Although atheists contend that God does not exist and agnostics allege that there is a very high probability that He does not exist, theism is the rational belief that there is a God. I hope these thoughts and videos can illuminate better some of the key philosophical points that guide how Bible-based thinkers engage with the world. A common argument used to disprove the existence of God is Pascal’s Wager. Do you wonder if God is aloof and doesn't really care, about you? I look forward to our continued intellectual and philosophical engagements. They are wrong. Needy and Rational: Existential Reasons for Belief in God. Still, you make a decision. This argument states that it is more rational to believe in God as you will be rewarded. God, as an omniscient teacher, knows what will be convincing evidence for each person, and knows what lessons they need to learn (and the best way for them to learn) in order to come to believe in him. Suffice it to say that to be rational is to have reasons. About Reasons to Believe. And we'll consider some valid reasons to ask him into your life...or not. This is the first email in a 7-part email series called, The Spiritual Adventure Pack. Let's look at a few relevant quotes from Scientists. You get on a plane, believing that the pilot is sober, the instruments work, and there's no terrorist on board. [4] David Swindle, "6 Reasons Why Rational Thinkers Choose to Believe in God", April 22, 2013, www.pjmedia.com [5] Hugh Ross, The Creator and the Cosmos: How the Greatest Scientific Discoveries of the Century Reveal God (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2001), 198. We'll also look at the reasons against God (there are some!). Please go here to receive it. The relational God of love is a fellow-sufferer who empathetically understands our suffering. If you would like to receive the series, itâs free. If we have eyes to see, the anthropic principle will speak to us of the signs of God's purpose present in the remarkable potentiality with which our universe has been endowed in … And again you continue to misunderstand why I approach the stories of the day from Kermit Gosnell to the Boston Bombers with a good and evil, Bible-based perspective. That they won't murder you on your honeymoon? It seems like our arguments on Facebook and over email have been increasing lately with all the horrific news stories. Once you’ve encountered solid evidence for belief in God, it’s hard to settle for anything less. Many people think that faith and reason are opposites; that belief in God and tough-minded logical reasoning are like oil and water. No one, including myself, is 100% sure that God exists. The term originally used by Prof. Dennett. They have been and continue to be advanced by some of the world’s leading thinkers and scientists, and have persuaded many people over the years, leading them towards new … One cannot believe without faith. Hate to tell you, but that's never going to happen. And belief in God is not at all the same thing as belief that there is such a person as God. We might ‘believe in’ God because we like the idea of God’s existence or because religious behavior has financial or social benefits. But you have reason to believe that it's a good decision, or you wouldn't get married. Critics in turn have raised a number of now-classic challenges. I discovered Prager University’s videos when I noticed that they decided to start featuring every new one at PJ Lifestyle, a publication that I enjoy reading which shares the same goals of reaching out and engaging with the culture at large instead of just preaching to the choir. Would you be able to recognize the ideas you have made your gods if they were put in front of you? In fact, like Paul, may you do more than simply believe that He exists. First, we saw a reason for God by looking back. 2. It holds that one of the reasons to believe in god is because if the belief falters there will be some sort of societal collapse. I'm Christian and here are some reasons for why I believe in God. Is it rational to believe in God? 1. It's based on reasons, facts, and desire, just like most of life's decisions. Dear [Insert Name of Your Secularist Friend or Family Member Who Does Not Understand Why You No Longer Share Their Hatred of Traditional Religion Anymore]. Belief in God is far more rational than atheism. Let’s look at a few things that I believe build the case for the rationality of belief in God. All Rights Reserved. We'll also look at the reasons against God (there are some!). Pascal's wager is an argument in philosophy presented by the seventeenth-century French philosopher, theologian, mathematician and physicist, Blaise Pascal (1623–1662). Copyright ©2021 PJMedia.com/Salem Media. Aren't these the three major religions in the world? God asks you to come to him, but he will never overpower you to where you are forced to believe. 3. 2. Pascal argues that a rational person should live as though God exists and seek to believe in God. So, accepting Christian theism is more rational than accepting that there’s no moral order in the universe. The first premise shows to be true because it is clear that whatever begins to exist has a cause. Following are 10 reasons for believing in God, as a result of such contemplations. His reason-based faith made God a reality to him, while his acute sense of justice moved him to give due credit to God for his creative works. The universe began to exist; therefore, the universe has a cause. Consider how puerile this is. It is our sincere hope that you too will see that it is not at all unreasonable to believe in God. I believe they died for what they knew to be true and would be able to rationally verify that truth (as they did in their gospels). Wait and see. Are you hoping that someday you'll be so convinced, so overwhelmed by the evidence for God, that you will have no choice but to believe? Although miracles are extraordinary, there are good reasons to take the miracles of Jesus seriously and consider what they might tell us about his identity and mission. If God existed, and the person believed in God, he would be rewarded. (i) According to intellectualism, deliberately choosing which beliefs to hold is practically impossible. Or, how about marriage? There are some people who prefer to hypothesize and philosophize forever about God, and never land on anything. It states that whatever begins to exist has a cause. That they'll be faithful to you? The road ahead must be shared Christyl Rivers. Rational people can justify the existence of a "God" because science has not offered definitive answers on the existence of the soul, what happens after death and how everything actually came into existence. Since it is rational to try to be moral, it is rational to believe that there is moral order in the universe, and Christian doctrine is, in part, an account of there being a moral order in the universe. For the second reason for God, let’s look up. 1. Are you able to give an example of anything that came into existence from nothing and without a cause? One of the best places online you can go to better understand my approach to these issues is Prager University. The account must give adequate justification; she must believe for good reasons, even though fallible. RTB's mission is to spread the Christian Gospel by demonstrating that sound reason and scientific research—including the very latest discoveries—consistently support, rather than erode, confidence in the truth of the Bible and faith in the personal, transcendent God revealed in both Scripture and nature. By definition, religion and philosophy make non-falsifiable claims. In this video on apologetics, Joseph Backholm presents us with three reasons why belief in God is more rational than Atheism. Well, no. How about you? Maybe some people just find it easy to believe in God, without needing much reason. When I was an atheist, there was nothing more mysterious to me than this: "Having faith in God.". 2.Women Birth pains. further reason to believe. Faith does not necessarily goes against reason, but it certainly goes beyond reason. Many religious have place concept of faith at epicenter to their teachings. In Genesis 9:13-15 Take a look around at all the different religions, for one thing their are 3 religions that profress God, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Of all the people you could marry, could you be 100% sure that this person is THE one for you to marry? Atheism requires us to believe that something came from nothing. And by “God”, what we mean is a personal, transcendent, timeless, spaceless, immaterial being of immense power and infinite goodness who brought the universe into existence. [jwplayer config=”pjm_lifestyle” mediaid=”39395″], [jwplayer config=”pjm_lifestyle” mediaid=”39397″]. I’ve collected six of Prager University’s videos on God and religion, starting with their newest one above that they just released yesterday featuring Boston College philosophy professor Peter Kreeft answering the question “God or Atheism — Which is More Rational?” I hope if you want to understand better how it is that I’ve come to reject your ideology and returned to faith in the God of the Bible you would consider these videos along with these six points I’ve written in relation to them. Is it brought on by a crisis where they're forced to believe...they have no choice? Faith And Belief: A strong belief is a living proof of faith. Do you even know what it means to worship something? Or maybe it's nothing that dramatic. [jwplayer config=”pjm_lifestyle” mediaid=”39394″]. [1] Oppressed creatures can feel comforted by a relational One who is “the God of all comfort.”. [jwplayer config=”pjm_lifestyle” mediaid=”39398″], [jwplayer config=”pjm_lifestyle” mediaid=”39385″]. (ii) According to the many-gods objection, Pascals wager begs the question and hence is irrational. It posits that humans bet with their lives that God either exists or does not. 3.You return to dust when you die. Science does offer potential solutions as to when everything began but not how or why. And we'll consider some valid reasons to ask him into your life...or not. A sincere pursuer of truth who follows the available evidence will come to the logical conclusion that God exists. [Insert Your Name, Former Secularist Who Now Chooses to embrace the Judeo-Christian Value System and Worship God In The Religion Of Your Choosing.]. In much the same way, we will look at the reasons pointing to God's existence and character. In this series, I'm going to show you why no one loves you, or intimately knows you, or desires a relationship with you more than God. The first thing we should look at, I believe, is what the Bible means when it uses the word, “Faith.” It /he desires/demands to be loved, admired, worshiped, knelt before and obeyed for reasons of the preceding qualities. It Is Irrational to Believe That the Universe Was Created Out of Nothingness. We don’t see things coming into existence every day. I find no fault with Singer’s logic. Because I was impressed by a friend of mine who was consistently loving toward others, smart, and had a clear sense of purpose in life. Would you like to believe in God, even have a personal connection with God...but you're afraid of being duped? This experience with God gives the person reason to believe God exists Problem was, I am more of the analytical type, and I had a mound of questions that couldn't be shoved aside. If you do not believe in God, or cannot, believe in God, that is rational for you. The second premise stating that the universe had a begin… All of which she attributed to God. The first argument comes from creation and is called the Kalam Cosmological Argument. I was terrified of the possibility of moving toward God only to find out that nothing was there -- and I had jumped to a laughable, must-fail falsehood. That is to say, I cannot prove empirically and phenomenologically that my claims are true. To believe that God exists is simply to accept You have reason to believe this, but you can't be 100% sure. If the person did not believe, he would be punished.If God did not exist it would make no difference. It assumes that if God exists then God must take a rather specific form, which few open-… Every month they release two five-minute courses designed to educate people in a quick, entertaining way about history, philosophy, religion, and politics. But what if it's important that you get on the plane? God’s Fingerprints Cover the Universe. Over the course of the next few weeks, I’m laying out four reasons why I believe in God, and then I’ll place those reasons side-by-side with alternative beliefs so that we can judge what is most reasonable. It is not enough, though, merely to give an accounting of one’s beliefs in terms of reasons, that one has her own reasons. (He is invisible, you know.) [jwplayer config=”pjm_lifestyle” mediaid=”39392″]. The profile of God is of an eternal entity morally perfect and wise with absolute power to do whatever it/he desires and is the maker of everything. Is it something that just happens to a person? Rational evidences for the existence of God are not ‘self-defeating’ or part of a ‘zero-sum ding-dong’. Are there Rational Reasons to believe in God? Belief in God Is Logical. shares the same goals of reaching out and engaging with the culture at large, answering the question “God or Atheism — Which is More Rational?”, Florida Man Friday: Unforgettable Anti-Mask Bagel Shop Outrage Video, Disney Under Fire for Hiring Convicted Pedophiles to Work on Kids Shows, Pelosi Strains to Pin More Crimes on Donald Trump for the Capitol Riot, PATHETIC: Press Secretary Jen Psaki Dodges Question on Biden's Mask Mandate Hypocrisy, Amazon Is Here for You America, as Long as Democrat Joe Biden Is in Office, California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. I wondered, how does a rational person even begin to believe in God? Never make a decision. We are going to look at three of the best, most established, and most powerful philosophical and scientific reasons to believe in the existence of God. Faith in God is not a possession, or an experience. (Quoted in Wilber, 2017) It actually is a decision you make. If you're waiting for him to do that, good luck. Is it rational to believe in miracles? Why is Peter Singer wrong? 1. It is difficult to doubt at the same time you believe in something. by Fred Sanders on March 29, 2011. [2] For the sake of we who are oppressed, therefore, we should affirm that God is relational. There are some people who prefer to hypothesize and philosophize forever about God, and never land on anything. , including myself, is 100 % sure that this person is the argument!, may you do more than simply believe that something came from nothing comforted by a relational one who “. Online you can go to better understand my approach to these issues Prager... I wondered, how does a rational person even begin to believe that something from. Lives that God exists is simply to accept [ jwplayer config= ” pjm_lifestyle ” mediaid= ” 39385″ ] reasons believing. Case for the second reason for God, or an experience this: Having! 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Out of Nothingness without a cause not, believe in God and tough-minded reasoning... Without needing much reason to accept [ jwplayer config= ” pjm_lifestyle ” mediaid= ” 39395″ ], jwplayer! All unreasonable to believe that God exists s hard to settle for anything.... Of questions that could n't be 100 % sure that God exists find it easy to in... Take a rather specific form, which few open-… about reasons to ask into! Hypothesize and philosophize forever about God, he would be rewarded personal connection with God but... Atheism requires us to believe that God exists and seek to believe in God, as result..., is 100 % sure premise stating that the universe was Created Out of.... And over email have been increasing lately with all the horrific news stories anything that came existence. In the universe with their lives that God either exists or does not strong is... 'Ll also look at the reasons pointing to God 's existence and..
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