Monday, November 2, 2015

[The Proof of God]

Proof (noun): evidence or argument establishing or helping to establish a fact or the truth of a statement.

*This article is not an exhaustive examination of the matters considered; rather it is designed to begin an honest, humble discussion pursuing truth.

            I frequently have conversations with people about the existence of God. In the midst of those conversations I frequently hear the argument, “Well there just isn’t any proof- you can’t definitively prove the existence of God.” While this statement is true in one sense, it is completely false in another. It is correct in the sense that I cannot rub my magic bottle & have the God of Israel come puffing out like a genie. So in that sense, yes you are correct I do not have physical, tangible proof. But it’s also peculiar to point out that the contrary, scientific argument is the Big Bang theory.

            It is interesting to note that the concept of a big bang is just as much elusive as definitively proving the existence of the God of Israel. For example, while humans share more than 98% similarity in DNA with chimpanzees, humans also share about 50% similarity in DNA makeup with a banana. Furthermore, the probability of a big bang occurring is about the same chance that these letters randomly combusted & fell onto this paper in order to form this cohesive, intelligent thought (excuse the self-flattery). Clearly, the loopholes & ambiguities persist for the belief in a cosmic explosion creating such intelligence & complexities. This distinction is important because this is the foundational platform from which modern science begins. But this is a whole different article to write to fully explore these depths. So I digress.

            On the other hand, while I can’t prove the existence of God directly, there is irrefutable, undeniable proof in another sense. I can indirectly prove His existence. I will offer three examples:

1). There is an overwhelming consensus amongst mankind that the things of this world never fully satisfy. Countless examples are found through the tragic, endless pursuits of men after money, drugs, & satisfaction. So many people such as Kurt Cobain, Whitney Houston, & Heath Ledger are examples. This is because we were built & designed for a very specific purpose: To commune with God.
2). Gravity. While an astronaut may explore space, the moon, or Mars free from the gravitational laws of earth, it does not mean that gravity ceases to exist. In fact, on the moon or Mars gravity does exist, just simply in a different capacity. Human beings are fallible beings. I mean it in this sense: We are limited to time & space. I cannot be in New York City & California at once. I cannot endure the sunshine of California while simultaneously enduring the rain of New York. Yet, in spite of these limitations, both continue to exist & operate within the laws of the universe simultaneously without our conscious thoughts/efforts. This is proof that someone somewhere is orchestrating the complexities of the earth without us. It is to this end that the astronaut standing on Mars may irrefutably know that though gravity may be relative in the present moment, there are still irrefutable laws of existence that endure without us. Therefore, the relativity of gravity depends upon location, but the metanarrative of gravity's holistic properties endures. This is another complex proof of God.


3). Morality. Humanity, though we don’t always do what is right, we all inexplicably know that good and evil exist simultaneously. Each day we are tasked with the choices of what is good and what is wrong. Sometimes we choose honesty over lies, kindness instead of spite, & generosity over greed. But we do not always choose what is good. This is because we are broken- defective when apart from our Maker. Undeniably though, we can all assert that there is a sense of morality- of right and wrong. It is all engrained in us that virtue exists. This is the third proof.

Ultimately though, the proof of God can be summed up as simply as C.S. Lewis put it, “If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”

-MGB

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