The existence of God: A discussion

either reason or our senses reveal that God Exists, the onus

of proof has been and still is on the shoulders of the theists.

Proof without a doubt that God exists has never been revealed

to human beings by either reason or the senses. The most that we can do is to indicate the conclusions which have been brought forth by philosophers and others in an attempt to prove the existence of God. In fact, some schools of thought have been led to the opinion that it is logically false to even ask the

question concerning the existence of God.

Paul Tillich came to the conclusion that it is not proper to even say that God exists, since this would be a limiting Statement about him. God is infinite and unlimited, which

makes any attempt to draw conclusions concerning his existence

a complete exercise in futility. As Tillich pointed out:

Thus the question of the existence of God can be

neither asked nor answered. If asked, it is a

question about that which by its very nature is

above existence, and therefore the answer --

whether negative or affirmative -- implicitly denies

the nature of God. It is as atheistic to affirm

the existence of God as it is to deny it. God is

being itself, not a being (Tillich, 1951, p. 237).

It is certainly a paradox for a theologian to arrive at the

conclusion that God does not exist. However, what this really

means is that a finite deity does not exist. God is not a

. . .
said in his heart, there is not God." Anselm goes on to elaborate: So truly, therefore, dost thou exist, O Lord, my God, that thou canst not be conceived not to exist; and rightly. For, if a mind could conceive of a being better than thee, the creature would rise above the Creator; and this is most absurd (Mavrodes & Hackett (Eds.), 1967, p. 95-96). What Anselm is describing is God as a being who is so perfect that no further perfection can be conceived. This does not objectively prove God's existence, however; since it is really only a definition of God. Still another dialectical proof of God is the first cause and cosmological conception of God's existence. No less a figure than Thomas Aquinas brought forth these five ways of proving the existence of God. First of all, there must be a prime mover. Secondly, there must be a causation from a First Cause. Thirdly, from a Necessary Being, there are contingent beings. The fourth proof is from degrees of value to Absolute Value. And the fifth proof arises from evidences of purposiveness in nature to a Divine Designer (Mavrodes and Hackett (Eds.), 1967, p. 103-112). Aquinas's proofs commence from some general feature of the world around us that is revealed to our senses,
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