A major question that has troubled numerous persons and raised controversy is the one related to God's existence. Does God exist or is he just a fabrication? Individuals ranging from ordinary people to reputed scholars have tried to find the answer and to offer arguments either in favor or against it. The article will present some of the most invoked reasons to sustain God's existence.
The first argument follows the analogy with the ball moving. A ball cannot roll without the impulse imprinted by an outside force. Similarly, the universe wouldn't have come into existence without a force to start it. Some choose to say that this "external" force was God.
The second and most widely circulated argument in favor of God's existence is the one according to which such a complex and intricate world of ours couldn't have appeared out of nowhere. There must have been a superior entity that created it on the basis of an intentional design. Therefore, the God is the great Architect behind this wonderful piece of art called Earth.
The humans' tendency to make the difference between good and bad and to support their deeds on moral, ethical bases is called down as another argument to advocate the existence of a supreme authority. Without this power of judgment, the world would be chaotic. Nevertheless, critics might object that there are heathen peoples who are capable of good deeds without being aware of the Bible's God.
The Bible is put forward as another argument for the existence of God. Some view it as a masterpiece and do not consider humans capable of producing such a collection of beauty, wisdom and theological truth. Nevertheless, there are detractors to this argument who argue that the Bible has its errors and reports of human brutality.
A different and interesting reason for believing in the existence of God was proposed by Blaise Pascal (1623- 1662). He concluded that God must exist supporting his affirmation with a series of benefits such as a good afterlife. Here are the main premisses that led to the conclusion that God has to exist:
If God doesn't exist and one doesn't believe in him, it all ends when one dies;
God doesn't actually exist, but if you choose to believe in him you benefit from a decent life;
God does exist and, if you believe in him, you are going to be rewarded;
God exists, but, if you choose not to believe in him, you end up in hell.
Hence, it is safer to "put your bets" on God and choose to believe in his existence. The price of believing is low, but of not believing is high, in Pascal's conception. However, he promotes an imposed belief in God, which is quite cynical. What if God chooses to punish a false believer and reward a non-believer who is well-behaved instead?
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