Apologetics press the case for the existence of god part ii. What is the best argument for the existence of god. Dean overmans the case for the existence of god is a book that i was highly anticipating before reading it. May 20, 2017 the strongest argument for the existence of god is that intellectual rationality never closes an explanation. No other work has made a more powerful case for the probability of the existence of god. Arugments for the existence of god involve carefully crafted reasoning with the hope that an individual will come to the conclusion that god exists also known as proofs for gods existence, these arguments have not always come with full acceptance. Christian claims related to the existence and nature of hell can be defended both from the biblical text and from reasonable, rational philosophical arguments. The evidence for the existence of god is available. Jan 20, 2017 can science prove the existence of god. The 7 most intriguing philosophical arguments for the. The case for god being the god of the bible, and therefore the case for the christian god is pretty overwhelming. There must be something greater, an ultimate cause or prime mover, that allows us to notice that fact. Letters to doubting thomas offers a concise, careful argument for god s existence.
The claim that god does not exist is a claim to know something about god, namely, that he does not. However, what they call a cumulative case is often misleadingly described as such. An objective feature of the world is inconsistent with the attributes of god. The case for gods existence in the quran and sunnah is straightforward, easy to comprehend, and supported by logic and sound reasoning. Nielsen says, to show that an argument is invalid or unsound is not to show that the conclusion of the argument is false.
In this episode of the coldcase christianity broadcast, j. The case for the existence of god apologetics press. Fernandes presents evidence for god s existence by appealing to common aspects of human experience. With the nature of proof and evidence in view, a cumulative case for the existence of god can be. A cumulative case for the existence of god apologetics315. Overman, author, armand nicholi, afterword by, robert kaita, foreword by. A case for the existence of god explores fundamental questions about why our world exists and how it functions. Be informed, but be patient and purposeful in your approach. You are viewing the concept of god as something finite, something we can measure. Moral arguments for gods existence form a diverse family of arguments that reason from some feature of morality or the moral life to the existence of god, usually understood as a morally good creator of the universe. The case against the existence of god is even stronger. Many questions have plagued the human mind in regards to god, and there have been many arguments drawn with the hopes of proving the existence of a supreme being whom we know as god. In this essay it shall be discussed whether there are any arguments which work to prove the existence of god. Some of the brightest scientific minds of our time.
The bible teaches that atheists are not really atheists. He identifies, first, a range of issues concerning the physical universe itself that god s existence makes explicable. What we know know of god from nature, science, history, and personal experience, corresponds perfectly to the god of the bible. No, i am not talking little green men, with big eyes, longheads and speak in gibberish. Dean overmans a case for the existence of god is a serious, intellectually dense. Dean l overman examines questions in regards to the worlds origin, how it functions, and why. Many questions have plagued the human mind in regards to god, and there have been many arguments drawn with the hopes of proving the existence of a. The best arguments for gods existence dont challenge atheists.
Product information in a case for the existence of god, dean l. Apologetics press the case for the existence of god part i. May 06, 2017 many theists believers in an omniscient, omnipotent, omnibenevolent god try to make a cumulative case for the existence of their god. Time magazine, in a cover story on the socalled new atheists, had ended by dubbing him the atheist with a soul. In the two previous articles of this series, we have taken for granted that god exists. Synopsis a case for the existence of god by dean overman. Thus god exists in the understanding, even if not in reality. Warner offers a number of brief, rhetorically powerful responses to the objection.
The teleological and cosmological arguments shall be first discussed, criticised by showing their reliance on the ontological argument, which shall then be shown to be an inadequate argument. For those who acknowledge that there is at least reasonable evidence even if not all 5 points of evidence are accepted then they can no longer claim to be atheist. This is sensible, for accepting as true a conclusion for which there is no evidence, or inadequate evidence, would be irrational. Those opposed to natural theology claim that gods existence cannot be proven by human reason or the natural world. That is, those who profess to be atheists do ultimately believe in god in their heartofhearts. This is not really a good argument for the existence of god. It is the contention of the theist that there is a vast body of evidence that makes an impregnable prima facie case for the existence of goda case that simply cannot be refuted. The existence of god is a subject of debate in the philosophy of religion and popular culture a wide variety of arguments for and against the existence of god can be categorized as metaphysical, logical, empirical, or subjective. The case that provides the strongest evidence for gods existence. The best books on the existence of god ed feser on five. I would like to present here the prima facie case for the existence of god, and a portion of the evidence upon which that case is based. He provides a pardon to everyone through jesus work on the cross and fairly deals with those who have rejected the pardon, based on the severity of their crimes.
How to explain those 36 arguments for the existence of god see appendix, all of them formally constructed in the preferred analytic style, premises parading with military precision and every shirking presupposition and sketchy implication forced out into the open and subjected to rigorous inspection. Dean l overman some of the brightest scientific minds of our time have made incredible insights into the earliest origins of the universe but have failed to ultimately discover why there is something rather than. The case for allahs existence in the quran and sunnah. The strongest argument for the existence of god is that intellectual rationality never closes an explanation. He utilizes a cumulative case and argues that belief in god is more reasonable than atheism on each of these aspects of human experience. But even in this latter case, which would still be incredibly rare, youre likely to only sterilize half your world at once, because these beams are.
In philosophical terms, the question of the existence of god involves the disciplines of epistemology the nature and scope of knowledge and ontology study of the. It is endorsed by both keith ward and john polkinghorne, so i almost knew that it would be formidable. Overman examines the latest theories about the origins of the universe and explains why even the most sophisticated science can take us. Also known as proofs for god s existence, these arguments have not always come with full acceptance.
This article is intended to equip the reader with increased confidence in believing that god exists. Can we use an evidential approach, and if so, read more. Never mind that most believers accept a view of god far more. Is he making a cumulative case of arguing first for gods existence and then going on to talk about the nature of god. What is the evidence foragainst the existence of god. I would have to say that what i have learned is typical of the autodidact, my reading is not particularly structured or systematic, but i think i am fairly wellinformed on the issue of the existence of god. It is the contention of the theist that there is a vast body of evidence that makes an impregnable prima facie case for the existence of god a case that simply cannot be refuted. It posits that humans bet with their lives that god either exists or does not pascal argues that a rational person should live as though god exists and seek to believe in god. Moral arguments for the existence of god stanford encyclopedia of.
Overman examines the latest theories about the origins of the universe and explains why even the most sophisticated science can only take us so far. The case for the existence of god bert thompson, wayne jackson on. The existence of god has been in question for as long as mankind has existed and thought logically. These philosophical arguments for the existence of god can be dispatched through other philosophical arguments. Apologetics press the case for the existence of god. A case for the existence of god explores fundamental questions about why our world exists and how it functions, using principles of logic, physics, and theology to show that a belief in god can explain more about our world than even the most sophisticated science. The logical and scientific case for the existence of god. The best argument for the existence of god will be a bigpicture kind of argument. In that case, absolute proof is unreasonable, but the belief is rational because the evidence is abundant. Anyattempt to remain neutral in relation to gods existence is automaticallysynonymous with unbelief. All the proofs of gods existence may fail, but it may still be the case that god exists. Overman sets out to provide a cumulative case for the proposition that the existence of god is a rational, plausible belief p. Those opposed to natural theology claim that god s existence cannot be proven by human reason or the natural world, and that any attempt to do so runs the risk of becoming a god of the gaps argument. Now, with respect to that second question, i will leave it up to dr.
Atheist christopher hitchens case against the existence. Conviction in faith is attained when the basic faculties of the heart and mind combine in reflection upon the facts of existence and the message of the prophets. But the thing is that i really dont think that it presents the most definitive or intellectually rigorous case for the christian faith or even just the existence of god, although it is certainly worthy of consideration on that account as well perhaps thats why some say that mere christianity is perfect for the halfconverted. Sep 09, 2014 the best argument for the existence of god will be a bigpicture kind of argument. God doesnt believe in atheists the bible teaches that atheists are not really atheists. The broad structure of the argument is hardly original. Moral arguments for gods existence form a diverse family of. In short, to show that the proofs do not work is not enough by itself. Alvin plantinga, one of the worlds leading philosophers, has laid out two dozen or so arguments for gods existence. What is the strongest argument for the existence of god. Atkins to present the evidence against gods existence. Arguments that prove the existence of god uk essays. Reasons for faith or nonfaith have to do with highly personal factors that either predispose people to have a theistic or naturalistic worldview.
The question of whether life on earth exists, because of blind, dumb luck and chance, through evolution, or because of special creation by a supreme being, cannot be avoided in studying the existence of god. Can one make a case from a biblical perspective of other worlds and intelligent life. The one minute case against the existence of god one. The case for the existence of god 9 you are working on the premise of duality, the student explains. Yet it turns out that the rumors of gods death were premature. A wide variety of arguments for and against the existence of god. Either god is all that scripture makes him out to be or the bible is the biggest and most deceptive hoax ever compiled no doubt the strongest evidence for gods existence in the bible comes from the lord jesus christ. Now, none of these arguments make a definitive case for the existence of god, and many of them are fairly easily debunked or problematized as ill try to show. An investigative journalist and selfproclaimed atheist sets out to disprove the existence of god after his wife becomes a christian. Moreover, alternative explanations for the evidence of a mind would seem absurd when compared with the simple conclusion that a mind exists. Podcasts about gods existence cold case christianity. This evidence, or proofs, for the existence of god invites those atheists to consider it. It posits that humans bet with their lives that god either exists or does not.
The case for the existence of god essay example graduateway. God said that his existence has been so evident that all those who refuse to acknowledge this and find themselves standing in shame before the judgment seat will be unable to plead a case based on ignorance of god because he has clearly shown his eternal existence, nature and power in his creation. But notice that atheists have tried for centuries to disprove the existence of god, but no one has ever been able to come up with a successful argument. Among all the arguments for the existence of god there may be none more personal and intimate than c. The existence of god by richard swinburne goodreads. Surely, no one can read gods word with any degree of seriousness and go on denying the reality of gods existence. Jul 15, 2009 the one minute case against the existence of god a religion is an organized system of belief, most often assuming the existence of a higher power such as a supernatural almighty deity or an ultimate truth, first designed to enlighten humanity on the act of creation and produce specific prophecies that will come true if certain requirements are met. Biola university, author of coldcase christianity, gods crime scene, and. Jan 26, 2008 in that case, absolute proof is unreasonable, but the belief is rational because the evidence is abundant. Its in this material that he presents his famous five ways of arguing for gods existence. There is an allimportant question that is inseparable from the question of gods existence. If so, it speaks of the vastness of the universe, the might, and power of god and mans finiteness understanding the things. To counter, hitchens has to argue against god using arguments in one of two forms.
I hope these points will help you make the case for gods existence. There is an allimportant question that is inseparable from the question of god s existence. In establishing the prima facie case for the existence of god, theists presentthrough logic, clear reasoning, and factual dataarguments adequate to justify the acceptance of the conclusion that god exists. He identifies, first, a range of issues concerning the physical universe itself that gods existence makes explicable. Points to remember when making the case for gods existence. The existence of god is a subject of debate in the philosophy of religion and popular culture.
The god of the bible is equitable and fair, loving and just. With erika christensen, faye dunaway, frankie faison, robert forster. God is conceived as a being than which none greater can be thought, and even the nonbeliever can grasp that idea. This book is intended for people who have open minds concerning the question of gods existence. Pascals wager is an argument in philosophy presented by the seventeenthcentury french philosopher, mathematician and physicist, blaise pascal 16231662. Moral arguments for gods existence form a diverse family of arguments that reason from some feature of morality or the moral life to the existence of god, usually. Swinburne argues compellingly that the existence of the universe, its lawgoverned nature and finetuning, human consciousness and moral awareness, and evidence of miracles and richard swinburne presents a substantially rewritten and updated edition of his. A case for the existence of god christian newswire.
More amazing is that the relatively recent case for his existence comes from a surprising placescience itself. Many theists believers in an omniscient, omnipotent, omnibenevolent god try to make a cumulative case for the existence of their god. How the origin of life points to the existence of god youtube. While all who reject god will be separated from him for eternity, not all will suffer the same form of punishment. How can we possibly make an affirmative case for the existence of god. These are only a part of the evidence for gods existence. That comes very early in the discussion and is part of how he gets the ball rolling in. How the origin of life points to the existence of god.