What is the Most Convincing Argument for God?

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I apologize if someone has already asked this question but, in your opinion, what is the most convincing argument for God’s existence? Why is it so convincing to you personally? Why is it so convincing overall?

The same question for atheists and agnostics except you don’t have to be convinced by the argument (otherwise you wouldn’t be an atheist or agnostic :)). Why is it convincing even if it is not convincing (am I making sense here? :confused:)

For myself, I would saying that, as of right now, Aquinas’ argument from motion would be the most convincing to me. All the objections to it fall rather short it seems (not that I’ve scrounged around for a super objection though). Necessity calls for an unmoved mover and that can’t be the universe.

A close second would just be that I can’t believe that this world can be so beautiful and be random. It doesn’t make any sense to me. That’s just me though.
 
Entwhistler said:
I apologize if someone has already asked this question but, in your opinion, what is the most convincing argument for God’s existence? Why is it so convincing to you personally? Why is it so convincing overall?

The same question for atheists and agnostics except you don’t have to be convinced by the argument (otherwise you wouldn’t be an atheist or agnostic :)). Why is it convincing even if it is not convincing (am I making sense here? :confused:)

For myself, I would saying that, as of right now, Aquinas’ argument from motion would be the most convincing to me. All the objections to it fall rather short it seems (not that I’ve scrounged around for a super objection though). Necessity calls for an unmoved mover and that can’t be the universe.

A close second would just be that I can’t believe that this world can be so beautiful and be random. It doesn’t make any sense to me. That’s just me though.
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The fact that the Universe is really so fine tuned. If dozens and dozens of many things didn’t happen, were marginally or were even a smidgen to the right or left or in any way different, we wouldn’t be here. When you see figures like 1 in 10 to the power of 37 or 120 or even more to articulate facts that if our universe were in any way different we wouldn’t be here and from secular sources without any credible refutation, you really see that there is a God.
 
Entwhistler said:
I apologize if someone has already asked this question but, in your opinion, what is the most convincing argument for God’s existence? Why is it so convincing to you personally? Why is it so convincing overall?

The same question for atheists and agnostics except you don’t have to be convinced by the argument (otherwise you wouldn’t be an atheist or agnostic :)). Why is it convincing even if it is not convincing (am I making sense here? :confused:)

For myself, I would saying that, as of right now, Aquinas’ argument from motion would be the most convincing to me. All the objections to it fall rather short it seems (not that I’ve scrounged around for a super objection though). Necessity calls for an unmoved mover and that can’t be the universe.

A close second would just be that I can’t believe that this world can be so beautiful and be random. It doesn’t make any sense to me. That’s just me though.
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The fifth argument by Aquinas, the so-called Teleological argument from design.
 
The arguments from motion and efficient causation are the clearest ones for me.
 
My personal relationship with Christ, but that probably convinces no one but me. 😉
 
The perfection of the universe and the improbability it came about through a series of random mutations or accidents.
 
I find none of the above arguments convincing at all.

I think the most secure argument that I am moved by is that God cannot be DISproved. I realize that it doesn’t get to where the OP wants the argument to end up, but I think it does a lot of work when dealing with obnoxious atheists.
 
  1. That the universe exists, and it came out of nothing.
  2. That life exists abundantly on this planet and nowhere else, an oasis in a universe that is extremely hostile to life.
  3. That the universe is orderly and has laws governing it.
  4. All the prayers that were answered.
 
boomerang said:
1. That the universe exists, and it came out of nothing.
2. That life exists abundantly on this planet and nowhere else, an oasis in a universe that is extremely hostile to life.
3. That the universe is orderly and has laws governing it.
4. All the prayers that were answered.
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Some questions.
  1. How do you know that our universe ‘came out of nothing’?
  2. How do you know that life exists only on this planet?
  3. There are descriptive laws that tell us how the universe behaves, but what prescriptive laws are there that ‘govern’ the universe?
  4. How do you know that prayers were ‘answered’? What about the many instances when the thing prayed for does not come true?
 
Lily_Bernans said:
My personal relationship with Christ, but that probably convinces no one but me. 😉
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An argument that addresses the reality of love, communion through a giving of oneself, and the beauty of the act. Sounds pretty convincing to me as being the ultimate reality from which all things spring and remain in relation.
 
Nixbits said:
Some questions.
  1. How do you know that our universe ‘came out of nothing’?
  2. How do you know that life exists only on this planet?
  3. There are descriptive laws that tell us how the universe behaves, but what prescriptive laws are there that ‘govern’ the universe?
  4. How do you know that prayers were ‘answered’? What about the many instances when the thing prayed for does not come true?
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Some answers:

The universe is brought into being in every moment. “Inside” this here and now is the Being inside all that exists everywhere and in every time. You and I are not God; we exist as separate beings created by Him to join with Him in the joy of eternal life. That is what I understand as the meaning of “ex nihilo”. Being is granted to you and I, who are not a structuring of universal being or a primary energy that exists on its own without having been created by God. I know this because the universe is relational and I am rooted in a relationship with my Source, who manifests himelf as infinitely compassionate.

There is no proof that life exists anywhere else. Maybe we are to bring life to the entire universe, maybe it’s already there. Who knows? We don’t and it has not been revealed. I’m not sure it makes any difference; not to me at any rate.

People exist and behave purposefully. What we do makes us who we are. Taking note of oneself and to some extent others, one observes how following certain paths leads us to think and feel certain ways. There are neutral decisions and some that result in good and bad for us and others. There is a truth to that regardless of whether one frames it in terms of the will of God or not. Also, thinking about the impermanence of everything in this world, how is it possible that clinging to the goods it offers can give one happiness? All here is vanity and meaninglessness. However, there is something more and that is love, around which lives are fulfilled.

Prayers are always answered and from them we glean God’s will.

:twocents:
 
Rhubarb said:
I think the most secure argument that I am moved by is that God cannot be DISproved. I realize that it doesn’t get to where the OP wants the argument to end up, but I think it does a lot of work when dealing with obnoxious atheists.
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Ah yes, obnoxious atheists. I find it quite interesting that atheists are about 2-3 percent of the population, and they are around 50 percent on religion forums (I wonder why that is?).

Not that anything is wrong with that, but when they are rude and nasty it gets rather irritating. What do they (and Christians on forums for that matter) expect to gain by being nasty?
 
Whether from the perspective of a religious or an Atheist, this life is bizarre! But I believe in God based on inner experiences from the heart that tell me so. I do not think any argument would suffice, but only experience.
 
I would think for most people it would be the same arguments that the Bible uses. Argument by design first. And, secondly, the moral argument. However, if someone is not open to the possibility of belief in God then no argument can convince them.

Aquinas’ arguments are strong, but most people don’t really understand them. The simple arguments are probably the best for most people.

For instance I like Peter Kreefts simple ways of stating the argument for design. He says the possibility that we are here by chance is like the possibility of a tornado going through a junk yard and assembling a fully functioning Boeing 747. Now, would you trust a flight in a plane that was made by random chance? If your brain is a product of chance how could you trust it to understand anything?
 
I think asking questions like why are we here? Or why does this reality exist? That these questions lead us to God. Really, God is the explanation for why anything exists. The alternative is to say there is no explanation which is exactly the same as saying there is no God. The Bible calls such a thing to say as foolish. When one does say there is no explanation they are committing the so called taxi cab fallacy. That is once you get to your destination you can dismiss the cab that brought you there without questioning where the cab came from. 🙂
 
Entwhistler said:
I apologize if someone has already asked this question but, in your opinion, what is the most convincing argument for God’s existence? Why is it so convincing to you personally? Why is it so convincing overall?

The same question for atheists and agnostics except you don’t have to be convinced by the argument (otherwise you wouldn’t be an atheist or agnostic :)). Why is it convincing even if it is not convincing (am I making sense here? :confused:)

For myself, I would saying that, as of right now, Aquinas’ argument from motion would be the most convincing to me. All the objections to it fall rather short it seems (not that I’ve scrounged around for a super objection though). Necessity calls for an unmoved mover and that can’t be the universe.

A close second would just be that I can’t believe that this world can be so beautiful and be random. It doesn’t make any sense to me. That’s just me though.
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Miracles that were granted the second they were requested.

BTDT 👍
 
Entwhistler said:
I apologize if someone has already asked this question but, in your opinion, what is the most convincing argument for God’s existence? Why is it so convincing to you personally? Why is it so convincing overall?

The same question for atheists and agnostics except you don’t have to be convinced by the argument (otherwise you wouldn’t be an atheist or agnostic :)). Why is it convincing even if it is not convincing (am I making sense here? :confused:)

For myself, I would saying that, as of right now, Aquinas’ argument from motion would be the most convincing to me. All the objections to it fall rather short it seems (not that I’ve scrounged around for a super objection though). Necessity calls for an unmoved mover and that can’t be the universe.

A close second would just be that I can’t believe that this world can be so beautiful and be random. It doesn’t make any sense to me. That’s just me though.
Click to expand...
What objection would suffice, considering this notion of “motion” seems to have little or anything to do with modern physics. Are we talking about energy (which is the source of motion)? The concept is too vague to be useful.
 
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