Proving God Experimentally

Last updated on: June 10, 2015 at 8:00 am by willduquette

Proving God Experimentally 2015-06-08T20:00:40-05:00 willduquette

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Aristotle managed to prove the existence of the First Cause from first principles and reflections on world around him. Thomas Aquinas went further and showed that the First Cause must have Intellect and Will in a manner analogous to human intellect and will (or, rather, vice versa, for the causality runs the other way). But I know of only one way to prove God “with all the trimmings”: that is, to become convinced that God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, that God the Son is also the Man Jesus Christ, and that’s to have an encounter with Him.

And that’s both the easiest thing and the hardest thing in the world.

It’s the easiest thing because it takes almost no set up, and no apparatus. All you need is a few moments of quiet to say, in the quiet of your room, out loud or silently in your head, “God, I don’t know whether you exist or not. If you do, please show yourself to me as you really are.”

It’s the hardest thing in the world because when I say that I have to mean it. I have to be open to the possibility that God might actually exist—because if I’m not open to that possibility, why bother asking the question? There’s no point in conducting the experiment if there’s no possible outcome that could change my mind.

And if God does exist—the almighty creator of the entire cosmology-du-jour—then I am His creation, whether directly or indirectly. He has a claim on me, and might have views about how I ought to live, views I might find extremely unpleasant. Once you open that door, there’s no telling where it might lead.

I don’t claim that God will respond immediately and recognizably. Every person is different, and God meets everyone where they are, in the way that will work best for them in the long run. But if you pray that prayer sincerely, then yes, I do claim that in time it will be answered.

And then you’ll be the one trying to explain to others why you believe this stuff.

____
image credit: Michelangelo Buonarroti [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Deep Thoughts from the Doghouse

prayer

Previous Post

June 9, 2015

The Evil Catholic Hierarchy?

Next Post

June 11, 2015 The Dogmat Saw Pakistani Jazz, Gnostics and Small, Petty Men

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Admin App o' the Morning Ask the Dogmat Believing Thomas Bits of Fiction Blasts from the Past Bootstrapping the Interior Life Catholic Mom Christian Living Deep Thoughts from the Doghouse Dominicana Evangelii Gaudium Interviews It Was A Dark and Stormy Night Links to This and That Lumen Fidei Meme Watch On Writing Operation Gratitude Pedant Errant Photography Quill Random Barkings S'Mary's World Shakers of Salt Software Development The Dog Whistler The Dogmat Sez Third Orders Thomas Aquinas Uncategorized Vikings at Dinos Woof Guide to Cinema Woof Guide to History Woof Guide to Literature Woof Guide to Obscure Catholic Music Woof Guide to Philosophy Woof Guide to Popular Music Woof Guide to Technology Woof Guide to Theology Words I Wish I'd Written Works For Me

Select a Month September 2016 August 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What happened to Jesus 40 days after His resurrection?

Select your answer to see how you score.

He visited the temple He ascended into heaven He went back into hiding He performed one last miracle