Introduction

Theism is the belief in some higher power(s) either: Polytheism: ("Poly" meaning "many" + "Theism"): The belief in the existence of more than one god. Monotheism: ("Mono" meaning "one" + "Theism"): IS The belief in the existence of only one God. The Bible presupposes theism in Genesis ("In the beginning God . . . " And by Deuteronomy 6:4 it is quite obvious that there is only one True God.

That a creator exists is also evident from creation. Creation implies a creator, design implies a designer, nowhere in our experience is this not acknowledged as true (except in the theory of evolution). We know from the second law of thermodynamics that the entire universe (all creation) is running down. What that means is that the universe had a beginning, for you cannot get something from nothing. The universe could not have created itself, because to do so it would have had to exist in the first place! We also know that all finite things are contingent on some cause. But you cannot find a cause for a cause for a cause... and so on into eternity, there has to be an uncaused cause. That infinite, uncaused cause is God.

If God does not exist, we are merely cosmic aberrations, of no true of value, who lack any significant purpose. Many do not see this as the logical outcome of atheism. Children are taught in school only naturalistic views of the world, that all cultures are morally equal, that truth itself may change with the sincere beliefs of any person or group... and then we are surprised when they act upon the only logical conclusion to be found from these teachings. Where there is no creator, there is only chance. Where there is no purposer, there is no purpose. Where there is no lawgiver, there is only anarchy. If we are only self-actualizing, self-contingent, self-sustaining beings then all that makes sense is selfishness. Philosophically this does nothing to prove that God exists, for it is logically possible for our being to be only a mistake, a ripple of life in an otherwise lifeless universe. It is of the utmost importance to be able to show good reason why God exists, and building upon that foundation, be able to reveal the true God.

One popular theistic argument is that to know that God does not exist atheists would have to have perfect knowledge of the universe so to be certain of this claim they would have to be God. The atheist is said to be attempting to prove a “universal negative.” The problem here is there are logical ways of disproving God without being omniscient. I have rational justification for many things I hold to be true without having absolute certainty (which covers just about every fact from the past or assumption about the future!). Further, if God can be shown to be an incoherent concept (such as square-circles or married-bachelors) then He could be shown not to exist. Most negative-existence arguments are very hard to prove if by “prove” we mean in a universally positive sense. I can’t prove with 100% confidence that Santa Claus does not exist somewhere, but that alone is not a good reason to believe in him. Overall this is just a bad argument and should be avoided.

Many of the positive arguments for God’s existence are given below.

First Cause

1. Nothing cannot cause something.
2. Nothing can cause itself, for it would first have to exist in order to create itself.
3. Anything with a beginning had to have a beginner.
4. The universe began
5. We cannot have an infinite series of causes.
6. There had to be an uncaused cause, the first cause, uncreated existence.

For more on this argument see THE KALAM COSMOLOGICAL ARGUMENT

Continuing Cause

1. Things exist.
2. It is possible that they could not exist (potentiality).
3. Something in actuality must move possibility to actuality.
4. There cannot be an infinite regress of causes.
5. Only an infinite being is uncaused.
6. The cause of all potential things' existence must therefore be uncaused.
7. This uncaused cause would be unlimited (lacking all potential).
8. Unlimited being is God.

For more on this argument see A NON-RELIGIOUS DISCUSSION CONCERNING THE EXISTENCE OF GOD

Atheism, usually posited as being an intellectual or logical conclusion based on facts, is usually only a denial of what others believe. It rarely provides better answers to observable facts. One of the most glaring of these occurrences is in nature itself. Everything that exists in the natural world came from some other cause. This could regress infinitely, but we see from the 2nd law of thermodynamics that the energy of the universe is breaking down which means it had to have had a beginning. The universe could not create itself, for it would have had to have existed already in order to create itself. The universe could not leap into existence from nothing, for that violates the 1st law of thermodynamics (matter and energy can only exchange states, they cannot be destroyed or created in nature). The universe cannot be eternal itself, for we see that it is running down... if the universe went back into infinity it would have run down already. According to the law of causality, there has to be a "first cause" - a non caused cause. Only an eternal being can fit that bill, for all finite things have a cause... otherwise they would be infinite and self sustaining in and of themselves (see Romans 1:19-22).

Conscience

1. All people recognize that some things are right, some things are wrong for all people.
2. This implies a higher moral law than people's own views.
3. Law requires a lawgiver.
4. This ultimate law requires an ultimate lawgiver.

What about morality? In even the most remote tribes who have been cut off from the rest of civilization we observe a moral code similar to everyone else's. If man was responsible for that code, it would differ as much as every other endeavor man has tried. No one has ever lived up to their own moral code, so we cannot look to any person's example. Where then do we get these ideas of what should be done? Every time we argue over right and wrong we appeal to a higher law that we assume everyone is aware of and holds. If true conscience came from an ultimate lawgiver, we would expect to find exactly what we observe. Predictive hypothesis - that's science (see Romans 2:14-15). Atheism, at its root, is merely an attempt to deny what humans know instinctively. It provides no basis for morality, no hope, and no meaning for life. And while that does not disprove atheism by itself, it is the logical outworking of such a belief system (of course, most atheists are not consistent with this conclusion, instead they ride along on Christianity’s coattails when it comes to morality, etc.). Atheism has done nothing to enhance the existence of mankind, in fact it has led to some of history's most horrible events. And why not? Without God there would be no basis for morality, no life and no reason to live it. Yet all these things do exist, and so does God.

Design

1. Complex designs imply a designer.
2. Every life form in earth's history has been highly complex.
3. Even non living structure in the universe shows highly complex structure.
4. The natural universe implies a supernatural designer.

Atheism has no good answer for this design. In no scientific field is design considered to be spontaneous, it always implies a designer, and the greater the design, the greater the designer. Thus, taking the assumptions of science the universe would require a designer beyond itself (i.e. supernatural). Related to this is the argument that says that since mankind now knows much of how the universe was created, we no longer need to give some "god" credit. This is foolishness. According to this "logic," if my father built the house that I was raised in, and I later learned how he built that house, I could then conclude that he did not build it.

Conclusion

These are some of the more popular and powerful arguments for God’s existence. While it is true that most do not come to believe in God because of argument, it is good to know that one’s faith is not just a blind leap in the dark.