How does natural theology use reason to investigate claims about God?

Natural theology is a discipline that seeks to establish truths about God through the use of reason alone, independent of special revelation or religious scripture. By distinguishing between the natural and the supernatural, it investigates claims about the divine by analyzing the world and logical concepts.12

Key methods used in natural theology include:

• Cosmological Arguments: These move from the nature of the world to its ultimate ground. For example, the first-cause argument posits that because change requires a cause, there must be an uncaused first cause. Similarly, the argument from contingency suggests that because contingent beings require an explanation for their existence, there must be an ontologically necessary being.3
• Ontological Arguments: These proceed from the concept of God to the reality of God. St. Anselm famously argued that because God is defined as the greatest conceivable being, he must exist in reality, as existence is a necessary attribute of such perfection.4

While these arguments have been central to Scholasticism and Christian philosophy, they have faced significant criticism, particularly regarding whether existence can be treated as a logical predicate or if a priori reasoning can truly determine matters of fact.43