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Full Idea
Leibniz argues that if time is a thing in itself, and God is 'in' time, then God would be dependent for His existence on the existence of time.
Gist of Idea
If time were absolute that would make God's existence dependent on it
Source
report of Gottfried Leibniz (Letters to Samuel Clarke [1716]) by Adrian Bardon - Brief History of the Philosophy of Time 3 'Newton'
Book Ref
Bardon,Adrian: 'Brief History of the Philosophy of Time' [OUP 2013], p.57
A Reaction
Hence Leibniz says time is merely relations between events. Not sure what he thinks an event is. What is God made of? Is there some divine matter upon which God's existence must depend?
7603 | God is not a creator (involving time and change) and is not concerned with the inferior universe [Aristotle, by Armstrong,K] |
16702 | All things are in the present time to God [Augustine] |
22887 | If God existed before creation, why would a perfect being desire to change things? [Augustine, by Bardon] |
5976 | If God is outside time in eternity, can He hear prayers? [Augustine] |
16692 | Divine eternity is the all-at-once and complete possession of unending life [Boethius] |
22894 | If time were absolute that would make God's existence dependent on it [Leibniz, by Bardon] |
20712 | God is 'eternal' either by being non-temporal, or by enduring forever [Davies,B] |
15196 | God being inside or outside of time both raise a group of difficult problems [Le Poidevin] |
22941 | How could a timeless God know what time it is? So could God be both timeless and omniscient? [Le Poidevin] |