Divine Simplicity

The phrase divine simplicity might eventually surface in one's philosophical and theological discussions, and it is ironically a simple matter to expose the folly of the concept.  Divine simplicity holds that there is no distinction between categories or components of God's nature.  Furthermore, it entails the idea that God is his characteristics, meaning that God does not have them.  For instance, according to divine simplicity God does not merely exist, but is existence, and all "other" aspects of God (his immateriality, his moral perfection, and so on) are not separate from each other, as they form one completely unified whole.  This notion is both logically erroneous and contrary to Biblical teachings, and I will address it in that order, first by utilizing reason alone and then by bringing in Scripture.

First, the idea that God does not possess characteristics is asinine.  God cannot be existence itself!  This would either mean that everything that exists is God, which lapses into a kind of pantheism, or that nothing can exist without God, yet it is impossible for either of these things to be true.  If everything was God, then there would be no metaphysical distinction between the laws of logic, space, matter, time, contingent minds (human minds, angelic minds, and animal minds), and God's mind.  It takes only a few moments to realize that these things cannot possibly be synonymous.  Some of them are immaterial (logic, space, time, minds), and some are not (matter); some are contingent on God (contingent minds, time, and matter), and some are not (logic and space).  The things that are not contingent on God's existence do not require God to exist [1], and thus the idea that God is existence is refuted again.

Biblically and logically speaking, if divine simplicity was true, it would be impossible to ultimately distinguish one aspect of God's character or nature from another, as there would be no aspects to distinguish.  All of God's character and nature would be identical to all "other parts" of God.  Therefore, since we can distinguish between God's mercy, grace, and wrath, and since the Bible does the same, divine simplicity is not compatible with actual Christian theology.  All throughout Scripture there are references to particular, different aspects of God's moral character and metaphysical nature.

Despite it being endorsed by several allegedly "brilliant" theologians of the past (like Aquinas), divine simplicity is ironically heretical under Christianity, in that it contradicts the Bible's own description of God.  The worldviews of revered historical philosophers/theologians, many of whom would assert the aforementioned impossibility that all things that exist are contingent on God's own existence, are often dramatically incomplete and plagued by miscellaneous fallacies.  It is ironic that many who ostensibly defined Christianity throughout history were often guilty of easily avoidable fallacies, assumptions, and Biblical errors.

Divine simplicity is an inherently mistaken concept that cannot possibly be true, whether or not it is appraised within the context of the Christian worldview.  The fact that it is not a particularly complex doctrine simplifies the process of identifying and dismantling its flaws.  Its only appeal is for those who do not understand the actual implications of divine simplicity or who respect traditional authorities, and neither ignorance nor tradition are sound foundations for any philosophy.


[1].  See here:
  A.  https://thechristianrationalist.blogspot.com/2018/11/the-ramifications-of-axioms.html
  B.  https://thechristianrationalist.blogspot.com/2018/09/a-refutation-of-naturalism-part-2.html