Douglas Jones, Apologist

Ratio Christi Germanna Community College

mobile: 703-303-4176 home: 540-972-8759
Email: douglasjones217@yahoo.com
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A Philosophical Argument for the Christian God

A deductive argument is one in which the conclusion follows inescapably from the premises, if the
premises are true. The classic example of a deductive argument is this:

1. All men are mortal.

2. Socrates is a man.

Therefore, Socrates is mortal.

A basic deductive argument for God looks something like this:

1. Things that exist require a cause.

2. Things exist.

Therefore a cause exists.

A deductive argument based upon design:

1. If design is apparent in the universe, a cause for design exists.

2. Design is apparent in the universe.

Therefore a cause for design exists.

Does this mean everyone is forced to believe this argument against their will? No. One may willfully
choose to believe (against reason and logic) that something comes from nothing. Does this eliminate or
reduce the need for faith? No. In fact, it strengthens the foundation upon which faith stands, thus
increasing faith. But how do we get from a “cause” to God?

In philosophy, there is a concept known as “sufficient cause” which essentially means that “something
can’t give what it does not have.” If you think about it, all causes must be sufficient to produce their
relevant effects. For example, a block of ice melting might be a sufficient cause of a growing pool of
water surrounding it, but a block of solid granite would not.

This principal of sufficient cause is implied in the well-known and important philosophical question,
“Why is there something rather than nothing?”, and the related observation that “something can’t come
from nothing“. To understand these concepts, It is important to be clear about the concept of nothing.

Ratio Christi is a global movement that equips university students and faculty to give historical, philosophical, and scientific reasons
for following Jesus Christ
"Suppose we had a very black blackboard which had never been used. On this blackboard we drew a
circle, and inside that circle there was everything that was — and there was nothing within the circle.
Then we erase the circle. This is nothing nothing. You must not let anybody say he is giving an answer
beginning with nothing and then really begin with something: energy, mass, motion, or personality. That
would be something, and something is not nothing." – Francis Schaeffer

Applying these concepts, it is appropriate to stipulate that the cause of the universe must be sufficient
to explain every unique thing in the universe. Let’s take a look at three unique things that we find in the
universe:

1. Existence
2. Communication
3. Morality

A sufficient cause for these things would need to be able to cause existence, communication, and
morality. It is therefore reasonable and necessary to expect that this cause would have a reservoir of
these things, i.e., existence, communication, and morality, and/or the knowledge and power to cause
these things.

Such an entity might reasonably be described as existing, communicative, moral, powerful, and
knowledgeable. Theists use the term “god” to describe such an entity. How do we get from this “god” to
the Christian God?

The concept is quite simple, but the proof is long because the evidence is vast. If the god that caused the
universe and every thing in it is communicative, then it is possible and even likely that it has
communicated with us. The Christian bible is a good candidate for being such a communication. (See Did
the Creator of Communication Communicate? below.)

Ratio Christi is a global movement that equips university students and faculty to give historical, philosophical, and scientific reasons
for following Jesus Christ
(NOTE: What follows includes a real discussion between me (doug217) and an agnostic philosopher
named “Agnophilo”)

Agnophilo:

If nothing can exist without a creator then nothing can exist, because the creator cannot exist to create
anything. If nothing can be complex without being designed then a designer cannot be complex because
it was not designed. Your premises conflict with your conclusions and your logic is completely invalid.

As for “sufficient cause” you are using inductive reasoning, i.e. “if x were true it would explain y
therefore y is true”. This is a form of logical fallacy because x’s ability to explain y does not mean it is
necessarily the only possible explanation or the best one, inductive reasoning is only useful for
generating hypotheses which must then be supported by evidence. An all-powerful genie would
“explain” the universe too, does the existence of the universe prove the existence of an all-powerful
genie? And your empty assertion that you can “reasonably” leap the gigantic, enormous chasm from
deism to Christian theism is just laughable. No offense but seriously? Would you take my word for it if I
said it was “reasonable” to be Muslim? Would you run out and convert tomorrow?

Doug217:

Agnopilo said, “If nothing can exist without a creator then nothing can exist, because the creator cannot
exist to create anything. If nothing can be complex without being designed then a designer cannot be
complex because it was not designed. Your premises conflict with your conclusions and your logic is
completely invalid.”

Reply:

A creator is not a thing. A designer is not a thing.

Agnopilo said, “As for ‘sufficient cause’ you are using inductive reasoning, i.e. ‘if x were true it would
explain y therefore [x] is true’. This is a form of logical fallacy because x’s ability to explain y does not
mean it is necessarily the only possible explanation or the best one, inductive reasoning is only useful for
generating hypotheses which must then be supported by evidence. ”

Reply:

In the order of being (ontology) essence precedes existence. In the order of knowing (epistemology)
existence precedes essence.

Agnopilo said, “An all-powerful genie would ‘explain’ the universe too, does the existence of the
universe prove the existence of an all-powerful genie?”

Reply:

“A rose by any other name is still a rose.”

Ratio Christi is a global movement that equips university students and faculty to give historical, philosophical, and scientific reasons
for following Jesus Christ
Agnopilo said, “And your empty assertion that you can “reasonably” leap the gigantic, enormous chasm
from deism to Christian theism is just laughable. No offense but seriously? Would you take my word for
it if I said it was “reasonable” to be Muslim? Would you run out and convert tomorrow?”

Reply:

Have you studied the historical reliability of the Bible as compared with other religious books such as the
Koran? (See Did the Creator of Communication Communicate? below.)

One piece of common ground we might have is that we might both have strong convictions that we are
willing to stand up for when we believe the truth is on our side, or when we think we see an illogical
argument.

Sometimes I need to stop and try to put myself in your shoes to understand what you are really saying
instead of trying to “win” an argument. Now I think I see your first two points.

If I say, “Nothing exists without a creator” AND “A creator exists without a creator” I see how it appears
to be clearly contradictory.

And, my argument below is deductive because the first premise is structured according to the “order of
knowing”, the order in which we know things:

1. Things that exist require a cause.

2. Things exist.

Therefore a cause exists.

It could be structured according to the “order of being”, the order which things come to be:

1. A cause is required for things to exist.

2. Things exist.

Therefore a cause exists.

Now it is clearly fallacious as a deductive argument, in its conclusion, unless the conclusion is changed to
“Therefore a cause probably exists”, making it inductive.

I should rewrite the deductive argument above to eliminate the contradiction as follows:

1. Temporal things that exist require a permanent cause.

2. A permanent cause does not require a cause.
3. Temporal things exist.

Therefore a permanent cause exists.

Ratio Christi is a global movement that equips university students and faculty to give historical, philosophical, and scientific reasons
for following Jesus Christ
Agnophilo:

Why not simply say that big bang type singularities don’t need a cause? Why must the cause be eternal
and omniscient and intelligent and named Yahweh?

Either way I don’t see a creator as an explanation because it makes no more sense that a creator could
be “un-caused” than it does that the universe could be “un-caused”. The universe is absurd, so is a
creator. But I have to accept that the universe exists because it observably does. If a creator were
observable, we could interact with it, see it creating things etc then similarly I would have to accept its
existence, even if it made no sense to me.

But until we understand how things began and how something (be it a deity or particle of physics or
whatever) can simply exist without a cause, we have not answered the question of how. Attributing it to
a deity simply takes a “how” question and answers it with a “who” answer, which of course is much
simpler and arbitrary, “Allah” fits as well as Yahweh as well as an all powerful genie.

Doug217:

I hate to answer with a syllogism again, but it helps clarify things, at least for me. I am trying to unpack
lots of concepts that I have learned to assume in the condensed forms of this argument:

1. Temporal things are temporal because they exist in space and time.
2. Temporal things require an eternal cause.
3. An eternal cause is eternal because it exists outside of space and time.
4. Temporal things exist.

Therefore an eternal cause exists.

When we look back in space and time, we see a singularity that appears to come out of nothing because
space and time were created in the beginning along with other temporal things. But since nothing
comes from nothing, a cause must exist for these things. A cause that is outside of space and time is
thus considered eternal, and thus, uncaused.

Ratio Christi is a global movement that equips university students and faculty to give historical, philosophical, and scientific reasons
for following Jesus Christ
Did the Creator of Communication Communicate?

One example, that helps begin to help answer this vast question, is the recognition that certain
historically and archeologically verifiable writings, (e.g. Deut 18:21, 22) claiming to be from the creator,
describe a way to verify that the creator is communicating. Historically verifiable predictions of future
events (not including self-fulfilling predictions) are thus described as a way to verify that something
outside of space and time is communicating, i.e., that the creator or “Eternal One” is speaking. The
Christian bible is filled with examples, such as the following predictions of the coming of the “Eternal
One”, and their historically verifiable fulfillments:

1. Descendant of Abraham & Sarah – Gen 12:2-3; 17:15-17; 18:18. Fulfilled in Matt 1:1; Lk 3:33; Acts 3:25.
2. Descendant of Isaac – Gen 17:19. Fulfilled in Matt 1:2; Lk 3:33.
3. Descendant of Judah – Gen 49:10. Fulfilled in Matt 1:3; Lk 3:33.
4. Descendant of David – Isa 9:7. Fulfilled in Matt 1:6; Luke 3:31.
5. Birth-Place in Bethlehem, Israel – Mic 5:2. Fulfilled in Matt 2:1; Lk 2:4-7.
6. Time of ministry specified – Dan 9:25. Fulfilled in Jesus – (see discussion above).
7. Born of a virgin – Isa 7:14. Fulfilled in Matt 1:18; Lk 1:26-35.
8. Flees to Egypt; returns to Israel – Hos 11:1. Fulfilled in Matt 2:14-15.
9. A prophet like Moses, with miracles, authority over Scripture – Deut 18:15. Fulfilled in Jan 6:14; 1:45; Acts 3:19-26.
10. Enters Jerusalem triumphantly, as a King, riding on donkey – Zech 9:9. Fulfilled in – Jn 12:12-14; Matt 21:1-11.
11. Rejected; dies for our sins – Isa 53:3-5, 9, and 12. Fulfilled in – Jn 1:11, 29; 8:46; Heb 4:15; Jn 15:23-25; Matt 8:16-17.
12. Crucified, mocked, lots cast for clothing – Psa 22:6-8,16-18. Fulfilled in – Matthew 27:32f ; John 19:16f.
13. Bones not broken – Psa 34:20. Fulfilled in – John 19:33-37.
14. Side pierced – Zechariah 12:10. Fulfilled in – Jn 19:34.
15. Body not decayed, Resurrection – Psa 16:10; Isa 53:11. Fulfilled in Matt 28; Mk 16; Luke 24; John 20; Acts 1; 1 Cor 15.
16. Ascends into heaven – Psalm 68:18. Fulfilled in Lk 24:50-51 ; Acts 1:9-11.

It is evident, therefore, even from this one example (there are many more) that the Creator of
communication has communicated.

1. He communicated His existence: “In the beginning God…” (Gen 1:1a).

2. He communicated His message: "This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!" (Gen 1:1a).
3. He communicated His morality: "…the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were
realized through Jesus Christ." (Jn 1:17).

“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” (Matt 11:15)

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” (Rev 22:13)

Ratio Christi is a global movement that equips university students and faculty to give historical, philosophical, and scientific reasons
for following Jesus Christ