Does God Exist?

Does God exist?

Does God exist? This seemingly simple question is in fact loaded with a myriad of twists and turns that scientists and theologians have debated for years without reaching an accepted conclusion. Part of the problem lies in the many definitions of God. Traditionally it is accepted that God is a supreme being, infallible, perfect, and existing outside of the material world of humanity. It is this definition that is generally used when debating God's existence. There have been several arguments made using this definition both for and against the existence of God. "Arguments for the existence of God typically include metaphysical, empirical, inductive, and subjective types. Arguments against typically include empirical, deductive, and inductive types." While no one of these arguments has been accepted as entirely accurate, they all have their respective strengths and weaknesses. A few of the better known arguments for the existence of God are the Ontological, Teleological, and Moral arguments. In contrast to this, well known arguments against God's existence include Sociological, Scientific, and Freudian arguments.

The Ontological argument for the existence of God is one based on logical deduction. The argument, presented by Anselm, defined God as a being than which no greater can be conceived. He then reasoned that, if such a being fails to exist, then a greater being, a being than which no greater can be conceived, and which exists, can be conceived. However, nothing can be greater than a being than which no greater can be conceived, so a being than which no greater can be conceived (God) exists.

Anselm's argument, while seemingly sound, is not without criticism. One of the more notable criticisms of Anselm's theory comes from Bertrand Russell. Russell's argument is based on his definition of the word exists. He argues that if you state "Cows exist" this means "There are x's such that Ð''x is a cow' is true." Thus saying cows exist is not attributing existence to the cows but rather stating that there are objects in this world that meet the description of the word cow. If existence is viewed in this light then the ontological argument fails. This is because a logical argument that arrives at the conclusion "God exists" is not valid unless it can also be stated that "x exists" with x being summarized by the word God.

Another popular argument for the existence of God is the Teleological argument. This argument, also known as the argument by design, essentially states that the specificity and complexity of the natural world points to a supreme creator. This is most commonly explained through Paley's analogy of a watch. This analogy states that the design of a watch is beyond chance and requires a watchmaker, thus the complexity of the universe similarly requires a universe maker. The most common criticism of this argument is that there is no logical justification for ruling out chance as the primary motivator of the natural world. This criticism is largely supported by science and the ever increasing strides it has made towards explaining our physical world. It can also be said that even if there is in fact a universe maker, there is no reason to assume that he is synonymous with the religious concept of God.

Somewhat similar to the Teleological argument, the moral argument for the existence of God claims that the existence moral values could only have come into being through God. The thought behind this is that there is no naturalistic explanation for the existence of human morals. Again, like the design argument, this theory is easily criticized through science. A prominent name in the God vs. Science debate is Professor Dawkins who offers an analogy in refutation of this argument. He states,

Most people understand that sexual lust has to do with propagating genes. Copulation in nature tends to lead to reproduction and so to more genetic copies. But in modern society, most copulations involve contraception, designed precisely to avoid reproduction. Altruism probably has origins like those of lust. In our prehistoric past, we would have lived in extended families, surrounded by kin whose interests we might have wanted to promote because they shared our genesÐ'... Just as people engaged in sex with contraception are not aware of being motivated by a drive to have babies, it doesn't cross our mind that the reason for do-gooding is based in the fact that our primitive ancestors lived in small groupsÐ'... that seems to me to be a highly plausible account for where the desire for morality, the desire for goodness, comes from.

In addition, the moral argument, like the design argument, if valid, may indicate a higher being but this being is not necessarily the perfect God presented in most religions.

Just as there are numerous arguments for the existence of God there are equally as many arguing against his existence. One of these is the Sociological theory of religion. This theory states that religious gods are the unconscious fabrication of society brought about in order to control individual thought and behavior.