katlynne11 said:
“What is the arguement for for Monotheism, monism, pantheism, atheism? There is much evidence for concluding this is a theistic universe, created by a transendent God, who is not part of the universe. Once you determine that this is a Monotheistic universe, a rational, reasonable universe. That leaves you with a Single, Most High God. That leaves you with Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Now what is the evidence for determining which is correct? There is a little thing called the resurrection which proves Christian theology. No other religious figure ever predicted his death, burial, and resurrection.”
The agnostic:
What is the evidence that this is a theistic universe created by a transcendent God who is not part of the universe? Why couldn’t it be simply created without the intervention of a transcendent God?
When it comes to the prophecy of the resurrection of Christ, what evidence do you have that Christ was really resurrected and that there were any prophecy made before he was resurrected and that these “prophecies” were not just included in the writings of the Gospel writers?
Why should it have to square with scripture? As an agnostic, I don’t know if the Bible is the word of God or not.
What is truth? It is that which corresponds to its object. Or stated otherwise, that which describes an actual state of affairs. All truth claims are absolute, narrow, and exclusive. Truth is not invented, it is discovered. Truth is transcultural, it is unchanging, and all truths are absolute truths.
The evidence for monotheism (God) derives from many sources. Scientifically we use inductive reasoning to learn about the nature of God. Einstein, in 1915, revealed the General Theory of Relativity, which asserted that the universe had a beginning. He hated the notion of a begining, but it was mathematically undeniable. This was confirmed by Edwin Hubble, Arthur Eddington (in the 1920's). Again science confirmed in the 1060's that there ws indeed a Big Bang which occurred and the remnant echo radiation was found by Penzias and Wilson. Then NASA sent up a satellite in 1989 (COBE) cosmic background explorer and confirmed the 'ripples' of energy created in the original creation. The leader of COBE, George Smoot, atheist, said the finding of COBE was like looking at the fingerprints of God. Stephen Hawking said this was the most important scientific finding of the past century, if not for all times. This was reconfirmed later by another NASA probe, WMAP (go to the site at NASA.gov and you can look at the photographs). So Science has confirmed that there was a beginning to the universe. It had not always existed, yet here we are. So you ask yourself, either everything came from Nothing, OR, everything came from Something. The Law of Causality says, "Everything which comes to be, has a cause." The Universe came to be. Therefore it had a cause. Moreover that cause was separate and distinct from the universe. That Cause was unimaginably powerful. That First Cause was personal, in that it had to make a decision to bring the universe (10 to the 70 power number of atoms) into existence from nothing. Unimaginably intelligent must describe the First Cause to order this universe. The question arises, "If there is no God, why is there anything at all?"
Atheism states there is no God. True atheist are naturalist materials, which state that all that exists is matter and energy. NOthing else. Materialism makes reason impossible. What does reason weigh? What is the molecular composition of reason or rational thought, or any abstract concept. To assert materialism is to deny reason and thus to affirm tht there is no reason to believe anything which happens in your mind....for it is just molecusles banging together creating electrical potentials. But you have sentience. You are aware. Chemicals don't reason...they react. But you are more than molecules. Your think, you reason, you engage in abstract thought. You are more than molecules. As C.S.Lewis said when asked if he had a soul, he responded, "No sir, I do not have a soul. I am a soul. I have a body." Materialism did not create a self conscious universe ( You are part of the universe and you have self awareness). It is because you were made in the image and likeness of God, who is author of reason (Isiah 1:18) that you are a sentient creature.
First Principles, in this case, the Law of Causality states one cannot create something it is not. Pantheism states that the universe is God,...that is mattter and energy....that is to assert that the universe is god. But the natural universe does not give rise to thought, reson, logic, rational thought, abstract concepts.
The teleological arguement states..Every design requires a designer....the universe is designed....Therefore the Universe had a designer. The universe exploded into existence out of nothing. The universe has more more than 100 fine-tuned anthropic principles proving desing. Life itself is remarkably desinged at teh cellular level and subcellular level, as well as the molecular level.
The Moral Law proves God. The Moral Law states...Every law has a Lawgiver....there is moral law....Therefore, there is a moral Lawgiver. We hold these truths self-evident, that all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, among which are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Without an objective standard of meaning and morality there are no absolute right or wrong. Then, everything is a matter of opinion. All people are imbued with a sense of fundamental right and wrong. There is no land where murder is virtue and gratitude is vice. An absolute moral obligation is something that is binding on all peoples, at all times, in all places. This implies a moral Lawgiver.We do not always follow our moral code and the standard by which we treat others, but we almost always expect others to treat us that way. Without moral absolutes there are not human rights...merely conventions. Without moral absolutes there is no justice or injustice...merely opinion. Hitler had a valid opinion as well as Mother Teresa. One cannot be superior to the other if there are no moral absolutes. Without Moral Law there is no way to know right from wrong. An atheist may state something is wrong, but he cannot justify that statement. So the Moral Law exists and therefore the Law was given by a Lawgiver.
Like Julie Andrews sang in the Sound of Music..Nothing from nothing is nothing. Everything which comes to be must have a Cause. That First Cauise created that 'singularity',...that moment where everything came to exist in this universe. In fact, time, space, matter, energy all came into existence according to science and the first Chapter of Genesis...'In the Beginning, GOD......
If God exists, then there is the possibility that miracles can occur. We discussed the greatest miracle, the creation of the universe. We spoke of the scientific evidence, the philosophical evidence, the teleolologyc evidence and the moral evidence, and now you see those evidences ratified by the miracle of creation. Also consider the miracle of life. We have seen from the Cosmological Arguement that God is self-existence (not contigent on this universe), timeless, nonspacial, immaterial (since he created time, space, matter, energy, he must be outside of time, space, and matter), unimaginably powerful to have brought the world into existence, personal to 'decide' to bring forth the universe from nothing, supremely intelligent to have designed the universe, life and all of those specified complexities, and morally pure (He is the very unchanging nature of moral law by which all actions are measured). So this is a theistic universe, thus excluding the panthistic vies of Hinduism, Buhdism, New Age theolgy, Secular Humanism (athism), Wiccan, )panthism) Mormonism (panthism), Taoism (panthism) Shintoism (panthism) and Confucianism (atheist).
So science confirms the miracle of creation and life. Other miracles, which would be affirmed in a court of law have been noted, i.e. the resurrection. The historicity of Jesus Christ and His resurrection was seen by more than 500 eyewitness and is really unassailable.
I have given you the evidence that you live in a theistic universe. Moreover you live in a Christian Theistic Universe, and have supported this with scienctific evidence, philosophical evidence, moral evidence, teleologic evidence and dnE Cosmological arguement.
I am simply touching the surface of evidences, but I hope this gets you started.