The question of God’s existence is at the very heart of Christianity. The majority of people in Ireland still accept this belief but there is growing opposition to this fundamental truth. Britain’s most outspoken critic of Christianity, Richard Dawkins, professor at Oxford University, has famously said that parents who teach their children to believe in God should be punished for child abuse. Yet despite the unfair advantage given to evolutionary indoctrination in schools and the media, belief in God persists.
While it is beyond the scope of a brief article to deal adequately with this subject, we want to give a few reasons to demonstrate that belief in God is rational and reasonable.
The argument from cause and effect
The principle of cause and effect is part of every day life. If you are lying in bed at night and hear a crash in the other room, you wonder what caused that noise. Perhaps it was the cat knocking something over, or an open window causing something to blow. Or perhaps it was just something that was precariously balanced and gravity took its toll. But if there was a noise, someone or something must have caused it.
As we look at the universe, we wonder where it all came from. Two basic ideas have found general acceptance at various times in Western society. One is the theistic idea of special creation by an intelligent Creator; the other is the naturalistic idea of unaided evolutionary development. Evolution claims our universe just happened as a result of the Big Bang, 14 million years ago. Christianity claims that a loving, purposeful, intelligent God made everything.
Some will object that if everything must have a cause, then God must have a cause. In other words, who made God? But there are really only two possibilities. Either the universe (matter) is eternal or there is an immaterial Being who created the universe.
The Bible describes God as an eternal being who brought everything into existence by His powerful word (Hebrews 11:3). People once argued that the universe was eternal, but scientists are now convinced that the universe came into existence at a moment in time that they call the Big Bang. Yet while this provides an answer to the question of cause and effect, it cannot answer the question of design.
The argument from design
For the Christian, this argument advances the argument from cause and effect. As we look at the universe, we see that it is remarkably complex. In Darwin’s day, he could speak of the simple cell, but the development of molecular biology has shown that the cell is an extremely complax “factory” that produces proteins and the other building blocks of the cell. Microbiologist Michael Behe coined the term “irreducible complexity” to describe the necessity of certain basic parts of a cell all being present at the same time in order for a cell to function. But the problem is that unless all these parts evolved at the same moment, the cell would never have begun to function.
Similarly, the discovery of DNA has shown that within each cell there is a whole library of information that determines the functioning of each cell. Evolution must explain not only the origin of this information, but also the mechanism whereby this information can be read. For instance, some have argued that if a monkey could sit at a computer for millions of years and randomly hit keys, eventually it could write the Encyclopedia Britannica. But of course, the English language must already exist in order for these random keystrokes to form words and be meaningful. Information implies intelligence and intelligence is compatible with God but not with unaided evolutionary chance.
Our universe is indelibly stamped with design. It is fascinating that some can look at a simple painting on a cave wall and see evidence of intelligence, but can look at the complexity of the human hand that made those paintings and attribute that to unintelligent chance. Design implies a designer. The magnitude of design in our universe demands an infinitely intelligent designer.
The argument from moral values
Materialism (or naturalism) argues that everything can and must be explained in terms of physics and chemistry, that is, it must have a material or natural cause. However, this is particularly strained when it comes to issues like logic and moral values that are immaterial.
Materialists insist, and indeed must insist, that there is no such thing as absolute moral values. Everything is relative, just preferences, or social contracts determined for the preservation of the common good. Christianity argues that the presence of moral laws is evidence of a moral lawgiver. These laws are not above God to determine His behaviour, but rather are a reflection of His own character. He is the unchanging standard of moral goodness.
One of the common objections to the existence of God is the problem of evil. As people see the evil of mankind, the atrocities that are committed against helpless or defenseless people, many have denounced faith in God. Yet our capacity to recognize evil as evil is an indication of our moral sensibilities which cannot be explained adequately on the basis of purely materialistic grounds. The inborn desire that we have for justice, for truth, for love, for beauty, for purpose, and for reason, are all a reflection of the character of the personal Creator revealed in the Bible who has made us in His image and for His glory.
Conclusion
Is it possible to prove God’s existence? Probably not to the satisfaction of a sceptic. But there are compelling reasons that make sense of the available data to one who will be open-minded enough to consider the evidence. On the other hand, it is worth asking whether you have fairly considered this question or whether your naturalistic assumptions have ruled out the possibility of a supernatural explanation before you begin.
The Bible plainly states that “without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). But we contend that many people accept naturalistic assumptions on the basis of faith also, since most of us have not done primary research in physics and chemistry and must depend on the conclusions they publish.
We invite you to examine your assumptions and see whether they take all of the evidence into account. And we encourage you to seek the Lord, though He is not very far from every one of you (Acts 17: 27).
DNW