Big Paper 1

Name: Theona O’Brien
Date: 2/22/2015
Course: HUM 1533-200556
Word count: 1,662
Title: The Existence of God
1. Introduction and Thesis
It is human nature to question our existence. Some believe it was God who created our existence, and others rely on science. This has been an ongoing debate since life on earth. This paper argues that it is not possible to prove either way whether if the traditional God exists or not. There are no credentials to prove God’s existence or lack of; it is merely a belief. Some may rely on the Bible as proof although there is no way to prove the stories within true.
2. Explanation of Philosophical views
One of the “Five Ways of Proving God’s Existence” by St. Thomas Aquinas is his “Third Way” which is taken from possibility to necessity and goes on from there. In life, there are things that have the possibility to be or not to be. Everything in this world is either living or not. However, it is impossible for these “things” to exist or live for eternity on Earth. Life comes to an end inevitably. So, if everything had the ability not to be then at some point there was no existence on earth. Assuming that to be true, then today there would be nothing in existence because to begin to exist you need something that is already existing. Therefore, if at one time there was no existence, then it is impossible to

have existence today. So, there had to have been an initial existence, but that initial existence must have existed from itself. This initial existence is God.
St. Anselm wrote “The Ontological Proof of God’s Existence”. He believes it is one thing for an object to be in the understanding and another to understand that the object exists. God must exist in the mind even if that mind is a “fool” who doesn’t believe in God. He thinks that if the greatest possible being (God) exists in the mind, then he must exist in reality. If God only exists in the mind, then an even greater being must be possible. This being exists in the mind and in reality.
“The Argument of Design” is supported by both Paley and Aquinas. Paley believes that there must have been an intelligent creator with skills to make this detailed world. This world was not made just by natural causes. There had to have been an initial genius who created this intricate world. Aquinas states that in this world there are things that lack knowledge and need guidance. To achieve their “end”, they need to be led by someone endowed with knowledge and intelligence. This being is what we call God.
William James discusses the argument on “Religious Experiences”. Religious experiences are based on mystical states of consciousness. These states are hard to describe in words; they must be experienced. They are very intellectual and important. James says that nitrous oxide can stimulate mystical consciousness. He thinks that we have more states than just our normal consciousness. He also believes he has gained insight into reality from these experiences. Many religions claim to have religious experiences in different forms. Hindus have mystical experience through Yoga.
Buddhists have these experiences through meditation as well as Christians. James responds to the medical point of view by saying these ecstasies only signify superstition. These mystical states have authority over people. John Hick explains the “Problem of Evil”. God is all powerful and all loving. If God is all loving, then he must wish to get rid of evil. If he is all powerful, then he must have the strength to abolish evil. However, evil exists so he cannot be both. Christians record any suffering or sorrow in the Bible because to them evil is dark and ugly. The climax in this history of evil is the crucifixion of Jesus. To Christians, evil is the direct opposition of God. Christians have a solution to this “Problem of Evil”. People are given free will to act wrongly, as well as to act rightly, and they are responsible for their decisions. The world is full of suffering; some is caused by man’s misuse of freedom and others are caused by earthquakes, hurricanes, etc. Since God is all loving then the place he created should be free of suffering. Christians believe that God did not make a world to construct paradise but rather a place of “soul making”. God created a place where free beings deal with tasks and challenges in a common environment. Gill approaches the “Problem of Evil” with a curious tone. All evil must have a purpose. If God creates evil without reason, then he is responsible for the unreasonable evil. The solution to the problem of evil must support the idea that all evil has reason and purpose. However, in this world it appears that we are full of unreasonable evil. There are two types of evil; one is caused by humans and the other is caused by natural events. If God has unlimited power, then he is responsible for evil. If he is not responsible for evil, then he doesn’t have unlimited power.
Kierkegaard wrote on why “God’s Existence Cannot Be Proven”. It is impossible to prove that this unknown something (God) exists, and it is also impossible to prove that God does exist. Kierkegaard reasons from existence, not towards existence. If God does not exist, then it is impossible to prove that he does exist. It only develops the conception of God.
Nietzsche wrote about “Human Existence without God”. He claims that “Death of God” is the problem. There was a cultural crises that he called “Death of God”. Religious thinking was lost and modern science could not help. Nietzsche is an atheist, he approached the “Death of God” from different angles. He was shocked at the consequences that could happen after everyone knew about the problems the “Death of God” would cause. He believes that the Christian God is not a source for morality anymore. He believes human beings killed God by hypocrisy and the loss of morals. Religious people start to forget their beliefs and start to fall into society’s footsteps. He believes that the “Death of God” is caused by its people and their beliefs.
3. My Arguments
Aquinas’s “Third Way” supports the idea that there had to be an initial existence on earth. I agree that life on earth had to start somewhere, but I do not think you can prove that the initial existence is an all-powerful “God”. I also do not think you can prove that there was not an initial existence of an all-powerful “God”. There is no witness and no credentials to prove this idea. Humans are living on earth, and that is a fact. How we got here is an unprovable mystery.
St. Anselm believes that if God exists in anyone’s mind whether they believe in God or not is proof that God exists in reality. I disagree with him, because the mind understands and thinks about many different things. Just because a thought is in your mind does not mean it is real. Also there is no way to prove that the thoughts in your mind are not real. Humans have many unrealistic and many realistic thoughts. To prove these ideas and thoughts true or false is impossible.
The argument of design states that there must have been an intelligent creator to have made this detailed world. Although the world is immaculately detailed, there is no way of proving that a “God” created it. Also, there is no way of proving that a God didn’t create it. Either natural events or an all-powerful God could have created this world. None of us were present when the world was first created; so there is no way of proving it.
James talks about different cultures and religions, claiming to experience mystical states of consciousness. I believe that it is possible to have religious experience through yoga, meditation etc. However, I do not think that it is a reliable source to prove God’s existence. Anyone can say they had a “Mystical Experience”. You cannot prove what happens in someone’s mind is true or false.
Hick and Gillman talk about the “Problem of Evil”. God is viewed as all-loving, however, the world he created is full of all types of evil. They both feel God is responsible for all the evil. However, there is no proof that God created this “evil” world. There is no one to blame without proof of who created this world and the evil inside it.
Kierkegaard has the view that God’s existence cannot be proven. I agree with him that God’s existence cannot be proven nor can you prove that God doesn’t exist. To attempt to prove God’s existence is only developing a conception of God. One can believe God is real, and they can also believe he is not real. However, a belief of God’s existence cannot be proven. Nietzsche believes that humans killed God with their immorality. I disagree with him, because you cannot kill a God that is not proven to exist or not exist. God is a work of the mind that cannot be killed. The existence of an all-powerful God is unprovable and unable to be killed.
4. Conclusion
There is no way to prove that an all-knowing, all-powerful God exists, and there is no way to prove he does not exist. The theories of whether God exist or not can go on forever. However, factually speaking, there is no real physical proof of his existence or his lack of existence. The existence of the Christian God is merely a belief.