Do God Exist ?

Thesis Statements 1. Because of man’s ignorance and curiosity, arguments for the existence of God have been made over the years. Basically, these arguments are divided into two large groups i. e. logical and metaphysical. Actually, these arguments seek to prove that the existence of a being or having faith with at least one attribute that only God could have is logically necessary. 2. Believing and having faith in God will only resort to one thing—goodness. 3. Faith has something to do with one’s conception about God. 4. The existence of God remains a matter of faith since it’s difficult to â€Å"prove† God to someone who does not believe. . There are arguments that attempts to give information of what they know about the existence of God. And that’s it. It is now our choice if we believe or not but the important thing is we must hold on in our faith. Read more:  http://ivythesis. typepad. com/term_paper_topics/2010/02/thesis-statements-res ults-of-having-faith-in-god. html#ixzz2CwZzjm00 4 Primary Arguments for God's Existence Written by Michael Vlach. Perhaps the hottest topic in all of philosophy concerns the existence of God. Thus the question—â€Å"Does God exist? † Our answer to this question affects how we view the world, how we behave, and what we expect for the future.If God exists, then we are probably accountable to this God. The universe may have meaning and purpose. Plus, our own existence may not cease at physical death. If God does not exist, however, then we are probably here by chance and are not accountable to some transcendent being. This life may be all we have, so live your life however you see fit and enjoy it. Traditionally, there have been four major arguments for God’s existence: (1) the cosmological argument; (2) the teleological argument; (3) the ontological argument; and (4) the moral law argument.Below are explanations of each of the arguments and the common responses to them. 1. Cosmological Argument The term â€Å"cosmological† comes from the Greek word â€Å"kosmos† which means â€Å"world. † The cosmological argument for God’s existence goes like this: The world could not exist on its own so there must have been a first cause that brought it into being. This first cause is God. Or put another way, the universe could not just exist on its own—someone or something must have made it. This cause of the universe is God. Three criticisms of the cosmological argument have been offered.First, some say matter is eternal and is not in need of a â€Å"first cause. † Second, some say â€Å"If everything needs a cause, what caused God? † Third, some say that even if it is true that some being caused our universe to exist, this does not prove the existence of the Christian God. All it shows is that there is some powerful being that created the universe, but this does not necessarily mean that this creator was the God of the Bible. 2. Teleological Argument The teleological argument is also known as â€Å"the argument from design† (The Greek word â€Å"telos† means â€Å"purpose† or â€Å"design. †).The argument goes like this: The universe evidences great complexity or design; thus, it must have been designed by a great Designer or God. The argument from design can be likened to a watch. A watch is obviously made by a watchmaker. The world, which is much more complex than a watch, must also have been designed by a great Designer or Divine Watchmaker (God). In sum, the teleological argument asserts that the universe evidences too much complexity to be the product of random chance. We know that the celestial bodies move with perfect accuracy in their orbits. Our bodies, too, are incredibly complex.According to the teleological argument, there’s just no way all this complexity could â€Å"just happen. † God must have created it all. There have been t hree responses to the teleological argument. First, some say the teleological argument is guilty of a â€Å"weak analogy† because it assumes a significant resemblance between natural objects (ex. rocks, trees) and objects we know have been designed (ex. watches, skyscrapers). Thus, comparing natural objects with objects we know have been created by humans is like comparing apples and oranges. The analogy just doesn’t work.Second, some say that the theories of the big bang and evolution better explain the complexity in the universe. Third, some say that even if the teleological argument is true, it does not prove the existence of the Christian God. 3. Ontological Argument The third argument for God’s existence is the ontological argument. This argument is unlike the cosmological and teleological arguments in that it does not argue from evidence in the natural world. Thus, it is not a â€Å"cause and effect† argument. The ontological argument can be stated in this way: â€Å"God is the greatest being imaginable.One of the aspects of perfection or greatness is existence. Thus, God exists. † Or put another way—â€Å"The fact that God can be conceived means that he must exist. † This argument for God’s existence was developed by the twelfth century theologian and philosopher, Anselm. It is based on Anselm’s declaration that God is â€Å"that which nothing greater can be conceived. † The ontological argument has been very controversial. Even many who believe in God’s existence question its validity. A contemporary of Anselm named Guanilo responded to Anselm. Guanilo said that one could imagine a perfect island but that did not mean a perfect island exists.Others have said you can imagine a unicorn but that does not mean unicorns exist. Thus, many challenge the idea that the idea of God must mean that God exists. 4. Moral Law Argument Another argument for the existence of God is the moral la w argument. It goes like this: Without God morality would be impossible. There must be a Lawgiver (God) who originates and stands by moral law. A universal moral law cannot exist accidentally. There must be a basis behind it—God. According to this view, every person is born with an inherent understanding of right and wrong.Everyone, for instance, understands that killing an innocent person is wrong. Everyone understands that helping a drowning person is right. Where did this internal understanding of right and wrong come from? According to adherents of the moral law argument, this understanding comes from God. He put it into the hearts of every person. There have been two responses to the moral law argument. First, some deny that there are universal truths. Many today believe that truth is subjective and relative. Societies and individuals determine what is true for them, but there is no God that does this.Second, some say that the presence of evil in the world argues against a Moral Lawgiver. If God is all-powerful and all-good, how can evil exist in the world? The arguments and counterarguments for God’s existence remain controversial. The cosmological, teleological, and moral law arguments remain popular with Christian apologists today. The ontological argument is not as well received although some today still asserts its validity. It should be noted that most Christian theologians and philosophers believe that God never intended for his existence to be something that could be proven with 100% certainty.They point out that faith is an important component in understanding God and his existence. Arguments  for and against the  existence of God  have been proposed by philosophers, theologians, scientists, and others for thousands of years. Inphilosophical  terms, arguments for and against the existence of  God  involve primarily the sub-disciplines of  epistemology  (theory of knowledge) andontology  (nature of god) and also the   theory of value, since concepts of perfection are connected to notions of God. The debate concerning the existence of God is one of the oldest and most discussed debates in  human history.A wide variety of arguments exist which can be categorized asmetaphysical,  logical,  empirical, or  subjective. The existence of God is subject to lively debate in philosophy,[1]  the  philosophy of religion, and  popular culture. The Western tradition of the existence of God began with  Plato  and  Aristotle, who made arguments for God's existence that would now be categorized as  cosmological arguments. Later,  Epicurus  formulated the  problem of evil: if God is  omnipotent,  omniscient  and  omnibenevolent, why does evil exist?The field of  theodicy  arose from attempts to answer this question. Other thoughts about the existence of God have been proposed by  St. Anselm, who formulated the first  ontological argument;  Ibn Rushd (Averroes)  an d  Aquinas, who presented their own versions of the cosmological argument (thekalam  argument  and the  first way), respectively;  Descartes, who said that the existence of a benevolent God was  logically necessary  for the evidence of the senses to be meaningful; and  Immanuel Kant, who argued that the existence of God can be deduced from the existence of  good.Thinkers who have provided arguments against the existence of God include  David Hume, Kant,  Nietzsche  and  Bertrand Russell. In modern culture, the question of God's existence has been discussed by philosophers and scientists such as  Stephen Hawking,  Richard Dawkins,  Daniel Dennett,  Richard Swinburne,William Lane Craig, and  Alvin Plantinga. Atheists maintain that arguments for the existence of God show insufficient reason to believe. Certain  theists  acknowledge that belief in the existence of God may not be amenable to demonstration or refutation, but rests on  faith  alo ne, a position called  fideism.The  Catholic Church  maintains that knowledge of the existence of God is available in the â€Å"natural light of human reason† alone. [2]  Other religions, such as  Buddhism, do not concern themselves the existence of gods at all. Does God Exist? by  Tawa Anderson Is there a God? 1  How can you be  sure  that God exists? Can you  prove  to me that God is real? Does the existence (or lack thereof) of God make any significant difference? Was Nietzsche right in declaring: â€Å"God is dead! †? These questions strike at the very heart of human existence, and cry out for our personal attention and deliberation.Furthermore, these questions must be answered before we can inquire into the truth of Christianity. After all, if there is no God, then Jesus certainly isn’t God in the flesh! If there is no God, there is no Christian faith worth considering. In this brief essay, I will share three persuasive clues (traditio nally called arguments or proofs) that point to the existence of God. This is not an apologetic for  Christianity, but rather for basic  theism  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ an argument that God exists, not an argument that the  Christian  God is real. God ExistsGod must exist because something must have caused the first moment in time and that something is God. This is summarized by, Saint  Thomas Aquinas  in his theory of cause. He presented five arguments for the existence of god in his masterwork the  Summa Theologiae. In the argument about casualty he stated the following premises: 1. The  natural world  includes events that occur. 2. In thenatural world, every event has a cause, and no event causes itself. 3. In the  natural world, causes must precede their effects. 4. In the  natural world, there are no infinite cause/effect chains. 5.Hence there is an  entity outside  of nature (a supernatural being), which causes the first event that occurs in the world. In our  f inite world  of existence, an event cannot cause itself, and if there is no first cause, there would not be any effects. So, God is the first cause. God must exist since all his premises are all in support of his conclusion that the first cause is God. An atheist is likely to say that the Big Bang was the first cause, but Aquinas’s premises and conclusion will refute this theory, as we will view later. I agree with this theory of cause, because I believe that our existence could