Would you like to read proofs and evidences of the existence of God?

Question

PROOFS AND EVIDENCES OF THE EXISTENCE OF GOD

One of the proofs and demonstrations of the existence of God is the fact that man did not create himself: nay, his creator and designer is another than himself.

It is certain and indisputable that the creator of man is not like man because a powerless creature cannot create another being. The maker, the creator, has to possess all perfections in order that he may create.

Can the creation be perfect and the creator imperfect? Can a picture be a masterpiece and the painter imperfect in his art? For it is his art and his creation. Moreover, the picture cannot be like the painter; otherwise, the painting would have created itself. However perfect the picture may be, in comparison with the painter it is in the utmost degree of imperfection.

The contingent world is the source of imperfections: God is the origin of perfections. The imperfections of the contingent world are in themselves a proof of the perfections of God.

For example, when you look at man, you see that he is weak. This very weakness of the creature is a proof of the power of the Eternal Almighty One, because, if there were no power, weakness could not be imagined. Then the weakness of the creature is a proof of the power of God; for if there were no power, there could be no weakness; so from this weakness it becomes evident that there is power in the world. Again, in the contingent world there is poverty; then necessarily wealth exists, since poverty is apparent in the world. In the contingent world there is ignorance; necessarily knowledge exists, because ignorance is found; for if there were no knowledge, neither would there be ignorance. Ignorance is the nonexistence of knowledge, and if there were no existence, nonexistence could not be realized.

It is certain that the whole contingent world is subjected to a law and rule which it can never disobey; even man is forced to submit to death, to sleep and to other conditions -- that is to say, man in certain particulars is governed, and necessarily this state of being governed implies the existence of a governor. Because a characteristic of contingent beings is dependency, and this dependency is an essential necessity, therefore, there must be an independent being whose independence is essential.

In the same way it is understood from the man who is sick that there must be one who is in health; for if there were no health, his sickness could not be proved.

Therefore, it becomes evident that there is an Eternal Almighty One, Who is the possessor of all perfections, because unless He possessed all perfections He would be like His creation.

Throughout the world of existence it is the same; the smallest created thing proves that there is a creator. For instance, this piece of bread proves that it has a maker.

Praise be to God! the least change produced in the form of the smallest thing proves the existence of a creator: then can this great universe, which is endless, be self-created and come into existence from the action of matter and the elements? How self-evidently wrong is such a supposition!

These obvious arguments are adduced for weak souls; but if the inner perception be open, a hundred thousand clear proofs become visible. Thus, when man feels the indwelling spirit, he is in no need of arguments for its existence; but for those who are deprived of the bounty of the spirit, it is necessary to establish external arguments

(Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 6)

Official website of the Bahá'í Faith
http://www.bahai.org

P.S. I am a very intelligent woman who DOES believe these things. I'm not capable of being this eloquent, that is why I copied and pasted. Besides, when I share my Faith, I point and let the writings speak for themselves, so that I never ever misinterpret or misrepresent. That would be a disservice to people and to God.

As for my learning capacity, my IQ is 137. Far from the learning capacity of a 4 yr old.

To answer ady's question:
God doesn't play humanity like a chess game, He gives us FREE WILL. No, I would NEVER EVER say that the tsunami happened because of people's sins, I have seen and completely disagree with that argument. However, if God were to play with us like game pieces, we would lose our free will. We'd lose this precious gift He gave us. We also wouldn't be allowed to fully utilize our MOST precious gift that He gave us, which is the gift of REASON.

As for proofs in tangible things, everything in nature is a tangible thing that one can see, feel, hear, taste, smell.

Created things do not create, God creates. It is by His grace and design and workings that we are conceived.

Man may clone man one day, but would s/he be able to create the tissues to clone from? Would s/he be able to generate human cells with DNA out of nothing? Methinks never.

This wonderful universe was no accident.

"Without darkness there is no light.......this circle can go on forever..."
And indeed it does! It's not a circle, but this logic exists for EVERYTHING. Darkness is the absence of light, poverty is the absence of wealth, illness is the absence of health, etc etc. God created all, and everything He created was good. Evil is non-existent, because it's only the absence of good.

Ah, but that's another story.

Genesis was never meant to be taken literally. Adam and Eve themselves never existed. Yes, man has evolved, but not from apes. Yes, God created our own species, and it has evolved throughout the time we've been here. No, the Earth is not 6000 yrs old, it's appx 4.56 billion years old.

Answer 1

Thank You for your insightful information you have shared with me. I appreciate this.
"Please Patiently read {as I have your information) what I have typed up for you. *"Not trying to convert you, this is not my way, simply kindly sharing with you, as you have done for me. Thank You again for sharing with me.
Thanks, for Patiently reading what I'm about to share with You.
“Did Siddhartha Gautama know of the One God of the Desert ? The God of the Jews{and of Jesus), The God of the Christians, The God of the Muslims ?”
Why is it that Siddhartha Gautama {The Buddha, as many call him) never talk about the One God of the Desert, the God of the Jews, Christians, and Muslims?
The Buddha was born approx. 512 years before Jesus, in what is now Nepal. He never traveled outside India teaching the Middle Way. At the time of The Buddha, the only people practicing the religion of the God of the Desert were some Israelites. And remember, it was 500 years until Jesus, who practiced Judaism, would come onto the scene. Jesus never left Israel, and The Buddha never left India. The Buddha never met a Israelite, (or a Jew, as they are called today), and because he never met an Israelite thus never having heard of the God of the Desert, he never said anything of Israel’s One God of the Desert.
So, did The Buddha believe in the One God of the Desert ? The God of the Israelites, the present day Jews, the God of Jesus, the God of the Christians, the God of the Muslims, and many others, the One God of the Desert ? Well, actually No, he didn’t – Monotheism (a belief in One God) was a foreign concept to him. The Buddha’s world was filled with many Gods. “The Creator God Brahma was the most important God !!” The Buddha, through introspection – observed that people, in times of trouble, suffering, problems, and during times of fear, ran quickly to their Gods, or God(Brahma, the Creator God) and would pray to be delivered, saved from hardships, and wanting salvation from their wrong-doings. The Buddha, through insightful introspection concluded that the Concept of God (or many Gods) is fear based. There is nothing in the teachings of The Buddha on how to find God, or how to worship the gods of India. The Buddha never considered himself God, or a Prophet, but was a teacher who was concerned with the human condition, namely – birth, sickness and suffering, old age and death. The Buddhist Path is about coming to a place of acceptance with these painful aspects of life, and not suffering through them. Please recall, The Buddha is not thought of as a God, and is not prayed to, or worshipped. He is looked up to and respected as a teacher, in the same way many look up to Abraham Lincoln as a great president.
Is every Buddhist in the world, an atheist ? Some are atheists, and some are not. I have met many Buddhists who do believe in God. Either way, is alright within Buddhism. The Buddha was much more concerned with the human condition, to end suffering, helping people to learn how to acquire a stable peace of mind, and happiness. Some people, during his time, did come up to The Buddha asking, well then who or what created the universe. Already knowing, that he did not believe in Brahma, the Creator God in India (at that time), so when this question was asked him, trying to stump him, he would remain wisely silent, avoiding conflict, respecting other’s beliefs. In Buddhism, there is no first cause, there is no Creator God. The Buddha teachings are more in line with present day Scientific reasoning, but realize in Buddhism it’s alright if you believe in the first cause being God(as creator), It really does not go against the teachings of the Buddha, for all of Siddhartha’s Teachings are totally focused on suffering, and ending our suffering, to have a stable peace of mind = w/out judging, criticizing, or condemning others, and humly loving-kindness, compassion, forgiveness, gentleness, Patience toward others. The Middle Way is Focused on ending the suffering of mankind, to acquire peace of mind, and happiness. This is the Buddhist way.
In Siddhartha’s whole life, and in all of his teachings, he never said anything about the One God of the Jews {and the One God of Jesus), of the Christians, and the One of the Muslims, namely - the One God of Abraham.
He never heard of the One God of the Desert.

Thank You also for educating me on the Baha'i
Faith. I am always open to learn new things.

Have a Great Week, and Weekend. And Thanks

Answer 2

This is one of the worst arguments I've ever seen. Ignoring that this is clearly not a proof in any way, shape or form, I'd like to point out one of the many logical errors made:

"Then the weakness of the creature is a proof of the power of God".

So, the weaker the creation, the more powerful the creator. So, Ferrari are a worse creator of automobiles than Fiat...

Logically the argument would go the other way - the more perfect the creator, the better the creation. Any and all imperfections would be evidence of the weaknesses of the creator. An all-powerful creator would be able to create perfection.

Answer 3

well the first line of the bible kind of says it all "..In the begining God created the heavens and the earth" look at the stars, our universe, the sun, and the earth, does that look like anything other than God created it? Exactly they're fossils God still created the animals but he made them extinct for a reason, and as to wether or not evolution is real, look at yourself....do you look like a monkey? No you don't unless you are dressed up in a furry monkey suit and if you do Lord help you. My proof is faith, i don't have to have physical proof to show that i believe something. Were you here when he created the heavens and the earth, how do you suppose they got here...the big bang? No, who created the little thing the big banged out of? I'm pretty sure there was a really big bang when God created the earth but we didn't pop out of nowhere, if we did who created the nowhere? Faith is the answer! God Bless.

Answer 4

These are not proofs. The whole thing is a circular argument.

The assertion (in the last paragraph) that you have to believe to understand these as proofs actually demonstrates that what you have said is a belief and not a proof.

For instance, even if we accept the assertion that man did not create himself, there is nothing to imply that a god did. Null argument.

You ask us to presuppose that the creation was perfect, when in fact there is no evidence of this, let alone proof. Another null argument.

You ask us to believe that there is a god simply because the world is imperfect, when it would be at least as feasible that if there was a god that it would make the world to be perfect. Again, a null argument.

I could go on disputing your unprovable assertions with far more validity than they contain but there is really no point. Your blind belief in them will not allow you to see another viewpoint.

Answer 5

Lets put aside the fact that you have shown no proof. Let us for a moment talk about fact.
1. If there was a GOD, then why doesn't everyone know about him. The most ancient civilizations have no mantion of this God you talk about. According to the bible God gives man free will to choose, but having that will means that you have to know the the exhistance in order to choose.
2. If there was this God, creater of man, then why is the bible changed through history to suit the times. If this is the word of God, what gives man the right to change it.
3. If you listen to the bible and believe that Adam and Eve were given all the knowlege by God, then why did early man have no language or even a way of writting? Why do we have to invent if they had all the knowledge God possess?
4. If Adam and Eve are the beginning then why does the bible start in the middle of the exhistance of man, what happened to the time before?
Is it possible to believe that God would let us man destroy ourselves, or is it likely that the term God was created to control people. To set laws and enforce ways of life onto people that is considered less.

Answer 6

Nice job copy pasting. I'm sorry, but those are not proofs, in fact that has to be one of the worst so-called proofs I've ever read. Seriously, "An Almighty Creator exists because we are imperfect"? That's basically what your copy pasted argument says. A perfect creator wouldn't have made imperfect beings, he would have done a much better job.

Answer 7

Wow, now there is an argument for God. Man exists, didn't create himself, so there must be a God.

The mere existence of mankind, and the fact that we didn't create ourselves, is not a great argument for God as a creator.

There is a doghouse in my yard. It didn't create itself, therefore God must have done it?

Actually, I did it. (the last thing I need is a bunch of Bahia's worshiping in my yard)

The fact that Mankind exists doesn't prove who or what created mankind, therefor your convoluted argument falls apart. The statement makes a large leap from the existence of Mankind to the Creation of Mankind.

Without darkness there is no light.......this circle can go on forever and in the end you are left naked, barefooted with a shaved head in a hut, with all your worldly possessions given to a religion.

Answer 8

If you truly had faith in your god, then why would you need proofs and evidence? I thought faith was faith and didn't require evidence. Are you trying to convince yourself? Because you have done a poor job trying to convince others with what you have written. It's not proof or evidence to just say things and then act as though it were proof or evidence of anything. You haven't proved a thing but that you believe all this.

Answer 9

Dear Doleres....I think you might have some misunderstanding about what the word proof constitutes.

None of what you wrote is proof. It is all presupposition, that reinforces itself by saying obviously.

A proof is something that is demonstrable by evidence, logic, SOMETHING......

Not saying it's obvious because I said it's obvious.

P.S. Humans will eventually clone humans.

Answer 10

Thank you for your personal view on this subject. I'm afraid it still fails to convince me since it is circular reasoning that does not hold up. I'm sure they are reasonable to you but those of us who use scientific reasoning and view those arguments with logical rationality find them lacking. Have a wonderful life and be happy.