scholars claim that what is often taught as “Biblical Cosmology” is actually medieval cosmology, which was a bastardized mixture of Hebrew terminology and Greek philosophy. An example of that is the reference to the four elements li ...

See also:

Biblical cosmology, Biblical cosmology - Background, Biblical cosmology - Sky sun moon and stars, Biblical cosmology - Stars as the Hosts of Heaven, Biblical cosmology - Planets, Biblical cosmology - The Bible and the Big Bang, Biblical cosmology - Modern day biblical cosmologies

Read more here: » Biblical cosmology: Encyclopedia II - Biblical cosmology - Background

The major atheistic criticism of evolutionary creationism is that of all forms of creationism: the belief in a supernatural creator, which violates both the naturalism and falsifiability requirements of scientific philosophy (see also rationalism). Another criticism of some forms of evolutionary creationism (especially those of deists) are that they are simply a belief in a God of the gaps, where anything that cannot currently be explained by science is attributed to God. For example, the physicist Dr. Paul Davies has stated: "I flatly rejec ...

See also:

Theistic evolution, Theistic evolution - Spectrum of viewpoints, Theistic evolution - Deism, Theistic evolution - Other variants, Theistic evolution - Christianity, Theistic evolution - Christian Justification for Evolution, Theistic evolution - Islam, Theistic evolution - Judaism, Theistic evolution - Evolutionary biologists who were also theists, Theistic evolution - Criticisms of theistic evolution

Read more here: » Theistic evolution: Encyclopedia II - Theistic evolution - Criticisms of theistic evolution

The differences between the Young-Earth interpretation of Genesis and modern scientific theories are nontrivial: the Young-Earth interpretation says that everything in the Universe and on Earth was created in six 24 hour days (with a seventh day of rest), estimated by them to have occurred some 6,000 years ago; whereas recent mainstream scientific theories put the age of the Universe at 13.7 billion years and that of the Earth at 4.6 billion years, with various forms of life, including humans (although there is a diversity of opinions among ...

See also:

Day-Age Creationism, Day-Age Creationism - Day-Age Creation Theory, Day-Age Creationism - Biblical debate, Day-Age Creationism - The meaning of “day” yôm, Day-Age Creationism - The Sabbath, Day-Age Creationism - Luminaries on “day” 4, Day-Age Creationism - The events of “day” six, Day-Age Creationism - “Day” seven, Day-Age Creationism - The Fall

Read more here: » Day-Age Creationism: Encyclopedia II - Day-Age Creationism - Day-Age Creation Theory

Young Earth is only one of several forms of creationism; others include Old Earth creationism and Day-Age Creationism. Young Earth creationists reject these alternatives based on textual, theological grounds. In addition, young earth creationists claim the scientific data in geology, astrononomy, etc. point to a young earth which the scientific community consensus views as an errant view. Young Earth creationists generally hold that when Genesis describes the creation of the Earth occurring over a period of days, this indicates normal ...

See also:

Young Earth creationism, Young Earth creationism - The history of young Earth creationism, Young Earth creationism - Revival of young Earth creationism, Young Earth creationism - Characteristics of Young Earth creationism, Young Earth creationism - Young Earth Creationist ideas, Young Earth creationism - The teaching of Genesis, Young Earth creationism - Young Earth creationism and other forms of creationism, Young Earth creationism - Young Earth creationism and the Omphalos hypothesis, Young Earth creationism - Criticisms of Young Earth creationism, Young Earth creationism - Theological

Read more here: » Young Earth creationism: Encyclopedia II - Young Earth creationism - Young Earth creationism and other forms of creationism