Is there proof of God's existence?

Question

Instead of the standard yes or no, cite your criterion for "proof" and maybe how a couple examples meet or don't meet this criterion. If you don't have a criterion, why not?

Charles: Note that I am a Christian. But your argument is not a criterion for proof but an argument. That being said, most atheists reject (2) and say the universe just is.

Answer 1

OK, your response is awaited.

(1) Everything that exists contingently has a reason for its existence.
(2) The universe exists contingently.
Therefore:
(3) The universe has a reason for its existence.
(4) If the universe has a reason for its existence then that reason is God.
Therefore:
(5) God exists.

[Late Edit]
No offense, but you have an odd view of what a constitutes a "proof." A proof of something is a a set of assertions which are both valid in form and true. Given the premises, the conclusions follow as a matter of course. Second, rejecting 2) misunderstands that cosmologists have ample evidence that the universe is finite in both time and space; but more importantly the Big Bang clearly means that the universe is contingent.

You asked for a proof. You don't get to wiggle out of it by saying you did not get one. You clearly do not understand what a proof is, or what one would look like if it were offered to you.

HTH

Charles

Answer 2

The question is so ridiculous...look at the precision of how the solar system operates example..what if the earth deviated from its axis? The earth turns on its own axis eastward at more than 1000 miles per hour each year the earth revolves more than 584,000,000 miles around the sun at the rate of 66,700 miles per hour . The 23 1/2 degree inclination of the earth's axis and its journey around the sun cause the changes of seasons and varying lengths of day and night.. Who Placed the earth at a perfect 23 1/2 degree
inclination? What does it not deviate? What would happen if it did? Why does the earth maintain the same speed in orbit? What would happen if it speeded up or slowed down? The precision of the universe and its laws are further proof of the existance of God because a person with even scant brain waves would no this is no accident nor did it just happen.

Answer 3

None of the so called proofs presented here are valid. They all involve heavy use of logical fallacies.

Charles argument claims: 2) The universe exists contingently.

I reject that: I believe the universe is ultimately Mathematics which exists necessarily. I believe the universe only looks contingent because we see so little of it. Time and Causality are merely an illusion in my opinion.

Can I prove that, No I cannot, however I don't claim I can.

Answer 4

Is this an open question for discussion or what? Good one! Is their proof of God's existence? Well..if one is born into a Christian belief then they would of course agree with God's existence due to his creation of the Universe and His creation of Adam and Eve and of All Living Things. Now of course scientists believe of the theory of Evolution to where all living things started as a single cell amoeba. Then we have the few that don't believe in anything, they just know of their own existence. Now I was born from Christian belief but I also have an open-mind to where anything is possible. In our Christian beliefs one reads the stories of the Bible which tells us of God and His great works and of the creation of the Universe and Adam and Eve but these are stories brought down from generations that had been written centuries or eons ago. How does one know that these stories and passages that are in the Bible are true and not someones imagination. One good example are the "findings" that archaeologists have found in their "diggings and discoveries "of Ancient cities and tombs from that time era. These archaeologists and scholars have found writings of the same stories from the Bible from ruins of different countries and origins to where one must believe it's true if so many of these people wrote of the same story but in different languages. Faith, that one has within themselves is another example in Christianity. If one doesn't have faith then one could say they don't believe in God. Now scientists have the theory of evolution in which again archaeologists have found evidence of skeleton remains of the earliest human. Which could possibly be the missing link to our existence. So how does one cypher this? On one hand you have the Believers in God and His creation but yet on the other hand you have the Scientists on their theory of Evolution. Now if I was a skeptic, since there is more physical evidence in proof on the Evolution side then there is physical proof on God's existence then I would have to believe in the Evolution theory. But...since I believe in God and His creation of the Universe and in All living things great and small and have Faith in our God then I would have to go on the Christian belief that God does exist. But what if the scientists are correct and so is the Bible? Can't we say that God started the creation of the Universe and the start of all living things and Evolution finished the cycle? Then both the Christian Faith and the scientists would be correct, end of argument...lol. Have a great day!

Answer 5

I am not absolutely sure if this qualifies as proof, but look around you, everything you see has been created out of nothing. Science clearly tells us that, God has always told man that he created the world out of nothing but his power. Perhaps he left out a few details, but how can people from more then 2000 years in the past know about such a plausible theory of creation if it weren't true? Therefor God clearly exists.

Answer 6

The only person to have actually seen God is Jesus.
Jesus claimed God exists. Was he a liar?
Before Pilate he said "For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth." John 18:37
Since we have never seen God, we're obliged to go about matters a different way ....like using our reasoning.
The Apostle Paul used reasoning. He said:
"Of course, every house is constructed by someone, but he that constructed all things is God." Hebrews 3:4
That would be my point ....it is so very obvious, nobody should doubt.

Answer 7

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The proof and evidence is all around you and everywhere, undeniable proof, and indisputable visible evidence. It is called creation and life. Unless your are blind, deaf, and senseless. You can see, smell, taste, hear, feel, and examine the evidence.
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We live on a planet teeming with life. Plant life with approximately 250,000 species, animal life with over a million species. Scientists are learning just how complex life is. So complex that it requires design. The evidence of design requires a designer. Scientists are also learning the conditions for life; just how perfect conditions here on planet Earth are to support all this life.
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The human brain, it absorbs forty megabytes per second of data while awake. That is two terabytes of data a day. At night, it sorts and stores that data through the creation of new chemical bonds and synaptic connectors.
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Sure, right, this all just happened and evolved. This sort of thinking takes considerable faith, exponentially more faith than believing in a creator.
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Answer 8

are you able to coach the huge bang and evolution ? no you may not and besides...you may not practice to completely anybody that god does not exist. so do not factor hands till your hands are sparkling and by potential of how. the bible has greater historic information than your evolutionary theory and massive bang which claims that the universe got here from not something feels like a significant bounce of religion to me.

Answer 9

Anybody who says so is a liar and a fool. there is no proof either way. If some god existed and wanted us to worship him, he would have shown up and told us to, instead of hiding. Until that happens, there is no god.

Answer 10

Dog Sneeze, don't you think it's a little early? *drink* ;)

But if you are come up with a criteria for God's existence, then apply various examples to evaluate the reliability of your criteria, then you're apparently using abductive reasoning and your proof isn't actually a proof.