Does God Exist?

Chan ♦ March 27, 2011 ♦ Leave Your Comment

Often times I am asked, “Can you prove that God exists?” May response is always, “Well, that depends.” “What do you mean by prove?” If by “prove” a person means that it can be demonstrated 100% scientifically that God exists, then the answer is “No, I cannot prove that God exists.” But if by “prove” you mean argumentation and evidence that a reasonable person should conclude that God does exist, then the answer is “Yes” I can prove God’s existence.
There are 3 major arguments for God’s existence. The way I remember them is Country Music Television or CMT.
Cosmological Argument
Moral Argument
Teleological Argument

Each of these arguments have 2 premises and a conclusion. By the rules of logic, if the premises are true then the conclusion logically follows. This is known as “deductive reasoning.” If someone wants to tear down your argument, they must show that your premises are false.

COSMOLOGICAL ARGUMENT
1. Whatever begins to exist has a cause.
2. The universe began to exist.
3. Therefore, the universe has a cause.

It is that simple. This argument is easy to remember and easy to memorize. The basic strategy for this argument is to use “the principle of causality” to show that the universe did not just “pop” into existence uncaused out of nothing. Einstein’s theory of relativity showed that all space matter and time came into existence. Whatever caused space and time could not itself be part of space and time. Therefore, this cause must be timeless, spaceless and immaterial being of supernatural power. This cause must be a personal agent because it chose to create. This cause fits the description of God.

MORAL ARGUMENT
1. If God does not exist, then objective morals do not exist.
2. But objective morals do exist.
3. Therefore God exists.

This argument hits right at the heart of where people are. We all know that certain actions are REALLY right and certain actions are REALLY wrong. That is what I mean by “objective.” An action is objectively right or wrong irregardless of someones opinion. For example, “Torturing babies for fun” is an example of an “objective” moral. It is always wrong to do this, no matter what a persons culture or background. Yet, if there is no God, who is to say who is right or wrong? Moral or immoral? Morality then becomes whatever helps us survive or thrive as a community. Yet, this just doesn’t seem to be the case and we all know it.

Teleological argument
1. All design implies a designer.
2. There is intelligent design in the universe.
3. Therefore, there must be an intelligent designer of the universe.

This argument comes for the Latin word “teleo” which means “design.” The illustration that I love to use for this arguments is the cups in the fence illustration.
Have you ever driven past a fence that had cups arranged in the fence to spell out a message? Though most people have never seen the person who arranged the cups, it would be reasonable to infer that there was a “mind” behind the message because information can only come from intelligence. Well, embedded in the DNA double helix is a code so complex that if it was put into print, it would fill volumes upon volumes of books. There must be an intelligent mind behind this information.
When you put all these arguments together, supernatural cause for the universe, moral being who is good and an intelligent designer, you get a picture of God that looks a lot like the God of the Bible, yet we have discovered him without the Bible.
We have just scratched the surface on these arguments. There have been numerous books written on each of them. But if you remember CMT, you can make a reasonable case for the existence of God.

For further reading:

I don’t have enough Faith to be an Atheist by Frank Turek, Norm Geisler.
On Guard by William Lane Craig