Is there proof of a monotheistic God?

[exchemist]

Thank you for replying. Did you reveiw the evidence I provided? I won't tell you which God to believe in on this post, but have you heard of the Kalaam Colsmological argument? Even if I were not a Christian, I would still be a monotheist.

These are arguments for the existence of God, but not evidence in the sense that science or a court of law would accept. (Still less are they "proofs", as suggested by the person you are quoting.)

Part of the trouble with these people is that they over-claim. Another problem is that they make things up about subjects they know nothing about. This person has simply made up two "laws" that do not exist: a so-called Law of Cause and Effect and a so-called Law of Teleology. He then tops that off with a bogus application of multiplication of invented probabilities to events that may not even be historical at all. It's a joke, quite honestly.

But tell me, are you quoting from the same person who made the video? I checked the link and did not find the name of the author. Is it Strobel?

 

[Audie]

And yet, providing long articles or videos without commentary is quite common here.

It is like using a phone for a brain. You see
people walk into glass doors, doing that.

 

[ChristineM]

Thank you for replying. Did you reveiw the evidence I provided? I won't tell you which God to believe in on this post, but have you heard of the Kalaam Colsmological argument? Even if I were not a Christian, I would still be a monotheist.

Evidence : the available body of facts or information indicating whether a belief or proposition is true or valid.

I reviewed the text you provided in the OP as is indicated by my response. What your provided was not evidence but opinion wrapped up to look convincing to those who dont know what a scientific law is.

The Kalaam Cosmological argument is not an argument but opinion based on christian apologetics misrepresentation of cosmology and is completely debunked by real science

 

[viole]

I will confess when I am depressed, I sometimes think about doubting God, but I found this very helpful. This video goes over genetic science, the science of outer space, and more. Please tell me if you are a monotheist, another type of theist, deist, agnostic, or secular. I welcome a peaceful debate. Stay awesome.
Is there any conclusive proof of God? Question: "Is there any conclusive proof of God?"
Answer: The answer to this question depends greatly on what is meant by “conclusive” proof of God. Can we reach out and touch God or see Him in the same way that we touch and see people? No. But there are countless ways one can know assuredly that God does exist, that He is real, and He is who He says He is. We will look briefly at three ways of proving His existence using both science and the Bible.
1. Proof of God: The Law of Cause and Effect. This law of science states that every cause has its effect and every effect has its cause. This law is the basis of all science. As such, this law bears a relationship to the origin of the heavens and the earth. In fact, scientists agree that the universe has not existed forever, that it had a beginning at some point in time.
The theory of relativity, which is almost universally accepted among scientists, has certain implications for this Law of Cause and Effect. One is that the universe—defined as time, space, matter, and physical energy—had a beginning, that it is not eternal. And it is through Einstein’s equations that scientists can trace the development of the universe back to its very origin, back to what is called the “singularity event” when it actually came into being. Science has proven that the universe really did have a beginning. This means that if the universe had a starting point in history, then it obviously began to exist, and it must have a cause for its existence.

Therefore, if the universe needs a cause for its coming into being, then that cause must be beyond the universe—which is time, space, matter, and physical energy. That cause must be something similar to what Christians call “God.” Even Richard Dawkins, probably the most prominent proponent for atheism in our time, admitted in a TIME magazine article that “there could be something incredibly grand and incomprehensible and beyond our present understanding.” Yes, and that is God!
We can best summarize this cosmological evidence with the following statements:
(1) Whatever begins to exist must have a cause for its existence.
(2) The universe began to exist.
(3) Therefore, the universe must have a cause for its existence.
(4) The attributes of the cause of the universe (being timeless, existing outside of space, and so on) are the attributes of God.
(5) Therefore, the cause of the universe must be God (Genesis 1:1).
2. Proof of God: The Law of Teleology. Teleology is the study of design or purpose in natural phenomena. This law of science essentially means that when an object reflects a purpose, goal, or design, it must have had a designer. Simply put, things do not design themselves. This holds true for the things in the universe, which proves that it had to have a Designer.
For example, the earth in orbiting the sun departs from a straight line by only one-ninth of an inch every 18 miles—a very straight line in human terms. If the orbit changed by one-tenth of an inch every 18 miles, it would be vastly larger, and we would all freeze to death. If it changed by one-eighth of an inch, we would be incinerated. The sun is burning at approximately 20 million degrees Celsius at its interior. If the earth was moved 10% farther away, we would soon freeze to death. If it were moved 10% closer, we would be reduced to ashes. Are we to believe that such precision “just happened”? Think about it: the sun is poised at 93 million miles from Earth, which happens to be just right. Did this happen by chance or by design? It’s no small wonder that the psalmist alludes to God as the grand designer: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. . . . [The sun] rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other” (Psalm 19:1, 6).
3. Proof of God: The Laws of Probability and Fulfilled Prophecy. There are 1,093 prophecies in the Bible that refer to Jesus and His Church, and each one of those prophecies was fulfilled! The Old Testament contains 48 prophecies that pertain to the crucifixion of Jesus. When applying the laws of probability to calculate the likelihood of several events taking place at or near the same time, all probabilities have to be multiplied together. For example, if the probability of a single event occurring randomly is 1 chance in 5 and the probability of a separate event occurring is 1 chance in 10, then the probability that both events will occur together or in sequence is 1 in 5 multiplied by 1 in 10, which yields 1 in 50.
In considering the fact that several different prophets who lived in separate communities over a span of a 1,000 years made predictions of Christ 500 years before His birth, the odds against these prophecies coming true are simply beyond our wildest comprehension. For example, the chances of one man (Jesus) fulfilling just 8 of the prophecies attributed to Him are one in 10 to the 17th power (that’s a number 1 with 17 zeroes).
Consider this: imagine covering the entire state of Texas with silver dollars to a level of two feet deep. The number of silver dollars needed to cover the whole state would be 10 to the 17th power. Mark one silver dollar with an “X” and drop it from an airplane. Then thoroughly stir all the silver dollars all over the state. Then blindfold a man and tell him he can travel wherever he wishes in the state of Texas. Then somewhere along the way, he is to stop and reach down into the two feet of silver dollars and pull up the one silver dollar that has been marked with the “X.” What are the chances of his doing this? The same chance the prophets had of eight of their prophecies being fulfilled in any one man in the future (based on the work of Peter W. Stoner and Robert C. Newman in Science Speaks: Scientific Proof of the Accuracy of Prophecy and the Bible [Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1963, pg. 101-109].)
The Bible with all its fulfilled prophecies proves the existence of God. Through the law of probability and the mathematical odds of prophecy being fulfilled, we can know assuredly that there was a divine Designer and Author of the Bible. The same One who brought the universe into existence. “You may say to yourselves, ‘How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?’ If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously” (Deuteronomy 18:21-22).
Finally, God, the Creator of the universe and Author of our salvation tells us, “Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please” (Isaiah 46:9-10).

No. For instance there is no clear cause/effect relationship at fundamental level. And that is only the first of his “arguments”.

The rest is even easier to knock down.

Ciao

- viole

 

[Audie]

It would be swell if our OP would
acknowledge any of the gross defects in
the "proof".

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Have any aspects of end times prophecy been fulfilled?
Question: "Have any aspects of end times prophecy been fulfilled?"
Answer: Revelation 4:1 introduces a section of Scripture that details “things which must be hereafter.” What follows are prophecies of the “end times.” We have not yet reached the tribulation, the revelation of the Antichrist, or other “end-time” events. What we do see is a “preparation” for those events.
Jesus said that the last days would be preceded by several things: many false Christs would come, deceiving many; we would “hear of wars and rumors of wars”; and there would be an increase in “famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in diverse places. All these are the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:5-8). Today’s news is full of false religions, warfare, and natural disasters.

Not compelling. This bit fails criteria 3 (it's vague and ambiguous), 4 (wars and famines aren't rare), and 5 (wars and famine, in a general sense, are foreseeable).

We know that events of the tribulation period will include all that Jesus predicted (Revelation 6:1-8); current events seem to be a build-up for greater trouble ahead.
Paul warned that the last days would bring a marked increase in false teaching. “In later times, some will abandon the faith, and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons” (1 Timothy 4:1).

Again: vague and ambiguous... unless you want to count the bit in 1 Timothy 4 about how those deceived people following demons will "prohibit marriages;" that's always seemed rather prescient to me in the context of the same-sex marriage debate.

The last days are described as “perilous times” because of the increasingly evil character of man and because of people who actively “oppose the truth” (2 Timothy 3:1-9; also see 2 Thessalonians 2:3). The list of things people will be in the last days—lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power—(2 Timothy 3:1-2) seems to fit our modern age exactly.

Again: vague, ambiguous, and not improbable at all. Has there been an age in the history of humanity that hasn't had greedy people?

And as far as violence goes, this age has less violence than any other. We're living in the most peaceful era in Earth's history - check out Steven Pinker's book "Better Angels of Our Nature" if you're curious.

Can there be any doubt that the prophecies concerning apostasy are being fulfilled?

Yes, there certainly can.

Our 21st-century world has embraced moral relativism, a philosophy which is tainting even the church. For example, many denominations are having a hard time defining marriage as being between one man and one woman, and many religious leaders today are openly supporting homosexuality. The Bible has become subordinate to the modern church’s quest for a more appealing “truth.” These are indeed “perilous times” spiritually.

How do homosexuality and same-sex marriage enter into this? IMO, the reduced oppression of LGBTQ people is less abusive, less brutal, and more loving than the past.

The formation of the European Union—and the fact that we have a reunified Germany—is very interesting in light of biblical prophecy. The “ten toes” of Daniel 2:42 and the ten-horned beasts of Daniel 7:20 and Revelation 13:1 are references to a “revived” Roman Empire which will hold power before Christ returns. Although the precise political structure has yet to be formed, the pieces can be seen as falling into place.

You'll have to step me through how "ten toes" = "the EU with a reunified Germany."

In 1948, Israel was recognized as a sovereign state, and this, too, has ramifications for the student of Scripture. God promised Abram that his posterity would have Canaan as “an everlasting possession” (Genesis 17:8),

... so the fact that the Jews didn't possess Israel for the period before 1948 means the prophecy was violated, no?

and Ezekiel prophesied a physical and spiritual resuscitation of Israel (Ezekiel 37). Having Israel as a nation in its own land is important in light of end-time prophecy, because of Israel’s prominence in eschatology (Daniel 10:14; 11:41; Revelation 11:8).

So this is more about events that you expect to happen... i.e. unfulfilled prophecy that you hope will be fulfilled in the future.

While there is no biblical proof that the things mentioned above are prophecy fulfilled, we can see how many of these events are similar to what the Bible describes. In any case, we are to be watching for prophecy fulfilled because Jesus told us that the day of the Lord—His return for His own—would come like a thief in the night (2 Peter 3:10), unexpected and unannounced. “Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man" (Luke 21:36).

IOW, accurately interpreting end times prophecy implies Jesus was wrong?

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

The Kalaam Cosmological argument is not an argument but opinion based on christian apologetics misrepresentation of cosmology and is completely debunked by real science

And it isn't even an argument for God. It just ends with "... therefore, the universe has a cause." Even if the Kalaam Cosmological Argument was sound, it doesn't even claim that the cause is necessarily God.

 

[ChristineM]

And it isn't even an argument for God. It just ends with "... therefore, the universe has a cause." Even if the Kalaam Cosmological Argument was sound, it doesn't even claim that the cause is necessarily God.

It falls on many points

 

[Revoltingest]

It is like using a phone for a brain. You see
people walk into glass doors, doing that.

My barber is recovering from a car crashing into her (as a pedestrian).
The guy was texting instead of watching the road...& the sidewalk.

 

[ChristineM]

My barber is recovering from a car crashing into her (as a pedestrian).
The guy was texting instead of watching the road...& the sidewalk.

Illegal in Europe, is it illegal in the US?

 

[Revoltingest]

Illegal in Europe, is it illegal in the US?

Oh, yes.
I suspect some pretty severe repercussions for the driver.
One shouldn't drive like a woman.

 

[blü 2]

Question: "Is there any conclusive proof of God?"
The answer depends greatly on what is meant by “conclusive” proof of God.

As for my position, I'm a materialist (simply for want of a more reasoned option).

And before we can get to the question, 'What would be a conclusive proof of God's reality?' I think the deeper problem here is, 'What real being or thing, if any, does the word 'God' denote?'

For instance, if something ─ call it A ─ is real then [it] has objective existence, that is, it exists independently of the concept of A in any brain. [It]'s out there in the world, along with everything else that has objective existence.

Yet ─ please correct me if I'm wrong ─ no one goes looking for God out there, do they? There's no definition of a real God, such that if we found a candidate, we could tell whether it were God or not, is there? Instead they look inward, into their own thoughts, feelings, imaginings (not least because they're encouraged to), and the very large majority of reports of encounters are events internal to the subject. In other words, the evidence points to God as a concept, not a thing ─ part of our mentation, not part of objective reality.

So when you say,

Can we reach out and touch God or see Him in the same way that we touch and see people? No.​

I'd reply, Why not? Because God lacks objective existence?

Is that unfair?

 

[YeshuaRedeemed]

As for my position, I'm a materialist (simply for want of a more reasoned option).

And before we can get to the question, 'What would be a conclusive proof of God's reality?' I think the deeper problem here is, 'What real being or thing, if any, does the word 'God' denote?'

For instance, if something ─ call it A ─ is real then [it] has objective existence, that is, it exists independently of the concept of A in any brain. [It]'s out there in the world, along with everything else that has objective existence.

Yet ─ please correct me if I'm wrong ─ no one goes looking for God out there, do they? There's no definition of a real God, such that if we found a candidate, we could tell whether it were God or not, is there? Instead they look inward, into their own thoughts, feelings, imaginings (not least because they're encouraged to), and the very large majority of reports of encounters are events internal to the subject. In other words, the evidence points to God as a concept, not a thing ─ part of our mentation, not part of objective reality.

So when you say,

Can we reach out and touch God or see Him in the same way that we touch and see people? No.​

I'd reply, Why not? Because God lacks objective existence?

Is that unfair?

No, it's not unfair. I agree wiuth your premise. As a Christian moneist, I believe God is a divine being who created and loved His creation.

 

[blü 2]

No, it's not unfair. I agree wiuth your premise. As a Christian moneist, I believe God is a divine being who created and loved His creation.

There can be no 'conclusive' demonstration of the reality of an entity that has no physical description, no?

 

[Monika0711]

There is no proving the Eternal God from the temporal perspective. The only “experiment” of proving/disproving God would be proving/disproving your own existence. Now — can you NOT be? Can you even imagine non-being? .... the best you can imagine is the death of your body. No one can imagine non- being. And God is ALL that is.

 

[ChristineM]

Oh, yes.
I suspect some pretty severe repercussions for the driver.
One shouldn't drive like a woman.

Good, it is stupid to distract yourself when in charge of a couple of tons of lethal weapon

Fyi, and consider it crossed out ;-)
Women are better drivers than men, says new survey

 

[Audie]

I

There is no proving the Eternal God from the temporal perspective. The only “experiment” of proving/disproving God would be proving/disproving your own existence. Now — can you NOT be? Can you even imagine non-being? .... the best you can imagine is the death of your body. No one can imagine non- being. And God is ALL that is.

Speak for your own paucity of imagination.

I just think of all the unnoticed years before I was born.

 

[Hawkins]

God explicitly is an entity supposedly existing outside our human space. He's not living inside our realm. How can human collect evidence for an entity not inside our realm? That's a technical question. Now it all boils down to what do you mean by "evidence" in specific. Please compile a list first to see what can be considered as evidence, say, a video tape showing God, or God's DNA or what.

Now after you have a proposed list about what can be considered as evidence, than try to apply your list to a figure existed in our space first. Take Confucius (551 – 479 BC) as the first example, and please present your evidence that Confucius ever existed, or to reject his existence due to the lack of evidence.

Only after your definition and criteria used in addressing the existence of Confucius, then extend this as a standard to an entity outside our space......PLEASE!

Before this, discussions in this thread is completely unsubstantial!

 

[SkepticThinker]

God explicitly is an entity supposedly existing outside our human space. He's not living inside our realm. How can human collect evidence for an entity not inside our realm? That's a technical question. Now it all boils down to what do you mean by "evidence" in specific. Please compile a list first to see what can be considered as evidence, say, a video tape showing God, or God's DNA or what.

Now after you have a proposed list about what can be considered as evidence, than try to apply your list to a figure existed in our space first. Take Confucius (551 – 479 BC) as the first example, and please present your evidence that Confucius ever existed, or to reject his existence due to the lack of evidence.

Only after your definition and criteria used in addressing the existence of Confucius, then extend this as a standard to an entity outside our space......PLEASE!

Before this, discussions in this thread is completely unsubstantial!

Does your God entity ever interact with the physical world? If so, then such an interaction should be measurable in some way.

 

[Hawkins]

Does your God entity ever interact with the physical world? If so, then such an interaction should be measurable in some way.

Your reply is unsubstantial as it can be!

Like I said. Confucius not only interacted with this world, he was in this world all the times. Now please show me the "measurable interaction" applicable to Confucius first, before we extend the same "measurable interaction" to God.

Can you do this first, before a further discussion?