Proofs for God's Existence: Introduction

     by Josh Hickok

“The main thing about this question of God is that it is one of the questions upon which it is possible to think rationally. Think as truthfully as you can and then it won’t matter what it is that you finally think.” -Bertrand Russell [1]

“Having shown that it is not idle to try to prove that God exists…”  -Thomas Aquinas [2]

     Have you ever talked to someone who either did or did not have an idea of God and his existence?  Of course you have- it is one of the oldest discussions ever held, and for good reason.  Is there anything that you can think of that would have any more impact on the way we act, think or talk?  I would say no, with the hopes that many would agree.  But the real question is not ‘does it really matter if God exists or not’- anything that is true deserves our attention.  What we should ask is ‘if we can know, what reasons would suggest His existence?’.  Indeed, men in all ages have given some sort of answer to both those important propositions.  It is our goal to help sort through the arguments, both ancient and modern, to find rational justification for belief in God.

     So what is the standard by which we judge the merit of a particular argument?  It seems simple, but is too often ignored- you use the appropriate method for the appropriate argument.  You don’t use science to deem the validity of a syllogism, and you don’t use science to judge the miracles of Christ[3].  If you want a steak, you do not go to the cleaners.  Different epistemic systems require different processes.  In the post-Enlightenment era, you rarely find a college professor willing to defend the ancient philosophical arguments that claimed to demonstrate the reality of God.  This is because of the bias against philosophical musings and the unwavering attachment to naturalistic science.  I feel they have over stepped their bounds as I will demonstrate in the following articles.

     I highly doubt that a few words on a page will ever convince someone to commit to a lifestyle of belief.  That is the job of the Spirit, who makes ready for us a place of belief into which we will decide for our own to follow Him.  As the philosopher Paul puts it, “No one can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.”[4]

     If you have any questions, concerns, comments or feel I have left something important out, drop me a line.

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