Thoughts On The Existence of God

Thoughts On The Existence of God


Let's say that you were born but grew up never knowing your father. Others told you stories about him, many embellished those stories, some even outright invented things to add to the stories, and because of all the confusion you gave up and decided that he didn't exist.

But there was one small problem, you exist and to exist you had to admit that whoever your father is, his seed is in you. But you want proof. How do you prove it is his seed and that it is really in you? You don't see him, never heard from him, and all the stories everyone tells you about him contradict each other and have serious inconsistencies, embellishments, and downright myths added to them. And the way those people act who say they knew him is outlandish and immoral at times. Without proof, and only able to go on conjecture, you decide he does not exist.

Eventually you begin to explore ways to show that he does not exist. You even write such articles as "Who Invented My Dad." And you point out the faults, immoralities, and inconsistencies of those who have made myths and stories about your dad and conclude, "Morality Does Not Reside in Religion."

Then some guy claiming to be your brother comes along and tells you, "You are absolutely right, morality does not reside in religion, in fact, religion has caused more wars, evil, and turmoil in this world than any other philosophy or way of thinking, and it is usually propounded by those who invent all kinds of false stories and myths about your dad."

You may be surprised by this statement, or not, I don't know. But then your brother continues and says, "There is one other alternative, though, that your father really does exist, but he is nothing like all these people have told you, nothing like their religions have made him out to be, and not the source of all the evils they have carried out in his name."

You resist this statement because of all the years of religion and negative experiences by people who have propounded he does exist. You deplore it, because it would make all the years of your work to discredit him wrong.

But your brother says, "I know, because I have met him, talked with him, walked with him, received things from him, he exists."

Ah, but that still does not prove to you he exists. Your brother agrees, "Yes, that does not prove to YOU he exists, but I have proved it to myself and I know it to be true because I am the one who has experienced having a relationship with him just as sure as I know you exist because you and I have a relationship even as we communicate with each other now. And it is not just one way. I talk to him and he talks to me."

"But I do not believe it, there is no proof, and you could be making this all up too," you say.

And your brother tells you again that you are right, that it is possible, but by the same token you could just as well be making up the whole thing about him not existing and all your articles are just stuff you have invented from your own mind, and why should anyone believe your authority to say he does not exist over their authority to say he does?

And so this is the quandary you are in, because it is your word against their word and you are not better than they as much as they are not better than you and so it is simply word against word and belief against belief, and that does not prove he exists or does not exist, it just proves the CHOICES you both have made.

And your brother says, "The greatest thing every man has is his free will. The free will to choose to believe or not believe. The free will to lie about what he believes or tell the truth. The free will to make things up in the name of the father and carry out his own evils, to believe and experience who the father really is, or the free will to not believe and to declare that the other choices are just myths. We all have free will and we all can choose exactly how to use it in this life."

The crux of the matter really isn't, then, whether he exists or not. The real crux of the matter is whether we choose to believe he exists or not. "Why?" you ask.

Your brother says, "Follow this closely, there are four logical possibilities."

1. If he does not exist and that is what you believe, great, you have lost nothing, and even being right, you have gained nothing, for he does not exist.

2. If he does not exist and you believed he did, (supposing you enjoyed your life believing anyway), great, you have lost nothing, and being wrong you have gained nothing extra because he does not exist.

3. If he does exist and you believe, awesome, you have gained everything he said you would, because you believed and he exists.

4. If he does exist and you do not believe he does, ooops, you were wrong and you lose everything he offered, because you did not believe and he does exist.

"And so," your brother says, "In these four possibilities, it becomes obvious that the "safest" choice is to believe because you really can't lose with all options, but if you choose not to believe, then there is an option in which you lose."

"Oh yes you can," you say, "in item 2 because of your standards of living and guidelines set by this supposed father you believe you will miss out doing some things in life that you might have done if you had known that he really doesn't exist."

"Not entirely so," your brother says, "I believe and I am having just as much fun in this life in the way I choose to live as you are in the way you choose to live, and so I am missing out on nothing from my perspective, and I am happy with the way I live whether it turns out he exists or not. So, I still hold to the fact that by all probability, logic, statistics, and the higest reasoning of man, it is still "safer" to believe he does exist, because the only possibility that surely holds the loss of everything that was offered is number 4."

And so you are upset at your brother because of his obstinence, yet even the highest logic and reasoning of man cannot be disputed. It is simple math.

"But that is not why I believe," he says, "it is merely a point of logic to consider. The real reason I believe is because I know him personally and have proved to myself that he exists, and that is the way he set it up."

"And, if he does exist, why did he set it up this way?" You might ask.

"Free will," your brother says, "What genuine believing, love, or acknowledgement is there in being forced to serve or love someone? If our father demanded your belief and forced himself upon you like many have tried to do in his name, but falsely, what love would that be? All would merely acknowledge him and serve him because they had to and there was no other choice. But by giving you the free will, without coercion, to come to the conclusion yourself that he exists by the sheer design and handiwork of that around you and all that he has done, then your decision or choice to believe is genuine love and admiration. Then he knows you believe not because he made you do it, but because you wanted to."

"But that still does not prove him," you say.

"Correct. It is after you come to your own free will conclusion that he exists and decide to acknowledge him that he then reveals himself to you and gives you the means to prove to yourself he exists so that you never ever have to wonder again."

"Well, that's a crock of shit," you say. "Why doesn't he just stop by and say hello so that I can see that he exists and believe?"

"Seeing him would be so overwhelming that you might believe he exists out of sheer fear and awe rather than to have chosen to do so by your free will. That is the way he set it up for his reasons, and then he sent others to give his address to those who really want to know him and not religion. By your free will, you can choose to go check it out or not."

"Well, you have really proven nothing to me," you say, determined to stay your course.

"No problem," your brother says, "it is all about free will and you have made your choice."

Then your brother flips a little business card on the desk in front of you and says, "Here's his address if you ever get to the place you decide to check him out. Maybe then you can prove him to yourself."

And with that your brother leaves. You look at the business card and see the address:

Romans 10:9-10.

It's your choice.