Atheists' Objections to Evidence for God's Existence, Part 6

There are two kinds of evidence for God’s existence that will be considered in these articles: philosophical and empirical. Philosophical evidence is more what we call arguments, and there’s a long philosophical tradition of considering arguments both for and against the existence of God. These arguments don’t provide evidence that can be experienced or observed, but reasonable conclusions, given what we know about the universe and ourselves. Some philosophical arguments for God’s existence are stronger than others. Some have inspired very good and serious counter-arguments, while others have better resisted the onslaught of critics. Philosophical arguments raise genuine questions about the existence of God and the meaning of the universe, about why there is something rather than nothing and, in particular, why do we exist, is there a purpose for our human lives, and even each human life? Whether or not God exists matters because it impacts matters central to the human condition: the identity and dignity of human beings, morality, ultimate purpose, etc…

What I call empirical evidence can be divided into the evidence from experience and the evidence from observation. Human experience has been a powerful force in bringing people to faith in God: witnessed miracles, lives transformed, the encounter with beauty, etc… These can’t simply be discounted as the delusions or coincidences of gullible minds, for the experience of God goes back to the beginning of humans, and faith in a higher power is near universal. To discount this experience is to discount the experience of the great majority of the human community throughout history. To dismiss the human experience of God over the millennia is to dismiss a great deal of what has made us human in the first place. Observational evidence, obviously, is collected by our observance of the world around us. The sciences of cosmology and physics continue to provide more and more information about our universe. Does this information support the existence of God? Many think it does, and I’ll discuss why they think so.

Before I begin, just as I considered the limits of the scientific method, it’s essential that readers understand the limits of what philosophy, experience and observation can tell us about God. Basically, we can know that God exists, and we can know certain attributes of God. That’s about it. But, that’s something! Ralph McInerny, in his notes on Thomas Aquinas’ proofs for God’s existence written in Summa contra Gentiles, says, “From the perspective of the faith, the truths about God that the Philosopher [Aristotle] achieves must look thin and meager. None the less they attest to the reach of the human mind” (Thomas Aquinas, Selected Writings, p. 243).

One of the criticisms of this approach is that those who present philosophical arguments or empirical evidence for God insist that it must be the God of Christians to which the evidence points. This is a misunderstanding. The God of Christians can be known only by revelation, not by philosophy or the empirical evidence seen in the created order. Yes, in my own mind, my human experience comes most closely to manifesting the existence of my God, since it’s undoubtedly my God to Whom I pray. But, there’s much about the human experience of God that’s universal and the Catholic Church, for one, recognizes as genuine, if incomplete, the truth of God present in non-Catholic and even non-Christian religious traditions. For his part, St. Thomas Aquinas never claimed that the God whose existence is demonstrated in his famous “Five Ways” is the Christian God. It’s impossible for reason to demonstrate the existence of the Christian God, of the Trinity – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It’s impossible for philosophical arguments or evidence from Creation to demonstrate the divinity of Christ, His redemptive mission, or His now sitting at the right hand of the Father. These are matters of faith, not philosophy, experience or observation. It’s equally impossible, however, for philosophy or empirical evidence to disprove these doctrines. Faith is what we believe about the God Whose existence reason demonstrates.

In the next series of articles, I will offer an introduction to the Five Ways of St. Thomas Aquinas for demonstrating the existence of God.

Be Christ for all. Bring Christ to all. See Christ in all.