Theistic Arguments tagged posts

Does god exist? This question, deceptively simple in its brevity, has formed the basis for countless debates both written and oral in the last few dozen decades. All too often such exchanges proceed on little to no discussion of what exactly either side means by “god.” Even narrowing down the scope to the Christian god invites the further question of whose denomination and doctrines are being assumed. Richard Dawkins and the other New Atheists became quite familiar with this problem after numerous critics drew attention to their broad generalizations about religious faith...

An unfortunately not uncommon charge to hear in debates between theists and non-theists is that one side has neglected their intellectual duty to inform themselves and truly think through their position. Resources in both apologetics and counter-apologetics often frame the material in such a way as to give the strong impression that if only their opponents would just open their eyes and accept the evidence right in front of them, their minds would be changed. Little room seems to be left for mere disagreement...

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back opens on a cold note. After destroying the Death Star, the Rebel forces have been driven into hiding on the icy planet of Hoth. In the beginning scenes of the film, an Imperial probe droid discovers the Rebel base, which prompts the Empire to launch an assault on Hoth that leaves the Rebellion with no choice but to evacuate and seek shelter elsewhere...

Is there reason to believe in a god? Philosophers and theologians have debated this question for centuries, offering arguments and counter-arguments taking many different forms. More recently scientists and historians have joined the fray to weigh in on things from their own perspectives. Still, well over two millennia later, and in spite of a bounty of examples of religiously-inspired violence, we find the question persists. According to some, the survival of theism – the belief in god(s) – is nothing short of miraculous; it testifies to the power and value of faith...

The Transcendental Argument for God (to be hencefore referred to as TAG) is a philosophical argument which attempts to demonstrate that some facet of reality presupposes the existence of god. As Greg Bahnsen, one of the leading proponents of the argument, puts it, a “transcendental argument begins with any item of experience or belief whatsoever and proceeds, by critical analysis, to ask what conditions (or what other beliefs) would need to be true in order for that original experience or belief to make sense, be meaningful, or be intelligible to us.”¹

In use of the TAG, the experience, or fa...

The ontological argument for god’s existence has taken several different forms throughout history, but the most popular version is that of the 11th century philosopher and theologian Saint Anselm of Canterbury. Anselm argued that we can imagine a being which is greater than all else.¹ He went on to claim that this being cannot solely exist in the imagination, since an even greater being would be one that exists in reality and is not dependent on our conception of it. This being Anselm labeled “god...

One of the most common arguments used by believers to support faith in God is known as Pascal’s Wager, named after the French philosopher Blaise Pascal who formulated the wager.¹ The argument generally goes as such: “if you believe there is a god and you are proven wrong when you die, then nothing is lost; however, if you believe there is no god and you are proven wrong at death, then you could lose everything”. In other words, it is best to bet on the existence of God and not take chances with the possibility of burning in hell for all eternity...