Proving Gods Existence - Research Paper Example

? “Proving God’s Existence is Not Quite a Necessary Task – Love, the Strongest Argument, is the Key” College Professor Date of Submission Proving God’s Existence is Not Quite a Necessary Task – Love, the Strongest Argument, is the Key Through the course of time and history, humans have since found a great deal in exploring knowledge of the physical world that includes a vast range of things from every unknown element within the deepest spots of the Earth to the huge cosmic objects of the universe. In the process, men have further cultivated themselves by virtue of intelligence and sought after discoveries that naturally make them proud of their intellectual capacities. Their evolving intellects have become inevitably accustomed to the pride of science in this matter, and thus, to the pride of proofs on justifying the existence of things. Apparently, even faith which is immaterial by nature is put to intense questioning merely because scientific endeavors have answered and fulfilled most of man’s quest for improving the quality and meaning of life. So no matter how strong God is perceived through faith, still, science is made to require evidence to support a spiritual conviction that there is God, the creator of all things including men, science, philosophies, and other fields of knowledge. By inductive reasoning, no belief may be established until concrete specific proof is met but, is this really necessary for God whose divine nature is rather inclined to reveal Him in abstract yet special ways of conveying the truth of his being? To me, it occurs that experiencing the physical world is adequate for an intimate sense of the beauty of nature is itself an inexplicable wonder though vividly seen, heard, and felt. Faith may not speak to me in philosophical terms to understand a moment of awe that has struck me somewhere, heart and mind, but it certainly speaks to me with love – that is the most common language in any context and in all areas of knowledge regardless of man’s race, creed, color, and ideological upbringing. How is it possible to hold God’s existence in disbelief when the universe, with all the heavenly bodies, is kept in perfect order by forces known as the pull of gravitation? Can these forces alone think as rational human beings do and act accordingly, knowing their worth in effecting harmony across the interstellar expanse? Surely there is supreme entity, a rational and exceedingly intelligent one who, with immense powers and wisdom, is able to design and command a non-living system of planets and stars to play their part whether in maintaining or transforming a galaxy. I am particularly fascinated about ‘symmetry’ in several things and the concept of order and symmetry is tangibly made known to us in view of biological forms and anatomies of life. Simply running an imaginary vertical axis down the center of the human body is like creating a mirror where we see one half reflect the other that our set of eyes, ears, arms, and legs in pairs mirror each other exactly. How often do we ever ponder on this and the reason for symmetry as well as regularity in shapes everywhere? Then we are led to consider thought on balance, on the idea of equilibrium which is very closely associated to order. Imagine a situation in which one of our eyes is at the back of the head while the other lies in front of the knee. Could this account for a picture of regularity and balance? If not, how could humans and other creatures evolve by such regular fashion in the absence of an impeccably systematic, profound scheme? How can God be not part of this if we completely acknowledge the spontaneous function of nature from which to realize that not all natural activities are seen by the naked eye? At this point, if we have learned to regard the unseen behavior within nature then we must learn to acknowledge beyond doubt too the invisible presence of an unseen worker who is above every form of existence. Albert Einstein expresses that though he rejects the notion of a personal God, he is in direct admission of a desire to comprehend the faculties behind the hands that structured the complexity of the universe. He confesses “I want to know how God created this world – I am not interested in this or that phenomenon, in the spectrum of this or that element – I want to know his thoughts – The rest are details (Albert Einstein: God, Religion & Theology).” This statement is one of faith in the unseen as it exhibits a sort of meditation and yearning to discern something apart from the rigid confines of science and ethics. For a real timeless genius like Einstein, a scientist widely acclaimed at having settled Newtonian intricacies concerning the theory of relativity with respect to time and space, such claim is deeply moving and he is one great man who is not afraid to humble down in recognition of an authority that greatly surpasses man’s limitations and weaknesses. As one of the strong proponents of the ‘Social Contract’, J.J. Rousseau is a highly respected thinker of his time for bearing remarkable impact concerning free society and right to equality of men yet his religious aspect of discourse is rather disposed to set God at such height of reverence as to nullify the foundation of his socio-political thought. With a sound of utter conviction, Rousseau states “Worship the Eternal Being ... and by so doing in one breath you will destroy the ghosts of reason, that are nothing but a vain manifestation that runs as a shadow before the immutable truth (Burgelin, 419).” Moreover, he declares “Not all the subtleties of metaphysics can shake for one moment my belief in a beneficent Providence – I sense the existence of Providence, I believe in it, I insist on it, hope for it, I shall defend it to my last breath ...(Guehermo, 351)” Out of this principle, we may readily ascertain a sense of longing, of looking forward not for the gain of sophisticated understanding but for the gain of being whom Rousseau calls as the ‘Providence’. The philosopher’s words are undoubtedly words of strength where we can be drawn to connect more than to observe because he communicates them in pure intention and courage that appears to stream from the man’s core of being. What necessity then does searching for proof make if faith works toward forces of wonder to discern what God is like? Rousseau himself serves as a model through whom the image of God’s character traits is manifested and this somehow directs us to take the logic that God just might have preferred such means of revelation due to a kind of holiness or divinity which greatly contrasts the act of satisfying external objectives. While intelligence and faith are quite sharp modifiers of perspectives that constitute a sensible argument on God’s existence, one should not miss taking into account the essence of the chief element that gathers all reasons in unity. Where faithfulness and intellect prevail in truth, God is held in presence as long as love holds the key and abounds in measure. In the light of love, by personal experience, no light of reason seems necessary for even the laws of nature, in a plenty of instances, have been transcended by it. It turns out – love builds the strongest argument in delivering justice and solid proof that God truly exists. God’s love is unconditional according to the Holy Scripture where it is also written that God himself is love and 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NIV) reads: “Love is patient, love is kind – It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud – It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs – Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth – It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres – Love never fails.” Love is abstract but despite its intangibility, no one dares suspect its evidence in the perception and deed of man. Since time, it has become part of nature of every life and portrays the crucial role of providing happiness and energy throughout the world and if we can accept that the world along with everything in it is creation, it follows that a creator exists. The creator is basically responsible for how nature proceeds spontaneously though since men have each an individual will to follow, the creator cannot be made wholly accountable for what the world has become. We are rational beings who can think of ideas and feel sensations at the same time so that, correspondingly, we can decide for ourselves besides the fact that we can be gradually capable of sharing love and care for each other. Are we not amazed of this truth in us? A man who is initially nothing undergoes developmental stages beginning with the moment of fertilization when a sperm cell meets an egg cell. I still find it quite astonishing that the union of two cells could possibly bring about human formation and we are not just any living thing that respires or thrives anywhere to be sustained by the rest of natural resources. We are made to grow and realize our will as thinking individuals and on this ground, it may be relevant to ask, did God our creator intend for mankind to be rational so that we can think and contemplate back on Him? If this is not what love is about, how can we justify our complex manner of growth with mental abilities and different kinds of emotions? What would be the best approach of explaining our uniqueness from each other? Once, poet S. Levine claims “Love is the only rational act” whereas the Bible teaches that we are made in God’s ‘image and likeness’ then in our personal reflection, we may be prompted to unify these positions and consider that the love of God causes Him to advance rationally toward a design that would fulfill His desire for humans to resemble the way He is. Proving the existence of God, furthermore, is unnecessary especially if we can very well find ourselves able to distinguish between religion and spirituality which means we know the difference between regard for adherence to practice or tradition and regard for the significance of examining the motives of the heart. I believe that religion conveys man’s philosophy of God while spirituality is a special attribute that engages God’s mind to that of man. With reference to spirituality, a man is said to regard a personal relationship (Taylor) with God in a level that far exceeds obedience to the established set of laws in religion. Religiousness normally confines men to the knowledge of good and evil in deed along with their respective consequences in heaven and in hell but spiritual training takes a faithful follower to discern the truth in the wisdom of choosing to be righteous based on love for the Supreme Being. Being able to differentiate one from the other in a gradual process of understanding myself with respect to an introspective approach of determining my state of conviction, I get more spiritually than religiously inclined to believe how God’s affection truly works so long as I maintain communication with Him by means of praying and reading the Scriptures. With a more unbounded and spontaneous prayer, I gain an in-depth understanding of how significant it is to communicate with God in an intimate way not like with the religious tradition of having to attend the church where abiding by the order of customary ritual seems obligatory. No one could be at fault on becoming ceremonious but in most cases, the monotony of a religious routine lacks the essential power to move one’s faith to the level of sincerity. Though it is possible to increase maturity with the knowledge fed in religion, I could personally attest that by experience, it only makes an individual generate more of fear than of love and appreciation of beliefs. If my faith mostly rests on apprehension and I get to dread God due merely to the constant thought about the absolute fate of human deeds in the day of judgment which religion occurs to have inculcated in every follower, my growth as a believer would be stagnant without the heart for real advocacy since external observation is given more emphasis over reparation of internal brokenness. Thus, a religious endeavor without consideration to the spiritual aspect that constitutes development of inner strength is futile and empty. On the contrary, the spiritual essence of walking with faith, having a profound sense of knowing God as a father rather than as a distant authority remarkably places meaning and recognition to the real value of faith. By being spiritual, one can be motivated to go by the natural course of acting righteously because the person possesses confidence in knowing that a loving relationship with God is capable of vouchsafing internal security. Internal distinction signifies the role of spirituality on shaping the way human believers deal with faith to guide its focus on enhancement of well-being which is quite undermined by the external treatment of religious behavior toward principles of holy and blameless living. Hence, for the world- renowned Stephen Covey: “The spiritual dimension is your core, your center, your commitment to your value system – It’s a very private area of life and supremely important one – It draws upon the sources that inspire and uplift you and tie you to the timeless truths of all humanity (Covey, 292).” If every individual manages to learn how to settle in this dimension, then scepticism on God may be eradicated and justification of His existence would be unnecessary. References Burgelin, P. (1973). La Philosophie De L' Existance De Jean Jacques Rousseau. Librarie Philosophique J. Vrin, Guehermo, J. (1966). Jean Jacques Rousseau. New York: Columbia U. Press. “Albert Einstein: God, Religion & Theology – Explaining Einstein’s Understanding of God as the Universe / Reality.” Retrieved from http://www.spaceandmotion.com/albert-einstein-god-religion-theology.htm on August 17, 2012. Taylor, A. “Spiritual Growth Personal Relationships.” Retrieved from http://thecheyennestar.net/2011/02/23/spiritual-growth-personal-relationships/ on August 20, 2012. Covey, Stephen R. (1997). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. FranklinCovey. Read More