Arguments for the Existence of God

 The Cosmological Argument

This evidence is derived from observing the universe of which this world resides in a miniscule existence. The Cosmological Argument begins with what is most obvious in reality; the universe exists.

 Causality: Cause and Effect. The Law of Causality or The Law of Cause and Effect is a significant part of the cosmological argument. It states that every material effect must have an adequate antecedent cause. The universe exists therefore a cause prior to the universe is responsible for its existence. The universe must have a transcendent cause. That cause must be greater than, and superior too, the universe itself.

The Law of Causality is a fundamental principle of science and logic. To deny it is to contradict rationality. The universe exists: therefore, a transcendent being, God must have created it. Intuitively, we know that all events can be traced back to an event that preceded it or caused it. This is evidenced in our questions as human beings in asking how, what, when, where, and why are evidence of this inquisitive instinct and reflect our ingrained awareness of causality.  Scientific experiments relate effects to causes, in the form of quantitative equations. If the same experiment is repeated with exactly the same factors and the same results it is known as a scientific method.  The foundation for the scientific method is the Law of Causality. Science would be absolutely impossible if cause and effect cease. Skeptics have to violate one of four truth principles in order to refute the existence of God. This is precisely what those who believe in the theory of evolution must do in arguing their position. They must violate the Law of Causality. Causality inevitably leads to a choice between two alternatives:

• an infinite chain of non-primary causes (nothing ultimately responsible for all observable causes and effects like evolutionary theory.)
• An uncaused primary Cause of all causes (The One absolute cause (God) that initiated everything).

Then the inevitable question, “Who created God”? No one created God. God is eternal. Causality states that every effect must have an antecedent cause. But God is not an effect. God is the cause. Since something exist, and since something cannot arise from nothing- and further the universe itself is not eternal (as modern science is in complete agreement)-something outside of the universe must be eternal, such as an infinitive Creator God.  The cause of the universe is beyond nature, its above nature, it transcends nature it is something that is supernatural. The supernatural cause of the universe must be space-less to create space, timeless to create time, changeless to create change, immaterial to create material, all-powerful to create out of nothing, intelligent above all human comprehension to create the universe with precise design, a personal cause to choose to create and change a state of nothing into something because impersonal forces cannot make choices.

Contingency: A similar derivative of the Law of Causality is the argument for the existence of God from contingency. Aquinas (1225-1274 AD) formulated this argument following Aristotle (384-322 BC) in claiming that there must be something to explain why the Universe exists. Since the Universe could, conceivably not exist (contingency), its existence must have a cause – not merely another contingent thing, but something that exists by necessity (something that must exist in order for anything else to exist). In other words, even if the Universe has always existed, it still owes its existence to an Uncaused Cause. Aquinas said that Aristotle’s “Uncaused, Cause” was God. Aquinas observed in nature there were things with contingent existences. Since it is possible for such things not to exist, there must be some time at which these things did not in fact exist. Thus, according to Aquinas, there must have been a time when nothing existed. If this is so, there would be nothing that could bring anything into existence. Contingent beings, therefore, are insufficient to account for the existence of contingent beings: there must exist a necessary being whose non-existence is impossible, and from which the existence of all contingent beings is derived.

Evidence of Motion – The Unmoved-Mover: This is another part of the Cosmological evidence. There exists movement in the universe. What is causing the earth, planets and moons to move in the precise manner in which they orbit around each other? The components which make up the universe could not have brought themselves into motion, not in the precise manner in which they move in their particular orbits. They must be caused to move. There cannot be an infinite regression of movers. Therefore, there must be an Unmoved Mover. This unmoved Mover is God. The cause-and-effect relationship among things being moved and things moving must have a starting point. At one point in time, the relationship was set into motion and there must be a First Cause that set all the celestial bodies into motion. Aristotle’s argument for the existence of the unmoved mover progresses as follows: Things that move were set into motion by something else. If everything that moves were caused to move by something else, there would be an infinite chain of causes. This cannot happen. Thus, there must have been something that caused the first movement. The first cause cannot be moved. There must be an Unmoved Mover. Aquinas also included this argument in his, as one of his, Quique viae, Five Ways, or Five Proofs are five arguments regarding the existence of God in his Summa Theologica.