Does God exist? Why?

[suaso]

This is a question that was posed to my theology class by our professor at the beginning of the semester:

Does God exist? How do you know?

His conditions were that we could not use the Bible (or any other religious scriptures) to answer his questions.

So...suppose you had no Bible, had never heard of or even seen a Bible, could not read or write, did not know anybody who could or anyone who has read the Bible or come into contact with people who believe in God, could you - using your ability to think, reason, and understand - come to the conclusion that there is a God. If so, how could you do this? What would lead you to think this? Also, this must exclude private revelations or general revelations like a booming voice from the sky shouting 'Yo, I'm God. Hi."

 

[Thaddaeus]

Don't write the report and just tell the professor that you also supposed that you had no professor just as you supposed there was no Bible, so you graded your report yourself and gave your report 100.

 

[imoss]

Don't write the report and just tell the professor that you also supposed that you had no professor just as you supposed there was no Bible, so you graded your report yourself and gave your report 100.

I'm thinkin thats the best answer i've ever seen posted on here!!! LOL!

 

[phil36]

These sorts of questions do not edify, they tend to confuse issues, these are seminary questions (as you have stated) in a whole most of the question put forward on the bible discussion thread, are mainly used to show the Authors knowledge on Theology (personally i think having a different discussion chat entitled Theology would be better suited to most questions posted here on the bible discussion).

Lol i like your answer Thaddaeus.

 

[suaso]

Umm...actually I just posted it because I am curious as to what people would actually write to prove or disprove the existence of God unaided by Biblical texts. If I wanted to showcase my knowledge on this subject I would have simply posted the text of the paper that I turned in this January (and have not been graded on yet, I should add). I also am not in seminary. My college is a Liberal Arts college and is not affiliated with any seminary. Just a college, and all students have to take this basic intro to theology class as part of the core curriculum.

Don't write the report and just tell the professor that you also supposed that you had no professor just as you supposed there was no Bible, so you graded your report yourself and gave your report 100.

I am sure this would have earned me a very nice F!

 

[Rosinsky]

I had to write a paper on the "proofs of God" a while back and I actually got an A- . It was actually quite interesting to write this topic. Unfortunately, I found that paper last month when I was cleaning my room and I put it in the trash

I'll look to see if I have an electronic copy of it and contribute.

 

[suaso]

Oh no! Haha! I did something similar...only it involved a recipt and a later bill for $300+ that was unjustly charged to my cell phone account. Oh why do we throw papers away? haha.

 

[EconGrad]

This is a question that was posed to my theology class by our professor at the beginning of the semester:

Does God exist? How do you know?

His conditions were that we could not use the Bible (or any other religious scriptures) to answer his questions.

So...suppose you had no Bible, had never heard of or even seen a Bible, could not read or write, did not know anybody who could or anyone who has read the Bible or come into contact with people who believe in God, could you - using your ability to think, reason, and understand - come to the conclusion that there is a God. If so, how could you do this? What would lead you to think this? Also, this must exclude private revelations or general revelations like a booming voice from the sky shouting 'Yo, I'm God. Hi."

I don't think God can be proved to exist to human beings without the intervention of his Holy Spirit, his Prophets, his Word or the witness of others.

Absent all those things, our evil nature will prevent us from reasoning our way to God. Our depravity makes God something we will reason away from. We will not reason towards him except as he makes his presence felt in this world.

As a former atheist for me I'd have never believed in God unless he had broken down the intellectual barriers to belief with things that reached above reason and showed the frailty of my reasoning.

 

[Baptistrw]

How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:14-17 (KJV)

 

[suaso]

Baptistrw makes a good point. The conclusion that our professor lead to was that "Yes, we can say God exists by reasoning it out" but we can't identify him as the Abrahmic God per se. That is left up to revelation (like the Bible, the prophets, etc) and of course Jesus Christ himself, the Word made Flesh.

 

[Abing]

This is a question that was posed to my theology class by our professor at the beginning of the semester:

Does God exist? How do you know?

His conditions were that we could not use the Bible (or any other religious scriptures) to answer his questions.

So...suppose you had no Bible, had never heard of or even seen a Bible, could not read or write, did not know anybody who could or anyone who has read the Bible or come into contact with people who believe in God, could you - using your ability to think, reason, and understand - come to the conclusion that there is a God. If so, how could you do this? What would lead you to think this? Also, this must exclude private revelations or general revelations like a booming voice from the sky shouting 'Yo, I'm God. Hi."

lol silly professor, anyways

i would just be absent, jk
unfortunately, a person doesn't have the ability to know about something without being informed (and he excluded all ways of information lol)

so yeah with my own thinking and ability, i would still believe that there is a God, but that god's gonna be me lol

 

[suaso]

Heh...the professor is actually the smartest man I think I have ever met. He got his doctorate in Patristics (study of the early church fathers). And he's the abbot of a monastery. An excellent professer, all around. He asks questions like this that really make you think about things you probably wouldn't think about otherwise. I really am going to miss his class when it ends this semester. He's a bit tough...I mean, he alwasy asks "why" or "how do you know" after you make a statement about pretty much anything, and he can be a little agressive with his questions, but he is also a very humble man and has a gentle spirit. He really wants his students to do well, and it shows.

 

[Missy]

I searched many religions, looking for God, restlessly, and unsatisfied with the outcomes. Before I was a Christian, I asked God to prove His existence to me, as I was ready to accept whatever He was. He did. I asked Him to do specific things, immediate things and future things, involving people and my environment, and He made the changes happen in specific detail. Then, not long after I had become a Christian, I had an encounter with Jesus, that changed my world forever. He physically touched me on the head, 3 times that day. Since then, I have had an amazing relationship with Jesus. I hadn't read the Bible, or gone to a church, or even thought it could happen. But it did. Our Father let me flounder around in life, without knowing Him, for a while. I believe our Father put the desire in my heart to know Him. His is the purest love I'll ever know.

 

[Live4Him]

OF COURSE HE DOES! But when you get to thinking (i am a TRUE believer) its like wow! well in the very beginning how did God come about ya know? If He's the creator of everything how did He start? Not that I am questioning Him because I am not just thought about it once or twice.

One thing I never understood as well is Jesus is the son of God right? Than how can they be they same?

 

[worldlover]

This is a question that was posed to my theology class by our professor at the beginning of the semester:

Does God exist? How do you know?

His conditions were that we could not use the Bible (or any other religious scriptures) to answer his questions.

So...suppose you had no Bible, had never heard of or even seen a Bible, could not read or write, did not know anybody who could or anyone who has read the Bible or come into contact with people who believe in God, could you - using your ability to think, reason, and understand - come to the conclusion that there is a God. If so, how could you do this? What would lead you to think this? Also, this must exclude private revelations or general revelations like a booming voice from the sky shouting 'Yo, I'm God. Hi."

Maybe you could use your instincts and will to find the answer to the question:]

 

[pagie]

ok moral absalutes point to a moral law giver, who says what is right or wrong? who defines it? is it you or me or is it based on the overall opinion for the commen good? in that case there would be no thing as write or wrong it is quite fare in that regard to say that the holicost is justifiable. I am convinced there is a absalute moralaty and is summed up in the creator who difines right and wrong.

the order and desighn of the universe and all things we observe in it demands that there be an intenigent mind behind it, we know we are highly complex beings full of densly compacted information and that this can not come from coincidence, it is not concievable to believe what we see comming from caos and dissorder. any person might studie anatomy for years and still have a incompleate knowledge of it all but would have to conclude that such things demand an intaligent mind not chance.

Life demands that there be a life giver, we know you can not get life from non-life, nor can you derive something from nothing, for there to be anything there first has to be something, so what is that something?, if that something should happen to be a God who created this God? no matter what the case there still has to be something that was the cause of all things so my conclusion is there is an all powerfull being.

 

[pagie]

I think it is a really good question because this is the aproach you have to take with those who reject the bible. it is a apeal to atheism I believe to conclude that the bible has credability since it is consistent in realaty and logic, the bible is not just a book that justifies itself it has verry credible suport apart from itself.

 

[suaso]

Thank you, pagie. Your response was pretty much along the lines of what I was hoping to eventually get around to.

Of course, my question's requirements do indeed impose limitations that, as some one who believes in God, typically don't exist. Most people will eventually meet someone who believes in God and tells them about him. God can certainly make himself obviously known in any way. But it is still important to recognize that people can believe in a God just by observing the world around them and coming to certain conclusions about existence.

 

[Soldier_Of_Christ]

ok moral absalutes point to a moral law giver, who says what is right or wrong? who defines it? is it you or me or is it based on the overall opinion for the commen good? in that case there would be no thing as write or wrong it is quite fare in that regard to say that the holicost is justifiable. I am convinced there is a absalute moralaty and is summed up in the creator who difines right and wrong.

the order and desighn of the universe and all things we observe in it demands that there be an intenigent mind behind it, we know we are highly complex beings full of densly compacted information and that this can not come from coincidence, it is not concievable to believe what we see comming from caos and dissorder. any person might studie anatomy for years and still have a incompleate knowledge of it all but would have to conclude that such things demand an intaligent mind not chance.

Life demands that there be a life giver, we know you can not get life from non-life, nor can you derive something from nothing, for there to be anything there first has to be something, so what is that something?, if that something should happen to be a God who created this God? no matter what the case there still has to be something that was the cause of all things so my conclusion is there is an all powerfull being.

In support of Pagie's comments:

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Romans 1:20

I realize that Pagie likely didn't quote that verse because he was not allowed to use scripture, however the verse does confirm that God designed his creation to make that a valid argument. Also on the one hand you can say that you can prove the existence of a God but not that it is is the Abrahamic God by such evidence, but according to that verse creation reveals not only that there is a God but also his eternal power and Godhead. That's a pretty tall order but God said it's possible.

For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another
Romans 2:14-15

This verse also further confirms his other point. I was intrigued by this when reading a book I believe was called the Peace Child, about a canablistic group of tribes. In these tribes it was not just acceptable to kill and eat a neighboring tribe menber but they had the heinous practice of what was called fattening with friendship for the slaughter. In this they would befriend a neighboring tribe member, invite them to dinner many times and generally spend time with them over a period of time until they had completely gained their trust and friendship. At that point during such a dinner, they unexpectedly would rise up against the person, kill and eat them. This was almost if not the greatest honor and accomplishment that you could achieve in these tribes. The irony is that these people with this mindset still would get angry and rise up to take revenge on the neighboring tribe that did such a thing to one of their own. Even though they would honor a member of their own tribe if he had done it to the other tribe, they still rose up in vengful anger at another tribe for doing the same. Logic would say they would not have a problem with someone else doing what they would do themselves if given half a chance. Contrary to logic but in perfect tune with the above scripture they show the law written on their hearts by their regonition that murder and stealing is wrong when done to them. And their peace making practice of a peace child was also quite obvsiouly ordained by God for the purpose of preparing them to accept the Gospel of Jesus but that is a whole other story.

Even our modern westernized cultures behave the same evidence of God’s law written on the hearts of the wicked. A spouse who is committing adultery gets upset if they learn that their husband or wife also cheated. A man who would argue with you about the scripture that says lust is the same as adultery might turn around and deck someone they caught leering at their girlfriend or wife. A mere cursory look at society, seemingly no matter how evil the society, will still find the Ten Commandments written on the hearts of those in that culture. The Bible does speak of those individuals whose conscience has been seered as with a hot iron and it’s much harder to detect this law in their hearts. However, most of the time even they tend to call it evil if their own actions were committed against themselves.

Put simply, the whole of creation declares the glory of God. His complex creation declares his infinite genious, the moral law written on every heart reveals his moral perfection. The fact that he has waited so long to judge this earth reveals his longsuffering mercy. His actions towards those who have surrendered their lives to him reveals his love and providence. This last paragraph can all be ascertained without using the Bible or personal revelation. Seeing all this evidence one could only be driven to pick up a Bible and learn more of this amazing, all powerful, all knowing, infinite God. That is unless they still love their sin more than they love truth, which unfortunately is the majority of people in the world today.

 

[markhelp]

Sounds like a typical theology class question
why doesn't he just find another job