Is there any sound argument for God's existence? Things like the cosmological argument, the design argument, the argument from miracles, the argument from religious experience, the moral argument, the "five ways", and so on?
In continental philosophy, it is widely assumed that the attempt to argue for God's existence is pointless and has been ruled out since Kant. But in analytic philosophy, the debate goes on with increasingly technical arguments...
Your thoughts, please.
I write extensively about this. I think it's one of those questions can have 'sound arguements' both for and against at the same time. Namely because G-d refuses to confirm its' existence. Some of my replies to this question follow:
With all the posts regarding logic and religion it's important to point out that there's a world of difference between logic and being right. Much of the time people will scream bloody murder over what's logical (like Zulu warriors killing infant males in their tribal wars reasoning very logically that they'll eventually grow to become men seeking revenge.)It's 'logical' to do many things we don't as a society. And using logic to disprove G-d overlooks free will. As per my post 'Can we be certain...'
Of course you can prove or disprove just about anything by simply altering the frame of reference. Example: human beings are the pinacle of evolution. That's true. But only within the narrow frame of reference of here on Earth. Thousands of other planets discovered since just 1991, only a matter of time before we find 'ET.' By simply expanding the frame of reference a formerly true statement beyond quesiton suddenly becomes very presumtuous indeed.
"G-d does not exist." What? No where in the rather large multiverse is there a being we'd point to and say "That's G-d." Logically, without going everywhere and categorizing every living being in the cosmos can you say with any certainty at all there's no G-d. I've always maintained that when atheists and others try to use science to disprove G-d existing they're limiting their frame of reference to what classical notions about G-d describe it as being.
We exist. I think we can all safely agree on that one. So why if we intelligent, rational sentient beings exist here, a higher evolved being can't exist somewhere else? With how we know the universe works as in quantum physics, is a superior minded being or race of beings really so far fetched? And quantum entanglement is perfectly sensible but G-d isn't? Mmkay. Famous quote comes to mind, "Anyone who's studied the sciences and isn't then deeply disturbed didn't understand a damned thing."
I think most anti-G-d arguements come from people who wanna be able to do anything they want with a clear conscience. Can't imagine why else someone would stand up to billions of other people and say they're all wrong. "65,000 repetitions makes one truth." - "Brave New World," Aldous Huxley. So what does several billion repetitions make?
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How can we be certain G-d exists? There's certainly no empirical evidence supporting it or we wouldn't even be asking the question. So if there's nothing concrete to set our backs against why do so many belive? Why are some willing to die for beliefs that can't be supported scientifically?
G-d gave us free will. Part of that freedom is to believe in Him, trust Him, love Him, and obey Him; Part of it is to reject Him for reasons including there's no evidence. Would it still be us exercising a choice if there was evidence and His existence was as self-evident as this planet?
If we KNOW G-d exists there's nothing to believe in, or put faith in, or trust in. We're simply submitted to an all-powerful being out of fear being far below Him on the food chain.
If there's room to doubt, or even logic supporting disbelief, but believe anyway, then it can be said we love G-d.
This Av 9th I learned how the Exodus Jews sent a dozen scouts into the Promised Land to recon. All but two reported back the land was unconquerable angering G-d. G-d expected the Jews to trust Him, most did not even after everything He had done for them. They KNEW G-d existed, but they didn't BELIEVE in Him.
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Some new hypotheses suggest the entirety of the universe may be G-d. That every star is like a single cell in a living animal. And the way galaxies are formed and flowing around the universe is very much like veins. So there's some interesting thoughts behind this stuff.
If G-d is real, it has to be made of something. Though atoms only make up 4% of the universe, dark matter, and dark energy is comprised of particles as well. And they make up the rest. If G-d exists as something it'll be composed of something. But what's more likely, is G-d as religions think of it doesn't exist, but something we'd point at and recognize as 'a god' does. To a bug, we're gods. To us, an alien might be. So to understand whether G-d or gods exist, we first have to define what we mean by gods. And accept the possibility it's not as religions describe it.
