Clues to God's Existence
As it turns out, God has left us compelling evidence of his existence. Life is seasoned with clues.
In short, everything is an arrow pointing to God. Each part of life points to a higher, perfect source. Key examples:
- The Mind. Why trust your intelligence, if it's only the product of chance?
- Intentional Arrangement. "Design" means -- "one who signs". Design requires a Designer.
- Causes . Dependent beings cannot cause themselves. But since we exist, therefore there must be a first, independent cause.
- Conscience. Everyone admits the absolute authority of the conscience, and the only possible source of absolute authority is an absolutely perfect will, a divine being.
- Purpose. We experience meaning, and can ask questions of it. Life contains it , therefore we experience life as a story, not just one event after another.
- Moral Laws. Societies that are ethical flourish and last.
- Religion. If there is no God, why is there religion? Why in humanity is there such a deep, pervasive religious instinct?
- Health. Studies show religious people statistically live longer and are happier.
- Altruism. All moralities and religions laud self-less giving, especially martydom. But if there is no reality outside ours, why ever give your life?
- Meaning. Why do we ask why? If there were no meaning, we wouldn't inquire about it.
- Time. We have an appetite for eternity. There is never enough time.
- Universals. Where are things like numbers, and rules of logic, if they are not in the physical universe? This points to a transcending reality outside the system.
- Existence. Why does anything exist? Why do things strive for life?
- Perfection. If there is no standard of perfection of any good (e.g, wisdom, beauty, love, justic, mercy, power, etc.); then there can be no true progress in any of these areas. Why say one thing is intrinsically better than another?
- Beauty. This clue can only come from experiencing it. It impresses the deeper part of the self that there is a higher goodness, and this life is an appetizer from Heaven.
- Desire. All natural, innate desires have existing avenues of fulfillment (e.g, food, air, sex, shelter, companionship, beauty, purpose, etc.) One of the strongest is the desire for God, both historically and psychologically. Why wouldn't that follow the pattern? What is more likely, that this world has an inherent purpose or that it's one massive, cosmic tease?
- Love. Everyone admits that love is the highest attainment. Yet if there is not God of love as the source, then why admit (either logical or psychologically) that love is the highest?
- "Coincidences". Most people claim they experience moments of non-random timing, implying unseen forces at work.
- Pascal's Wager. Athiesm is a terrible bet; it gives one no chance of winning. Even if you had no little evidence for God (much less everything being evidence!), why choose it?
- Miracles. E.g., charismatic gifts.
- Christ. No one has ever:improved on his teaching, worked more miracles, lived a more beautiful life, loved more perfectly. Nobody says he's a jerk—so why not trust his words about himself?
- Christianity. If Christ is not Christ, then how did Christianity become the most influenetial movement in history?
- Personal Lab. Chesteron: "The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried." The best place to find evidence is God is in a surrender to Him.
God seasons all of life with opportunities to get our attention, like a man gently
blowing on the back of a woman's neck.