Does God Exist?
We live in an inquiring world where most people, rather than simply believe what they are told by others, prefer to find things out for themselves. Their usual approach to such an important question as 'Does God Exist?' is to firstly look back on their previous experiences and then see what they can observe and make sense of with their own eyes, and only then see if Gods existence can fit into their understanding.
If we take this same open minded approach then there are two initial strong lines of argument to consider. The first of these is known as 'cause and effect'. Put simply this says that if something exists, like for example our Universe, then it must have come from somewhere. Some Scientists have, in more recent times, proposed a 'Big Bang Theory of Creation' - I expect that most of you Readers will have already heard of it. They suggest that the Universe, as we know it, resulted from one enormous explosion that took place many millions of years ago. These same Scientists are willing to concede that, although being of great magnitude, the explosion was also a very precise one in terms of its power. This follows from their calculations that show that if the explosion had been only very slightly more powerful than it was, then the Universe would have by now expanded to the extent that it no longer existed. They also agree that if it had been only very slightly less then gravity would have taken over by now (as it will do one day in the future) and our Universe begun to shrink back again into its centre. What they are not clear about however is what caused the Big Bang in the first place. My conclusion to this is that a God, who knew exactly what he was doing, made this very controlled explosion.
The second point to be considered, in seeking if there is a God, is the one of 'order and design'. This states that unless there is first a designer, followed by some sort of power to keep things in order, then chaos occurs. I don't know about you Reader but in my experience, explosions always produce a right mess. So, if we apply this to the Big Bang Theory, and then examine the world we live in, we find not chaos but a quite ordered, although sometimes stormy, environment. For example we find that the Earth is tilted on its axis at just the right amount to provide us with four seasons of weather. These then provide the necessary cycles of growth and decay to produce the food that we, and all the many other creatures, need.
But let's step back from all this theory and argument and look at things from a more practical point of view. What would you Reader think if you were, for example, out for country walk and you found a wristwatch that was wound up, ticking and showing the correct time? You'd probably think first of all that you were quite lucky - but what you are unlikely to think is that it had always existed and had lay where it was since the beginning of time. No, somebody somewhere must have firstly decided they needed it, then designed it and then made it.
In a similar way, if we examine this wonderful Universe that we live in, we can see God's wonderful design and workings.
But besides all that I've already written about the material world we live in there are other less tangible but still valid reasons to help us believe in the existence of God.
One of these is the fact that each of us has a conscience that must have come from somewhere or other. The idea of there being a right and a wrong is, to my mind, something placed inside our hearts by our designer God. I'll agree that there is a debate as to the point where right crosses over to becoming wrong, but I see all of this as part of the mystery of our very nature where we each have within us a need to see that justice be done. Even the biggest bully will complain if he thinks he has not been treated fair.
Another example of these inbuilt design features is mankind's pressing need to worship something - be it a sports team, pop star or something else. It appears to me that out of all the creatures in our world it is only we humans that have this need.
In closing I must say that I will be surprised if anybody reading this will be convinced by me of the existence of a creator God. This is because there is no absolute proof available from me or anybody else. But I do hope that I've given you something to think about that will allow you to make up your own mind about something that is, to my mind, a perfectly reasonable assumption. Note that up to now I have not quoted anything from the Bible. This is because even the Bible cannot prove the existence of God; but it does assume it. The Bible also says this - 'You will find me when you seek me, if you look for me in earnest.' (Jeremiah Ch 29:8 Living Bible)
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