1: The Existence of God
Janmadyasya yathah: "The Absolute Truth is that from which everything comes, upon which everything is based. It is the ultimate origin and foundation." (Vedanta-sutra)
"No personal God can form part of a world model that has only become accessible at the cost of removing everything personal from it." (Erwin Schrödinger, Nobel-prize-winning physicist)
People are generally more inclined to listen to the positive case for God's existence after their objections against His existence are shown to be insubstantial.
How could you deal with of the following objections?
- Why is there so much suffering in the world?
- You cannot give any proof of God.
- You have a belief, but we have real knowledge (science).
- It is just a psychological need of weak people.
- The ontological argument: There is no question of whether or not there is a Supreme — something must be supreme in the universe; it is just a matter of finding out what it is.
- The origin is either nothing, impersonal, or personal.
- The Absolute is by definition unlimited. It must therefore include both personal and impersonal aspects.
- Everyone had a father before him. But ultimately the line must trace back to the original father.
- We speak of Mother Nature, but who is the Father? Where do the souls come from that give life to the material bodies?
- All the scriptures of the world confirm the existence of God.
- Krishna as the Supersoul, causes remembrance, knowledge, and forgetfulness. Instinct and the occurrence of inspiration further indicate His presence in the heart.
Intelligent Design
"It does not matter whether or not we see the lawmaker behind the common laws; we must admit that there is a lawmaker. Matter can never work automatically, without a living hand, and therefore we must admit the existence of God, the supreme living being, behind the laws of nature." (Srila Prabhupada, Light of the Bhagavata)
If you didn't know anything about watches, and you found one lying somewhere, you would not suppose that the watch's form was an accident, with its intricate and finely tuned mechanics. You would assume it had been designed and created by someone with a particular purpose in mind.
Similarly, the incredible complexity and perfection of the creation indicates intelligent design: the tiny atoms and molecules, the workings of cells and biological functions, the variety of life-forms, the balance of the ecosystem and nature, the planetary systems and stars, the universal laws.
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