Is there a God?

1. Is there a God?

2. Why don’t people believe in God? • It can’t be empirically proven that he exists. • Science gives us enough evidence about where we and the universe came from that we don’t need to believe in God. (Big Bang Theory, Evolution) • There are so many radically different viewpoints about what God is like (Christian, Muslim, Hindu, etc.). • Pain and suffering exists, so God cannot, or else he must be wicked.

3. Surprise! You cannot prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that God exists.

4. So… How can we know whether or not God exists?

5. So… How can we know whether or not God exists? Start with identifying what it means to know something.

6. So… What is it to “know” something?

7. So… What is it to “know” something? To have knowledge.

8. So… What is it to “know” something? To have knowledge. Duh.

9. Alright then, wise guy… What is knowledge?

10. Alright then, wise guy… What is knowledge? Good question.

11. Epistemology 101The JTB Theory Knowledge is: Justified True Belief

12. Epistemology 101Belief To take an idea and claim that it is true Example: “It is raining.”

13. Epistemology 101Justification To provide reason for saying that something is true Example: “It was getting cloudy, and I was getting wet when I came inside, so it must be raining.

14. Epistemology 101Truth Matching up with the way the world actually is. Example: It really is raining.

15. Epistemology 101JTB: The way it all fits together. “It was cloudy and I was getting wet when I came inside. (J) + Therefore, I think it is raining” (B) + It is actually raining. (T) = I know that it is raining.

16. So, how do we come to know that God exists? Truth: Either God exists or He doesn’t - 50%-50% Belief: Either you believe God exists or you don’t – 50%-50% Justification – Here are x reasons I believe God exists - ??%-??%

17. So, how can we come to know that God exists? Answer: Focus on Justification by examining arguments for and against the case for God’s existence

18. Argument from Design“The Teleological Argument” 1. The universe seems to display a great degree of complexity and order. 2. Either this order has come into being by chance, or it was designed by an intelligent creator. 3. It is highly unlikely that this order happened by chance. 4. Therefore, the best explanation is that it was designed by an intelligent creator.

19. Argument from Causality“Kalam Cosmological Argument” • There is no such thing as an actual infinite series. • Everything that exists must have a cause for its coming into being. • There cannot be an infinite chain of causes. • Therefore, it is necessary that something exist without a cause. • This something is God.

20. Cause A Cause B Cause C

21. 8 Cause U Cause V Cause W Cause Z Cause Y Cause X Cause A Cause B Cause C

22. 8 Cause U Cause V Cause W Cause Z Cause Y Cause X Cause A Cause B Cause C

23. Why doesn’t this model work? • For an infinite series to exist, there must be an infinite amount of time for it to happen. • However, if there was an infinite amount of time, no specific point in time would ever be reached. It could never be “now”.

24. First Cause Cause U Cause V Cause W Cause Z Cause Y Cause X Cause A Cause B Cause C

25. Argument from Morality • All men are conscious of an objective moral law. • Moral laws imply a moral Lawgiver. • Therefore, there must be a supreme moral Lawgiver.

26. Argument from Miracles • A miracle is an event for which the only adequate explanation is the extraordinary and direct intervention of God. • There are numerous, well-attested miracles. • Therefore, God exists.

27. So… Have we proven the existence of God?

28. So… Have we proven the existence of God? No.

29. But… We have begun to build a case. “The interesting thing about apologetics is that there is not enough evidence to compel people who don’t want to believe, but more than enough evidence so that people who do want to believe can have a rational faith.” – Dr. Clay Jones