Preview

The Existence of God

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1677 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Existence of God
The Existence of God
Kimberly Mongold
PHI 208 Ethics and Moral Reasoning
Instructor Kenneth Mentor
April 07, 2013

Since the beginning of time people have often questioned the meaning of life, how the universe was created and the purpose for the wildlife and creatures that roam the earth. These things often lead us to question the existence of God. In order to even begin to answer these complex questions we must uncover the source of all of these occurrences. In this paper I will discuss the issue of Gods’ existence; present one basic dispute and clarify the arguments on multiple sides of this issue. I will structure an argument that supports the side of the issue I find to be better defended while explaining why I find my side of this debate stronger. In conclusion, I will state my own view and defend it with an argument. Does God exist or did the “Big Bang theory” or other natural theories play a role? Even though it is absolutely impossible to prove Gods’ existence, I personally believe that the presence of God is so evident that we do not need solid proof to verify that he is our creator. When it comes to the issue of Gods’ existence, everyone has his or her own view of whom or what “God” really is. Some people believe that there is one God while other believe in multiple Gods or even Goddesses. Most believers do not feel that is necessary to prove that God exists however, there are others that believe that it is essential to provide proof since there is no scientific evidence of his existence. People are often skeptical when it comes to this issue since God cannot be seen. This dispute often raises a very puzzling question. Should people be expected to provide proof of Gods’ existence or should we just accept that he exists based on faith alone? Skeptics believe that simple having faith that something is true without actually seeing it with their own eyes is meaningless. Most skeptical people center their belief system on



References: Eby, D. (n.d.). “Why Does God Allow Evil?” Retrieved from http://my,unbc.edu/discussions/2026 Holy Spirit (n.d.) Loyola University of Chicago. Retrieved from: http://www.luc.edu/faculty/pmoser/idolanon/Holyspirit.html Mattison, M.M. (n.d.). “Don’t Doubt God” Auburn University. Retrieved from: http://www.auburn.edu/allenkc/openhse/theodicy.html#Power Mosser, K. (2010). “Philosophy: A Concise Introduction”. Bridgepoint Education, Inc. San Diego, CA Retrieved from: https://content.ashford.edu/books Proof of God (n.d.) LeTourneau University Retrieved from: http://www.letu.edu/_Academics/Arts-Science/chem-phys/documents/ProofofGod.html

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    One burning and enduring problem in philosophy to which we have given considerable examination is the question of the existence of God--the superlative being that philosophers have defined and dealt with for centuries. After reading the classic arguments of St. Anselm and St. Thomas Aquinas, the contentious assertions of Ernest Nagel, and the compelling eyewitness accounts of Julian of Norwich, I have been introduced to some of the most revered and referenced arguments for and against God's existence that have been put into text. All of them are well-thought and well-articulated arguments, but they have their holes. The question of God's true existence, therefore, is still not definitively answered and put to rest; the intensity of this debate probably never will mitigate. Many theologians and academics honestly admit that no matter what any philosopher may assert regarding this topic, whether or not a certain person believes in God's existence is a question of faith and nothing more.…

    • 1537 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    References: Mosser, K. (2010). Philosophy: A concise introduction. San Diego, CA: Bridge point Education, Inc.…

    • 1132 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The existence of God has been a popular and yet ongoing debate for many years now. There are many arguments that argue for God’s existence just as there are many arguments against God’s existence. This paper will argue for the proof of God’s existence according to William Paley’s teleological argument. The teleological argument is often described as an argument which stems from either design or intelligent design, but this can be considered as misleading.…

    • 711 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    PHI 208 (RELIGION)

    • 1995 Words
    • 8 Pages

    When you talk about proof, you are talking about establishing some degree of certainty about the existence of God. That is where Faith comes in Faith is: The assurance, confirmation, and the title deed of the things we hope for. The proof of things we do not see. The conviction of their reality and it perceives as real fact what is not revealed to the senses (Hebrews 11). It takes greater faith to believe that an unseen God exists than it does to just dismiss Him because you cannot physically confirm that He is there. No-one can ever prove that God exists by scientific methods. Religion and faith in God is based on individual beliefs. This is where the problem seems to lie, because most people fail to look inside themselves for God. Instead, they are so busy looking to their surroundings and other people to prove God exist. Romans clearly outlines what the real problem is and that is man’s rebellion and refusal to accept the evidence of nature or creation by God. The creation of the world God’s invisible qualities his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor…

    • 1995 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Consistently from the dawn of human existence, the idea of “God”, or simply the questions of the place from whence the human body has come from forced any individual to consider the religious value or idea of God regarding God’s responsibility for every piece of matter in which makes up life. One of the most critical arguments that claim that there must be a God is the Kalem Cosmological argument, which uses the universe’s mere existence or the beginning of the universe’s existence to claim that whatever has a beginning, must have a cause, insinuating that the cause of the universe’s beginning is in theory, God. Though with creative intellect in further questioning it’s impossible for one not to question that the Cosmological argument may be correct in theory, but does the cause of the universe have to be God? Throughout this paper, I’ll be focusing on the argument that God’s existence does not have to be the direct cause of the begging of the universe, nor does the cosmological argument actually prove the existence of God for that matter.…

    • 644 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout the course of time, many philosophers, dogmatic religions and even individual human beings themselves have tried to prove the existence of God. The recurrent question that constantly arises is whether or not you can prove the existence of God solely by rational thinking alone. To that, the answer is no. It is not possible to prove the existence of God solely by rational thinking as you also need to incorporate aspects of faith, but rational thinking helps solidify your beliefs pertaining to God and leaves the answers we cannot conceive rationally up to faith. You cannot understand something outside of your existence rationally because you cannot experience it or see it; you can only theorize, believe and trust in it. You will never be able to reason what you have no knowledge of. In this essay, I will argue that in…

    • 1217 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Individual Project Unit 5

    • 797 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Solomon, R.C. & Higgins, K.M. (2015). The Big Question: A Short Introduction to Philosophy (9th ed.) [Online version]. Retrieved from AIU Online Virtual Campus. Introduction to Philosophy: PHIL201-1503A-03 website.…

    • 797 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The question of whether there is a God has been debated by many philosophers, religious experts, and even your average citizens. Many of those people have attempted to argue why God is or is not real. This paper is going to present two different arguments by the philosophers: Robin Collins and William Rowe. The first argument by Collins is an argument for the existence of God, who designed our incredibly complex universe. The explanation of Collin’s argument will be followed by Rowe’s argument against the existence of God, which is in relation to intense suffering that exists in this world. With those two arguments at hand, the question is, are the conclusions compatible?…

    • 1407 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Have you ever thought to yourself, is there a god? Is there actually an almighty being to protect us? Someone who will be there to forgive us for our immoralities? Well in this report, I will be examining evidence there is that suggests the existence of god to determine whether or not there I a possibility of the existence of God.…

    • 971 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Big Paper 1

    • 1625 Words
    • 4 Pages

    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.…

    • 1625 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Evaluate the arguments for the existence of god There are three main philosophical arguments for the existence of god; the Teleological argument (also known as the design argument), made by William Paley, which presents the central idea that the universe is so complex, perfectly designed and purposeful that it must have had an intelligent designer, the Cosmological argument, made by Thomas Aquinas, which is based on the main idea that everything has a starting point so an uncaused god must have made/caused the universe, and the (entirely a priori) Ontological argument, made by Anselm, based on the main idea that god is perfect, and that existence is a predicate of perfection so therefore God must be real both in our minds and reality as he…

    • 989 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Cosmological Argument

    • 559 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The cosmological argument for God’s existence differs from both the scriptural and ontological arguments in the way in which humans created it. Rather than looking at logical arguments or religious texts, the cosmological argument was derived because of humanity’s ability to project their need for cause onto the world. The cosmological argument is centered on the way in which we, humans in general, perceive there to be a need for a God due to the existence of the world around us.…

    • 559 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Ontological Argument P| 1. Definition: God is that being than which no greater being can be conceived. P| 2. God exists in the mind (we think of God).…

    • 1332 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    One of the most interesting arguments for the Existence of God comes from Anselm and the Ontological argument. According to the Ontological argument, there is no reason to go out and look for physical evidence of God’s existence. The ontological argument is based completely on reason and comes from the concept of a “being than which no greater can be conceived.” Anselm suggested that if such a “being” does not truly exist then a greater being can be conceived. But how does this make any sense?…

    • 845 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The Problem of Evil

    • 2698 Words
    • 11 Pages

    The Problem of Evil coined by Epicurus states that: “Either God wants to eradicate evil, and cannot; or he can, but does not want to. If he wants to, but cannot, he is impotent. If he can but does not want to he is wicked. If God can eradicate evil, and He wants to do it, why is there evil in the world?” This problem has long bothered many theologians and philosophers, even St. Thomas Aquinas stated that it is a major objection to the existence of God. Undoubtedly, evil exists and its mere existence is so evident that it would be preposterous to deny it and since we cannot deny its existence, we must then try to prove that its existence would not oppose the existence of God. In this paper, I will try to explain the problem of evil through our free will, and the causes and consequences that are brought by natural evil then I will also attempt to enumerate the root causes of evil and the possible purpose of its existence. On the first part of this paper, I will explain that moral evil is just a byproduct of our wrong choices and it will be followed by the relation of natural evil to the design of our world. Writings of post-modern philosophers were mainly my guide in conducting this research because their studies are applicable and relevant in our modern world, and the books that I referred to were compilations regarding the existence of God and not primary texts of ancient or medieval philosophers.…

    • 2698 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays

Related Topics