16 Feb While God Cannot Be Proved, There Is Compelling Evidence That He Exists
Blog Series: Renew Your Mind ~ Transform Your Life
Last week, in looking further at the importance of developing an eternal perspective, we talked about, since “science” is not able to either prove or disprove the existence of God, we then must turn to looking at “evidence”.
We also saw last week that, “whenever a scientist speaks about anything outside the scientific method, he is speaking not as a scientist but as a philosopher. And as such, he has no more inherent authority or credibility than a non-scientist.”
So, as we begin looking deeper into the evidence of God’s existence, this week we will look at the “philosophical” question that must be examined when looking for “proof” of God’s existence.
What is the ultimate philosophical question?
The ultimate philosophical question is: why is there something rather than nothing?
Every effect must have an adequate cause. So here we have the universe, the starry heavens, the most colossal “effect” there is. The question is, then, what is the cause? How in the world do we explain the existence of the universe?
In answering that question, we have three choices:
- Matter is eternal.
- Something came from nothing.
- God created it.
Is matter eternal?
The universe cannot be eternal. Even scientists who put forth the Big Bang theory say that it’s filled with great balls of fire, burning with unimaginable fury.
Our sun, the closest star, is a rather modest star compared to others, yet it burns as a raging inferno, and will one day burn out, like a campfire when the logs are consumed. It hasn’t always been here and it will not always be here in the future. So matter cannot be eternal.
Did something come from nothing?
To say that something came from nothing, to me, is unsustainable nonsense.
If there is nothing – anywhere – then something cannot come from it. In my mind, to believe that is to stretch the laws of reason past the breaking point.
Or was the universe created?
That leaves the option that the universe was created. If it was created, then by whom? If there is a God who created, then which God? Again, we have three choices:
- The naturalistic gods of primitive religions
- The gods of Eastern religions
- The God of Abraham
Again, to say that the universe is explained by the gods of primitive religions, to me, is unsustainable. For one thing, none of the religions agree with each other. They have crows, or snakes, or other animals involved in creating the world. But they never say where the crows or snakes or other animals came from. They don’t claim omnipotence, omniscience or omnipresence for the animals. Can such animals be responsible for this stupefyingly complex universe? There’s not a shred of evidence or reason to suggest that it’s true, either on a philosophical or practical level. No one, outside the narrow limits of an individual religion, believes that naturalistic gods created the universe.
In the same way, I cannot believe that the gods of Eastern religions explain the existence of the universe. Again, there are many different accounts, none of the accounts agree with each other, and if you pick one, and dissolves into fantastic myths. The Hindu god Krishna, for example, is an imp surrounded by women devotees who shows no evidence of having the power to create the universe as we know it. It is typical mythology. Outside of someone in a given eastern religion, there is no one who believes one of the gods of the eastern religions created the universe.
Which God created the universe?
So that brings us to the God of Abraham. There are three religions that take themselves back to the God of Abraham: Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. While there are major differences among these three religions, they all agree that the God of Abraham created the universe*.
Summary
So, we end up with this in our investigation of the evidence for developing an accurate worldview based on an eternal perspective:
We look at the universe, the greatest of all physical effects, and we ask, “what is the cause?” What can explain the existence of the universe? It cannot be that matter is eternal, and it cannot be that something came from nothing. So, it must have been created.
But who created it? It is not believable that the gods of naturalistic or eastern religions created the universe. Both sink to the level of myth. That leaves the God of Abraham.
While the teachings of the three religions that trace their roots back to Abraham differ on some major doctrines that affect what you have to do in order for it to be “safe to die”, they all three agree that the God of Abraham created the universe. *For many reasons that lie outside the scope of today’s discussion, I believe that Islam fundamentally deviates from the promises of God through Judaism, that Christianity is the fulfillment of Judaism and is the true way to God. Therefore, I believe the God of the Bible is the Creator of the universe.
Beyond that, if we compare scientific observation with what we read in the Bible, and if we do so, without an anti-supernatural presupposition, we conclude the Bible is true. There is significant cross validation between science and the Bible.
Therefore, the God of the Bible is the best explanation for why there is something rather than nothing! Or, another way of saying that is,
answering the question of why there is something rather than nothing presents compelling philosophical evidence that God exists.
Conclusion
For me, it is almost impossible to believe in God. But it is absolutely impossible for me to not believe in God, and I came to that confidence thinking through the question of why there is something rather than nothing.
For me, there is no other possible explanation for “what is” than that the God of the Bible created the universe.
In ensuing weeks, we will be looking at other serious objections that must be overcome, even with the God of the Bible. But on the other side, we will have an eternal perspective that can stand the test of life and reality.
In case you’re new here
This blog post is part of a series titled “Renew Your Mind, Transform Your Life”, introduced on January 5, 2021. As the series continues, each succeeding post will be added to and available in the blog archives at www.maxanders.com.
If you know anyone who you think might enjoy joining us in this study, please forward this blog to them and encourage them to go to my web site (www.maxanders.com) and sign up for the free video, “Master the Bible So Well That the Bible Masters You”, available there on the home page. This will put them on my regular mailing list and they’ll receive my weekly blogs on this subject.
In addition, I am creating a new online membership site, The Change Zone, that will provide information, strategies and resources to help motivated Christians renew their mind and transform their lives. If you would like to learn more about this and get updates to know when The Change Zone will be available, click here.
I look forward to going through this life-changing journey with you.
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