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In chapter three of Thomas Raunchy book, I believe in God, it starts with an opening article of the apostles creed , “ I believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth((Thomas P. Rausch, SJ, I believe in God ,Publication Year: 200, pp 31-62)” Which is considered as the foundation of everything else which Christians believe. On the other hand, this phrase has been a cause of many debates in the church’s history and today’s world. Many religion have different views of God and how he relates to human beings and the universal. Different arguments has risen between Christians and Atheism on the existence of God. The Author of an article called Being an Atheist, H J McCloskey., “( O n Being an Atheist,” Question 1 (February 1968) : …show more content…
We also believe in God because we accept all God’s revelations to us about himself and his will for humankind. In our contemporary culture, most people has misconception that for one to recognize the existence of God is always a matter of faith, but it does not require faith for one to recognize the existence of God. One is able to know that God exist by deduction from evidence and principles observable in nature(Thomas P. Rausch, SJ, I Believe in God,Publication Year: 2008, pp3-33, My own interpretation). Many thinkers from classical to modern times have certify the existence of God as a matter of reason( Aristotle, Plato, etc.) One of the thinkers who held that man knows God exist though reason was Blaise Pascal. He was thinker , inventor and a mathematician of 17th century. His untimely in Favour of God is formulated as a wager, known as Pascal’s wager. Even though Pascal’s Wager is not a proof for the existence of God, it is a powerful reason for believing in …show more content…
the authors of the apostle creed intentions was too show the church that this was a confession of believer to a true and great God.
We believe,” the Creed says, not in some gods (as if multiple deities exist) or in a god (as if God is some vague, non relational higher power we don’t so much believe in as we hope he exists). “We believe,” it says, “in God.” Our God is the only God. He is the one true God. The way the confession is phrased asserts exclusivity and identity. This God is the God.
We are not “the maker of heaven and earth.” God is. Heaven and earth didn’t just appear in a magical moment of self-actualization; they didn’t just always exist; they didn’t just develop by a long, random chain of geological and inter-planetary happenstances. They were made by God. That’s who God is: the maker of everything. That’s (part of) what makes him God.
But, as C.S. Lewis reminds us, “We don’t believe just because a God exists; we believe because this God
John Patrick Shanley stresses doubt to be something “that changes things” (Preface To Doubt) rather than its typical depiction of disadvantageous in present day society. Growing up with a very Catholic background, Shanely’s childhood was marred with the belief that “We [Catholics] would all believe the same thing.” (Preface to Doubt). This relates with Shanely’s theory on our “culture of dogma” (Meanwhile: I am) which expresses how many choices we make today are influenced or even based on the authoritative figure(s) in our lives. However, Shanley urges you to not let respected figures in life sway your original opinion or response on a matter (Meanwhile: I Am). Furthermore, Shanley believes that without doubt (and living with complete certainty),
On the other hand, you could choose not to believe in God. If there is no God, then you are fine. You can sin all you like, you can allow yourself transgressions and forbidden acts, and the only punishments you will face will be those of this life. If, however, you lived thusly and there is a God, then you face an eternity of torture and unbearable misery. So, Pascal reasoned, one would do best to believe in God and act accordingly. That way, if you're wrong, the worst thing that could happen is that you were more pious and caring then you may have otherwise been. If you do not believe in God and you turn out to be wrong, the risks become terrifying.
Both Lewis and Freud agreed that the question of god’s existence and our response must be asked. Though each man had drastically different worldviews and answers, they each sought to learn and understand the other’s worldview. Nicholi points out that Lewis may have had an advantage in the understanding of the unbeliever’s worldview due to the fact that until the age of 30, he claimed to be “even more certain of his atheism than was Freud” (2002, Pg. 81). In his adult life, Freud had no dramatic change of worldview from believer to unbeliever like Lewis had. This fact may give Lewis a slight upper hand in the understanding of the unbeliever’s worldview; however, Freud was still one of the greatest minds of his times and his work proves a strong (though negative) understanding of the believer’s worldview.
Whether god exists or not has been in discussion for thousands of years, and an important discussion. Whether it is rational to believe in god or not is another story, like believing in god itself, this topic has brought many discussions. It is one thing to discuss whether god is real or not and it is a complete other to discuss whether it is rational to believe in god or not. I believe that while there may not be any convincing evidence or arguments that God does exist, I do still believe that it is still rational to believe that god does exist. I think this because, believing in God is not simply just believing that he exists, but believing that it can bring good to our lives, we otherwise would not have. It teaches us to have a moral responsibility not only to others, but ourselves. It is obvious that many people do believe in god, but many of us choose to do so for reasons other than just believing in God. I do believe that just because there is no evidence, that does not mean God doesn’t exist. Like I said, God brings more to our lives than just a belief, but an ability to achieve a better one. And even if God is just an imaginary figure, he is an imaginary figure that brings hope and goodness to our lives, which we can never discount.
If God did not exist, he would not be the greatest being imaginable. He is the greatest thing imaginable. Therefore, he does exist. From this argument, God’s existence is viewed. as necessary (Ayer. A. J. 1973).
Nagel is a profound philosopher, who defends a customary view of science a way to gain knowledge of the world. In the argument, Nagel makes it clear that there is good reason to believe that God doesn’t exist, however, he does make it clear that his views make fall along the lines of Buddhism. Nagel claims that he his questioning the theological proposition to believe in God. Nagel has given two points in proving that God does not exist. The first point goes along the lines that of that God exist, however, they don’t have a good reason to believe in God but they also have no good reason to not believe in God. Or we cannot truly understand the concept of God exist because according to Nagel its nonsense- although, we understand it as an expression
Modern debates over religion, more specifically God, focus primarily on whether or not sufficient evidence exists to either prove or disprove the existence of a God. Disbelievers such as biologist Richard Hawkins tend to point to the indisputable facts of evolution and the abundance of scientific evidence which seem to contradict many aspects of religion. Conversely, believers such as Dr. A. E. Wilder-Smith describe the controversial aspects of science, and how the only possible solution to everything is a supreme being. However, mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal refused to make either type of argument; he believed that it was impossible to determine God’s existence for certainty through reason. Instead, he suggested that rational individuals should wager as though God does indeed exist, because doing so offers these individuals everything to gain, and nothing to lose. Unfortunately, Pascal’s Wager contains numerous fallacies, and in-depth analysis of each one of his arguments proves that Pascal’s Wager is incorrect.
Human beings’ belief systems don’t always work according to evidence. Belief is made up of
We should live by this truth and meditate on it day and night. The Creed is based on Scripture. The One who the truth points to is the Almighty God. God is omnipotent and He does whatsoever He rightly and justly will. He created us in His image. Yet we fell into sin and corrupted our lives. The wages of sin is death. Because of this, God sent His Perfect Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us as a way to pay all our debt. The Father and the Son both have divine nature. Both are God, and both are Holy. There is only one God, and He is a Triune God. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one God in one Divine Nature. God does not change, He does not grow or learn, He is almighty and never-changing. Jesus Christ became humble and low by becoming human. He came down to earth and exemplified servant hood. He suffered, was crucified, dead, and buried for sinners. Nevertheless, the eternal son of God has always existed, similar to the eternal Father. There was no beginning to God. Augustine explained that Jesus showed us in the cross what we have to endure, and He showed us in the resurrection what we have to hope. Job teaches us that God will give and take away. God is the ultimate leader of our lives and we, as humans, are sinful followers of Him. Sometimes God causes us to learn through suffering, trials and tribulations. We should be very thankful because Jesus died for us, which allows
The first major part of the creed is the recognition that God the Almighty created the heavens and the earth, anything that is, is made by God the Father. The second major part of the Creed is that Jesus Christ is the one and only begotten Son of God. The key word being that Jesus is begotten by God, not created like the universe or humankind. Jesus being begotten by God, is one with God and is God. Like God the Father, through Jesus all things were made. Being begotten by the Father and one with Him, Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross is what forgives us of our
The proof for the existence of God is an issue that may never be resolved. It has caused division among families and friends, nations and society. The answer to the question “does God exist?” is almost an impossible one to give with certainty seeing that there is a variety of people, ideas, cultures and beliefs. So how does one know if one’s actions here on earth could have eternal consequences? What is, if any, a “safe bet” to make? Blaise Pascal was a 15th century philosopher and a mathematician who proposed the idea that although one cannot know for certain that God exists, one can make a “safe bet” that it is far better to believe in God than not to believe in God. This is not a proof for the existence of God but rather an idea that suggest that if there is a God, it is in the person’s benefit to believe rather to disbelieve because the odds are in favor of the believer. This gambler-like idea is better known as “Pascal’s Wager” or “The Gambler’s Argument.” Nevertheless, this sort of play-the-ponies idea is not quite precise. Although Pascal’s Wager serves as a stepping-stone for non-believers, it is a rather vague, faithless and inaccurate argument.
For all intents and purposes, there are two views of the beginning of the universe. One of these is the creation told in chapters one and two of Genesis. Genesis confirms that God created the Heaven...
Every day God created something new and blesses it. God created nothing irrelevant or unworthy. Entirely everything he created served a purpose. Also all he had created came from nothing. The fish were undeniably produced out of the waters, and the beasts and man out of the earth; but that earth and those waters were made out of nothing. God created what is known as the world today and everything that exists on the earth. Reading Genesis 1 gives all mankind an idea of how life started and how the earth was formed to be this magnificent place. The earth is very complicated yet God could solve all of the problems and create blessings. He gave us light and darkness, day and night, water and land. He created all living creature including mankind.
The creed begins with the most general statement in the Christian rule book, the affirmation of God himself, “I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth” (Apostles’). In the book of Genesis, it is found in the first verse that “…In the beginning…God created the heavens and the earth…” (Genesis). As stated, it says “I believe”, not “I think” or “I was told”. There is a clear distinction in maturity of a Christian: youth, adolescence, and adulthood. As a young child, Christians are introduced to the entity of God. In adolescent years, Christians are analyzing God through a scope of skepticism. But in adulthood, Christians take in the glory of God and find that he governs all, which is why they assert the most powerful words of the creed, “I believe”. In the following lines of the creed, the Holy Trinity is presented and briefly identified the role they play, “…and in Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit…” (Apostles’). The placement of the Holy Trinity is without a doubt in close proximity. After the triad, the life of Jesus, from birth to sacrifice, to resurrection and ascension, is addressed, “…born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; the third day he rose from the dead; he ascended
“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” -C.S. Lewis