Ten Questions: #1 – What makes you so sure that God exists at all?

Summary

The chapter begins with Mittleberg’s story of how he met his wife and their loving relationship over the course of 20+ years. I wasn’t sure where he was going with that until he provided this insight: “But can I prove it to you? Can I show you our love for each other in a tangible way – one that you can see, hear, or touch? No, the love itself is invisible.” Ah…now I get it.

The fingerprints of God are more evident today than ever before, if we are willing to search for them. Here are three of the many pieces of evidence:

1: The Existence of the Universe.

Scientists have solid theoretical evidence that the universe had a beginning…it had to be started by something, some cause. The cosmological argument:

1. Whatever begins to exist must have a cause for its existence.
2. The universe began to exist.
3. Therefore, the universe must have a cause for its existence.
4. The attributes of the cause of the universe are the attributes of God
5. Therefore, the cause of the universe must be God.

2: Our “Just So” Universe

Otherwise known as the “fine-tuning” argument. Basically, there are so many factors that had to be “just so” in order for our world to exist. “The probability of these factors converging is so infinitesimally small that many cosmologists and astrophysicists now admit that it’s more reasonable to believe that a divine designer was involved than to assume it all happened by chance.”

How can we know he’s a morally good creator?

3: Our morally good universe

On what basis is something considered good or evil, right or wrong? And where did this basis come from? Did it start with the Big Bang? Some may argue about the problem of evil in the world, but what about the problem of good? Did this motivation evolve?

1. If God does not exist, then objective moral values do not exist
2. But we know that objective moral values do exist.
3. Therefore, God does exist

The cumulative case for God’s existence is more than sufficient for an open-minded person to believe that he really is there.

Conclusion

• We believe in many things that we don’t see or directly experience
• We sense God is real in our lives
• Whatever has a beginning has a cause
• Our universe was fine-tuned by God
• Without God, there can be no objective moral standards
• Our experience points to the existence of an invisible God and it’s explained in the Bible

Questions

1. Why might someone think you should believe only in things you can see, hear, or touch? What are some other things you believe in, in addition to love, that you can’t see or experience directly through your senses?
2. What are some things you can talk about from your own experience that show you—and might convince your friends—that God really exists?
3. How does the fact that our universe had a beginning or the fact that it’s fine-tuned with such exacting precision provide evidence for God?
4. Do you think there could be objective morality apart from God? From where would it draw its authority?
5. How has the evidence for God presented in this chapter affected your faith? Can evidence strengthen one’s faith?

« Intro

Intro

Question 2 »

---