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The Case for God: Knowing God Exists . Kedron E. Jones Apologetics Research Society. www.evidenceforchristianity.org. A Brief History of Philosophy. The question of God’s existence is a question of interest not only to religion but also to philosophy. A Brief History of Philosophy.
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The Case for God: Knowing God Exists Kedron E. Jones Apologetics Research Society www.evidenceforchristianity.org
A Brief History of Philosophy • The question of God’s existence is a question of interest not only to religion but also to philosophy.
A Brief History of Philosophy • Questions about Metaphysics (What is the origin of the universe?).
A Brief History of Philosophy • Questions about Epistemology (i.e., How do we know what we know is true?).
A Brief History of Philosophy • Questions about Ethics (i.e., What is good and what is evil?).
A Brief History of Philosophy • Everyone has a philosophy of life called a worldview.
What Is A Worldview? • A Worldview is a lens through which we see the world. • All Worldviews have axioms.
1st Axiom of Atheism: Metaphysics • The Universe Exist
1st Axiom of Atheism: Metaphysics • God makes sense of the origin of the universe
1st Axiom of Atheism: Metaphysics • The Cosmological Argument • Whatever begin to exist has a cause. • 2. The universe begin to exist. • 3. Therefore, the universe has a cause.
2nd Axiom of Atheism: Epistemology • Science is the sole source of knowledge and the sole arbiter of truth. • “Science proves everything eventually, and your denying that is just funny and sad at the same time.”http://forum.thatfatatheist.com/topic/8913172/1/
2nd Axiom of Atheism: Epistemology • Ways of Knowing • 1. Empirical Knowledge (e.g., Science) • 2. Reason (e.g., Square Circles are contradictory) • 3. Intuition (e.g., John, Mary & Tom) • 4. Authority (e.g., people, books, a supreme being, etc.).
2nd Axiom of Atheism: Epistemology • What Science Cannot Prove • 1. Logical & Mathematical Truths • 2. Metaphysical Truths • 3. Ethical Beliefs • 4. Aesthetic Judgments • 5. Science Itself
2nd Axiom of Atheism: Epistemology • Atheism & Truth Claims • Atheism cannot account for laws of logic. • Atheism cannot account for the uniformity of nature. • Ultimately, there is a tremendous amount of uncertainty!
2nd Axiom of Atheism: Epistemology • God is the best explanation for truth claims
3rd Axiom of Atheism: Ethics • Ethics (i.e., What is good and what is evil?). • “Right and wrong are a matter of opinion, and as a result, at the end of the day, their intentions are the only thing that matters.” • http://www.fighunter.com/index.php?page=comment_single&c=52473
3rd Axiom of Atheism: Ethics • “…ethics arises from the pressures of the community on the individual. Man…does not always instinctively feel the desires which are useful to his herd. The herd, being anxious that the individual should act in its interests, has invented various devices for causing the individual’s interest to be in harmony with that of the herd. One of these…is morality.”
3rd Axiom of Atheism: Ethics • “I appreciate that when somebody says ‘Love thy neighbor as thyself,’ they think they are referring above and beyond themselves. Nevertheless, such reference is truly without foundation, Morality is just an aid to survival and reproduction…any deeper meaning is illusory.”
3rd Axiom of Atheism: Ethics • What is the Basis of Our Values? • Social Convention? • Personal Preference? • Evolution? • God? • If God does not exist then all we are, are accidental by-products of nature.
3rd Axiom of Atheism: Ethics • God Makes Sense of Objective Moral Values in the World
3rd Axiom of Atheism: Ethics • The Moral Argument • If there is no God then objective moral values do not exist. • Objective moral values do exist. • Therefore, God exist.
The Christian Axiom “And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith” – 1 Corinthians 15:14
Historical Case for the Resurrection • The Two Step Process • Determine what is the evidence to be explained. • Inferring which explanation of the evidence is the best explanation.
Historical Case for the Resurrection • The Evidence • Jesus’ empty tomb. • Jesus’ appearances alive after His death. • The origin of the disciples’ belief in His resurrection. • The best explanation of these facts is that God raised Jesus from the dead!
Historical Case for the Resurrection • Evidence #1: Empty Tomb • The Disciples stole Jesus’ body (Matt. 28:11-15). If true then they died for what they knew was untrue. • Jewish/Roman authorities moved the body. Romans wanted to keep peace and the Jews wanted a guard (Matt. 27). • Christ did not really die, he was mistakenly reported as dead.
Historical Case for the Resurrection • Evidence #2: Appearance of Jesus • Jesus appeared to over 500 people during a 40 day period at different places. • Jewish or Roman authorities could have simply paraded Jesus’ body around the city? That would have stopped the spread of the Christian message before it even started!
Historical Case for the Resurrection • Evidence #3: Belief in His resurrection • Jews had no conception of a Messiah who, instead of triumphing over Israel’s enemies, would be shamefully executed as a criminal. • Either people were lying, hallucinating or they were telling the truth. • The most reasonable explanation is that they were telling the truth.
Why It Makes a Difference that God Exist • If God does not exist then life is ultimately meaningless. • If God does not exist then we must ultimately live with no hope. • If God does exist then not only does life have meaning and hope, but we can know Him personally.
Answering the Fool • Proverbs 26:4-5 • “Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will be like him yourself.” • “Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes.”
