What follows is one of my Grad school papers, so apologies up front if it comes across as highly academic; it is. :-)
In theology, it is not uncommon to ask oneself why it is
valuable to posit arguments for the existence of God. “Surely God can prove himself
if he so chooses”, one might say. Still there is a long legacy of these
arguments and it is their perpetuation which merits some attention by modern
philosophizing believers.
How
Do You Know God?
In order to discover the value in arguments for God’s
existence, it is first helpful to make some observations about how one comes to
know of God. First, a distinction must be made in general: all ways that people
claim to be able to know that there is a God eventually distil into one of two
ways of knowing. Either knowledge of God is learned or else it is directly experienced.
In regards to learning, we can see that there are many
world religions and traditions within them that claim to yield belief in God.
In Christianity, specific, there are formal arguments that have been handed
down by theologians and philosophers throughout history. One such argument is
the teleological argument which claims that there must be a God because all
creation seems to be moving toward a designated end. Another is the cosmological
argument which points to the idea that there must be a source for nature and
that all matter and energy originated somewhere. Arguments such as these have
been handed down throughout the years without abandon and seem to be very
convincing for some[1].
The second and arguably more controversial way we know of
God is through experience. The trouble with pointing to experience as a way of
knowing God is that it is logically irrefutable (that is, no one can say you
did not experience what you claim to have indeed experienced) and it is highly
subjective (specifically, the individual’s interpretation of perceived
experiences play a huge, uncontrollable factor). Thankfully, there are recorded
experiences that can be looked to for comparative purposes in order to discern
what is normal and what is novel. Still, experience has been one of the main
ways that people tend to claim to know God.
One famous example of this is transmitted
through literature to us from famed philosopher, Rene Descartes. In his
mediations Descartes essentially proposes that we can know that God exists
because we exist; thus, our mere pondering is proof enough[2].
Another well known example comes from the darling of Evangelicals, C.S. Lewis
who pointed to our intrinsic awareness of morality as proof of a higher power;
namely, God[3].
Both of these examples take the human observation of reality to be quite
authoritative and, while one could argue their validity, it is undeniable that
the tradition of looking inside oneself for an answer to the question of God’s
existence is well established in human thought.
The
Worth of an Argument
In order to proceed and answer the question of whether or
not it is a worthy venture to develop arguments that attempt to convince people
of God’s existence, we must realize that apologetic reasoning of this kind
falls in the category of “learned” means for knowing God. This is so because
sophisticated reasons are unlikely to simply fall into a person’s experiential
world without being planted there by some means of education. So, when we look
at apologetics and question the validity, we need to look at the value of
tradition.
The passing down of knowledge and culture is essential in
the human experience. As foundational as traditions can be, we must also
understand that ideas that are rooted in identity are the kinds of ideas that
people are willing to die for[4].
Christianity especially is guilty of this charge as it was founded on a martyr
and has a lifestyle of martyrdom built into it. So when we ask about logical
arguments, we cannot sell short their powerful application.
Furthermore, it seems to be that if some people will resist
belief in God on the grounds that there are logical problems, then it follows that
some will embrace theism if said problems do not exist. Therefore, it is reasonable
to attempt to dissolve cognitive dissonance for people as a means of transmitting
belief in God. This logical truth provides some cause to continue to develop apologetics.
Still, it must also be said that arguments for God’s existence do best when they
take on an inductive form and when they have an additive effect; that is, it has
not been necessarily proven that God exists and it is rare that someone is convinced
by only one argument. Finally, a person must be willing to accept the premises necessary
for logical arguments to gain ground and if they refuse on principal, then it is
pointless to continue any form of argumentation[5].
One final thing can be said about the value in arguing for
God’s existence with non-believers and it is this: It is true that many people are
driven away from a theistic stance because of professing believers and not because
of Church doctrine. I personally have had long conversations with people in which
I try to debunk misconceptions of theism. One such person is a childhood friend
of mine whom I will call Todd.
Todd was raised in a physically and emotionally abusive home
by legalistic parents, one of which hailed from an atheistic background and the
other from a fundamentalist background. What’s more is Todd’s long experience with
his neighbors who are professing Mennonites – supposedly one of the most pious denominations
of Christianity. Sadly, Todd not only had witnessed these Mennonites stealing from
him but also wild parties and rumored orgies. All of these experiences totaled up
a much distorted picture of the Christian God in Todd’s mind. When I decided that
it was time for me to leverage my lifelong friendship with Todd against his disbelief
it began in the form of me inquiring about his logical reasons for doubting Christianity.
Not surprisingly, Todd’s biggest hindrances to belief were
rooted in the duplicity and perceived inconsistency of the “Christians” in his life.
Along with not wanting to associate with hypocrites, Todd struggled with theodicy;
after all, if God was good, why was he allowed to be marginalized his whole life?
My point in disclosing Todd’s case to the reader is not to merely point to the reality
that people have logical issues with theism, but to also relate that I utilized
my formal education in arguing on God’s behalf in concert with my own experiences
in order to help Todd begin to traverse his swamp of cynicism and jadedness towards
theism and Christianity.
Had it not been for the apologetic arguments for free will
and ecclesial doctrines that were settled by much philosophizing, I would have had
little to point to during my conversations with Todd. The value of intellectual
pursuits in regards to discovering God is immeasurable because of the pay out; namely,
the soul of a lost brother or sister. To this end, we must use all means necessary
and there are few means as powerful as that of human reasoning.
Concluding
Thoughts
It is part of a Christian’s duty to attempt to spread the
Kingdom of God via the good news of Christ’s atoning sacrifice. To do this, we must
understand that we will face opposition and it will rarely come in the form of people
attempting to discredit our experiences. As previously stated, that is an impassible
mountain to traverse because the slopes of it consist of subjective interpretation.
Therefore we must be prepared for any and all logical conundrums that might exist
for the sake of the gospel of Christ and the mission of the Ecclesia.
Like the parable of the prodigal son, we must be aware that
people who have ran from God, believing that it is reasonable to do so, need guidance
to come to the realization of the mess and depravity to which they have run and
the logical validity of returning to the Father. Utilizing the traditional arguments
of the Church must never take a backseat to the experiences of Christians; instead,
we should strive to open the eyes of the unbelieving heart to the reasonableness
of God.
References
Baird, F. E.
(2011). Rene Descartes: 1596-1650. In From
Plato to Derrida (pp.
400-404). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Evans, C. S.,
& Manis, R. Z. (2009). Classical Arguments for God's Existence. InPhilosophy
of religion: Thinking about faith (pp.
96-97). Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic.
Lewis, C. S.
(2001). What Lies Behind the Law. In Mere
Christianity (pp. 23-25). San
Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco.
McGrath, A.
E. (2010). Science, Religion and Proofs for God's Existence. In Science and religion: An
introduction (pp. 61-65).
Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.
Moreland, J.
P., & Willard, D. (1997). Apologetic Reasoning and the Christian Mind. InLove
your God with all your mind: The role of reason in the life of the soul (p. 154). Colorado Springs, CO:
NavPress.
