Cosmological argument

=== Not evidence for a theistic God ===
According to this objection, the basic cosmological argument merely establishes that a first cause exists, not that it has the attributes of a [[theistic]] god, such as [[omniscience]], [[omnipotence]], and [[omnibenevolence]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Cosmological Argument for the Existence of God |first=Austin |last=Cline |publisher=About, Inc. |date=27 July 2015 |access-date=3 August 2016 |url=http://atheism.about.com/od/argumentsforgod/a/cosmological.htm |archive-date=18 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111018031647/http://atheism.about.com/od/argumentsforgod/a/cosmological.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> This is why the argument is often expanded to assert that at least some of these attributes are necessarily true, for instance in the modern Kalam argument given above.<ref name=reichenbach /> 

Defenders of the cosmological arguments also reply that theologians of note are aware of the need to additionally prove other attributes of the first cause beyond that one exists. One notable example of this is found in Aquinas' ''Summa Theologiae'' in which much of the first part (''Prima Pars'') is devoted to establishing the attributes of this first cause, such as its uniqueness, perfection, and intelligence.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Aquinas |first1=Thomas |title=Summa Theologiae, Prima Pars |url=https://www.newadvent.org/summa/1.htm |website=New Advent}}</ref> Thus defenders of cosmological arguments would reply that while it is true that the cosmological argument only establishes a first cause, this is merely the first step which then allows for the demonstration of the other theistic attributes.