Difference between revisions of "List of proofs of God"

Revision as of 01:50, April 10, 2012

Arguments for and against the existence of God have been proposed by philosophers, theologians, scientists, and others. In philosophical terms, arguments for and against the existence of God involve primarily the sub-disciplines of epistemology (theory of knowledge) and ontology (nature of being), but also of the theory of value, since concepts of perfection are often bound up with notions of God. Some atheists maintain that arguments for the existence of God show insufficient reason to believe. Certain theists acknowledge that belief in the existence of God may not be amenable to demonstration or refutation, but rests on faith alone. Other religions, such as Buddhism, do not concern themselves with the question of the existence or non-existence of God at all. Psychological and sociological explanations for believing in the existence of God may point to a shared neurological and cultural framework for belief based on cognitive processes in the brain.

This article seeks to document some well known arguments for the existence of God,in the Monotheistic sense.

Historical Arguments

1. Teleological Argument, also known as the Watchmaker Hypothesis. Proposed by Thomas Aquinas, who created the 5 proofs of God. This argument states that a complex object, found, like life, appears to be designed, and because it is unlikely that chance created it, God must have. Therefore, God exists.
2. Cosmological Argument(Part of the Infinite Regress series). It states that everything has a causing mover, and as that continues on forever, ad infintum, God must be the terminator of the regress. Therefore, God exists.
3. Ontological Argument. Postulates that if God can exist in our mind, as uber perfect, s/he must also exist in reality, which is even better than simply imagining a perfect god. Therefore, God exists.
4. Anthropic Argument. Postulates that God is the reason people exist, for without him, we have no meaning. We exist, therefore God exists.
5. Argument from Reason. Because all thoughts are a reaction of physical effects, but knowledge and learning is not, God must be behind it. Therefore God exists.

Arguments from Historical Events

1. God has been claimed to appear before nations, to give orders, demand tributes, or inform. Because of the unlikeliness of thousands of people hallucinating the same thing, God should, exist.
2. Argument from Holy Texts. Because the text was written by God, God must exist.

Argument from Testimony

The vast amount of theistic people on earth, imply that God must exist.

NOMA

Noma or non overlapping magisteria states that because God cannot be proven by science, s/he must exist in faith. Because there are people with faith, God must exist.

References