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Food for Thought: Some Rational Arguments for God’s Existence
Townhall.com ^ | January 12, 2020 | Jack Kerwick

Posted on 01/12/2020 5:44:52 AM PST by Kaslin

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To: freedumb2003
People who understand science know that TToE and abiogenesis have nothing to do with one another

The key is people who understand science. Most don't. They just assume the assorted Deepak Chopras, Carl Sagans and Bill Nyes they look up to know science and are honest brokers of knowledge.

41 posted on 01/12/2020 8:47:02 AM PST by fso301
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To: thirst4truth

“The preciseness of how plants grow, pollinate and fertilize is astounding, perfectly designed.”

Now study the “Calvin Cycle” and how plants produce fuel or energy for growth. Then learn the “Krebs Cycle” and how the mitochondria in the human body produces ATP, the fuel for the human body.

Now put the two side by side and merge the understanding of the similarities of the two processes and you are on the verge of understanding the spiritual practices of the mystics.


42 posted on 01/12/2020 8:49:36 AM PST by tired&retired (Blessings)
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To: fso301

“The key is people who understand science. Most don’t. “

The key to gaining greater understanding of science is to be very humble as the more you learn the more you realize that there is soooo much more that you don’t know.

If we own our knowledge as a possession and become full of ourselves we have no room for new knowledge. Every answer to a question generates 20 more questions without answers. It is a very humbling process.


43 posted on 01/12/2020 8:53:26 AM PST by tired&retired (Blessings)
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To: tired&retired

Thank you, tired; and, good luck convincing the scientists of the world of your belief. Perhaps you can turn the non-believers among them away from nihilism. When you can, check out the Brad Pitt movie Ad Astra. I don’t think I’m giving too much away by saying it grapples with the now obvious fact that we are along in the universe.


44 posted on 01/12/2020 8:55:03 AM PST by Redmen4ever (u)
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To: redshawk

“Without Light, there can be no Darkness.”

The Light of God that shines from within self casts no shadows. It is the obstacles to Love that we place in our soul that creates the shadows.

Just like a flashlight and the shadow on the wall, the earlier in our lives that a trauma creates and obstacle to Love in our soul, the greater the size of the shadow seen later in life.


45 posted on 01/12/2020 8:57:31 AM PST by tired&retired (Blessings)
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To: Redmen4ever

“Thank you, tired; and, good luck convincing the scientists of the world of your belief.”

I do not have this as a mission in life. If it is meant to be, it will be. I plant seeds that cause people who are looking for answers to search for more. They must be their answers, not mine. If my comments fall on deaf ears, that is fine. I have no need to convince others.

If I focus on the low levels of consciousness like jealousy, hatred, fear or guilt, I lower my self and lose my connection to God. That connection is more important than this physical life.

Jesus gave us the first commandment, “Love God.” Thus I must always be focused on God. Consciousness is like the headlights on a car as wherever they are aimed the car goes. The same is true for the soul and human consciousness.

But I’m human and I screw up!


46 posted on 01/12/2020 9:04:22 AM PST by tired&retired (Blessings)
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To: Redmen4ever

Philiosophical arguments can go either way. The best evidence for the existence of God is Jewish scriptures and the person, work(miraculous and otherwise), and the physical resurrection of Jesus(Yeshua) who was thereafter known as the Anointed(Christ) to first his followers (Jewish and Gentiles) and then the world at large.


47 posted on 01/12/2020 9:47:14 AM PST by Getready (Wisdom is more valuable than gold and diamonds, and harder to find.)
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To: fishtank

Nice broad summary of Romans 1.


48 posted on 01/12/2020 10:15:38 AM PST by Hebrews 11:6 (Do you REALLY believe that (1) God IS, and (2) God IS GOOD?)
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To: Getready

I agree with you, but tried to stay on thread. My point is that science is not an alternative explanation of the origin of the universe, or the origin of life, or of human life. Science proves that the universe, etc., are so improbable as to be impossible. The question isn’t science or faith. It’s which Creator: a deistic creator or a theistic creator.


49 posted on 01/12/2020 10:18:14 AM PST by Redmen4ever (u)
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To: mjp; TexasKamaAina; fso301; Redmen4ever; David; trebb; faucetman; icclearly; thirst4truth; ...
Lovely list! There is yet a newer argument which might be called "from proven transcendant causation."

In 1970 atheists Steven Hawking and Roger Penrose published their now-famous space-time theorem, which demonstrated that any universe (1) containing mass (just look at your waistline for proof) and in which general relativity reliably functions (now proven to 15+ decimal places) must have had a beginning, implying a transcendant causal agent, which comports perfectly with the God of the Bible.

50 posted on 01/12/2020 10:53:10 AM PST by Hebrews 11:6 (Do you REALLY believe that (1) God IS, and (2) God IS GOOD?)
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To: Hebrews 11:6

Thanks!!


51 posted on 01/12/2020 3:35:48 PM PST by fishtank (The denial of original sin is the root of liberalism.)
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To: Hebrews 11:6

“Lovely list! There is yet a newer argument which might be called “from proven transcendant causation.”
In 1970 atheists Steven Hawking and Roger Penrose published their now-famous space-time theorem, which demonstrated that any universe (1) containing mass (just look at your waistline for proof) and in which general relativity reliably functions (now proven to 15+ decimal places) must have had a beginning, implying a transcendant causal agent, which comports perfectly with the God of the Bible.”

Both are brilliant physicists/cosmologists. And, both were/are committed atheists, as you point out. Although, Penrose does not seem to be a militant atheist. I’m really surprised at Penrose, though. He has done some creative work on conciseness. While he does not outright suggest it as a theorem, he believes that consciousness is related to quantum principals which is but one small leap to it being a field that is pervasive throughout the universe (via quantum theory).

Wonder where that field might come from?

Here is another interesting read from an obscure author and MD who makes a compelling case for justifying a creator from science. http://bit.ly/2seVjdM.

IC Clearly


52 posted on 01/12/2020 3:54:28 PM PST by icclearly
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To: icclearly
Thanks for the referral--I'll look into Baumann.

Meanwhile, one for you: Hugh Ross's books.

53 posted on 01/12/2020 4:52:17 PM PST by Hebrews 11:6 (Do you REALLY believe that (1) God IS, and (2) God IS GOOD?)
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To: Hebrews 11:6

“Meanwhile, one for you: Hugh Ross’s books.”

No need. I’m already a huge fan. By the way, Ross is very prolific on YouTube. I watch him all the time.

Bauman is nowhere near as well known at Hugh Ross but his theory is very interesting.

Thanks for the thought, though.

In God we trust :-)!


54 posted on 01/12/2020 5:13:11 PM PST by icclearly
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To: Kaslin

Thanks for this. Every time the ontological proof is mentioned an angel gets his wings.


55 posted on 01/12/2020 5:42:16 PM PST by who_would_fardels_bear
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To: icclearly
In God we trust :-)!

Your new tag-line?

56 posted on 01/12/2020 5:42:31 PM PST by Hebrews 11:6 (Do you REALLY believe that (1) God IS, and (2) God IS GOOD?)
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To: who_would_fardels_bear

LOL


57 posted on 01/12/2020 5:43:30 PM PST by Hebrews 11:6 (Do you REALLY believe that (1) God IS, and (2) God IS GOOD?)
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To: Redmen4ever

>>Your post reminds me that you have to believe in something. During the 19th Century, it was thought there was a materialistic explanation for everything. Hence, Darwin and his theory of the origin of life. Today, the physics of the universe say no, there isn’t a materialistic explanation. Either there is a Creator or we are deeply alone and life is fragile and ultimately meaningless.<<

Well, since “the origin of life” is not what TToE says, the rest if your statement is devoid of meaning and/or fun but meaningless.

Your tautology seems rather bleak “if we do not beleive in a Creator we are meaningless” is not only simplistic but by definition, illogical.

One last note: people who understand science enough to understand TToE frequently believe in God (and Christ) — as do I. These are not mutually exclusive.


58 posted on 01/12/2020 9:56:59 PM PST by freedumb2003 (As always IMHO)
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To: freedumb2003

Once we move from science to social science, we only talk of tendencies. Counter-examples, such as you claim to be, aren’t proof. There is a strong correlation between happiness and believing in God; also, employment, income, wealth, being married; and, NOT abusing drugs and NOT committing crime. There’s an epidemic of suicide out there.

Yes, there are people who believe in evolution and in God, seeing the Biblical story of creation as poetic. I have no problem with this. I myself see the expression there was evening and morning, the second day, as poetic, as distinguishing one long period of time from another. So, who am I to criticize another person for seeing poetry in the Bible? I also find it interesting that God formed us out of clay, when he could have made us out of nothing (”ex nihilo”), and then breathed life into us. So, there were two parts to us, a temporal part that might reflect an evolutionary process, and a spiritual part, which goes beyond any evolutionary process.

Accepting evolution was one response to the barrage of criticism of the Bible by atheists during the 19th Century. But, scientists have moved on from evolution. Those who study the matter are today in a quandary. Life is a miracle, as is the explosion of life during the Cambrian period, and the recovery of life following several extinction events in the planet’s history. Each of these is impossible from the standpoint of evolution. There is no sign of evolution in tool-making among pre-human hominids. Just sharpened rocks. Then, whamo, about 60,000 years ago, complex tools, fire, domestication of animals, cave art, counting and evidence of religious observance. We can call this a cultural explosion. We, modern humans, are wonderfully made.


59 posted on 01/13/2020 1:49:08 AM PST by Redmen4ever (u)
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To: Hebrews 11:6

And the Bible starts with, “In the beginning...”
Didn’t need a Hawking or other “geniuses” to come up with the concept of “before time”, the beginning of it all, eternity that encompasses time, or a Creator that existed even before time....


60 posted on 01/13/2020 2:44:13 AM PST by trebb (Don't howl about illegal leeches, or Trump in general, while not donating to FR - it's hypocritical.)
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