A 30 Second Argument For God

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An Argument for God in 30 Seconds

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“Why do we have something rather than

nothing at all?”

- Martin Heidegger, “The Fundamental Question of Metaphysics”

Comes back to – Does God exist?

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Exist?

Four theoretical answers:

1.Reality is an illusion

2.Reality is/was self-created

3.Reality is self-existent (eternal)

4.Reality was created by something that is self-

existent

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A simple proof for God

- Jonathan Edwards (who massaged it from John Locke)

1. Something exists

2. Nothing cannot cause something

3. Therefore, a necessary and eternal Being exists

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Can the existence of God be argued for in 30

seconds or less?

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Start the stopwatch…here we go.

1. I exist.

2. If I exist, then something must have always existed,

because something doesn‟t come from nothing.

3. So we have 2 choices: An impersonal eternality (the

universe) or a personal eternality (God).

4. Science has disproven the concept of an eternal universe.

5. Therefore, God exists.

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Exist?

1. I exist.

Denying your existence is a self-

defeating statement.

You must exist to express doubt that you exist.

“I think, therefore I am.” - Descartes

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2. If I exist, then something must have always existed

because something doesn‟t come from nothing.

“I never asserted so absurd a proposition

as that anything might arise without a

cause.”

- David Hume, Skeptic/Atheist

“Nothing is what rocks dream about.”

- Aristotle, Philosopher

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How to think about true „nothingness‟…

particles

energy

matter

motion

space

…everything

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True „nothingness‟…

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3. Two Options:

1.An Eternal Universe (impersonal eternality)

“The Cosmos is all there will ever be” – Carl Sagan.

2.An Eternal Creator (personal eternality)

“In the beginning, God…” – Genesis.

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4. Science has disproven the concept of an eternal universe.

The fact is: The Universe had a beginning.

• Everything that has a beginning has a cause

• The universe had a beginning

• Therefore, the universe had a cause

“Philosophically, the notion of a beginning of the present order of Nature is

repugnant…I should like to find a genuine loophole.” – Sir Arthur Eddington

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4. Science has disproven the concept of an eternal universe.

Proof Point 1: The universe is running down.

• Something that is running down must have started at some

point

• The 2nd law of thermodynamics states that the universe is

running out of usable energy

• If you doubt this, look in the mirror (you‟re aging and

running down)

• First law of thermodynamics is philosophical in nature;

can‟t be empirically proven

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4. Science has disproven the concept of an eternal universe.

Proof Point 2: The universe is expanding.

• Confirmed through the Hubble telescope

• It‟s expanding from a single point

• Universe is not expanding into space, but space itself is

expanding

• Commonly called the “Big Bang” – nothing, then BANG –

something

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4. Science has disproven the concept of an eternal universe.

Proof Point 3: Radiation echo.

• Discovered by Bell Labs scientists Penzias and Wilson in

1965

• Afterglow from the Big Bang; won Penzias & Wilson Nobel

Prize

• Death blow to any theory of the universe being in a steady

state

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4. Science has disproven the concept of an eternal universe.

Proof Point 4: Galaxy Seeds.

• If Big Bang was true, then temperature “ripples” should exist

• These ripples would enable matter to collect into galaxies

• Cosmic Background Explorer – COBE – launched in 1989 to find

them

• Findings released in 1992 – perfect/precise ripples found to

enable galaxies to form

“If you‟re religious, it‟s like looking at God”

- George Smoot, NASA, COBE Lead

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4. Science has disproven the concept of an eternal universe.

Proof Point 5: Einstein‟s theory of relativity. • Einstein‟s pantheistic bias originally influenced his original

formula

• He was proven wrong by another mathematician (he actually

divided by zero)

• Einstein called it the worst mistake he‟d ever made

• Theory demands an absolute beginning for time, space, and

matter “I want to know how God created the universe”

- Albert Einstein

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Still…some scientists try get around this fact by saying:

• Life on earth originated from a rocket sent from outer space (F.H. Crick,

co-discoverer of DNA and Richard Dawkins, famed atheist)

• Collapsing universes (disproven from galaxy seeds; not enough energy)

• Imaginary time (Stephen Hawking)

"If you study science deep enough and long enough, it will force you to believe

in God." - Lord Kelvin, British Scientist

“In real time, the universe has a beginning and an end at singularities that form

a boundary to space-time and at which the laws of science break down.” –

Stephen Hawking

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Something else to consider on an impersonal eternality…

Would it not be strange that an impersonal, amoral, and

purposeless/meaningless universe accidentally created

personal beings that are obsessed with right/wrong, meaning,

and purpose? In addition, the question of unity and diversity

arise. Unity may be explained by an impersonal eternality, but

not diversity.

An impersonal eternality means everything must come from

impersonality plus time plus chance. No other factors are involved.

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The Personal, Infinite, and Triune God

Unity in Diversity

Father

SonSpiritIs not

God

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The atheist‟s response?

When the atheist makes this statement, they do so by faith alone.

Out the door go all the logic, science, reason, and touch-and-feel-it

evidence atheists claim are so necessary to believe in God. Now it

becomes a matter of the will.

“The universe is just there…” – Carl Sagan

“There doesn‟t need to be a reason…” – Atheist on Christian

Forum

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The atheist‟s response?

Only two choices – matter before mind or mind before matter. “It is

strange that some people claim that it is their intelligence that

leads them to prefer the first to the second.” – John Lennox

“Evolution disproves God.”

How does evolution answer the question of existence?

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OK, but…Who created God?

The evidence points away from an impersonal eternal universe and

toward a powerful, intelligent, moral personal Creator

Category mistake (e.g. Where is the bachelor‟s wife?)

Irrelevant as you must go back to an eternal „something‟

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An eternal Creator exists.

So….

• If I exist, and…

• If something eternal exists (because something doesn‟t

come from nothing), and…

• If there are only two possible eternal entities (an eternal

universe or an eternal creator), and…

• If an eternal universe has been disproven (and it has),

then…

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Plain

“Open your eyes, there it is!” – Romans 1:19 The Message

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• He is the reason we have something instead of nothing

• He is the creator of the heavens and the earth

• He is the reason you can read this right now – that you exist

at all

Yes, God exists.

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“In the beginning God created…”

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Yes, He Does!