" 

  
 Mel, 

 I tried the usual Internet encyclopedias like those listed at Meta-Encyclopedia of Philosophy, but I couldn’t come up with anything for “omnibenevolence” or “benevolence”!  Then I walked over to the University library to look at some “paper” encyclopedias of philosophy and religion, and came up empty on both terms again!  Then the librarian tipped me off to an online database search service available by subscription, “The Philosophers Index.”  I finally came up with some hits in “legitimate” sources.  Perhaps the assertion that the term, “omnibenevolence” is a “neologism” may be becoming “archaic.” ;-)  Consequently, I really don’t support turning this article into a redirect to benevolence.  I would prefer some sort of comment about usage of the terms, but I don’t have a strong opinion about what that should say.   

 Examples of sources that use the term, “omnibenevolence,” follow.  —    

 About The Philosopher's Index  

 ""The Philosopher's Index provides indexing and abstracts from books and journals of philosophy and related fields. It covers the areas of ethics, aesthetics, social philosophy, political philosophy, epistemology, and metaphysic logic as well as material on the philosophy of law, religion, science, history, education, and language."" 

 Search on “Omnibenevolence” or “Omnibenevolent” 
 TI: = Title; AU: = Author; SO: = Source; AB: = Abstract 

  

 TI: IN WHAT SENSE MUST GOD BE OMNIBENEVOLENT ?  
 AU: BASINGER,-DAVID 
 SO: International-Journal-for-Philosophy-of-Religion. 1983; 14: 3-16 
 AB: WHAT ARE GOD'S CREATIVE OBLIGATIONS? I FIRST ARGUE THAT EVEN IF THERE IS NO 'BEST POSSIBLE WORLD', THERE IS STILL A MEANINGFUL SENSE IN WHICH AN OMNIBENEVOLENT GOD IS OBLIGATED TO MAXIMIZE THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR THOSE BEINGS HE CREATES. I THEN DEFEND THIS CONCEPT OF OMNIBENEVOLENCE  AGAINST ROBERT ADAMS' CONTENTION THAT AN OMNIBENEVOLENT GOD NEED ONLY INSURE THAT THE BEINGS HE CREATES LEAD LIVES WHICH ARE ON THE WHOLE WORTH LIVING. 

  

 TI: INTRINSIC MAXIMA AND OMNIBENEVOLENCE .  
 AU: WIERENGA,-EDWARD 
 SO: International-Journal-for-Philosophy-of-Religion. 1979; 9: 41-50 
 AB: C D BROAD CLAIMED THAT THE CONCEPT OF THE GREATEST POSSIBLE BEING IS INCOHERENT, SINCE THERE IS NO INTRINSIC MAXIMUM TO A NUMBER OF PROPERTIES MAXIMAL POSSESSION OF WHICH IS ESSENTIAL TO BEING THE GREATEST POSSIBLE BEING. IN THIS PAPER A SERIES OF DEFINITIONS IS PROPOSED, CULMINATING IN A DEFINITION OF 'X HAS P TO THE INTRINSIC MAXIMUM IN WORLD W'. A STRATEGY IS SUGGESTED FOR SHOWING THAT A GIVEN PROPERTY HAS AN INTRINSIC MAXIMUM WHICH IS POSSIBLE EXEMPLIFIED. FINALLY, OBJECTIONS ARE RAISED AGAINST WILLIAM MANN'S ATTEMPT (""THE DIVINE ATTRIBUTES"" ""AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY"", 1975) TO DEFINE OMNIBENEVOLENCE  IN TERMS OF PREFERENCES OVER POSSIBLE WORLDS. 

  

 TI:  Petitionary Prayer to An Omnipotent and Omnibenevolent  God 
 AU: Masek,-Lawrence 
 SO: Proceedings-of-the-American-Catholic-Philosophical-Association. 2000; 74: 273-283 
 AB: This paper argues that the efficacy of petitionary prayerincluding prayer for oneself, for others, and through saintsdoes not contradict the doctrines of divine omnipotence and omnibenevolence . The paper refers to Aquinas and his discussion of divine omnipotence in order to argue that God leaves part of the job of making the world a better place up to creatures by giving them the power to cause goodness in others. It then argues that petitionary prayer allows creatures to exercise that power. 

  

 TI: THE DIVINE ATTRIBUTES.  
 AU: MANN,-WILLIAM-E 
 SO: American-Philosophical-Quarterly. AP 75; 12: 151-159 
 AB: THE CONCEPT OF GOD AS THE GREATEST CONCEIVABLE BEING WOULD BE A LOGICALLY INCOHERENT CONCEPT IF ANY ONE OF THE DEGREED PROPERTIES WHICH CONTRIBUTE ESSENTIALLY TO GOD'S GREATNESS HAS NO ""INTRINSIC MAXIMUM."" I ARGUE THAT THREE OF THE DIVINE ATTRIBUTESOMNISCIENCE, OMNIPOTENCE, AND OMNIBENEVOLENCE ARE THE INTRINSIC MAXIMA OF THE DEGREED PROPERTIES OF BEING KNOWLEDGEABLE, BEING POWERFUL, AND BEING BENEVOLENT, RESPECTIVELY. THE CONCEPT OF OMNIBENEVOLENCE  IS THE MOST DIFFICULT TO ASSESS. IN ORDER TO DEFINE IT, I INTRODUCE THE NOTION OF ONE POSSIBLE WORLD'S BEING A ""BRUNO-IMPROVEMENT"" OVER ANOTHER. FINALLY, I DISCUSS SOME OF THE IMPLICATIONS OF MY DEFINITIONS OF THE CONCEPT OF OMNIBENEVOLENCE. 

  

 TI: DIVINE PERFECTION.  
 AU: SCHLESINGER,-GEORGE-N 
 SO: Religious-Studies. JE 85; 21: 147-158 
 AB: MANY A