Our eyes are made up several different parts that cannot work without the others. However, it is very reasonable to believe that a supreme, intelligent Being, God, brought into existence the universe and the wonderful varieties of life which live in it. R. G. Swinburne - 1984 - In J. Houston (ed. Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! It is also reasonable to believe in God as Creator because of the plan and purpose in the universe. Life’s better without him. https://zoom.us/j/9365359679?pwd=Qm1KRk9COGprd3Y3eDlZc0Jpb1VSQT09, (267) 453-8787 | info@phillybiblestudy.org, https://zoom.us/j/9365359679?pwd=Qm1KRk9COGprd3Y3eDlZc0Jpb1VSQT09. Stay healthy and stay in the Word. Suppose there were a compelling argument for atheism. Many atheists suppose it is in each case unreasonable for Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Bahá’ís, Quakers, Mormons, Scientologists, and so on to believe what they do. The universe operates according to law. I find myself wondering whether it is possible to learn to appreciate transcendence and spirituality in the same ways that we learn to appreciate good food, good music, and many other things that are acquired tastes. He can listen to his friends about the tower. It is easy to tell when something has been made by an intelligent being or when something is the result of natural occurrences, isn’t it? Creation implies a creator. The religious person usually takes a … Rules, laws and rituals that restrict … Or, let’s say you were walking on the same path and you came across a watch like the one below. I felt I had just taken the first step and now wanted to get to know this God in whom I now believed. We are rather talking about levels of transcendence beyond our own. One of the most convincing arguments for the existence of God is the cosmological argument. Notice the factors that play into this delicate arrangement. Yes, I believe we can. However, it is very reasonable to believe that a supreme, intelligent Being, God, brought into existence the universe and the wonderful varieties of life which live in it. The central belief of Christianity is that Jesus of Nazareth rose from the dead. Yet, morality clearly exist. But is it reasonable to have faith in something one cannot see? He can read the news about the Eiffel Tower. They assume one who has faith in deity chooses to be blind to the facts. III. In the last ten years, the percentage of American adults who describe themselves as Christians has dropped 12 points, to 65%. Look at the design involved in our bodies. It is because of our own experience of the beauty of a piece of music or a sunrise that analysis in terms of chemical composition, frequencies of vibration or movement of photons may be true but is far from adequate. Before attempting to explain and assess moral arguments for theexistence of God, it would be helpful to have some perspective on thegoals of arguments for God’s existence. For those of us in that category, the falisifiability of God is like the falsifiability of gravity: we have so much or so powerful and experience of what we are discussing that it is no longer an open question in any real sense. The appeal of the third version for theistic apologists is its ready employment as a worst-case device. Arguments for the Existence of God. Taking a look at the solar system reveals great design. In fact, like Paul, may you do more than simply believe that He exists. We can see design in an object. For those of us for whom a personal religious experience is part of our life experience, is it wrong to think that, rather than our being deluded with respect to what has been a profoundly positive influence in our lives, perhaps those who have never had such an experience and doubt its reality are simply like those who are “not musical”, and this is not necessarily something to be ashamed of, but neither is it something to be proud of? God makes sense of objective moral values in the world. ), Of course, it was objected that no one could doubt the existence of this concerto, whereas the existence of God is debatable. Job (unlike his friends) is willing to judge some metaphors as too inadequate and seek better ones. Skeptics may not agree that we are right, but they cannot prove that we are wrong. A second response is to claim that it is reasonable to believe in God, without trying to prove our assertion. But to suggest that those who have had such experiences are all merely delusional is unfair. The nervous system, the lymphatic system, the respiratory system, the circulatory system, etc. The God of the Bible, however, demands His followers be true to evidence. (of a person) having sound judgment; fair and sensible. Christians believe that God is always at work in the world, and that the events and teaching recorded in the Bible particularly speak to us of who God is and of his love for us. They assume one who has faith in deity chooses to be blind to the facts. 1. For others of us, language of God corresponds to a powerful and personal spiritual experience that we have had. Beyond personhood we do not know what other levels of transcendence might be like (although love might again be useful to mention as something that happens between two individuals and thus involves a limited but significant transcendence), and our language tends to get abstract. One form of this argument goes like this: 1. Nevertheless, when it comes to language about God, we are not dealing with a component reality of our own existence that we can examine. I do hope, though, that it is increasingly becoming clear that we don’t always need irrevocable proof to make reasonable claims and choices. All parts would have had to evolve at the same time for the eye to function properly. Whatever begins to exist has a cause. Maybe you have seen it, but even without having seen it, one can still believe in its existence, can’t he? Philosopher Jerry L. Martin tells how, even without a proof, it can be reasonable to believe in God. Certainly it might be necessary to completely rethink what gravity or what God is, but to suggest that new evidence will appear that will show that we have not had these experiences seems unreasonable. Though we have artificial hearts, engineers cannot replicate the human heart. In this case, the question is like a debate about whether love exists, or whether personhood exists. Throughout the ages, there have been thousands of gods postulated. It is because of our own experience of choosing which ice cream to eat that we find academic discussions that deny free will unpersuasive. In 1 Peter 3:15, the Bible says we need to be “ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you.” God encourages us to have reason or evidence for our. (I chose this example rather than the second movement of Kurt Atterberg’s Symphony No.2 because it is more familiar, but for me it is the latter that is most persuasive in leading me to believe in beauty, transcendence, and as a result ultimately in God! So I can only undertake to show that, even if it does not appear reasonable to you, it is reasonable for you, to believe in God. Yes, I want the Patheos Progressive Christian Newsletter as well, Identity Politics vs. Transactional Politics. And, all of this information (evidence) leads a person to the conviction of its existence without ever seeing it with his own eyes. Without God, moral values have no objective basis or foundation in reality. Good Friday represents the end of the story a historian can tell... Have you ever messed up? But Hans Küng is surely right to suggest that it is not inappropriate to talk about God as “at least personal” and “more than personal”, even though we have no more idea of what that really means than an individual human cell could have a concept of what it is like to be a human person. Those who explain religion merely in such terms have been compared in one recent article I read to the work of “tone-deaf musicologists” who regard with disdain those who talk about these scores and performances as though they had some transcendent aspect called “beauty.”. That’s design! It is our sincere hope that you too will see that it is not at all unreasonable to believe in God. Finally, I found myself thinking about the falsifiability of religious beliefs. It is also reasonable to believe in God as Creator because of the plan and purpose in the universe. “For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God” (Hebrews 3:4). Look how the Bible defines faith in Hebrews 11:1: “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Although we cannot see God, we can have a conviction of his existence – but only after seeing the evidence. It is our sincere hope that you too will see that it is not at all unreasonable to believe in God. I could go on but thats the general idea. Is that reasonable? Can anyone today observe whether the Big Bang really happened with his naked eye? Might it be that some people are simply “religiously tone deaf”? (I shallgenerically term arguments for God’s existence “theisticarguments.”) Of course views about this are diverse, but mostcontemporary proponents of such arguments do not see theistic argumentsas attempted “proofs,” in the sense that they are supposedto provide valid arguments with premises that no reasonable personcould deny. Due to concerns about coronavirus, we are transitioning our weekly studies to an online format. If, on the other hand, we mean whether it is compatible with reason, then the answer may be yes. pp. It is reasonable to believe that God exists. It posits that humans bet with their lives that God either exists or does not. Handsel Press. At least for panentheists and pantheists, the question is not about the existence of another being, but of a transcendent level of reality beyond our own. Atheists often ridicule people who believe in God as ignorant and stupid. Religion is about control and limitation. Let’s say you were hiking out in the woods and found several stones like the ones below. Could I convince you that this watch was the result of several strange natural occurrences? Our cells continue to divide replacing old cells and helping us grow. He says that if one does not believe in God, declares that He does not exist and finds that, when he dies, God really does exist, he will be destined for an eternity of unhappiness (Hell). George I. Mavrodes - 1970 - Englewood Cliffs, N.J., Prentice-Hall. Reasonable? God makes sense of the fine-tuning of the universe for intelligent life. It is water proof. H. G. Wells During Rick Pitino’s... Holy Saturday Reflection: Living Between Death and Resurrection. Dr. Rosenberg has presented only one argument for atheism tonight and that is the problem of evil. So if someone says there is no God, that person —not you —has the responsibility to explain how he or she could reach such a conclusion. It is one of the remarkable features of the Book of Job that it depicts positively an individual who is willing to rethink his idea of God and God’s relationship to the world in light of experiences that serve as counter-evidence. But it was suggested that the question of God’s existence is not akin to the question of the Loch Ness Monster’s existence. Is it still reasonable to believe in God? Also, send me the Progressive Christian Newsletter. For many who have had the experience of these realities (yes, I dare to call them that), this scientific description is not threatening, but neither is it adequate. Whatever exists originates from something that is eternal because it has to come from somewhere, things can’t appear from nothing. In fact, like Paul, may you do more than simply believe that He exists. Pascal's wager is an argument in philosophy presented by the seventeenth-century French philosopher, theologian, mathematician and physicist, Blaise Pascal (1623–1662). That in itself might make the claim unfalsifiable and thus “not even false” and unworthy of intellectual discussion. One thing is for certain, to my mind at any rate: when it comes to religion, many people are settling for fast food or are too busy to eat at all, and have never even tasted some of the best of what is available, much less having learned to appreciate it in all its nuances and subtleties. Another way to approach this problem is, “is it reasonable to believe that a god exists?”. ), Is It Reasonable to Believe in God? If we see God's power in the Bible, it is reasonable to believe the true God is the God of the Bible, Jehovah. One says that it looks around and all it sees are cells, cells cells. Psalm 19 begins, “The heavens declare the glory of God.” If there is a Creator, creation should tell us a little bit about Him, right? It is reasonable to believe in higher beings if that makes a positive in your life. And so, for those who have had a life-changing religious experience, it would seem unreasonable not to believe in God. Also, send me the Progressive Christian Newsletter and special offers. Do you believe in the existence of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France? The second good reason to believe that there is a God is that God gives an explanation of the cause of things. Design implies a designer. It was very clear in his last speech that he hasn’t understood it. In tonight’s debate, I presented eight reasons why it is reasonable to believe in God and eight reasons why metaphysical naturalism is unreasonable, in fact absurd. For instance, we take life on earth for granted, but did you realize that the Earth hangs precariously in a balance between burning up and freezing. We’re born, we die, and that is it. Yet while some of those who talk about nothing they can imagine being able to persuade them to change their beliefs about God are merely those who have been well indoctrinated and find security in holding to what they have always believed, not everyone who feels this way fits this category. The God of the Bible, however, demands His followers be true to evidence. I, on the other hand, who do believe in God also believe, naturally, that it is reasonable for God’s creature to believe in God. Indeed, if this were not the case, God would no longer be the subject under discussion! Thankfully (or unthankfully, depending on your perspective) religious belief is not merely the province of anti-scientific, anti-modern fundamentalists who take every word, comma and period in some sacred text -- like the Bible or the Koran -- to be the sole and authoritative truth about just about everything. It conforms to the proven fact that life cannot come into existence by itself. If science suggests a God, it is reasonable to believe in God. The distinction may be subtle but plays an important role in what we can consider “correct reasoning”. While arguing from creation to Creator or design to Designer does not prove that God exists, such thinking is clearly logical. The universe operates according to law. Announcing P4: The Panentheist and Progressive Praise Project. Since "God exists" isn't a tautology, and assuming God's existence can't be deduced through experiential evidence or other tautological statements, then there is no reason to believe in God, thus entailing weak atheism: the position that belief in God's existence has not yet been shown to be reasonable. I see you are getting excited. So the question is, what does the evidence say about our origins? An analogy I use far too often is that of two cells in a human body having a conversation. (It seemed reasonable to me, that since God exists, God had every right to influence and direct my life, if he wanted to.) Many are convicted of the Big Bang…convicted in something they cannot see. are all working together at the same time to service the body. Usually we call something a “fact” when one can observe it and measure it. In fact, faith without evidence is not the faith of the Bible. In October of 2019, the Pew Research Center released the results of its latest survey on religion in America. If I had a paper bag with watch parts, what are the odds if I shook the bag for an indefinite amount of time that I would be able to reach into the paper bag and pull out a watch, fully wound, ready, and set to the correct time? Many today claim that the Big Bang and evolution are “scientific facts.” But what is a “scientific fact”? Is it reasonable to believe in God in the 21st Century? Is it reasonable for me to believe that Barber’s Violin Concerto is beautiful? For instance, in my case it gives me hope and a possible answer to the uncertainty of death. The latter is not by any means accurately describing what it is like to be a human being with its “cellulomorphic” language, but it may nevertheless be pointing to something that is profoundly true, namely being part of something bigger, something transcendent that gives existence greater meaning. Reason Changes with time Because reasonable is a semi-relative term and can mean either "based on reason" or "acceptable", I believe that the answer to this question, when looked at from a purely scientific standpoint is probably no, Even more intricate than the solar system is the human body. It tans to protect from the sun. How can we say the universe, the Solar System, Earth, and people came into existence and into perfect working order by time and chance if these systems are designed far better and are far more complex than a simple watch? For reductionists, the things we call by these names are simply terms for epiphenomena reducable to descriptions in terms of neurological impulses and chemical stimuli – in other words, reducable to brain science. Also, it is logical to say that if there is design, there has to have been someone to design it. The probability of all these things happening by chance is staggeringly low. With all this in mind, I will begin my arguments. Belief in God is entirely reasonable. Because of its ingenious employment of infinite utility, the third version has become what most philosophers think of as Pascal’s Wager. This is another reason why is it important to start with the Bible in apologetics. This forms the basis for our worldview. We start as a single cell with one set of instructions, and as we grow into adults that same set of instruction in one cell produces an ear and in another, a nose. This may be a valid point, if one is assuming that “God” refers to an object among others in the universe. I think the evidence provided by God in His Word can be proved to be true beyond a reasonable doubt, and therefore we can take that evidence and reconcile it with our faith and trust in God without any loss of coherence. The Resurrection of George Floyd: On the Fullness... April 4, 2021 The Resurrection of George Floyd: On the Fullness of... An Easter Warning: Jesus Isn't Walking Through That... God is not an insurance agent. Faith is a conviction that you arrive at from the evidence that is presented. 121 - … Modern science still cannot unlock all the mysteries of the cell. Not unless he’s really old. Katie Hamm's Concluion Is God within reason? Would you say these stones’ unique shape was the product of time and chance or that these stones were made by someone? Our hearts pump for a life time without resting. One should believe in God. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, some thoughts I shared for the first time many years ago. This we can certainly do. Get updates from Religion Prof: The Blog of James F. McGrath delivered straight to your inbox, Here are some thoughts I shared for the first time many years ago, after an on-campus discussion of the subject. Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world. However, it is very reasonable to believe that a supreme, intelligent being, God, brought into existence the universe and the wonderful varieties of life which live in it. Why It Is Reasonable To Believe In God › Entertainment. Our skin repairs itself. 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