Proofs of god's existence

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Jennifer Rogers

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The existence of God has always been a subject of debate in religious philosophy and popular culture. There are many arguments that have been made on this topic, and especially for Christians like us, this is a fascinating topic. So what proof is that God exists in our World?

InbkUEl.png
The Bible reveals a God that provides proof of His existence. Here are some of the evidence that the Bible and scientists have mentioned:

- Science has discovered that our physical universe emerged from scratch. But how did this happen? Science cannot explain the origin of the universe, but answers are needed. Contrary to what some people believe, the Bible's simple answer is consistent with true science: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).

- Creativity requires a creative person. The Hubble telescope continues to reveal previously unknown galaxies. Our fantastic universe amazes us. Under the night sky, King David of ancient Israel asked God: “When I consider his heavens, the work of his fingers, the moon and the stars, You predestined, what is the man that You care for him and his son that you come to visit him?" (Psalm 8:3-4). David calls the universe the work of God's fingers. He knew that God created the universe. Did the universe begin? What do scientists say? The famous astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, in a lecture titled "The Beginning of Time", stated the view of most astronomers today: "the universe does not last forever. Rather, the universe, and time itself, began with the big bang, about 15 billion years ago.”

- In 1641, Rene Descartes gave "Proof of the Existence of God". This is the series of arguments he makes in the treatise (1 formal philosophical observation) "Meditation on the First Philosopher", first appearing in "Meditation III, Being", and discusses in more depth. in “Meditation V: On the nature of material things and again on God, that He exists.” Descartes is known for his early arguments that hoped to prove the existence of God, but later philosophers often criticized his evidence for being too narrow and based on "a very dubious premise" (Hobbes) that the image of God exists in humanity. In any case, understanding them is essential to understanding Descartes' later works "Principles of Philosophy" (1644) and his "Theory of Ideas".

- Andre Lemaire, an expert on ancient texts at Practical School of Higher Studies (France), believes he has found evidence that Jesus is real. It was an empty urinal, engraved in Arabic: James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus.

- The Jewish historian Josephus, who lived in the first century, wrote that “the brother of Jesus, whose name was James” was stoned to death in AD 62 for apostasy. Based on this record, Lemaire argues that if James' bones were deposited in the urine a year after his death, the inscription must have been written around AD 63—three decades after the crucifixion of Jesus up the cross. Lemaire argues that there are two factors that show that the above inscription was written in the time of Jesus. This typeface "matches perfectly" with other texts found in the first century AD. The second is the Jewish burial practice: They buried the dead only with urine between 20 BC and 70 AD.


There is much more evidence of the existence of God mentioned in many other documents. For us Christians, proof of the existence of God is also proof that our faith is always right.
 

MatthewG

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One thing to note here Jennifer is that the Bible is not a science book at all.

However when looking at the human body we can see in nature that God created all things.

Our fingertips have line rings in them, just like the inside of the trunk of a tree. Our veins that one can see are just like that of lighting bolts that come out of the sky. When people look into space with telescopes and see something like nebula and things like that our eyes are similar because of the vast details inside to some degree.

The Bible proclaims about how God created everything and that is proof enough of something greater than just the self existing.
 

Jennifer Rogers

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One thing to note here Jennifer is that the Bible is not a science book at all.

However when looking at the human body we can see in nature that God created all things.

Our fingertips have line rings in them, just like the inside of the trunk of a tree. Our veins that one can see are just like that of lighting bolts that come out of the sky. When people look into space with telescopes and see something like nebula and things like that our eyes are similar because of the vast details inside to some degree.

The Bible proclaims about how God created everything and that is proof enough of something greater than just the self existing.
That's an interesting thing. :D
 

BarneyFife

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The existence of God has always been a subject of debate in religious philosophy and popular culture. There are many arguments that have been made on this topic, and especially for Christians like us, this is a fascinating topic. So what proof is that God exists in our World?

InbkUEl.png
The Bible reveals a God that provides proof of His existence. Here are some of the evidence that the Bible and scientists have mentioned:

- Science has discovered that our physical universe emerged from scratch. But how did this happen? Science cannot explain the origin of the universe, but answers are needed. Contrary to what some people believe, the Bible's simple answer is consistent with true science: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).

- Creativity requires a creative person. The Hubble telescope continues to reveal previously unknown galaxies. Our fantastic universe amazes us. Under the night sky, King David of ancient Israel asked God: “When I consider his heavens, the work of his fingers, the moon and the stars, You predestined, what is the man that You care for him and his son that you come to visit him?" (Psalm 8:3-4). David calls the universe the work of God's fingers. He knew that God created the universe. Did the universe begin? What do scientists say? The famous astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, in a lecture titled "The Beginning of Time", stated the view of most astronomers today: "the universe does not last forever. Rather, the universe, and time itself, began with the big bang, about 15 billion years ago.”

- In 1641, Rene Descartes gave "Proof of the Existence of God". This is the series of arguments he makes in the treatise (1 formal philosophical observation) "Meditation on the First Philosopher", first appearing in "Meditation III, Being", and discusses in more depth. in “Meditation V: On the nature of material things and again on God, that He exists.” Descartes is known for his early arguments that hoped to prove the existence of God, but later philosophers often criticized his evidence for being too narrow and based on "a very dubious premise" (Hobbes) that the image of God exists in humanity. In any case, understanding them is essential to understanding Descartes' later works "Principles of Philosophy" (1644) and his "Theory of Ideas".

- Andre Lemaire, an expert on ancient texts at Practical School of Higher Studies (France), believes he has found evidence that Jesus is real. It was an empty urinal, engraved in Arabic: James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus.

- The Jewish historian Josephus, who lived in the first century, wrote that “the brother of Jesus, whose name was James” was stoned to death in AD 62 for apostasy. Based on this record, Lemaire argues that if James' bones were deposited in the urine a year after his death, the inscription must have been written around AD 63—three decades after the crucifixion of Jesus up the cross. Lemaire argues that there are two factors that show that the above inscription was written in the time of Jesus. This typeface "matches perfectly" with other texts found in the first century AD. The second is the Jewish burial practice: They buried the dead only with urine between 20 BC and 70 AD.


There is much more evidence of the existence of God mentioned in many other documents. For us Christians, proof of the existence of God is also proof that our faith is always right.
I can be a little bit over-technical at times. I can even get caught up in semantics once in a while.

The thing is, I used to watch a lot of the atheist vs. Christian debates on YouTube. The difference between the words "evidence" and "proof" is very important to skeptics. Especially to the very intellectual ones (which nearly all of them are). The inability to conceive faith seems to be an occupational hazard to the mind that is convinced of its own brilliance.

Anyway, evidence ain't proof. The existence of God can't be proven by anyone but Himself. But He does not leave us without sufficient evidence upon which to base our belief in Him.

Hope this isn't too confusing. I never know for sure. I can be a bit unclear sometimes. And, boy, do I ramble.

And I still say I like your refreshing and calming presence and influence here. It's needed and not at all unappreciated.
 

Jennifer Rogers

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I can be a little bit over-technical at times. I can even get caught up in semantics once in a while.

The thing is, I used to watch a lot of the atheist vs. Christian debates on YouTube. The difference between the words "evidence" and "proof" is very important to skeptics. Especially to the very intellectual ones (which nearly all of them are). The inability to conceive faith seems to be an occupational hazard to the mind that is convinced of its own brilliance.

Anyway, evidence ain't proof. The existence of God can't be proven by anyone but Himself. But He does not leave us without sufficient evidence upon which to base our belief in Him.

Hope this isn't too confusing. I never know for sure. I can be a bit unclear sometimes. And, boy, do I ramble.

And I still say I like your refreshing and calming presence and influence here. It's needed and not at all unappreciated.
Thank you for your answer.
 
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JohnPaul

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We are all proof and everything around us that Jehovah, God almighty creator of Heaven and Earth and everything in between exists.
 

marks

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I would say the entire Universe.
Just so.

You cannot have an effect without a cause, and all effects will have to be realized from an "uncaused cause", that is, Eternal Creator.

Much love!
 

Wrangler

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So what proof is that God exists in our World?
I hold there are 5 proofs of God's existence.

A few preliminaries. Anything can be disputed beyond reason. This is why the legal standard to convict someone of a crime is beyond reasonable doubt, not beyond ALL doubt. One of the most important things to establish in statistics and debate is the acceptance criteria. Without the acceptance criteria being established trying to convince someone of something they do not want to accept is futile. They will always 'move the goalposts.'

Putting aside religion, an aspect of logic, statistics and law is the one making the positive claim has the burden of proof. (Supposing otherwise is called in logic the argument fallacy of Appealing to Ignorance) What constitutes proof will be explained below. Likewise, the null hypothesis in statistics is that if the positive claim is not supported, its opposite is accepted.

Ha: The new product is better than the old.
H0: The new product is NOT better than the old.

To these educated unbelievers, we need to speak their language of evidence, to displace the idol of science with the one true God. Atheists have deliberately set a standard of proof impossible to meet that many casual unbelievers have accepted by default. Proof standards include:

  • mathematical certainty
  • statistical significance
  • beyond reasonable doubt (criminal trials)
  • more likely than not (civil trials)

I hold there are 5 proofs of God that meet criteria #4, more likely than not.


#1 Evidence for Creation, The Significance of the Big Bang Theory

Louis Markos wrote in Atheism on Trial that the arguments against God have not changed much since Greek philosophers put it in writing 2400 years ago. Atheists answer to the question of the existence of the universe is that it has always existed; the universe is eternal.

So, when evidence emerged in the 1st half of the 20 century of an expanding universe, the implication is that the further you go back in time, the smaller the universe is until you get to a beginning. It's hard to realize now because the theory is universally accepted that The big bang got its name from a man who thought the theory was total nonsense. The scientific evidence for Creation is irrefutable now - although atheists like to use other terms for it.


A maxim in logic is that SOMETHING COMES FROM SOMETHING. An atheist is left with the untenable position in light of the Big Bang Theory that EVERYTHING CAME FROM NOTHING. Of course, they may make an Appeal to Ignorance, that we don't know what started the Big Bang. In the absence of a better explanation, Creation is the only theory on the table.
 

Wrangler

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The 5 categorical proofs are:

  1. Creation - existence of universe
  2. Life
  3. Resurrection of Jesus
  4. Martyrs, especially Apostles
  5. Our Witness/Changed Lives

#2 Life

Atheists love to change the subject of the existence of life to evolution of life. I point out that the theory of evolution does not explain how life began.

Secular scientists assert life formed by accident, a random converge of chemicals. The biggest untapped way to reach educated unbelievers IMO is to delve into the emerging science of 3 fields, which point unequivocally to an Intelligent Designer:

  1. Cosmology (Origins of Universe),
  2. Universal Constants in Physics (Fine Tuning),
  3. Biology & Genetics (irreducible complexity, 4D informational content).

The more science learns about the building blocks of life, not only the irreducible complexity of the cell but the computer programming of billions of letters in DNA, the less random convergence holds up to scrutiny. The most complicated molecule known to exist is life.


Besides life, the most complicated molecules are synthetic, man-made polymers. These are 1,000’s of times (orders of magnitude) more complicated and longer chains of atoms than naturally occurring molecules. Then life, DNA’s double helix is 1,000’s of times (orders of magnitude) more complicated than polymers. It’s not just how complicated life molecules are, it’s that they contain information. The book of life is literally written in our DNA! How did the informational content of life get built into the very arrangement of the atoms that comprise it?

The power of science is predictability and the simple scientific fact is that science has NOT been able to create life from non-life. Occam’s razor guides us to an Intelligent Designer and Writer of DNA code as far more likely than random convergence.


#3 Resurrection of Jesus

Now we get into the area that forensic scientists fear to tread. As we move from the physical science of existence to the social science of the human experience, the questions get even harder for the atheist no answer that withstands scrutiny.


There are 100’s of people who saw the resurrected Jesus shortly after he was crucified. And many witnesses over the centuries up to today have seen him. (Modern technology captures some of this supernatural interaction on video.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oi8fO0t9zsU

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044905/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3GS-Qhm_7s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxzT8fNMqNQ

Psychology has no secular explanation for this. Do Hallucinations Explain Jesus’s Resurrection?. So, again, in light of no other plausible explanation, the best explanation is people actually saw the resurrected Jesus, actually saw a supernatural manifestation of the Virgin Mary, actually saw angels, which could only have happened if there is a God to resurrect him (and us in the future) and allow holy messengers to pierce the veil.


#4 Martyrs, especially Apostles

There is a recent story of parents lifting their son, who was wheelchair bound, onto a rescuing ship as their ship was sinking. In the time it took them to lift the chair, they got stuck in the whirlpool of the sinking ship. Rather than save their own life, they chose to save their paraplegic son. What does this tell us about their values?

Our society has become so cynical that even when people offer their life for a cause, instead of recognizing the act as heroic, the martyrs are criticized, ‘just another religious fanatic. One of the 1st victims at Columbine was given a choice; deny Jesus or die. This cynicism seems to magnify the further back in time the sacrifice was.

We take for granted or scoff at the worldly foolishness of sacrificing the last full measure of devotion. Still, the question has to be asked, why were 11 of the 12 apostles willing to sacrifice themselves rather than recant their story of the resurrected Jesus? The only plausible explanation is the Gospel is true.

For centuries after Jesus, Romans crucified and lit on fire Christ followers. Why would any rational person embrace the teaching’s the Apostles advanced knowing horrible death was a likely outcome? The only plausible explanation is the martyrs valued the Gospel more than their own life. Although not direct evidence, it is circumstantial evidence that the value of the Gospel flows from God’s existence and revelation to us.

And keep in mind, most criminal trials convict based on circumstantial evidence.



#5 Our Witness/Changed Lives

100’s of millions of people today and billions of people over the centuries have been a witness to the truth of God’s existence. As The Chosen emphasizes, ‘I was one way and then I was another way and in between was Him.’ Many addicts credit the power of God for overcoming their addiction.


We are a living testament to God. I look people in the eye and humbly share my testimony, how God came into my life and changed me. In Biblical terms, some people don’t have eyes to see or ears to hear.


Yet, there it is. 5 proofs of God. Take it or leave it. Do with it what you will. ‘As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.’ Joshua 24:15
 

Jennifer Rogers

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The 5 categorical proofs are:

  1. Creation - existence of universe
  2. Life
  3. Resurrection of Jesus
  4. Martyrs, especially Apostles
  5. Our Witness/Changed Lives

#2 Life

Atheists love to change the subject of the existence of life to evolution of life. I point out that the theory of evolution does not explain how life began.

Secular scientists assert life formed by accident, a random converge of chemicals. The biggest untapped way to reach educated unbelievers IMO is to delve into the emerging science of 3 fields, which point unequivocally to an Intelligent Designer:

  1. Cosmology (Origins of Universe),
  2. Universal Constants in Physics (Fine Tuning),
  3. Biology & Genetics (irreducible complexity, 4D informational content).

The more science learns about the building blocks of life, not only the irreducible complexity of the cell but the computer programming of billions of letters in DNA, the less random convergence holds up to scrutiny. The most complicated molecule known to exist is life.


Besides life, the most complicated molecules are synthetic, man-made polymers. These are 1,000’s of times (orders of magnitude) more complicated and longer chains of atoms than naturally occurring molecules. Then life, DNA’s double helix is 1,000’s of times (orders of magnitude) more complicated than polymers. It’s not just how complicated life molecules are, it’s that they contain information. The book of life is literally written in our DNA! How did the informational content of life get built into the very arrangement of the atoms that comprise it?

The power of science is predictability and the simple scientific fact is that science has NOT been able to create life from non-life. Occam’s razor guides us to an Intelligent Designer and Writer of DNA code as far more likely than random convergence.


#3 Resurrection of Jesus

Now we get into the area that forensic scientists fear to tread. As we move from the physical science of existence to the social science of the human experience, the questions get even harder for the atheist no answer that withstands scrutiny.


There are 100’s of people who saw the resurrected Jesus shortly after he was crucified. And many witnesses over the centuries up to today have seen him. (Modern technology captures some of this supernatural interaction on video.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oi8fO0t9zsU

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044905/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3GS-Qhm_7s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxzT8fNMqNQ

Psychology has no secular explanation for this. Do Hallucinations Explain Jesus’s Resurrection?. So, again, in light of no other plausible explanation, the best explanation is people actually saw the resurrected Jesus, actually saw a supernatural manifestation of the Virgin Mary, actually saw angels, which could only have happened if there is a God to resurrect him (and us in the future) and allow holy messengers to pierce the veil.


#4 Martyrs, especially Apostles

There is a recent story of parents lifting their son, who was wheelchair bound, onto a rescuing ship as their ship was sinking. In the time it took them to lift the chair, they got stuck in the whirlpool of the sinking ship. Rather than save their own life, they chose to save their paraplegic son. What does this tell us about their values?

Our society has become so cynical that even when people offer their life for a cause, instead of recognizing the act as heroic, the martyrs are criticized, ‘just another religious fanatic. One of the 1st victims at Columbine was given a choice; deny Jesus or die. This cynicism seems to magnify the further back in time the sacrifice was.

We take for granted or scoff at the worldly foolishness of sacrificing the last full measure of devotion. Still, the question has to be asked, why were 11 of the 12 apostles willing to sacrifice themselves rather than recant their story of the resurrected Jesus? The only plausible explanation is the Gospel is true.

For centuries after Jesus, Romans crucified and lit on fire Christ followers. Why would any rational person embrace the teaching’s the Apostles advanced knowing horrible death was a likely outcome? The only plausible explanation is the martyrs valued the Gospel more than their own life. Although not direct evidence, it is circumstantial evidence that the value of the Gospel flows from God’s existence and revelation to us.

And keep in mind, most criminal trials convict based on circumstantial evidence.



#5 Our Witness/Changed Lives

100’s of millions of people today and billions of people over the centuries have been a witness to the truth of God’s existence. As The Chosen emphasizes, ‘I was one way and then I was another way and in between was Him.’ Many addicts credit the power of God for overcoming their addiction.


We are a living testament to God. I look people in the eye and humbly share my testimony, how God came into my life and changed me. In Biblical terms, some people don’t have eyes to see or ears to hear.


Yet, there it is. 5 proofs of God. Take it or leave it. Do with it what you will. ‘As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.’ Joshua 24:15
Thank you for your answer, it's a great answer. Blessing!
 

theefaith

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Psalm 19:1
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

cos they are well ordered!

truth goodness and beauty!
 

Jim B

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Psalm 19:1
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

cos they are well ordered!

truth goodness and beauty!

Congratulations! You got something right -- for once.

Romans 1:20, "For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, because they are understood through what has been made. So people are without excuse."