To begin with, the works of Ibn Rushd and St. Thomas Aquinas represent their own understanding and approval of the existence of God. Both philosophers prove God’s existence by using logical connections and references from religious sources. Remarkably, while Ibn Rushd uses Quran as his Holy Book, St. Tomas Aquinas is Christian, and he finds evidence in the Bible. Despite these striking differences of not identifying with the same religion, both authors justify the existence of God using similar arguments. This fact proves that the human mind is constantly looking for the omnipotence and omnipresence of God, and it does not matter what name they give to the Creator.
Interestingly, in both texts, there are some motives that are seen in the books by Aristotle, especially in the work by St. Tomas Aquinas. He agrees with Aristotle that for the greatest truths, there have to be the greatest beings. Therefore, the philosopher argues that because of the good and bright persons all around us, there has to be the most compassionate of them all – the Creator. This thought is quite similar to the idea of Saint Thomas Aquinas. Indeed, he agrees that nature is internally perfect, and it has to be moved and controlled by something as perfect and great as the world around mortal people. Both authors find God’s existence the only logical solution to the complexity and diversity of people’s lives.
Additionally, the aforementioned texts make us understand and respect the religious diversity in the High Middle Ages. We can see that writers believe in different Gods (Jesus and Allah), and they belong to different social and cultural backgrounds. However, they both refer to the famous work of Aristotle when writing their essays which shows some similarities in the religious vision as well. To conclude, these texts helped me realize how people with various beliefs can come to similar realizations when they use good reasoning and logic behind their arguments.
References
Ibn Rushd (Averroes). Ca 1190. Religion and Philosophy.
Saint Thomas Aquinas. 1268. From Summa Theologica.