Transcript Tanya Crevier The Christ-Centered Mind: How do we know God exists?
Slide 1
Slide 2
Tanya Crevier
Slide 3
The Christ-Centered Mind:
How do we know God exists?
Slide 4
“Unless you assume the existence of God,
the question of life’s meaning and
purpose is irrelevant.”
~Bertrand Russell
Slide 5
The Most Important Philosophical Statement?
In the beginning God created the heavens and
the earth.
Genesis 1:1
What may be known about God is plain to them,
because God has made it plain to them. For since
the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—
his eternal power and divine nature—have been
clearly seen, being understood from what has been
made, so that men are without excuse.
Romans 1:19-20
Slide 6
Slide 7
Slide 8
Religion is the problem
“Yes, we are a nation that is unenlightened
because of religion. I do believe that. I
think that religion stops people from
thinking. I think it justifies crazies.
I think flying planes into a building
was a faith-based initiative. I think
religion is a neurological disorder.”
Bill Maher
Slide 9
Slide 10
“Why I don’t want God to exist”
• Religion is typically against moral and intellectual
progress, since “the whole truth” was supposedly
revealed many centuries ago.
• The idea of a cosmic dictator who convicts you of
thought-crime is distasteful.
• Atheists want to be free to do what they like, without
observing a long list of arbitrary commands from a big
powerful guy in the sky.
• If God exists, it seems he must be
unfathomably malicious, considering all the pointless
suffering he inflicts upon or allows in humans and other
animals.
Slide 11
APOLOGETICS
Explain
Faith
Answer
Questions
LIFE
Defend
Attacks
Slide 12
Two things fill the mind with ever new and
increasing wonder and awe:
the starry heavens above me and
the moral law within me.
Immanuel Kant
German Philosopher
1724-1804
Slide 13
The Starry Heavens Above
The existence and form of the Universe
Why is there something rather than nothing?
Why is the universe so well designed?
Why does life exist . . . especially human life?
Slide 14
The Universe Exists!
•
•
•
•
Whatever begins to exist has a cause.
The universe began to exist.
Therefore, the universe has a cause.
The cause of the universe is God.
Slide 15
The Universe has a Design
• Whenever we see evidence of design,
we assume an intelligent designer.
• The universe shows evidence of
design.
• Therefore, the universe has a designer.
• We call the designer, “God.”
Slide 16
The Moral Law Within
The existence and form of Human Morality
Why do we have a sense of right and wrong within us?
Why is this sense of right and wrong so consistent and widespread?
Slide 17
The Reality of the Moral Law
• An objective, universal moral law exists.
• An objective, universal moral law requires
a universal Moral Lawgiver.
• This universal Moral Law Giver must be
absolutely good.
• Therefore, there must be an absolutely
good Moral Law Giver.
Slide 18
Slide 19
“Well, I don’t believe in
the God of any revelatory
system, although I am
open to that. But it seems to me that the
case for an Aristotelian God who has the
characteristics of power and also
intelligence, is now much stronger than it
ever was before.”
Slide 20
“On the positive side,
for example, I am very
much impressed with
physicist Gerald Schroeder’s
comments on Genesis 1. That this
biblical account might be scientifically
accurate raises the possibility that it is
revelation.”
Slide 21
Slide 2
Tanya Crevier
Slide 3
The Christ-Centered Mind:
How do we know God exists?
Slide 4
“Unless you assume the existence of God,
the question of life’s meaning and
purpose is irrelevant.”
~Bertrand Russell
Slide 5
The Most Important Philosophical Statement?
In the beginning God created the heavens and
the earth.
Genesis 1:1
What may be known about God is plain to them,
because God has made it plain to them. For since
the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—
his eternal power and divine nature—have been
clearly seen, being understood from what has been
made, so that men are without excuse.
Romans 1:19-20
Slide 6
Slide 7
Slide 8
Religion is the problem
“Yes, we are a nation that is unenlightened
because of religion. I do believe that. I
think that religion stops people from
thinking. I think it justifies crazies.
I think flying planes into a building
was a faith-based initiative. I think
religion is a neurological disorder.”
Bill Maher
Slide 9
Slide 10
“Why I don’t want God to exist”
• Religion is typically against moral and intellectual
progress, since “the whole truth” was supposedly
revealed many centuries ago.
• The idea of a cosmic dictator who convicts you of
thought-crime is distasteful.
• Atheists want to be free to do what they like, without
observing a long list of arbitrary commands from a big
powerful guy in the sky.
• If God exists, it seems he must be
unfathomably malicious, considering all the pointless
suffering he inflicts upon or allows in humans and other
animals.
Slide 11
APOLOGETICS
Explain
Faith
Answer
Questions
LIFE
Defend
Attacks
Slide 12
Two things fill the mind with ever new and
increasing wonder and awe:
the starry heavens above me and
the moral law within me.
Immanuel Kant
German Philosopher
1724-1804
Slide 13
The Starry Heavens Above
The existence and form of the Universe
Why is there something rather than nothing?
Why is the universe so well designed?
Why does life exist . . . especially human life?
Slide 14
The Universe Exists!
•
•
•
•
Whatever begins to exist has a cause.
The universe began to exist.
Therefore, the universe has a cause.
The cause of the universe is God.
Slide 15
The Universe has a Design
• Whenever we see evidence of design,
we assume an intelligent designer.
• The universe shows evidence of
design.
• Therefore, the universe has a designer.
• We call the designer, “God.”
Slide 16
The Moral Law Within
The existence and form of Human Morality
Why do we have a sense of right and wrong within us?
Why is this sense of right and wrong so consistent and widespread?
Slide 17
The Reality of the Moral Law
• An objective, universal moral law exists.
• An objective, universal moral law requires
a universal Moral Lawgiver.
• This universal Moral Law Giver must be
absolutely good.
• Therefore, there must be an absolutely
good Moral Law Giver.
Slide 18
Slide 19
“Well, I don’t believe in
the God of any revelatory
system, although I am
open to that. But it seems to me that the
case for an Aristotelian God who has the
characteristics of power and also
intelligence, is now much stronger than it
ever was before.”
Slide 20
“On the positive side,
for example, I am very
much impressed with
physicist Gerald Schroeder’s
comments on Genesis 1. That this
biblical account might be scientifically
accurate raises the possibility that it is
revelation.”
Slide 21