The phrase “past time is infinite” is false. This is proveable by the definitions of the words. “Infinite” means, according to dictionary.com, “unbounded or unlimited; boundless; endless,” “endless” being the key definition. If something is endless, then it obviously does not have an end to reach; it is unreachable; it cannot be achieved. Now the definition of “past” is “of, having existed in, or having occurred during a time previous to the present.” The key word in here is “occurred.” Past time has occurred; it has been achieved. So, saying “Past time is infinite” is contradictory. It’s the same as saying ” The achieved is unachieveable.” So, the opposite must be true: past time must be finite, there must be a beginning. And there also must have been something or Someone to start it; something outside of time. Time is that which measures change. So whatever started it must not change. God does not change, and He lives outside of time. Can you refute this?
Why can’t things exist outside of time? Just because we can’t imagine it?
God exists in the spiritual world, which also has no time for, it does not change. God started the change, which we call time. He is the unmoved mover. He is not limited to time.
My argument was kinda shortened. The full one can be found here:
http://barney.gonzaga.edu/~dschafer/secondftimepaperphilo.html
laura_dove1, I just wanted to see if this argument could be refuted. I’ve seen others been disproved and I wanted to see if this could be, too. And yes I still will believe it. God hasn’t been proven to me by words, but by what He has done in my life. I knew this wouldn’t make any theists, but it did make you think.
hey stym, you say that there was a beginning and that there is no cause outside of time, which means there is no cause before the beginning. If the universe has no cause, then how is there a universe. Something can’t come from nothing. Something had to have caused it. And if that something were in time, he wouldn’t have caused it because it because for him to be there, time would have to be there. There must be something outside of time to cause time. The only thing that could exist outside of time, I believe, is God. If you can think of anything else, email me.
Hey delfuego, I looked at dictionary.com and found that the definition of the universe is:
the totality of known or supposed objects and phenomena throughout space. Note the “throughout space” part. God doesn’t live in space. He’s a spiritual being, and spiritual beings, by definition, don’t take up space.
“spirit”:conscious, incorporeal being, as opposed to matter.
Matter takes up space, spirits don’t. If you want me to explain it more thoroughly, email me.
marson80, I don’t see your reasoning. Read the article I posted earlier, then email me with more explanation. Also, Eric_putkonen, the great historic philosophers don’t agree with what you said. They showed that the past has happened. Read the article.
Finally Kjelstad, just because something is infinite, doesn’t mean it can’t exist. The number system is infinite because it’s impossible to reach the end, it doesn’t have limits. But it still exists. The past has been reached, so it can’t be infinite. God is infinite because He isn’t limited by anything. He has no end. He is unreachable by our standards because we could never be as great as He is. We could never fathom how great he is. We have limits, God does not.
