Encyclopedia of Opinion

Question: What is God?
Position1 of 4›: God is the fundamental substance

This position holds that God is the fundamental substance underlying reality. It argues that when people speak of God they mean the basic ground of being from which everything else arises—a formulation, it notes, that theologians have often defended over the centuries.

Supporting arguments · 2

Theologians often argue for this formulation
This understanding of divinity is often argued for by religious institutions.
God is the underlying substance
Early modern philosophers often subscribe to the substance theory, which suggests that of all things there must be a source. This source must be able to exist without dependence on another entity. This source is God.