This blog is essentially a revision of some previous blogs.
I would contend that there is no proof for the existence of God. But neither is there any proof that God does not exist. In fact, all of us live by faith – even atheists. We all subjectively evaluate our life and our world by our experiences and biases, often inherited from the significant adults in our circle. As such we all construct a position in regard to reality and many never change that stance throughout the ups and downs of life. Indeed we also from our earliest years create a relative identity for ourselves – a persona that others may often see through! For many, there is no reasoned basis for their stance – emotion and memory can frequently command how we react and behave. No one, no one, can honestly claim a fundamental and incontrovertible validation for their life stance. Me included.
If there is no absolute proof of the existence of God, what, if any, proposition can we make for such a belief, particularly when – let’s be honest – there is no visible evidence of any supernatural realm or entities?
I think we have to go inwards. By that I mean we have to make the effort to quieten down and take time to try to discern what is most fundamental to our human nature. I do think it is a given that what is most core to the individual is also most universal – common to all people. Among our core needs and desires there are obviously the need for food, shelter, and fellowship. But perhaps even more fundamental than these are two key drives:
~ the desire to be happy;
~ the desire to be happy for as long as possible.
If you yourself make that effort to humbly look into your heart and soul, and try and discern what is most central to your being I think you will recognise this universal truth.
It follows then that there are two possible scenarios arising from this universal human yearning for lasting happiness:
~ realising these needs, humans have made up a belief system in a loving God who meets their desires – God is therefore a human construct, literally ‘pie in the sky’;
~ these needs exist because they were put there by the architect – God Himself.
It should then follow that, taking the two extremes of unbelief and belief, there are two basic attitudes to life:
~ the non-existence of God tends to challenge one to make the most of this short life because it is really all we have: while some settle for apathy and even fatalism, nonetheless others do live a life of love and selfless service;
~ many God-believers, but by no means all, go through life with hope of something after death and even some vision of a greater life, with the possibility that eternal happiness and fulfilment may await them.
What this boils down to is that the only real prospect for the satisfying of our need for lasting happiness is belief in a divine being who can and wants to give us eternal fulfilment. No other belief or life stance can hold out this prospect. The reality of death confirms this for us. ‘No God’ equals no possibility of ultimate fulfilment. A God, and that needs to be a loving God, does hold out the possibility of lasting happiness, even beyond natural death.
The proposition I put before you then is that, deep in the human heart there are profound desires that only a loving father God can ever satisfy. While in no way being proof, this human reality indicates and resonates with the existence of such a God. The good news of the Gospel of Jesus is that we do indeed have such a God. We were made by love, made for love, and will find our true fulfilment in love. And that love is everlasting.
Remember – we cannot deal in absolute proofs one way or the other, but faith in the God of Jesus gives meaning and strength for real daily life and holds out the thrilling prospect that our deepest desires will find fulfilment in the eternal Kingdom of Love.
I know which life stance I choose, and in faith humbly try to follow Jesus,
peace to you,
Martin