Whether God exists or not has been debated for hundreds of years. Believers diligently argue their views, while skeptics just as diligently refute them. In this article we will touch upon 5 proofs of the existence of God by Thomas Aquinas. We will also look at examples of refutation in order to clearly understand the strengths and weaknesses of this system.
Saint Thomas Aquinas is a famous Catholic theologian whose works have acquired the status of the official creed of the Western Church, led by the papacy in Rome. The mentioned 5 proofs of the existence of God by Thomas Aquinas were set out by him in a fundamental work called “Summa Theology”. In it, the author, among other things, argued that the existence of the Creator can be proven in two ways, namely with the help of cause and with the help of effect. In other words, we're talking about about arguments from cause to effect and from effect to cause. Thomas Aquinas's five proofs for the existence of God are based on the second approach.
Their general logic is as follows: since there are obvious consequences of the cause, then the cause itself also takes place. Thomas argues that the existence of God is not obvious to people. Therefore, its existence can be proven if we consider the Creator as the root cause of the consequences obvious to us. This statement is taken as a basis by St. Thomas Aquinas. 5 proofs of the existence of God, briefly described, of course, will not allow us to fully appreciate the depth of thought of this outstanding theologian, but they will quite help to form a general impression of the problem raised.
Proof one. From the movement
In modern times, this Aquinas argument is usually called the kinetic argument. It is based on the assertion that everything that exists is in motion. But nothing can move by itself. For example, a cart is moved by a horse, a car is driven by a motor, and a sailboat is driven by a flow of air. Molecules, atoms and everything that is in the world move, and all of it receives an impulse to action from the outside, from something else. And then, in turn, from the third and so on.
The result is an endless chain of causes and effects. But an endless chain, as Thomas claims, cannot exist, otherwise there would be no first engine. And since there is no first, then there is no second, and then movement would not exist at all. Accordingly, there must be a primary source, which is the cause of the movement of everything else, but which itself is not susceptible to the influence of third forces. This prime mover is God.
Proof two. From the producing cause
This argument is based on the assertion that every thing, every phenomenon is a consequence of some producing cause. A tree, according to him, grows from a seed, Living being is born from the mother, glass is obtained from sand, and so on. Moreover, no thing in the world can be the cause of itself, since in this case it would be necessary to admit that it existed before its appearance.
In other words, an egg cannot lay itself, and a house cannot build itself. And as a result, we again get a chain of endless causes and consequences, which must end at the original source. His existence is not the effect of a prior cause, but he himself is the cause of everything else. And if it were not there at all, then there would be no process of producing causes and effects. This primary source is God.
Proof three. From necessity and chance
Like all 5 proofs of the existence of God of Thomas Aquinas, this argument is based on the law of cause and effect. However, it is very unique. Thomas argues that there are contingent things in the world that may or may not exist. Once upon a time they really existed, but before that they did not exist. And it is impossible to imagine, according to Thomas, that they arose by themselves. Accordingly, there must be a reason for their appearance. Ultimately, this leads us to postulate the existence of an entity that would be necessary in itself and would have no external reasons for being necessary for all others. Thomas defines this essence with the concept “God.”
Proof four. From the degree of perfection
Thomas Aquinas based 5 proofs of the existence of God on Aristotelian formal logic. One of them says that in all things that exist in the world, various degrees of perfection appear. This refers to the concepts of goodness, beauty, nobility and form of existence. However, degrees of perfection are known to us only in comparison with something else. In other words, they are relative.
Aquinas further concludes, that against the background of all relative things, a certain phenomenon should stand out, endowed with perfection to an absolute degree. For example, you can compare things by beauty either in relation to the worst or in relation to the best things. But there must be an absolute criterion, beyond which nothing can be. This most perfect phenomenon in all respects is what is called God.
Proof five. From leading the world
Like all 5 proofs of the existence of God by Thomas Aquinas, this starts from the idea of a first cause. In this case, it is considered in the aspect of meaningfulness and purposefulness that the world and the living creatures inhabiting it possess. The latter strive for something better, that is, consciously or unconsciously pursue some goal. For example, procreation, a comfortable existence, and so on.
Therefore, Thomas concludes that there must be a supreme being who intelligently controls the world and creates his own goals for everything. Of course, this being can only be God.
5 proofs of the existence of God by Thomas Aquinas and their criticism
Even a superficial analysis of the above arguments shows that they are all aspects of the same logical chain. Thomas Aquinas's 5 proofs of the existence of God focus mainly not on the supreme essence, but on material world. The latter appears in them as a consequence or a complex of various consequences of a single root cause, which itself has no causes in anything, but which must necessarily exist. Thomas calls her God, but, nevertheless, this does not bring us closer to understanding what God is.
Consequently, these arguments cannot in any way prove the existence of a confessional Lord, Christian or otherwise. Based on them, it cannot be argued that there is exactly the Creator whom the followers of the Abrahamic religions worship. In addition, if we analyze the five proofs of the existence of God of Thomas Aquinas, it becomes clear that the postulation of the Creator of the world is rather not a necessary logical conclusion, but a hypothetical assumption. This is evident from the fact that the nature of the root cause in them is not revealed, and it may turn out to be completely different from what we imagine. These arguments do not convince of the truth of the metaphysical picture of the world that Thomas Aquinas offers.
5 proofs of the existence of God briefly highlight the problem of our ignorance of the fundamental principles of the universe. Theoretically, it may turn out that our world is the creation of some kind of super-civilization, or a consequence of the action of as yet undiscovered laws of the universe, or some kind of emanation, and so on. In other words, any fantastic concept and theory that has nothing in common with God, as we imagine him, can be proposed as the root cause. Thus, God as the Creator of the world and the first cause of everything is only one of the probable answers to the questions that Thomas formulates. Accordingly, these arguments cannot serve as evidence in literally words.
Another counter-argument concerns the fourth proof, which postulates a certain gradation of the perfection of phenomena in the world. But, if you think about it, what can serve as a guarantee that such concepts as beauty, goodness, nobility, and so on, are completely objective characteristics, and not subjective categories of the human mind, that is, a product of mental differentiation?
In fact, what and how measures beauty, and what is the nature of aesthetic feeling? And is it possible to think of God within the framework human concepts about good and evil, which, as history shows, are constantly undergoing change?
Ethical values change, and aesthetic values also change. What yesterday seemed the standard of beauty, today is an example of mediocrity. What was good two hundred years ago today qualifies as extremism and a crime against humanity. Fitting God into this framework of human concepts makes him just another mental category, and just as relative. Therefore, identifying the Almighty with absolute good or absolute good is by no means evidence of his objective existence.
Moreover, such a God will certainly be beyond the scope of evil, dirt and ugliness. That is, he cannot be absolute evil, for example. We will have to postulate the existence of several gods, personifying various mutually exclusive phenomena in their absolute degree. None of them, accordingly, due to their limitations, can be a real God, who, as an absolute, must contain everything, and therefore be one. Simply put, no concepts and categories of the human mind are applicable to God, and therefore cannot serve as proof of his existence.
For many centuries, theologians around the world have been trying to find objective evidence of the existence of the Creator of the universe, which would allow them to prevail in disputes with atheists, and at the same time strengthen the faith of their contemporaries. Among the most famous attempts made by thinkers of the past are 5 proofs of the existence of God by Thomas Aquinas, an outstanding Italian religious figure of the 13th century.
The path from effect to cause
Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) outlined his train of thought on the pages of a major work called “Summa Theology.” It should be noted right away that the authority of this theologian was so great that everything that came out from his pen quickly acquired the status of the official doctrine of the Western Church.
Offering his five proofs, Thomas Aquinas proceeds from the fact that the existence of the Creator can be proven in two ways. One of them is the movement of logical thought from cause to effect, the second is from effect to cause. It was the reasoning built on the second approach that was embodied in the arguments of Thomas Aquinas.
The Italian theologian takes as a basis a simple and completely logical statement that if there is a consequence of a phenomenon, then there must certainly be a cause, even if we are not able to detect it. Developing his thought, he says that in the absence of objective evidence of the existence of the Creator of the Universe, we have the right to consider his existence as the root cause of quite obvious phenomena.
Proof one. God is the root cause of movement
Outlining his 5 proofs of the existence of God, Thomas Aquinas places them in a certain order. He begins by taking as a basis the truth that affirms the continuity of the movement of all things in this world. Here it is difficult to disagree with him, since, as is known, all material objects, from a tiny atom to cosmic bodies are in constant motion. Even a mountain that was formed millions of years ago, or a cabinet that has been standing in the corner of a room for many years, makes a continuous journey along with our old lady Earth.
However, the simplest experience shows that before the cart can roll, it must be moved, and the yacht will not float until its sails are filled with wind. Simply put, in order for something to move and begin its path, it needs a push ─ an impulse. What, then, gave rise to the comprehensive process of world movement? Since it is an obvious fact, then there must also be a source that is not obvious to us, which, according to Thomas Aquinas, can only be God. This first of Thomas Aquinas’s 5 proofs of the existence of God in our days is called “kinetic”.
Proof two. God is the first cause of all things
Continuing his reasoning, the respected theologian dwells on the fact that every object of the reality surrounding us is nothing more than a consequence of some producing cause. An ear grows from a seed, every living creature, including humans, is born from the mother's womb, smoke rises into the sky from fire, and so on.
At the same time, the many-wise Thomas very wittily notes that not a single material object can be the cause of the appearance of itself, otherwise one would have to admit that it existed even earlier than it appeared in this world. Simply put, an egg cannot lay itself - a chicken is needed, and a house cannot be built on its own - it requires a builder.
Thus, it should be recognized that every object in this world is the result of a long chain of effects and causes, the beginning of which is a certain primary source. Since it is at the beginning of the chain, its existence cannot be considered as a consequence of a cause preceding it (it simply does not exist), and at the same time it must be the cause of the appearance of all subsequent links. This suggests the conclusion that if it did not exist, then the subsequent chain of causes and effects could not arise, and, consequently, nothing in the world existed. In his 5 proofs of the existence of God, Thomas Aquinas calls this first cause of all things the Creator of the Universe.
Proof three. Transition from potency to reality
The next argument, like all 5 proofs of the existence of God by Thomas Aquinas, is based on the law of cause and effect. However, his train of thought is somewhat different. The theologian takes as a basis the position that every thing has the possibility of both potential and real existence. In other words, it may exist in the world, or it may not.
However, if all things were only in a state of unrealized potential, then there would be nothing in the world at all. Accordingly, there must be some driving force, which produces their transition from a potential to a real state, and this, according to Thomas Aquinas, can only be God. On this he bases his 3rd proof of the existence of the Creator of the world.
Proof four. God is the highest degree of perfection
Modern researchers point to the origins of the philosophy of Thomas Aquinas. 5 proofs of the existence of God, like a number of his other works, are in many ways consonant with the provisions of Aristotle (IV century BC), which became the basis for the laws of formal logic formulated by him. In particular, the ancient Greek philosopher argued that everything in the world corresponds to a certain degree of perfection, however, it is cognizable only in comparison with something else. Simply put, the concept of perfection is relative, and depends on what the subject is compared to.
It was this statement that formed the basis of the fourth of Thomas Aquinas’s 5 proofs of the existence of God. It can be briefly formulated as follows: if it is customary to talk about the degree of perfection of an object only through its comparison with another object, then there must be some higher criterion that surpasses everything in the world. It is this limit of perfection that Thomas Aquinas calls God. This statement of his entered the history of religion as “proof of the degree of perfection.”
Proof five. The expediency of everything that happens in the world
Just as all 5 proofs of the existence of God by Thomas Aquinas are focused on the root cause of the phenomenon, his last statement is constructed in the same way. In it, he draws attention to the meaningfulness and expedient direction of everything that happens in the world. This is especially noticeable in the example of living beings, among which the dominant place is rightfully assigned to man.
In his reasoning, the Italian theologian emphasizes that everything living in the world, consciously or not, strives to achieve some rational goal. It could be procreation, the creation of more comfortable living conditions, and so on. In other words, the world is purposefully moving towards the better. From this, the philosopher concludes that this constant and comprehensive process must have a driving principle ─ some higher being that determines the direction of movement and creates the prerequisites for its implementation. Such a supreme being, according to the theory of Thomas Aquinas, is God.
The main thesis of critics of Thomas Aquinas
Despite the fact that all the above statements were met with approval by the majority of representatives of Western christian church and even by its Roman pontiffs, there were skeptics who pointed out their weaknesses. Criticism of Thomas Aquinas's 5 proofs of the existence of God was based mainly on the fact that they are all focused exclusively on considering the phenomena of the material world, and do not concern the highest spiritual essence of God.
Everything that makes up this world is interpreted by the philosopher as a consequence or a complex of consequences of a single root cause ─ God, which in itself is not questioned, however, at the same time it does not allow us to understand what His essence is. Thus, the theses set forth by Thomas Aquinas do not make it possible to assert that the basis of all things on earth is precisely that one God who is worshiped by all followers of monotheistic religions.
A picture of the world that lacks credibility
Moreover, the 5 proofs of the existence of God of Thomas Aquinas, upon closer examination, do not allow us to consider the recognition of the existence of God as the only possible logical conclusion, but are rather of the nature of hypothetical assumptions. They in no way allow us to judge the nature of the Creator of the Universe, which may be strikingly different from the one we imagine. That is why the metaphysical picture of the world depicted by Thomas Aquinas is devoid of persuasiveness.
If in the Middle Ages such reasoning met with unanimous approval, then later many thinkers came out with their refutations. 5 proofs of the existence of God Thomas Aquinas became a real target for freethinking philosophers of the 18th and 19th centuries, and with the development modern science gave way to a whole series of newfangled hypotheses.
Alternative theories of world creation
All the above statements of the famous Italian not only do not reveal the secret of the foundations of the universe, but also emphasize our complete ignorance this issue. In this regard, for Lately Numerous theories have become widespread, the authors of which are trying to answer it. Hypotheses are put forward that attribute the creation of our world to some extraterrestrial civilization or consider it as the result of the action of some natural, but unknown to science, laws of nature.
Thus, today the root cause of the appearance of all things is sometimes presented in the most incredible concepts, and God the Creator becomes just one of the many answers to the questions once formulated by Thomas Aquinas.
Perfection is a subjective concept
Also noteworthy is the 4th proof of the existence of God, put forward by Thomas Aquinas, which talks about a certain gradation of perfection in the existing world. In this regard, many critics ask the question of how, for example, beauty can be measured, and by what criteria to measure aesthetic feelings. It is well known that yesterday’s standards of beauty are often perceived today as examples of mediocrity. Thus, our experience of beauty is full of subjectivity.
The Lord is above man's concept of good and evil
In addition, the ability of people to give a moral assessment of certain events also raises great doubts, since the very concepts of good and evil change with the development of society. Looking into history, it is not difficult to see that many actions that were considered completely legitimate and even commendable in previous centuries are today regarded as crimes and manifestations of extremism.
All this proves the inadmissibility of defining the Divine essence within the framework of human concepts, and testifies to the fallacy of attempts to identify the Creator with momentary concepts of absolute goodness and goodness.
Proofs of the existence of God thus become one of the main subjects of philosophy. Thomas Aquinas offers five proofs for the existence of God. All this evidence is of a cosmological nature, i.e. evidence from the world to God. This evidence is possible because, as Thomas Aquinas says, everything in the world is connected by cause and effect. Therefore, if we see only the effect, but do not see its cause, but we know that nothing exists without a cause, then, seeing the effect, we can conclude the existence of its cause and, having known the effect, we can in some way know the cause.
Thomas Aquinas immediately rejects the ontological proof of the existence of God. He rejects it for the following reason: to conclude from reason, from concept to being, is in principle valid, but we cannot draw a conclusion about the existence of God, because the existence of God differs from our existence. Firstly, the existence of God exceeds our existence, and secondly. God has an infinite number of attributes. Therefore, in order for the mind to have the opportunity to come to the existence of God, who has an infinite number of attributes, this mind must also be infinite. The human mind, alas, is not infinite, therefore the ontological proof of the existence of God is available only to God Himself. This is not proof for a person.
The refutation of the ontological proof by Thomas Aquinas also played some social role. The fact is that at that time in the Western Catholic world various heretical Gnostic teachings were very popular, denying the need for the church for the salvation of man and the knowledge of God. And ontological proof, according to Thomas Aquinas, could push a person away from the church, show him that knowledge of God and likeness to God is possible through one’s own soul, through one’s knowledge.
Thomas Aquinas offers five other proofs. Almost all of them go back to Aristotle. The first proof of the existence of God is kinetic. I will read it to make it easier to understand how Thomas Aquinas uses Aristotelian ideas and Aristotelian terminology.
“The first and most obvious way comes from the concept of movement. In fact, there is no doubt and is confirmed by the evidence of the senses that something moves in this world. But everything that moves has something else as its cause. After all, it moves only because it is in a potential state relative to what it is moving towards. Something can communicate movement insofar as it is in an act. After all, communicating movement is nothing more than transferring an object from potentiality to act. But nothing can be translated from potency into act except through the medium of some actual essence. Thus, the actual heat of fire causes the potential heat of wood to transform into actual heat and through this causes the tree to change and move. It is impossible, however, for one and the same thing to be both actual and potential in the same respect. It can be such only in different respects. Thus, what is actually warm can at the same time not be potentially warm, but only potentially cold. Consequently, it is impossible for something to be simultaneously in the same relation, and in the same way, both moving and moved, in other words, to be itself the source of its movement. Therefore, everything that moves must have something else as the source of its movement. Consequently, since a moving object itself moves, it is moved by another object, etc. But it is impossible for this to continue indefinitely, for in that case there would be no Prime Mover, and therefore no other mover, for the sources of second-order motion impart motion only insofar as they themselves are moved by the Prime Mover. Like a staff, it communicates movement only insofar as it itself is moved by the hand. Consequently, it is necessary to reach a certain Prime Mover, which itself is not moved by anything else, and by which everyone understands God.”
A rather long quote, full of Aristotelian reasoning, which can be formulated more briefly. “Since everything that moves is set in motion by something else, there must necessarily be some prime mover.” But to do this, you first need to prove the first proposition, that everything that moves is set in motion by something else. Thomas Aquinas proves this position using the Aristotelian principle of the impossibility of being and not being one and the same, i.e. moving and setting in motion. On the other hand, it is necessary to prove the existence of the prime mover, and Thomas Aquinas also proves this. It proves by the fact that some moving principle is necessary, which itself is immovable, as Aristotle also says.
How true this evidence is, each of you can judge for yourself. In the Catholic Church, these five proofs of the existence of God are actually canonized and are considered mandatory for every Catholic believer. But we must treat this evidence more carefully and soberly, since it is already clear that Aristotelian physics in the 17th century retreated into the realm of history. Modern physics regards the proposition that everything that moves is necessarily set in motion by something else as nothing other than a historical fact. The concept of “movement by inertia” does not fit into this Aristotelian position, therefore, if we base our faith in God only on evidence, then sooner or later science will be able to refute this evidence.
Therefore, evidence is evidence, and faith, of course, must be free, not limited by any evidence. But Thomas Aquinas also did not rely on evidence alone. As we remember, philosophy for him is only a handmaiden of theology, it only helps a person come to God. If this proof helped someone, well, the person is on the path to salvation.
The second proof comes from efficient cause and states that everything that happens in the world happens due to cause and effect. But since a cause cannot be simultaneous with its effect, it always precedes the effect, then cause and effect are always separated from each other. Consequently, the entire series of causes, the entire series of events in the world must have some root cause. This cause is God.
The third proof is proof from chance and necessity. Everything that exists in the world, says Thomas Aquinas, may or may not exist. Consequently, the whole world may or may not exist. If this principle is valid, then our world will sooner or later become non-existent. And if we assume that the world exists on its own, i.e. forever, then this fact of the non-existence of the world should have come sooner or later. But since the world still exists, therefore, not everything in the world is accidental, there is some necessity, an absolutely necessary essence, which ensures the existence of this world. This necessary being is God.
The fourth proof is from degrees of perfection. A person sees various degrees of perfection in his knowledge of the world. He sees some things as more perfect, others as less perfect. But such a comparison of things according to degrees of perfection is possible only when a person has the concept of some absolutely perfect being, when this absolutely perfect being exists. Therefore, there is something that, to the utmost degree, has truth, perfection, nobility, and, therefore, being. “For that which is most true is most true,” as it is said in the second book of Metaphysics, chapter 4, quotes Thomas Aquinas.
Thomas Aquinas quotes Aristotle not just as one of the philosophers, but as the highest authority, to support his argument. This attitude towards Aristotle is surprising if we remember that only a few years passed after Thomas Aquinas received the task, obedience from his order, to assimilate Aristotelian philosophy into Christianity. And now Thomas Aquinas often writes not “Aristotle”, but “Philosopher”. What is surprising is the boldness, even the audacity, with which he uses Aristotelian theses. Among the theses in which the provisions of Siger of Brabant were condemned, as we remember, some provisions of Thomas Aquinas were also included, but Thomas did not change his opinion, and the Catholic Church recognized that in this case he was right.
And the fifth proof is from the divine leadership of the world. Observations of the world show that all processes in the world occur for some purpose. Just as human actions have some purpose, there is also a purpose for which this world exists, and this purpose is God.
or Philosophers and thinkers in search of arguments
By publishing this material, we take a lot of risks. We take risks because today, both believers and non-believers, agree that it is impossible to rationally prove the existence of God. True, for various reasons. If the former believe that this is impossible, since God reveals himself to the purity of the heart, and not to the intricacies of the mind, then the latter are convinced that since it is impossible to scientifically testify to the fact of the existence of God, then there is no God, because only science is objective. However, not everyone knows that in Christian culture there is a centuries-old tradition of proving the existence of God. In the Middle Ages, such evidence became popular thanks to Catholic scholastic theologians, primarily Anselm of Canterbury and Thomas Aquinas. True, the scholastics, as a rule, did not address their arguments to atheists - what atheists were in the Middle Ages! – and to believers, in order to confirm faith in a rational way. Since the existence of God seemed obvious, “reasonable,” then in the world, in life, philosophers sought to find obvious, reasonable confirmation of this. Yes and to modern man like “Doubting Thomas,” sometimes you want to put your fingers into the wounds in order to be convinced of the authenticity of Christianity.
Editorial
It is interesting to note that in Orthodox tradition no such school of “proofs of the existence of God” arose. Orthodoxy proceeded and proceeds from a different understanding of the relationship between faith and reason (although neither Orthodox nor Catholics, as a rule, oppose reason and faith). The main proof in Orthodoxy was and remains the person himself, who met God in his heart. And if this meeting did not happen, how can you believe! And if it happened, then to a loving heart no more arguments are needed!
But many of us were trained in Western philosophy. And our thinking itself has acquired such a Western “flavor”. How many times have we heard: prove, rationally justify that God exists! And if, by and large, such evidence is unlikely to lead a person to God (this is the editorial position), this does not mean that they are absolutely useless. After all, for some they can become the first step on the path to faith...
Today we do not live in medieval Byzantium or Rus', but also not in medieval Western Europe. Much water has passed under the bridge since then, but the believing mind has never ceased to inquisitively seek the rational foundations of its faith, finding new and new evidence of the presence of the Creator in the world.
The following article is an attempt to list and (to begin with) a brief description of searches in this area. Of course, not all arguments can be agreed with, and if someone is interested in this or that evidence, the editors are ready to provide both the author and his opponents with the opportunity for discussion.
1. The first proof, which can be called “existential” (that is, “proof from existence”), is formulated as follows: Why is everything that is more likely to be than not?
After all, both creating something and maintaining the existence of anything is much more difficult than having nothing at all. Try, for example, to design a cottage yourself, choose a suitable place for it, build and constantly maintain order in it... Or, for example, for your vegetable garden to really be a vegetable garden, it needs to be regularly dug up, planted, weeded, watered, etc. If this is not done, the garden will immediately become overgrown with weeds, go wild and turn into an ordinary field without any trace of reasonable care.
In other words, the existence of any thing or structure requires a continuous expenditure of energy; when its internal supply is depleted or its influx from the outside stops, the structure collapses. Therefore, the eternal existence of the Universe contradicts, for example, the second law of thermodynamics, according to which all the stars in the Universe should have gone out long ago and even the atoms should have disintegrated if, as atheistic materialists claim, nature had existed forever.
So why does it still exist as BEING, as a beautiful and wonderful Cosmos? Undoubtedly, only because it was created by Someone and has been supported by Him since then.
This Creator is God, about whom Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727), who formulated the laws of universal gravitation and motion and discovered differential calculus, said: “He abides forever; present everywhere; It constitutes the duration of time and space.”
2. The second proof goes like this:
Why does everything that exists, is naturally and amazingly ordered, bear the undoubted imprint of a reasonable plan for the structure of the whole? After all, such a plan cannot but presuppose the existence of a Mind that is superhuman in its capabilities, a truly divine Planner (since regularity is a property of the mind)?
Thus, Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543), who created the theory that the Sun is at the center of the universe, and the Earth only revolves around it, believed that this model demonstrates the wisdom of God in the universe, for “who else could place this lamp ( Sun) to a different or better position?”
When a watchmaker assembles a watch mechanism, he meticulously fits one part to another, takes a spring of precisely calculated length, a certain size of hand, dial, etc. The result is a wonderful mechanism, which, by the very fact of the expediency and calculation of its design, indicates the mind that created it.
But how much more complex, harmonious and intelligent is the structure of the entire Universe surrounding us, this beautiful Cosmos!
Albert Einstein (1879-1955), who formulated the theory of relativity, expressed this idea this way: “The harmony of natural law reveals a Reason so superior to us that in comparison with it all systematic thinking and action of human beings is an extremely insignificant imitation.”
The Universe, as the ancient Greeks said, is “Cosmos,” that is, a beautifully ordered and harmonious complex system consisting of interconnected parts, each of which is subject to special laws, and all as a whole are governed by a combination of general laws, so that the pursuit of any particular goal contributes in an amazing way to achieving the overall goal of the whole.
Therefore, it is impossible to allow all this to be a matter of chance, and not of reasonable Providence, that is, the Providence of God.
3. The “cosmological proof” of the existence of God was developed by the ancients (in particular, Aristotle) and is most often found in the following form: every thing in the world and everything, the entire Universe as a whole has a reason for its existence, but it is impossible to continue this sequence, the chain of causes ad infinitum - somewhere there must be a First Cause, which is no longer determined by any other, otherwise everything turns out to be groundless, “hangs in air."
Not only philosophers, but also many naturalists and scientists speak about such a Cause. Thus, the famous Louis Pasteur (1822-1895), who, by the way, developed the world-famous milk purification process, which has since bear his name, often mentioned the “cosmic asymmetrical Force” that created life. He believed that the concept of CAUSE “should be reserved for the single Divine impulse which formed this Universe.”
It is clear that such an uncaused cause is God: “God is not a man” - He is spiritual (“ideal”, like a thought), that is, he is outside of time and space, therefore he does not arise, but exists forever, being not the cause in physical meaning this word, but the Creator of the visible Universe and its laws.
4. The “anthropic principle of the Universe” as proof of the existence of an intelligent plan for the structure of the Universe and God was - probably unwittingly - put forward by modern science, which suddenly found out that life on Earth, the emergence of man and the development of civilization are possible only in the presence and combination of extremely harsh and paradoxically unlikely conditions , which seem to be initially inherent in nature itself: a fixed distance from the Sun (a little closer to it - and living organisms would burn, a little further - they would freeze, turning into insensitive blocks of ice); the presence of the Earth's rotation, without which unbearable heat would reign on one half of the planet, while the other would be shackled eternal ice; the existence of a satellite of a certain size that provides complex system circulation of water flows; minerals and resources: coal, metals, oil, water, etc., without which a technogenic civilization could not arise and develop, etc.
Moreover, modern scientists have the impression that the entire Universe is located and oriented in such a way that it can be viewed with human eyes! The existing coordination, interconnectedness and interdependence of these factors is such that the possibility of its “accidental” occurrence is completely excluded.
5. The following proof of the creation of the Cosmos by intelligent will was also formulated at the forefront of modern cosmology and physics, which drew attention to the paradoxical nature of the existence of the Universe in the form in which it exists: it turned out that only according to four main basic physical constants, without which it could not exist for a long time as a structurally organized whole, the probability of their “random” occurrence and coordination with each other is approximately 10 to the minus 100th power. But there are not four basic constants, but even more...
6. The following “teleological” (from the Greek “telos” - fulfillment, result) proof of the existence of God in general view has been known since antiquity, when Aristotle first noticed the presence of clearly expressed expediencies in the body of some animals and in nature. However, only modern discoveries in biology have indisputably proven the systemic nature of these teleological mechanisms and their necessity for the existence and survival of almost all types of living beings.
A type of activity of these mechanisms is, for example, the “pre-established harmony” of the development of various living organisms, which, even in the embryonic state, know in advance what they will have to face after birth.
And - which Darwinian evolutionary theory is completely unable to explain - studies of fossil organisms have shown that many of them have organs that predate by millennia external conditions environment, organs that are absolutely useless in the current conditions of existence of these animals, but will really be needed by this species after hundreds of generations, when the conditions of existence will radically change!
A legitimate question arises, to which modern evolutionary theory has no answer: how can a mindless body have such an amazing knowledge of future changes and how can it itself cause the required favorable mutations in itself?!
This amazing fact clearly indicates the presence in the world of a certain and reasonable development program, that is, Providence, which is called the Providence of God.
7. The “transcendental” proof of the existence of the ideal world and God was partly discovered by Kant and can be presented as follows: there is a world outside of space and time - the spiritual world, the world of intellect, thought and free will - which is proven by the presence in every person of thoughts that can relate to the past and future, that is, to “travel” to the past and future, as well as instantly be transported to any point in space.
Each of us, turning our consciousness to the source of the origin of our thoughts, can easily notice that they appear as if from somewhere outside, the thought turns out to be a spiritual ray projected from somewhere, which illuminates material existence like a sunbeam - it is of no use to anyone. and you never manage to cover it with your hand, it always ends up on top...
Thus, human thought, supposedly born in the brain, turns out to be simultaneously inside and outside matter - it supposedly arises due to neurophysiological processes in the tissues of the brain, surrounded by the bones of the skull, but, at the same time, fundamentally exists outside of any matter, outside of space and time.
Thanks to this, a person clearly realizes that he has a spiritual nature, which is fundamentally different from the physical world that surrounds him. But it follows from this that this other nature, this Spirit, the manifestation of which is man, also has reason and free will, like man himself.
8. The next proof could probably be called “creationist” - it is based on the fact of the existence in nature of organisms and living systems that, in principle, cannot develop into such a whole from parts in an evolutionary way, as Darwinism believes, but can only be created together, how exactly is such an organic whole.
These, for example, may include the interconnected system of the heart, lungs and blood circulation in living beings: it is impossible to imagine that first, let’s say, only blood circulation appeared without a heart, then the heart gradually “attached” to it and began to pump blood, and only after that The lungs began to develop.
9. Proof of the existence of God and the spiritual world from personal experience - most people have encountered in their lives “strange” manifestations of the divine and superhuman: both beneficent, Divine, and malicious, demonic, or, probably most often, both together.
In order not to touch upon the dubious “legends of deep antiquity” for many, I will tell you about an incident that happened to my colleague. He came from a believing family, but at one time he taught “scientific atheism” at a university for many years and, like most Soviet intellectuals, led a far from pious lifestyle. After experiencing several personal tragedies, he realized the depravity of his life and decided to go to the temple.
“When the priest,” he told me, “read a prayer for forgiveness of sins over my head, and I began to get to my feet, some unknown force suddenly began to throw me from side to side so that I could not stand on my feet: parishioners They supported me on both sides, my knees were shaking and, to top it all off, I was suddenly overcome by a strange weakness. So for the first time I felt for myself the demons that are in a sinner,” he concluded.
Quite a lot of similar examples could be given.
10. Proof of the existence among ALL nations and peoples of ideas about God and superhuman powers in one form or another; Although atheistic individuals are found among many nations, there are no “atheistic” nations on Earth.
11. Proof of the faith in God of most of humanity's outstanding geniuses. For example, the absolute majority of Nobel laureates.
It should also be remembered that all the scientists who contributed with their discoveries to the emergence and development of modern science (Copernicus, Kepler, Newton, Boyle, Bacon, Pasteur, Einstein) believed in God.
Thus, the founder of modern chemistry, Robert Boyle (1627-1691), began every day with prayer; Moreover, 2/3 of the income from his estate in Ireland went to helping the poor and supporting the Church, and 1/3 to spreading Christianity and missionary work among the Indians.
Francis Collins, one of the founders of genetics, said: “When we learn something new about the human genome, I always feel a sense of awe that humanity now knows something that only God knew before. I don't believe that Scientific research may somehow threaten God. On the contrary, I think God benefits from our curiosity.”
12. Undoubted proof of the existence of God is also the regular appearance in the history of mankind of great saints and religious figures who directly have spiritual revelations from above and thereby testify to His existence.
These are not only prophets such as Moses, Isaiah, Ezekiel, who constantly communicated with God, but also righteous people who illuminated and directed the lives of people at all times with their light.
Perhaps it will be enough to simply remind the reader of such great Russian saints as Seraphim of Sarov or John of Kronstadt in order to understand that God now addresses us as often as in distant biblical times - if only we had eyes to see and ears to see to hear.
God is always with us, it is we who, due to our weakness, either move away or try to return to Him again.
13. Proof by contradiction: the tragic fate of projects (and, often, their own lives and fates) of outstanding atheists. The most striking example here may be the example of the “Lenin-Stalin case” and their followers, who for the first time in history tried to build an atheistic state on a “scientific basis” both on the territory of Russia and other countries of Europe and Asia.
For example, the fate of the best materialist philosopher of the USSR, Evald Vasilyevich Ilyenkov, the son of the famous Soviet writer, laureate of the Stalin Prize in Literature, turned out to be tragic. Throughout his life, justifying the atheistic thesis about the “self-development of matter,” which does not need any spiritual foundation for its existence, Evald Vasilyevich could not find moral support anywhere in Soviet atheistic reality, fell into a deep depression and died in a special...
14. The “ethical proof” of the existence of the supersensible world, which comes from the objective existence of morality and ethical laws governing the behavior of human beings, is also widely known.
The research of many philosophers indicates that events and influences environment only to a certain extent can they predetermine the behavior of people and force them to certain actions: no matter how strong the external pressure, a person always has the opportunity to break the cause-and-effect relationship to which irrational nature is subject and act as a free being, that is, as a being another, unearthly world!
To illustrate this, a simple example can be given: why do some people give alms and others do not? It would seem that the latter act quite logically and reasonably - why part with your funds, money, knowing that you will not receive any compensation?!
So what forces the former to give alms, sometimes even in significant amounts? There is nothing in the physical world, in nature, that could explain such “illogical” behavior - this explanation lies outside of this, in the supersensible world, where the great moral ideas of love, kindness and mercy are located.
The famous reasoning of Immanuel Kant, who clearly showed that man in his actions and actions is guided by values that do not belong to the material world, also belongs to this type of evidence of the existence of God.
15. The proof of the existence of God called the “aesthetic argument” has also become widespread, which states: in nature there is an amazing supernatural beauty of the starry sky, sunsets and sunrises, Northern Lights, harmonious pictures of nature, the perfect structure of the beautiful bodies of living beings, etc., which seems to be specially intended for the aesthetic pleasure of a rational being - man - because apart from him in nature itself there is simply no one to contemplate it.
The already mentioned Robert Boyle was so in awe of the beauty of nature that he often said: “When I study the book of nature... I am often forced to exclaim with the psalmist: Oh, how manifold are Thy works, O Lord, in Thy wisdom Thou hast made them all!”
16. Proof of the existence of God “from real to absolute perfection”, it was put forward by Thomas Aquinas: in nature there is a clearly observable gradation of perfection within various types being, which can only be understood in the presence of an absolutely perfect Being, that is, God.
This proof may seem quite complicated at first, but a simple example will help to understand its essence: if you have a ruler, say, 30 centimeters long, and your colleague has a ruler 50 cm long, if there are rolled meters and other means of measurement, then all this exists only because the dimension of space (its extension in different directions) and the idea of length actually exist.
In exactly the same way one could give similar examples with measures of weight, time, etc. But in nature there are also more complex types of gradations, among which a unique place belongs to the “ascending ladder” of perfection both in inanimate and living nature, and in human society, and also among the people themselves: there are, for example, crooked and ugly trees, there are ordinary, unremarkable ones, there are “simply” beautiful ones, but there are also unusually beautiful, perfect specimens. And so not only among different types of trees, but also among different breeds of fish, animals, within human races, etc. – more and less perfect individuals can be found everywhere. But these different degrees of perfection in inanimate nature(for example, among stones!), between certain types of objects, living beings, etc., could not exist if for them there was no really existing measure of absolute perfection, which, however, we do not find in the material world, but which cannot but exist, and this perfection is God!
This is the essence of this proof.
Thus, we see that no matter where and how we begin to consider the world around a person, all roads inevitably lead to the One who created and adorned him, Who constantly supports and guides him, and without Whom he could not exist even for a moment - to God.
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Comments
July 27, 2017 21:36
Arthur Holly Compton – laureate Nobel Prize in physics “for the discovery of the Compton effect”:
“The more we learn about our world, the less likely it is that it arose by chance. Therefore, today few scientists will defend atheism.”
“Science has created a world in which Christianity is necessary.”
“I believe that it is Christianity, with its inherent value of the individual, that opens modern world opportunity to survive and thrive.”
“For me, Faith begins with the knowledge that the Supreme Mind created the Universe and man. It is not difficult for me to believe this, because the fact of the existence of a plan and, therefore, Reason is irrefutable. The order of the Universe, which unfolds before our eyes, itself testifies to the truth of the greatest and most sublime statement: “In the beginning is God.”July 27, 2017 21:35
Lord Kelvin, the eminent English physicist after whom the absolute temperature scale is named, is known for working on the first transatlantic telegraph cable and formulating the second law of thermodynamics:
“The idea of atheism is so meaningless that I can’t even find words for it.”
“Don't be afraid to give freedom to your thoughts. If you are truly a thinking person, then science will invariably lead you to faith in God.”
“The origin of life on Earth was absolutely independent of any chemical or electrical process or crystalline grouping of molecules. We must stop and acknowledge the mystery and miracle of the creation of living organisms.”July 27, 2017 11:54
Alexander, excuse me, but your thoughts on the topic of timeless entities look like demagoguery. Although I have long noticed that humanities scholars have no choice but to get confused in their speculative conclusions. But you can just open textbooks on physics and biology...
July 27, 2017 11:51
Igor! Your preacher is not a professional, but neither geology, nor anthropology, nor biology! How can you rely on his ignorant assumptions??? It is not worth mentioning the 6000 years of the earth among literate people, because after that your dialogue will immediately end - what can you talk about with an uneducated person who believes in fairy tales and the word of any rogue. Grow up! Learn! “Faith and knowledge are two scales: the higher one is, the lower the other” Arthur Schopenhauer
July 26, 2017 11:49
Antinomy of Existence:
Why do you think that the property of eternity is incompatible with creativity? God is creator not by nature, but by act of will- by an act of reason.
Antinomy of Faith.
God was not formed from anything. God is outside of time - he is eternal.July 26, 2017 11:33
The cosmological argument is flawless. Because it is based on the principle of causality - a basic principle without which science is impossible in principle. But many are not too smart people They say: who created God? Hidden in this statement is a false premise: even timeless Entities must necessarily have a cause outside themselves. We can assert an obligatory cause outside an essence only when this essence has a beginning of its existence (otherwise a logical contradiction). Timeless entities may well be the cause for themselves, there will be no logical contradictions in this - if the reason for the existence of the entity is in the essence itself, and if there was no time when the entity did not exist, then there was no time when there was no reason for the existence of the entity. This means that timeless eternal entities may well be completely self-sufficient.
July 25, 2017 16:36
One more point - if it were possible to prove God and his existence, then it would no longer be God. Because this is what is written about God: “John. 3:8 – The Spirit breathes where it wills, and you hear its voice, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes: so it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”, and also: “John 1:18 – No one has seen God never; The Only Begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has revealed.”
God is beginningless and endless and INCOMPROZABLE - how can all this be proven?
The person who can comprehend and prove Him will become higher than God, but God says that there is no one higher than Me and cannot be, and He will not give His glory to anyone!
Therefore - here if anyone wants to comprehend - he will go crazy)) our brain - it cannot perceive and withstand - God lives outside of time - do you know what it means to live outside of time? No, and no one knows. Therefore, a person can only believe and as it is written: “Without faith it is impossible to please God.”Hence the incomprehensibility remains - the creation of the universe, how did everything come from the WORD???!!! It is impossible to understand this, if only partially.
If a person understands some scheme - how it works, then he can subsequently control this scheme - because he understood the principle, but God cannot be understood in this way and you will not be able to control Him, He will not allow you to control Him (it is written that He creates whatever He wants), but if you act and ask according to His will (this means asking for good) - then He will fulfill it, because He is faithful to His Word - He loves good. And you can influence His actions. It is written about it this way:
“Be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Rom. 12:1-2)”
“You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, but to use it for your lusts. James 4:3"
Ask for goodness, so that God will reveal to you about the creation of the universe - and He will reveal!!))
July 24, 2017 12:15
Angelina, firstly, you are expressing, to put it mildly, an inaccurate thought (about God within) if you think within the framework of theology. Secondly, your words about your parents perfectly confirm your infantile need for a leader and uncritical gullibility. Knowledge will help you. You will grow up and be able to think for yourself, and not thoughtlessly
follow the instructions of your elders.July 23, 2017 16:01
Igor, could you recommend someone more convincing?) this person is not able to provide any scientific evidence and what is absolutely ridiculous and absurd is trying to reject Darwin
July 21, 2017 22:40
Didn't your parents tell you? that God lives within us.
July 21, 2017 22:34
Well, if you think about it, God or Gods exist in general, many people believe that God exists but we don’t see him, so think for yourself how we came into this world on earth before there was no one and then a lot of interesting things began to appear, now even animals appear with cat mutations in two heads, etc., and even there are ghosts, spirits, but spirits are us after death, there are many reasons to believe in God, God is the only one in the world, he is powerful and the ruler, he can decide everything for us, when we die or when we appear on this everything and think about it, lately people with super powers have often begun to appear, there are even Angels, there are a lot of things, but we don’t see it or we just don’t want to notice, everyone just wants to live on this earth and there’s no time to die and someone has to believe in something. then you will die on this earth, people just want to believe and live well on this earth, that’s all.
July 20, 2017 10:26
Lavrentiy! Read Pascal Boyer and you will receive honest and professional answers to your questions
July 19, 2017 23:46
Unfortunately, there is no scientific evidence in this article. Not without some hope, I began to read this material, but as always I found only inept attempts to argue with science and dubious references to the statements of respected scientists. It’s even a shame that atheists are always head and shoulders above in their proofs ((
June 9, 2017 16:13
June 9, 2017 12:34
I appeal to atheists: I can refute all your statements with the same success as you do with the facts about the existence of the Almighty; this is an endless debate, it is not fully comprehensible to the human mind... Please note Special attention on points 10, 14, and 16 and think about it... if there is supposedly no God, then why ALL the nations of the world throughout their entire existence believe in something incomprehensible? Why do people do good and have compassion? How do they know what is good and what is bad? After all, the example should have been taken from someone more perfect and impeccable like our Creator... http://veda48.ru/pritchi/ainshtein/
June 9, 2017 12:15
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. The Lord is everything
May 31, 2017 23:57
God is not something living. This is what started everything.
May 31, 2017 13:32
Some people use the word "god" so broadly and generously that they inevitably find god everywhere they look. You often hear the phrases: “God is the totality of everything,” “God is best part human nature”, “God is the Universe”. Of course, the word “god,” like any other, can be given any desired meaning. If you want to proclaim that God is energy, you will find God in a lump of coal (Steven Weinberg).
May 2, 2017 1:19
So, if something exists, it was created by God? Then where did God come from?
December 1, 2016 20:18
Hello, at school I was asked to explain the “divine origin of man.” I will need to participate in debates where other theories of human origins will be presented. What advice do you give me on how to lead everyone into a dead end?
November 29, 2016 14:13
[email protected]
Antinomy of Existence:
If God is the Creator, then He cannot be eternal,
and if God is eternal, then He cannot be the Creator!!!Antinomy of Faith.
If it is difficult to believe that inert Matter is in the process of Evolution
created the Living and Reasonable, it is IMPOSSIBLE TO BELIEVE,
that out of NOTHING and UNKNOW WHERE could be FORMED WITH V E R H R A U M N O E!!!November 28, 2016 15:34
I am an ordinary student. I can refute all of the above.
November 28, 2016 8:36
It’s unlikely in our lifetime, but I still don’t lose hope that humanity will eventually abandon this perverted concept of faith. Someday all the gods will fucking die.
Personally, I have not seen a single clear evidence; I can easily refute each of them.November 22, 2016 21:05
Man cannot prove that God exists or does not exist. Who can argue with this?)) Let God himself do it) or is it difficult for him? Is there no time or what?)) and in human society at all times there has been a religion with gods. And now in the more or less civilized world we see the same thing, isn’t it so?) So whose god is the true one? Which god will they worship?))))) Or all of them at once? Therefore, I believe that if God exists, he must manifest himself, show himself. And believers engage in self-hypnosis, and attribute a divine face to ordinary accidents, like the pagans in ancient times, nothing new...
September 15, 2016 11:17
Replace the words “evidence” throughout the article with “reflection on the topic.” Everything written here is not evidence. Do not mislead and do not force the reader to waste precious time on empty chatter.
Explore the world, strive for truth. Don't believe in anything and don't let it deceive you.September 8, 2016 22:54
If evolution created everything that exists.
How to explain how she created:
thoughts, love, CONSCIENCE, resentment, kindness, anger, hatred, envy, desire (wanting), disgust, contemplation and a bunch of other things that cannot be attributed to the material world?
(If we say that all this does not exist, then evolutionists must exclude all these words from their dictionaries and not use them, because this is all the spiritual world - and matter cannot create the spiritual world.)Where do people see spirits and call them?
Why do people make curses, conspiracies, etc. - and do they work (come true)?Why do doctors call people in psychiatric hospitals “mentally” and “mentally ill” and cannot explain the causes of the latter’s illnesses?
Where did the events come from? Old Testament centuries after they were written – already in the New Testament?
Why do we trust each other or not?
Where did deception come from - how could evolution create it?How to explain clinical death?
Does psychology exist or not??? (Psychology is the science of the soul)
Why are children different from adults and why do children believe in everything?
(each of us knows this and everyone knows what the most best time- this is when we were children)…. And many more questions can be asked - which will remain unanswered - how did evolution do it?
September 8, 2016 22:26
Greetings to all readers and commentators.
In turn, I would like to offer some thoughts to ponder:
If evolution created everything: earth, water, space, all kinds of radio waves, etc. - that is, material. How then can the existence of such things be explained?June 1, 2016 13:02
This is not evidence. These are assumptions, i.e. hypotheses. You still cannot say for sure that God exists. And why is it God? Why can't it be a giant pasta monster? Religion was invented only to explain various natural phenomena. Wake up already!
February 10, 2016 23:26
It seems to me or this is stupid, there was no magic, no, and never will be, only science, only hardcore.
Humans have lived on earth for 200,000 years. The Bible ignores the first 195,000 years.
The Lord created the entire Universe out of nothing, but to create Eve he had to borrow a rib from Adam.
The Lord punished 2000 people with a tornado. One child survived. The Lord is merciful.
Incest is bad. Who did the children of Adam and Eve have sex with?
God loves animals. Sacrificed.
The Bible is true, because God wrote it. And God exists because it is written so in the Bible.
Lord: “So what if there are thousands of religions. Only my followers will go to heaven.”
Everything is God's will, except abortion.
Pray and the Lord will heal you... unless, of course, you are disabled.
God cannot cure disabled people, but he can teach donkeys to talk.
We will definitely see the day of judgment and do not care that they have been talking about it for more than 2000 years.
Children die from hunger every year in Africa. God loves us.
Jesus died for all our sins. If you don’t sin, then he died in vain.
We are all children of God. Jesus is the only son of God.
Do you steal, kill, rape? This is not scary if you believed in Christ before death.
If God created us in his own image, why aren't we invisible?
God is love. That's why he created hell.
God created man and woman with free will. Then he will make the woman pregnant with himself so that Jesus will be born. Then he will sacrifice himself to Him in order to save them from the sins that they will commit thanks to free will.
My neighbor's tomatoes withered in his garden - God punished him. My dacha burned down - this is a test for me, for God loves me.
People sin because they have freedom of thought. There will be no sin in heaven.
January 14, 2016 9:47
Dear Golos razuma. I would like to ask when did faith in the real and only religion cloud a person’s mind? And what is a clouded mind to you? True religion teaches us kindness and love, first of all, for faith, as well as for our neighbors. Religion in illiterate and empty heads clouds the mind, but if every educated person took and read the book of the Bible, I do not think that he would find anything there that would hinder him Everyday life. This book can only be understood by an adequate and educated mind. And to this day, not a single person on earth can fully understand the meaning of many interpretations in this book. In other cases, yes, it clouds the mind, but only because people do not understand it, or rather are not able to understand it, due to their primitive way of life. Why complicate your life? After all, no matter what you say, faith in God will exist forever :) Any atheist in the event of the Apocalypse, or in the event of a serious illness loved one will pray only because by nature a person is inclined to prayer. And there's nothing wrong with that. No one at the moment can refute the existence of God simply because no one has seen him. The caveman is not one who believes in God, but one who does not understand religion correctly. Religion is given to man as eternal homework, which is to understand its meaning.
December 19, 2015 18:45
I kindly ask everyone who is looking for “scientific” evidence of the Creator to present their interpretation of the evidence I have proposed - antinomies.
1). Antinomy of faith:
If we cannot admit that eternally existing matter is in the process of a long
evolution could create complex living and intelligent beings from simple elements,
then can we admit that from “nothing”, suddenly, the Super Complex could be formed and
The Super Intelligent in the guise of God the Creator, who miraculously created the World out of “nothing”?
2). Antinomy of Existence (Being):
If God exists forever,
then He cannot be the Creator!
And if God was the Creator,
then He could not exist forever!December 10, 2015 17:12
Row natural numbers is not limited only in theory until you start counting. In practice, all things are limited both chronologically and spatially.
December 4, 2015 12:26
Regarding the existence of a root cause. A very logical conclusion that cannot yet be refuted. But, in my opinion, any logic and, as a consequence, the conclusion from it, is based only on our knowledge and experience, which have certain limited scope. Often we don’t know and can’t even imagine how things could be different.
Example: all existing material objects have certain, already specified properties. It would seem logical. But quantum mechanics, with its principles of uncertainty, complementarity, and others, refute the given properties (determinism) of microworld objects (the level of elementary particles - quanta). Based on all of the above, in my opinion, it is quite acceptable to question the existence of a first cause as such until humanity has complete knowledge of the structure of the world. This is still a long way off.November 8, 2015 17:00
The article is really interesting. She, of course, cannot prove the existence of God, but she proves that there is not a single fact that allows us to confidently say that He does not exist. And there must be a root cause, because the series of numbers is not at all so infinite, dear Konstantin. We were all taught such concepts as infinitesimal and infinitely large quantities. But if they are truly infinite, then New Year will never come, and a new day will not begin, and second hand won't budge. Why? Because there will be 1 second, 0.1 second, 0.01 second, 0.001... 0.00000001... left before the New Year. 0.000000000001.. and so on. Nevertheless, every year we hear the chimes, and the second hand spins circles around the dial. This means that they are not so infinite, these small quantities and these series of numbers. Paradox!
The second law of thermodynamics is not violated in the universe, it is not eternal and has a fairly clearly defined beginning and, in one form or another, an end. There are many competing theories that are one way or another confirmed or refuted - and you haven’t even mentioned them.
2, 3 and 4 proofs are essentially the same thing...
And most importantly, none of this evidence speaks of the existence of God as we imagine him, be it the ideas of Christianity, Islam or the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
Somehow you didn’t check the facts very carefully to write the article, to be honest...June 22, 2015 3:04
When these slavish prejudices (religious memes, divine insight, whatever you want to call them) take over common sense which a person acquires over the course of many years of his existence, people cease to be themselves, they are taken over by mania. And it’s hard for a person with a clouded mind to be consistent. A brain virus that humanity needed in the early stages of its existence for the purpose of psychological balance, whose name is God, and which is high time to get rid of, because we are no longer cavemen, searching for meaning in the meaningless. The religious meme, called God, has the wonderful property of adapting to any sphere of habitat. Science, which does not stand still and is not at the peak of its knowledge, is consistent, and religion “follows” it, agreeing with what it renounced yesterday. And if we follow this progress of theism through the centuries (trampling, as it has hitherto, our “divine dogmas” in favor of the obvious order of things), the voice of reason will displace this useless primitive stimulus from our lives. P.S. No self-respecting person will ever pay attention to your pseudo-evidence.
May 6, 2015 13:35
These 16 pieces of evidence can be significantly expanded, and anyone who wants to do this will find quite a bit more on the Internet. Faith in God is something completely different. It requires courage and significant effort from a person (at least at first). After all, a person who believes in God needs to completely change his life in order to fulfill the Commandments of God, His Decalogue. And which person can do this? This is possible if only our Creator Himself helps...
April 19, 2015 23:07
Of course, if we were given the full knowledge of the existence of God, then there would be no point in faith. Why believe if we, for example, have seen God and know about his existence. In this case, we would know with exact certainty what will happen to us throughout life, and what awaits us if we commit any sin. We wouldn't have to prove anything. Life would be very simple. Therefore, God is invisible and wants faith from us, which will lead us to His Kingdom
April 19, 2015 23:06
Of course, if we were given the full knowledge of the existence of God, then there would be no point in faith. Why believe if we, for example, have seen God and know about his existence. In this case, we would know with exact certainty what will happen to us throughout life, and what awaits us if we commit any sin. We wouldn't have to prove anything. Life would be very simple. Therefore, God is invisible and wants faith from us, which will lead us to His Kingdom.
April 19, 2015 13:07
Interesting…
But, strictly speaking, this is not evidence.
To prove, one must be able to comprehend the essence of God. “No one has ever seen God...” (Apostle John 1:18). This is immutable within the framework of human earthly life.
When talking about God, from my point of view, only the concept of faith is appropriate. I completely agree that “the main proof in Orthodoxy was and remains the person himself, who met God in his heart. And if this meeting did not happen, how can you believe! And if it happened, then a loving heart no longer needs any more arguments!”
I also agree with Francis Collins (at school I still dreamed of devoting myself professionally to genetics, but the dream was not destined to come true) when he says: “I do not believe that scientific research can somehow threaten God,” because science (“ “proof” is a scientific term) is very limited in its means, and will simply never be able to prove or disprove the existence of God.November 8, 2014 20:08
Good afternoon
In my opinion, there is some inaccuracy or even error in the evidence.
It is stated that there is a final cause. On the basis that there must be a final cause. But this statement has not been proven in my opinion. For example, the number of natural numbers is not limited, that is, infinite, and in the same way, in my opinion, the number of causes is infinite, which means and there is no final reason.
Of course, an endless series of reasons cannot be imagined, and the external respectability of the idea of God seems indisputable. But this is already beyond the bounds of logic. This is an attempt to exert suggestion. This accusation can be avoided by appealing to the heart, again we go beyond the limits of logic.
For example, understanding the law of conservation of energy does not imply such an appeal.
There remains one more trick - man is fooled out of his mind, the church fathers said, another refusal of logic.
The question is: is it possible to prove the existence of God within the limits of logic? Or, in another way, it follows that there is a first reason, because, for example, the series of numbers is infinite.
January 14, 2019 11:52
...The Laws of Nature are incomprehensible,
according to which the World was created!
This is God.
And there is no need to HUMANIZE him!
And getting on my knees, begging..begging-
“Give...Help”!!...
And, if you did THIS and you felt better...
You helped yourself...balanced...relieved tension...
Believe in yourself and you succeeded!
After all, a person has great potential,
He is capable of much, He is so perfect.
This is exactly HOW it was created according to the unshakable Laws of Nature,
i.e. ~ God.
You just need to be able to open them!!
A person is capable of a lot!
January 14, 2019 7:02
The laws of nature according to which the World was created, THIS is GOD!
And there is no need to humanize him. And getting on your knees, asking, begging: “Give me!...help!”...And if you did this and you felt better, you helped yourself!, balanced everything, relieved tension, believing that you were leaning on someone...
In fact, Man Himself is capable of THIS restoration! He is so perfect!!! This is how He was created according to the LAWS OF NATURE, i.e. - By God!
December 2, 2018 18:57
December 2, 2018 18:51
Who knew better the true events of the revolution of 1917? We or those who lived at that time or participated or lived 20 years later than the revolution? Then why no one, neither 10,000 nor 2,000 years, spoke or wrote anywhere about one God or about Adam with Eve. Although they already knew how to write or draw. And there were not even any hints of events from the Bible.
November 19, 2018 15:26
I was wondering over dinner, who created the sausage, God or man? If God created man, and man created sausage, does it mean that God wanted to create sausage???
November 19, 2018 3:58
1. Proof of the existence of God No. 1 - You yourself are the main and first logical proof of the existence of God.
Man created in the image and likeness.
2. Why do people seek God (usually to their own detriment) and draw? dancing? sing? looking at the sky?
Do they commit a lot of useless and destructive actions from a physiological point of view?
What's next? Look inside yourself. Physiology 100%? Only the logical needs of a living organism?
What do you do without a logical reason? Well, at least something?
Well, why are you doing this? There is no physiological need, but it may arise after death? Are you looking for God among people? Looking in the wrong place!
The only proof possible for a person is personal experience.
Don’t start with what is man-made, start with the primary source - Nature, the reflection of the Creator and his essence.
Have you ever sung, just alone, not for show? Why is this necessary?
Perhaps they painted or danced without any selfish motive?
Why do you need evidence of the absence of God? Do you want to die in peace? It would be nice, however...
I ask that in order to search for proof far from cities, admiring the beauty of Nature, simply turn to the Creator with prayer and gratitude, even if only for this moment of happiness. There is no need to read the Bible or other books written by man, first make sure personal experience, You are more than your body. Where does the music come from? Will you die becoming deaf? Where does dance come from? Is it necessary for your body to function? Where do questions about God come from? You are warm, light, flies don’t bite, then why should you ask questions - it’s not logical, not physiological?
November 19, 2018 2:56
Live in Nature, you will immediately understand who you are and where your logic is, when you can be eaten, you can freeze or die of hunger. The brains will immediately fall into place and the evidence will not keep you waiting. Everyone has their own proof. What do they tell us about reality? Reality is given to us in sensations. When you individually feel the connection with the Creator, it will not seem a little. No need to analyze Holy Scripture, there is a lot of man in him. Keep not only your eyes open and you will find the Creator in Creation. Stop fussing and learn to ventilate your attic, children of asphalt.
November 17, 2018 6:54
Our God is not stupid. The source of light was not originally the sun. God can do everything, including maintaining light without the sun.
November 11, 2018 9:51
Dolbnya N. About the Creator of the Universe:
November 11, 2018 9:48
Dolbnya N. About the Creator of the Universe:
S. Hawking came to the conclusion that the Universe arose according to objective physical laws, and its appearance cannot be associated with the activity of a higher intelligence, arguing that: “In order to light the fuse and launch the Universe, God is not necessarily needed.” My hypothesis of the birth of the Universe scientifically substantiates the impossibility of the birth of physical particles (amers and protons) in non-physical Unborn Space without the participation of a certain Creator of the Universe, which today occupies almost 100% of its volume. More details in my book “Unlocking the Secrets of the Universe” (Internet) and in the article “To the Origins of the Birth of the Universe” (in English) in the journal. “Exact Science” (No. 28/2018).
November 8, 2018 16:41
Albert Einshein: “It is, of course, a lie that you read about my religious beliefs, a lie that is systematically repeated. I do not believe in a personal God and have never denied this, but I have expressed it clearly. If there is something in me that can be called religious, then it is undoubtedly an unlimited admiration for the structure of the Universe to the extent that science reveals it.” I strongly advise the author to stop spreading these lies. As for his “proofs,” Einstein has something on this score: “The word “God” for me is nothing more than an expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible is a collection of noble, but still primitive legends. No interpretation, even the most sophisticated, can change this for me. These sophisticated interpretations are very varied in nature and have almost nothing in common with the original text.”
August 21, 2018 13:51
The biggest mistake that believers make is their belief in the existence of God, when all you need to do is point out the evidence of the existence and power of the eternal creative nature that created humanity and the world. The latter are under the authority of its unconditional laws, due to which this nature is called God by people, receiving its personification in different religions peace.
The existence of God cannot and should not be a subject of faith, which, moreover, also needs logical proof as crutches. This can be either obvious or delusional, there is no other option. Another difficulty is that believers always undertake to prove the existence of God precisely within the framework of supranaturalism, and this is doomed to failure.
In short, precisely because they undertake to prove the obvious, all attempts to prove the existence of God fail. Johann Hamann said that those who prove the existence of God are even more stupid than those who deny it. Believing in the existence of God, if we give the correct meaning to this term, is simply meaningless - it is too obvious. One can only believe that God has certain attributes, which in religious language are called “goodness”, “wisdom”, God, etc. This is “faith in God,” and “faith in the existence of God” is only the fruit of half-belief and thoughtlessness.
August 10, 2018 20:21
This is complete absurdity, at the beginning you wrote that you would prove to us that God exists, but you just described your conjectures and the conjectures of other people, this is not supported by anything, someone saw someone somewhere there, so we are almost nothing We don’t know about space, so we’ll chalk it up to the fact that God created it. There is no God, understand, now I will give you a few facts, from your favorite Bible.
1. When the builders were building a tower that rose into the heavens, God did not allow this and blessed all the builders different languages because of which they went their separate ways.
2. Day one: creation of heaven and earth, light and darkness
Day two: creation of the firmament
Day three: creation of land and earth, seas and plants
Day four: creation of day and night, time, signs
Day five: creation of reptiles and birds
Day six: creation of animals and humans
Seventh Day: Blessing and Sanctification of the Seventh Day
That is, look: first he created plants, and then the sun, apparently his knowledge of biology is poor...
And yes, how could he count the 1st, 2nd and 3rd days if he created the sun only on the 4th day? After all, as we know, time is measured by the sun.
3. Nostradamus (I think that was his name) built a ship or something called an ark. As far as I remember, he had a family of 5 people. He collected about 20 thousand species of animals and insects there to save them. I don't remember exactly. And here's the question. How did they care for these animals? After all, they had to devote a lot of time to care, not to mention the fact that they needed sleep, etc.
Also, our nastradamus genius in the field of engineering created a ship with one window, and logically this transport should have been of impressive size. So, animal experiments release ammonia. Likewise, all living organisms inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide, so in half a year of their journey this ship would have turned into a huge jar with a canned pile of corpses.
4. My favorite. The 10th commandment, it says something like this: You shall not covet your neighbor’s house, you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, you shall not covet your neighbor’s servant, you shall not covet his servant.
That is, you cannot sleep with your friend’s wife, this is the supreme sin, but having a slave is easy. That is, your Almighty does not understand the value of human life...
5. A lot of money is also spent on pointless construction of temples. After all, it was possible to save a lot of lives, but no temple is more important, because our Lord God is merciful to us and we will all go to heaven, so that our torment will “pay off”
And I have a request to you: if you present counter-arguments, then back them up with something.
August 10, 2018 11:56
A smart professor once asked a student an interesting question at university.
Professor: Is God good?
Student: Yes.
Professor: Is the Devil good?
Student: No.
Professor: Right.
– Tell me, son, does evil exist on Earth?
Student: Yes.
Professor: Evil is everywhere, isn't it? And God created everything, right?
Student: Yes.
Professor: So who created evil?
Student: …
Professor: Is there ugliness, arrogance, disease, ignorance on the planet? It's all there, right?
Student: Yes, sir.
Professor: So who created them?
Student: …
Professor: Science says that humans have 5 senses to explore the world around them. Tell me son, have you ever seen God?
Student: No, sir.
Professor: Tell us, did you hear God?
Student: No, sir.
Professor: Have you ever felt God? Have you tasted it? Did you smell it?
Student: I'm afraid not, sir.
Professor: And you still believe in him?
Student: Yes.
Professor: Based on the findings, science can claim that there is no God. Can you do anything against this?
Student: No, professor. I only have faith.
Professor: Exactly. Faith is the main problem Sciences.
Student: Professor, does cold exist?
Professor: What kind of question? Of course it exists. Have you ever been cold?
The students laughed at the young man's question.
Student: Actually, sir, there is no such thing as cold. According to the laws of physics, what we think of as cold is actually the absence of heat. A person or object can be studied to see if it has or transmits energy. Absolute zero (-460 degrees Fahrenheit) is complete absence heat. All matter becomes inert and unable to react at this temperature. Cold doesn't exist. We created this word to describe how we feel when there is no heat.
Silence fell in the audience.
Student: Professor, does darkness exist?
Professor: Of course it exists. What is night if not darkness?
Student: You are wrong again, sir. Darkness also does not exist. Darkness is actually the absence of light. We can study light, but not darkness. We can use a Newtonian prism to decompose White light into a variety of colors and explore the different wavelengths of each color. You cannot measure darkness. A simple beam of light can break into a dark world and illuminate it. How can you know how dark any space is? You measure how much light is presented. Is not it? Darkness is a concept that humans use to describe what happens in the absence of light.
“Now tell me, sir, does death exist?”
Professor: Of course. There is life, and there is death - its other side.
Student: You are wrong again, professor. Death is not back side life is its absence. In your scientific theory a serious crack appeared.
Professor: What are you getting at, young man?
Student: Professor, you teach students that we all came from monkeys. Have you observed evolution with your own eyes?
The professor shook his head with a smile, understanding where the conversation was going.
Student: No one saw this process, which means you are more of a priest and not a scientist.
The audience exploded with laughter.
Student: Now tell me, is there anyone in this class who has seen the professor’s brain? Have you heard it, smelled it, touched it?
The students continued to laugh.
Student: Apparently, no one. Then, based on scientific facts, we can conclude that the professor has no brain. With all due respect to you, professor, how can we trust what you said in lectures?
Silence fell in the audience.
Professor: I think you just have to trust me.
Student: Exactly! There is one connection between God and man - FAITH!
The professor sat down. This student's name was Albert Einstein.
July 9, 2018 10:39
I am a doctor, graduated from medical university with honors. I have been working in healthcare for 8 years, I can only say one thing - the Lord exists, and for the first time I began to think about this when I was learning the science of anatomy, every cell, every particle, everything is in its place!!
April 13, 2018 14:13
Unconvincing. All the “evidence” is far-fetched, and their statements are based on either logical errors, or a lack of imagination and a small supply of knowledge in this area.
February 22, 2018 8:16
Life is a whole and man is an image of God, a face.
January 10, 2018 23:20
A sea of inconsistency, substitution of concepts, hypotheses passed off as truth, and water. To put it mildly, this article aroused only indignation in me. I don’t have any negative attitude towards faith and religion, on the contrary, I understand people who are adherents, but I am very concerned about the questions: why are children born with congenital diseases, why is God, if, suppose, one exists (I will be neutral in this position), only a few feel People? Why are there murderers, drug addicts, why are crimes still committed against the innocent, why is there injustice everywhere?
December 14, 2017 10:59
Charles Darwin's letter about God sold for $125,000
A letter written by naturalist and explorer Charles Darwin sold at auction in New York on Tuesday for $125,000 - twice as much as expected. It is a response to the reader’s request “in two or three words” to tell how the theory of evolution relates to the idea of God, reports IN SVETE. In 1878, reader of On the Origin of Species James Grant asked Charles Darwin to explain in two or three words whether the theory of evolution refutes the evidence for the existence of God. In response, the scientist sent him a three-page letter in which he refused to contrast science and religion, the publication reported ***. Interestingly, Darwin never answered whether he himself believed in God. He noted that a complete answer to this question would require an essay and he had neither the strength nor the health to do so. At the same time, the scientist called instinct or intuition the most significant proof of the existence of higher powers.
December 10, 2017 21:49
hmm, is this evidence? hahahahahahaha these are just guesses
September 17, 2017 17:57
What is the question, Marie?) How can you reject dreams? The question is how to study and interpret, perhaps?) This is a very serious area of neurobiology, some knowledge of which can be found if you look for materials on this topic. Just be critical in choosing sources: these should not be some esoteric and mystical charlatan resources. Lectures by wonderful Russian neuroscientists are available on the Internet, who in a dozen lectures will explain to you the principles of how the brain works, including during sleep)
September 16, 2017 6:24
I have a question for OLGA. Do you also refute dreams???
September 14, 2017 20:40
An excellent article, very useful and if it doesn’t convince anyone, it will at least make you think. In my opinion, the evidence for the existence of higher powers and God is sufficient and even redundant; for a critical thinker, only three would be enough. It is a little sad that, ignoring the quotes given in the discourse from major scientists who recognize the existence of God, the forum participants are clearly lesser figures in science, and most likely not related to it at all, proving the opposite, appeal to it, while naming believers and it turns out great scientists in their including, stupid and arrogant.. In dealing with such characters, the question should be posed not in finding evidence - they already exist, and they are quite enough, but how to convince such people.. So I propose to consider the existence of the Lord proven, and leave it open the question of finding methods to convince hardened atheists of the falsity of their views. I’ll say right away that in terms of logic, search is useless; it is powerless against them.
August 23, 2017 20:31
For His invisible things, His eternal power and Godhead, have been visible from the creation of the world through the consideration of creatures, so that they are irresistible.
August 21, 2017 15:02
August 21, 2017 15:01
For most of the questions of philosophy, science has not only not given an answer, but has not even come close to it.
August 18, 2017 2:22
In a difficult moment of life
Is there sadness in my heart?
One wonderful prayer
I repeat it by heart.
There is grace-filled power in the consonance of living words
And an incomprehensible, holy charm breathes in them.
The burden is lifted from the soul, doubt is far away
And you believe and cry and so easily and easily... (M.Yu. Lermontov)
August 4, 2017 0:53
I think so) because only in this area there is a criterion of truth - evidence)
August 3, 2017 18:43
Vladimir, I’m a little embarrassed for you. The article is called 16 proofs of the existence of God, and you, objecting to Alexander, write that the article is not proof of this existence. Somewhere a mistake or a deliberate lie crept in. The problem is that there is no evidence and the further you go, the less likely it is to find it, but as a consolation, weak and not very well educated people will always be content with fairy tales, and those who make money from it will tell them
August 1, 2017 17:22
The more I read the comments, the more I understand how stupid, arrogant and selfish believers are. Yes, the whole world was made for Christians, the rest will all burn in hell.
The paradox is that the most the worst people The people I have met are just deeply religious people - they go to church every week - they pray... why do they go? yes, because there are already 10 lifetimes worth of sins... they go to confession - they think God will forgive...
The planet is 6 thousand years old... but what about dinosaur bones? were they artificially created and buried?
Although what am I talking about... you can’t understand the Bible and are trying to prove the existence of God... there is nothing in the Bible, not a word about building churches with domes and sinners going to pray (almost every priest has 2 mortal sins on his face at once - pride and gluttony ). Isn’t it written in the Bible that you don’t make an idol for yourself? and you pray to the icons of some pseudo-saints, it says don’t crucify Christ twice - wear crosses and don’t think about how terrible the thing is not depicted? Would you like that, after death, your loved ones would surround themselves with paintings or sculptors depicting you at the very moment when life leaves the body?
August 1, 2017 15:22
1. Maybe because there is?
2. The fact that everything on our planet is like this is an exception to the rule: 99.9% of the universe is lifeless, useless to anyone cosmic bodies. It wouldn’t be easier to bet everything on the whales - why create such space for the sake of such scum as a person?
3. Again, the “ancients”... in particular Aristotle... what do we need modern technologies and the experience of generations - all in one place. The “ancients” said... how did these ancient tens of thousands of years live without Jesus?
4. Yes, because the Earth is an exception. We simply would not exist if it were a little closer or further.
etc. and so on….
The main thing is to be a worthy person, to observe moral principles... re-read the Bible, think about what is written there...
Thomas Aquinas - Five Proofs of the Existence of God
AUGUST 3, 2010 BY ARXANGELOLEAVE A COMMENT
Thomas Aquinas used Aristotelian logic to develop proofs for the existence of God.
The first proof comes from Aristoles understanding of the essence of movement. “Everything that moves,” writes Thomas Aquinas, “must have the source of its movement from something else.” Consequently, “it is necessary to reach a certain prime mover, which itself is not moved by anything else; and by him everyone understands God.”
The second proof is based on the Aristotelian principle of productive cause, as a necessary component of every thing. If every thing has an efficient cause, then there must be a final efficient cause of everything. Only God can be such a final cause.
The third proof follows from how Aristotle understood the categories of necessary and contingent. Among the entities there are those that may or may not exist, i.e. they are random. However, there cannot be only random entities in the world; “there must be something necessary,” writes Aquinas. And since it is impossible for a series of necessary essences to go into infinity, therefore, there is a certain essence that is necessary in itself. This necessary entity can only be God.
The fourth proof is connected with the recognition of increasing degrees of perfection characteristic of the essences of all things. According to Thomas Aquinas, there must be something that has perfection and nobility to the utmost degree. Therefore, “there is a certain essence that is for all essences the cause of good and all perfection.” “And we call her God,” Aquinas concludes this proof.
The fifth proof Aquinas gives is based on the Aristotelian definition of expediency. All objects of existence are directed in their existence towards some goal. At the same time, “they achieve their goal not by chance, but by being guided by conscious will.” Since objects themselves are “devoid of intelligence,” therefore, “there is a rational being who posits a goal for everything that happens in nature.” Naturally, only God can be such a rational being.
Proofs for the Existence of God from Thomas Aquinas - The Famous 5
Thomas Aquinas (Thomas Aquinas or Thomas Aquinas, lat. Thomas Aquinas) - philosopher and theologian, systematizer of orthodox scholasticism. Teacher of the Church. Founder of Thomism, member of the Dominican Order, also known for the famous “witch hunt.” Formulated five proofs of the existence (existence) of God.
Recognizing the relative independence of natural being and human reason, he argued that nature ends in grace, reason in faith, philosophical knowledge and natural theology, based on the analogy of existence, in supernatural revelation.
This is the description of his activities and himself that I found on Wikipedia; in the image on the right, as you can see, he himself is depicted as a personal person. I didn’t specifically search for information in depth, since there was no reason, here we will look at its evidence of existence through the prism of doubt and reality. The basis is taken from Richard Dawkins' book The God Delusion. By the way, I advise everyone to read it.
Thomas Aquinas formulated five (5) proofs of the existence of God, I will combine the first three, and later I will explain why and why.
So here we go:
1) Immovable mover Nothing can start moving on its own; it requires an initial source of movement. Moving along the chain of sources. we reach the root cause, which can only be God. Something made the first movement, and that something can only be God.
2) Unreasonable reason. Nothing is its own cause. Every effect is preceded by a cause, and again we move along the chain of causes. There must be a first cause, and it is called God.
3) Cosmological proof. There must have been a time when physical objects did not exist. But since they currently exist, there must be some non-physical entity that caused them to exist; this essence is God.
These first three "proof of the existence of God" can be structured based on infinity, that is, we are invited to move along the chains of sources, reasons, to reach the “start” and see there the primary source or root cause of everything.
In theory it sounds beautiful and seems to make sense at first glance. But Thomas Aquinas gives the meaning “God” to this first cause, the primary source, and here the question arises: why cannot this God himself be part of the sequence? Why does it stop there? It is impossible to prove this here; you can only make guesses.
Second question, arising immediately, why does this “God” making his way through the infinity of sequences correspond to the theistic God, possessing omnipotence, omniscience, omniscience, and also purely human qualities - the ability to answer prayers (or not answer), punish and forgive, etc.?
And why did “God”, having arranged the first “special effect” in the form of the “Big Bang,” not show himself again, and in general, can the beginning of the Universe be attributed here as the creation of “God”?
So calling this Big Bang singularity “God,” and even a theistic God, is not entirely reasonable.
4) Proof of the degree of perfection. We notice that everything in the world is different. There are different degrees of, say, grace or perfection. We judge degrees only by comparing them with the absolute maximum. Human nature has both good and bad, so man cannot have absolute grace. Therefore, as a model of perfection, there must be another absolute maximum of grace - we call this maximum God.
Absurd proof... Have you read the Old Testament? Consider that Old Testament God to be the absolute goodness??? Well, no, but this will be discussed in other articles...
Everything that is characteristic of human nature is all “invented” by man and can only be applied to man.
Nr, concept of good and evil. What's for us? good"? Help grandma cross the road? Will you share with those in need? Love your parents and loved ones? Save animals from fire? Yes - yes, and yes again, for us this is considered a good deed, but for animals these actions are pointless.
Let's take another example with Hitler... For part of the population of Nazi Germany, he was a good person who wants to restore justice, but for all other countries, the overwhelming majority, the figure of Hitler has a negative connotation, that is, evil. So it means that for some people there is their absolute maximum, for others theirs? And there are many such examples that can be given...
Well, if we exaggerately apply to this proof the postulate that people have different colors skin, but the degree of this difference can only be compared in relation to a perfect sample that has an absolute color gamut. Therefore, there must be a rainbow-like entity, and we call him god.
You can replace the skin color yourself with any other component and get an equally meaningless conclusion...
5) Teleological argument, or proof from the divine plan (From expediency). Objects existing in the world, and especially living organisms, give the impression of being created for a specific purpose. Nothing we know looks like it was intentionally created unless it was created. Accordingly, there is a creator, and his name is God.
That is, nothing can exist until something is created. According to this statement all things have a purpose for their existence, and the creator put this purpose into them. That is, nothing could appear by chance.
Well this is " proof of god's existence“can be applied to God himself, if he has a goal, and he has a goal, to create the Universe, control us, etc., then it means that he also did not appear by chance, and as a result, someone created him too , - perhaps God is of higher rank. And so you can go ad infinitum... very ad infinitum.
And you can also call yourself God when you create, for example, a paper airplane that has a goal - to fly to a nearby corner. But here the focus is on living beings... well, of course, who knows? Thomas Aquinas about natural selection...about the fact that the human hand, before acquiring modern functions, went through a long chain of changes and mutations.
Like these ones 5 Proofs of God's Existence offered Thomas Aquinas, and as we see, all of them are easily destroyed at the “slightest pressure of facts.”
In the tradition of proof of the existence of God, the most famous five proofs of the existence of God or “five paths” of Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274): 1. “From movement to the Prime Mover.” 2. “From the connection of causes and effects - to the First Cause.” 3. “From chance – to a Necessary Being.” 4. “From imperfections in the world to Absolute perfection.” 5. “From expediency in the world - to the Organizer of the world.”
Proof one: Movement occurs in nature. Nothing can start moving on its own; it requires an external source of action. An endless search for the source of the previous action is pointless. Therefore, there must be something that is the original source of all movement, not being itself moved by anything else. This is God - the immovable Mover.
Proof two, cosmological: Every effect has its own cause. An endless search for a previous cause is pointless. Therefore, there must be an “uncaused cause,” the first cause of everything that follows. This is God.
Proof three: All objects of the world are in interconnection and interrelationship with each other, and their existence is possible only in interconnection and interrelationship. However, an endless search for antecedent relationships and interconnections is pointless. Therefore, there must be something absolutely independent and completely self-sufficient. This is God.
Proof four, ontological: In the surrounding world, there is a consistent hierarchical increase in the complexity of the structure of objects and creatures (for example, from insects to humans), an endless universal striving for perfection. Therefore, there must be something absolutely perfect, which is the source of all perfection. This is God.
Proof five, teleological: There is a certain order and harmony in the surrounding world, the origin of which cannot be attributed to the world itself. This order forces us to assume the existence of some intelligent organizing principle that established this order. This is God.
Thomas Aquinas traditionally uses these five proofs for the existence of God Catholic theologians as confirmation of the fact of His existence. Over the centuries, proofs of the existence of God were formulated not only by theologians such as Thomas Aquinas, Anselm of Canterbury, Malebranche, etc., but also by philosophers - Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Leibniz, etc.
Ideas and views of Thomas Aquinas
Saint Thomas Aquinas is known for his philosophical works, which became the basis of Catholic teaching.
Some of his main works are two extensive treatises in the summa genre, covering a wide range of topics - “Summa Theology” and “Summa against the Pagans”.
He structured all his writings in the form of questions and answers, which always represented the opinions of the objectors, and tried to show what was true in each approach.
Thomas Aquinas managed to combine the ideas of St. Augustine and the philosophy of Aristotle.
Without resorting to the teachings of the Church, the philosopher, based on the arguments of reason and logic, derived evidence of the existence of God.
The Temptation of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Diego Velazquez. Orihuela, Diocesan Museum. 1632. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
Belt of Thomas Aquinas
There is a legend that one day, during a meal in the monastery, Thomas Aquinas heard a voice saying to him: “Here in the monastery everyone is fed, but in Italy my flock is starving.” Thomas decided that it was time for him to leave the monastery.
Thomas's family opposed his decision to be Dominican. His brothers even resorted to meanness in order to deprive Thomas of chastity. The saint began to pray, and he had a vision. The angel girded him with a belt as a symbol of the eternal chastity that God had granted him. The belt is kept to this day in the convent of Scieri in Piedmont.
According to legend, the Lord asked Saint Thomas at the end of his life what reward he would like to receive for his labors. Thomas replied: “Only You, Lord!”
5 Proofs for the Existence of God by Thomas Aquinas
1. Proof through movement means that everything that moves has ever been set in motion by something else, which in turn was set in motion by a third. It is God who turns out to be the root cause of all movement.
2. Proof through productive cause- this proof is similar to the first. Since nothing can produce itself, there is something that is the first cause of everything - this is God.
3. Proof through necessity- every thing has the possibility of both its potential and real existence. If we assume that all things are in potency, then nothing would come into being. There must be something that contributed to the transfer of a thing from a potential to an actual state. This something is God.
4. Proof from degrees of being- people talk about different degrees of perfection of an object only through comparisons with the most perfect. This means that there is the most beautiful, the most noble, the best - this is God.
5. Proof through the target cause. In the world of rational and irrational beings, the purposefulness of activity is observed, which means that there is a rational being who sets a goal for everything that is in the world - we call this being God.
Reliquary with the relics of Thomas Aquinas in the Toulouse Jacobite monastery. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org / Felipeh
As Thomas Aquinas said
Loving someone is the same as wishing that person well.
We must truly love others for their own good, not ours.
Knowledge is such a valuable thing that there is no shame in obtaining it from any source.
What you don’t want to have tomorrow, discard today, and what you want to have tomorrow, acquire today.
Our duty is to hate the sin of the sinner, but to love the sinner himself because he is a person capable of good.
A happy person needs friends not in order to benefit from them, for he himself succeeds, and not in order to admire them, for he possesses the perfect delights of a virtuous life, but, in fact, in order to do good deeds for these friends.