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Religion

Proof that God Exists

Russell Ballew | May 21, 2013

The views expressed in our content reflect individual perspectives and do not represent the official views of the Baha'i Faith.

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Russell Ballew | May 21, 2013

The views expressed in our content reflect individual perspectives and do not represent the official views of the Baha'i Faith.

Click here to read Part 1: I Believe God Exists

Those without a belief in God argue that humans come from nature – that no God exists, just a wondrously capable natural system that has provided the perfect matrix for the development and sustenance of human life.

However, when we study nature we see that all things exist within the constraints of their central tendencies. From the atom to the molecule to the cell to the animal to the sun, each of the elements of nature accords to its prescribed pattern without any statistically meaningful deviation:

Nature is subjected to an absolute organization, to determined laws, to a complete order and a finished design, from which it will never depart… For instance, the nature of fire is to burn; it burns without will or intelligence. The nature of water is fluidity; it flows without will or intelligence. The nature of the sun is radiance; it shines without will or intelligence. – Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, pp 1-2.

Only one exception to this binding arrangement exists: the human being. We manifest both will and intellect, and we quite regularly transcend the natural laws that govern our existence on earth:

One of the things which has appeared in the world of existence, and which is one of the requirements of Nature, is human life. Considered from this point of view man is the branch; nature is the root. Then can the will and the intelligence, and the perfections which exist in the branch, be absent in the root? – Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, pp 3-4

If nature created us, how can a system that lacks our capabilities be our essence and author?

The extraordinary exactitude of the dynamic complexity that precipitated the natural laws which order our world boggles the mind. We have will and intellect, but can we say we have a thorough or even accurate understanding of our world? No one who has watched another succumb to a virus or an accident, despite the best efforts of the best minds, can subscribe to the illusion of human control, much less claim to fully understand the wonder of the world around us:

Now, when you behold in existence such organizations, arrangements and laws, can you say that all these are the effect of Nature, though Nature has neither intelligence nor perception? If not, it becomes evident that this Nature, which has neither perception nor intelligence, is in the grasp of Almighty God, Who is the Ruler of the world of Nature; whatever He wishes, He causes Nature to manifest. – Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, pp 3-4.

We who stand at the apex of understanding in the natural world cannot entirely understand ourselves, much less the world that sustains us. That realization gives us grounds to admit the possibility of an unknown Creator. The great physicist Albert Einstein, when asked if he believed in a Supreme Being, famously used this homely analogy to answer: “When I see a piece of toast, I know somewhere there is a toaster.”

Baha’is believe God is an unknown essence to his creation:

To every discerning and illuminated heart it is evident that God, the unknowable Essence is immensely exalted beyond every human attribute, such as corporeal existence, ascent and descent, egress and regress. No vision taketh in Him, but He taketh in all vision; He is the Subtle, the All-Perceiving. – Gleanings From the Writings of Baha’u’llah, p. 346.

God, as our author and essence, transcends human evaluation. The fact that no one can offer a conclusive proof of the existence or non-existence of God is in itself a particularly elegant proof. Whatever arguments we use, in the final analysis, are creations of our own minds, incapable of completely knowing God. We can, however, elect to believe and act in accordance with what we understand to come from God.

This choice – the conscious selection of faith in the absence of conclusive proof – remains our greatest test as individual human beings.

Didst thou behold immortal sovereignty, thou wouldst strive to pass from this fleeting world. But to conceal the one from thee and to reveal the other is a mystery which none but the pure in heart can comprehend. – The Hidden Words of Baha’u’llah, p. 3

Nevertheless once we make the choice to act on a belief that a seed once planted will bear fruit in the future we have attained the power and blessings of the Kingdom of God in this world and the next. In conclusion consider the passages from the New Testament and the Baha’i Writings.

Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. Matthew 17:20

“As ye have faith so shall your powers and blessing be. This is the balance. This is the balance. This is the balance.” Baha’i Writings.

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Comments

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  • Jake Spooner
    May 28, 2013
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    Test your faith. Read entire link. You may never believe in God again.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAURq_ouYLc
    • Guest
      Jul 25, 2013
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      Hey buddy, wow.
      I don't think you get too many comments, even with as many places as you post this, because it is obviously nothing more than a rant. I have to tell you, I have studied many dissenting positions and often just have to do my best to explain what faith is and move on, but your tirade really leaves nothing to argue. You claim to have 'facts' that 'prove' 'lies' and the only fact in your entire slide show there is that it is in fact your opinion that the Bible is full of lies. ... Not a great premise for an argument pal.
      Based on your slide show, I would believe less that you're an atheist than you simply hate God. People can help you reconcile that concern you have about how God isn't fair and how things He does don't seem right, but I think you should maybe go about it a different way. Putting as much effort as you have into this, with the wordy ranting slide show, posting it everywhere you can in attempt to incite people, sending it in email to churches from their website, shows a bit of an obsessive, stalker sort of quality that might come across as a little scary. Not a great way to provoke discussion and about the only people you are going to convince with the content of your slides are other people who already hate God and were in need of a cheerleader on the topic. Trust me, if you get asked to buy a bullhorn and meet up at a rally, you'll know I was right.
      Take care, and please do seek real discussions about your concerns, there are people that can help.
      God Bless Jake
      Read more...
  • Alethinos95
    May 24, 2013
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    Well done! Clear and concise!
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