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Lesson 3: Is There a God?. I. Can Anyone Know There Is Not a God?

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Lesson 3: Lesson 3: Is There a Is There a God? God?
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Page 1: Lesson 3: Is There a God?. I. Can Anyone Know There Is Not a God?

Lesson 3:Lesson 3:Is There a God?Is There a God?

Page 2: Lesson 3: Is There a God?. I. Can Anyone Know There Is Not a God?

I. Can Anyone I. Can Anyone Know There IsKnow There Is

Not a God?Not a God?

Page 3: Lesson 3: Is There a God?. I. Can Anyone Know There Is Not a God?
Page 4: Lesson 3: Is There a God?. I. Can Anyone Know There Is Not a God?

II. Pascal’s II. Pascal’s WagerWager

Page 5: Lesson 3: Is There a God?. I. Can Anyone Know There Is Not a God?

Either God exists or He doesn’t Either God exists or He doesn’t exist. What would be wiser—to exist. What would be wiser—to believe He does exist or to believe believe He does exist or to believe He doesn’t exist? Let’s say we put He doesn’t exist? Let’s say we put a wager on the idea that God exists. a wager on the idea that God exists. If we win this wager, and He does If we win this wager, and He does exist, we win everything; if we lose, exist, we win everything; if we lose, and God doesn’t exist, we lose and God doesn’t exist, we lose nothingnothing. Since this is the case, we . Since this is the case, we should wager that God should wager that God doesdoes exist. exist.

Page 6: Lesson 3: Is There a God?. I. Can Anyone Know There Is Not a God?

III. Evidence for III. Evidence for the Existencethe Existence

of Godof God

Page 7: Lesson 3: Is There a God?. I. Can Anyone Know There Is Not a God?

A. The Cosmological ArgumentA. The Cosmological Argument

The universe could not have come The universe could not have come from nothing.from nothing.

The universe could not have always The universe could not have always existed as it is.existed as it is.

The universe could not have come The universe could not have come from impersonal matter/energy.from impersonal matter/energy.

Page 8: Lesson 3: Is There a God?. I. Can Anyone Know There Is Not a God?

• Why couldn’t the universe come from nothing?

Page 9: Lesson 3: Is There a God?. I. Can Anyone Know There Is Not a God?

• Why couldn’t the universe have always existed?

–Laws of Thermodynamics

Page 10: Lesson 3: Is There a God?. I. Can Anyone Know There Is Not a God?

• Why couldn’t the universe come from impersonal matter/energy?

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Page 12: Lesson 3: Is There a God?. I. Can Anyone Know There Is Not a God?

““Beginning with the impersonal, everything, Beginning with the impersonal, everything, including man, must be explained in terms including man, must be explained in terms of the impersonal plus time plus of the impersonal plus time plus chancechance. Do . Do not let anyone divert your mind at this point. not let anyone divert your mind at this point. There are no other factors in the formula, There are no other factors in the formula, because there are no other factors that because there are no other factors that exist... . No one has ever demonstrated how exist... . No one has ever demonstrated how time plus chance, beginning with the time plus chance, beginning with the impersonal, can produce the needed impersonal, can produce the needed complexity of the universe, let alone the complexity of the universe, let alone the personalitypersonality of man.” – Francis Schaeffer of man.” – Francis Schaeffer

Page 13: Lesson 3: Is There a God?. I. Can Anyone Know There Is Not a God?

A. The Cosmological ArgumentA. The Cosmological Argument

Therefore, the universe must have Therefore, the universe must have been created by a personal, eternal been created by a personal, eternal Being.Being.

Page 14: Lesson 3: Is There a God?. I. Can Anyone Know There Is Not a God?

B. The Teleological ArgumentB. The Teleological Argument

All the intricate design in the All the intricate design in the universe argues for a universe argues for a purposefulpurposeful first cause.first cause.

Page 15: Lesson 3: Is There a God?. I. Can Anyone Know There Is Not a God?
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C. The Anthropic ArgumentC. The Anthropic Argument

• The earth has just the right The earth has just the right conditions for human life.conditions for human life.

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Page 20: Lesson 3: Is There a God?. I. Can Anyone Know There Is Not a God?

C. The Anthropic PrincipleC. The Anthropic Principle

The earth has just the right The earth has just the right conditions for human life.conditions for human life.• Gravity and electromagnetismGravity and electromagnetism

Page 21: Lesson 3: Is There a God?. I. Can Anyone Know There Is Not a God?

Gravity is roughly 10Gravity is roughly 103939 times times weaker than electro magnetism. weaker than electro magnetism. If gravity had been If gravity had been 10103333 times times weaker than electro magnetism, weaker than electro magnetism, stars would be a billion times stars would be a billion times less massive and would burn a less massive and would burn a millionmillion times faster. times faster.

Page 22: Lesson 3: Is There a God?. I. Can Anyone Know There Is Not a God?

C. The Anthropic PrincipleC. The Anthropic Principle

The earth has just the right The earth has just the right conditions for human life.conditions for human life.• Gravity and electromagnetismGravity and electromagnetism

• Protons and neutronsProtons and neutrons

Page 23: Lesson 3: Is There a God?. I. Can Anyone Know There Is Not a God?

If the difference in mass between If the difference in mass between a proton and a neutron were not a proton and a neutron were not exactly as it is—roughly exactly as it is—roughly twicetwice the mass of an electron—then all the mass of an electron—then all neutrons would have become neutrons would have become protons or vice versa.protons or vice versa.

Page 24: Lesson 3: Is There a God?. I. Can Anyone Know There Is Not a God?

C. The Anthropic PrincipleC. The Anthropic Principle

The earth has just the right The earth has just the right conditions for human life.conditions for human life.• Gravity and electromagnetismGravity and electromagnetism

• Protons and neutronsProtons and neutrons

• The nature of waterThe nature of water

Page 25: Lesson 3: Is There a God?. I. Can Anyone Know There Is Not a God?

C. The Moral ArgumentC. The Moral Argument

The fact that we all have a sense The fact that we all have a sense of right and wrong argues that of right and wrong argues that there is a Supreme there is a Supreme LawgiverLawgiver from which that morality comes.from which that morality comes.

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IV. Responding to IV. Responding to the #1 Objection to the #1 Objection to

the Existence of Godthe Existence of God

Page 27: Lesson 3: Is There a God?. I. Can Anyone Know There Is Not a God?

““If there is a good and If there is a good and omnipotent God, then why is omnipotent God, then why is there evil and suffering in the there evil and suffering in the world? The existence of evil world? The existence of evil must prove there is not a good, must prove there is not a good, omnipotent God.”omnipotent God.”

Page 28: Lesson 3: Is There a God?. I. Can Anyone Know There Is Not a God?

Answers:Answers:• The problem of evil implies that The problem of evil implies that

there is a God.there is a God.

• There is evil in the world because There is evil in the world because the first humans God made the first humans God made abused their abused their freedomfreedom and chose and chose to disobey God. Suffering is the to disobey God. Suffering is the consequence of consequence of moralmoral evil. evil.

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Answers:Answers:• God made free creatures because God made free creatures because

He wanted them to He wanted them to lovelove Him. Him.

• The great amount of suffering in The great amount of suffering in the world shows how the world shows how seriousserioussin is.sin is.

Page 31: Lesson 3: Is There a God?. I. Can Anyone Know There Is Not a God?

ApplicationApplicationThis week, show someone This week, show someone (preferably an atheist) the circle (preferably an atheist) the circle illustration, Pascal’s Wager, and at illustration, Pascal’s Wager, and at least 3 arguments for the existence least 3 arguments for the existence of God.of God.


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