Does God exist?

[+Faith+]

Does God Exist - The Big Questions

Does God exist? An answer to this fundamental question is a prerequisite for answering the other big questions of life: Where did we come from? Why are we here? Do we serve a purpose? Do we have any intrinsic value? What happens after we die? The question of the existence of God is fundamental.

Does God Exist - A Philosophical Issue
Before we ask the question "Does God exist?" we first have to deal with our philosophical predispositions. If, for example, I am already dedicated to the philosophical idea that nothing can exist outside of the natural realm (i.e. there can be no supernatural God), no amount of evidence could convince me otherwise. Asking the question "does God exist?" would be pointless. My answer would be "No, He doesn't," regardless of whether God truly exists or not. The question would be impossible to answer from an evidentiary standpoint simply because anything which God might have done (that is, any supernatural act which might serve as evidence for His existence) would have to be explained away in terms of natural causes, not because we know what those natural causes could possibly be, but simply because a supernatural God is not allowed to exist!

Dr. Richard Lewontin, the Alexander Agassiz Professor of Zoology at Harvard University, put it like this: "It is not that the methods and institutions of science somehow compel us to accept a material explanation of the phenomenal world, but, on the contrary, that we are forced by our a priori adherence to material causes to create an apparatus of investigation and a set of concepts that produce material explanations, no matter how counterintuitive, no matter how mystifying to the uninitiated. Moreover, that materialism is absolute, for we cannot allow a Divine Foot in the door" (Richard Lewontin, "Billions and Billions of Demons," New York Review of Books, January 9, 1997, p. 28).

If, on the other hand, I were neutral, and didn't already have an "a priori adherence" to a particular worldview (be it naturalistic or otherwise), the question "does God really exist?" wouldn't be pointless at all. Rather, it would be the first step in an objective and meaningful search for ultimate truth. Our willingness to ask the question with an open mind is fundamental to our ability to discover the truth behind the answer. So first of all, before you even ask the question, decide whether or not you're really willing to accept the answer.

Does God Exist - Things to Consider
Once you're ready to ask the question, "does God exist?" here are a few observations to consider as you begin your search for an objective answer:

Discoveries in astronomy have shown beyond a reasonable doubt that the universe did, in fact, have a beginning. There was a single moment of creation.
Advances in molecular biology have revealed vast amounts of information encoded in each and every living cell, and molecular biologists have discovered thousands upon thousands of exquisitely designed machines at the molecular level. Information requires intelligence and design requires a designer.
Biochemists and mathematicians have calculated the odds against life arising from non-life naturally via unintelligent processes. The odds are astronomical. In fact, scientists aren't even sure if life could have evolved naturally via unintelligent processes. If life did not arise by chance, how did it arise?
The universe is ordered by natural laws. Where did these laws come from and what purpose do they serve?
Philosophers agree that a transcendent Law Giver is the only plausible explanation for an objective moral standard. So, ask yourself if you believe in right and wrong and then ask yourself why. Who gave you your conscience? Why does it exist?
People of every race, creed, color, and culture, both men and women, young and old, wise and foolish, from the educated to the ignorant, claim to have personally experienced something of the supernatural. So what are we supposed to do with these prodigious accounts of divine healing, prophetic revelation, answered prayer, and other miraculous phenomena? Ignorance and imagination may have played a part to be sure, but is there something more?
If your curiosity has been piqued and you desire to look into this matter further, we recommend that you consider the world's assortment of so-called Holy Books. If God does exist, has He revealed Himself? And if He has revealed Himself, surely He exists...


http://www.allaboutphilosophy.org/does-god-exist-c.htm

[+Faith+]

God: Validated by Scientific Endeavor

In an attempt to disprove the necessity of God, graduate student Stanley Miller performed the famous Miller-Urey "spark and soup" experiment in 1953. Miller based his experiment on observations made by Harold Urey in 1952 regarding necessary atmospheric conditions for Spontaneous Generation of the "building blocks" of life. The ironic result of Miller's work was the validation of the Creation argument. Urey demonstrated that the presupposed atmospheric conditions of primitive earth were lethal to the "building blocks" of life. Oxygen destroys amino acids. However, without oxygen to deflect UV light, UV destroys amino acids. Thus, life can't develop as a result of Spontaneous Generation with or without oxygen. Geology indicates oxygen has always been a part of earth's atmosphere (every layer of strata, including the lowest layers, consist of oxidized rock). Furthermore, Miller demonstrated that Spontaneous Generation creates material lethal to life's "building blocks." The Miller-Urey experiment produced 85% tar, which is poisonous to life. Actually, Miller's experiment only produced amino acid "building blocks" in very small amounts (approximately 1.9% of the total product), but they themselves were harmful to life due to their structural makeup. The principle of "chirality" requires that all amino acids in proteins be 'left-handed', while all sugars in DNA and RNA, be 'right-handed'. Miller's experiment produced roughly equal amounts of left and right-handed material, thus establishing the mathematical absurdity of creating even the basic elements of life from a "spark and soup" process. Miller also demonstrated the necessity of information in his designed process. Miller performed the experiment twice, once under "natural" random conditions, and a second time using a manmade "trap" to keep the resultant amino acids from being zapped and destroyed by subsequent sparks. The first test, which represented "natural" random chance, produced no amino acids. Thus, science, even in an attempt to disprove God, further demonstrated the necessity for a Creator.

God: His Attributes
So what are the attributes of this Creator God? First of all, the Natural Law of Cause and Effect states that an effect is always less than its cause. If all of the energy in the universe came from God, it stands to reason that God is all-powerful (Omnipotent). If all the combined knowledge of mankind is the result of God, it's logical to propose that He is all-knowing (Omniscient). If everything we see originally came from an unseen God, it holds that He exists outside our physical dimensions (Transcendent). If all humans were created by God to be personal beings, then God must be a personal being Himself. So what does this Omnipotent, Omniscient, Transcendent, Personal, Creator God want from mankind? Surely, man was created for a reason. What is it that all personal beings want? The answer: a personal relationship with other personal beings.

God: His Purpose for Creation
Interestingly, the Bible describes God as an Omnipotent, Omniscient, Transcendent, Personal Creator who wants a personal relationship with mankind. However, mankind is separated from God by sin, a result of His gift of freewill. Furthermore, the Bible tells us that there must be retribution for mankind's crimes against God -- the breaking of His Divine Law. But that's not fair. We did not create ourselves with this ability to sin. We should not have to pay the consequences. Well, what would be fair? If God paid the penalty for us? "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins" (1 John 4:9-10). "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).

http://www.allaboutphilosophy.org/god-2.htm

[+Faith+]

What is Faith?

So, where am I with all this...? Where has this journey taken me, and how should it impact my life? I intellectually believe that certain things happened in history, but what does that really mean for my life today...?

What is belief? What is faith?

Although the Christian faith is not based purely on evidence, it is definitely supported by evidence. Faith is not about turning off the brain and merely relying on the heart, or squashing reason in favor of emotion. No, Christian faith is about seeking and knowing Jesus with all facets of the human character. It's not a "blind faith" as I once thought... It's a "calculated faith" based on a preponderance of the evidence. Well, I've collected the evidence, and I've put it on trial... After a number of months in the jury room, I have returned with my personal verdict... Jesus Christ is who he claims to be... the Son of God who came to this earth about 2,000 years ago to offer true and lasting hope for mankind.

OK, now what...? I intellectually believe, by a preponderance of the evidence, that God exists, that the Bible is true, and that Jesus is his Son... How does this affect me? What is faith, as far as it concerns me?

I love the metaphor of a chair... Find the chair closest to you. Look at it closely. Examine its design. Is it structurally sound? Is it sufficiently engineered? Will the materials chosen by the manufacturer support your weight?

Most likely, you picked a chair that you believe will support you. That's belief. You applied logic, knowledge and experience to make an informed intellectual decision.

Now sit in the chair... That's faith! At one point, intellectual assent only goes so far. True living requires that we put our beliefs into action. Intellectual belief without actionable faith is hollow and meaningless...

Have you ever heard about the guy who walked a tight rope across Niagra Falls? Many people watched him do it. To them he asked, "Do you believe I can walk a tight rope across the Falls?" They all replied, "Yes." They had already seen him do it.

Then he pushed a wheel barrow on a tight rope across Niagra Falls. When he completed the feat, he asked the onlookers, "Do you believe I can walk a tight rope across the Falls pushing a wheel barrow?" To that they replied unanimously, "Yes." Because they saw him do that too.

Finally, a buddy of the tight rope walker climbs into the wheel barrow and the tight rope walker pushes him across the Falls. Wow, what a daring feat! When they finished, the tight rope walker asked the crowd, "Do you believe I can walk a tight rope across the Falls pushing a wheel barrow with a person in it?" To that they exclaimed, "Yes!" For they were now believers in this guy's awesome abilities.

Then he looked at the crowd and asked, "Who's next?"

There you have it... Belief vs. Faith...!

http://www.allaboutthejourney.org/what-is-faith.htm

[Volitzer]

Oh God exists.

Too many miracles in my life to ever doubt HIS existence at this point in time.