Apologetics- Contingency

[Arlene]

Apologetics- Contingency

Argument for the Existence of God
The first argument is from the “Argument of Contingency”. This argument argues, premise 1) Every existing thing has an explanation of its existence and that explanation can be of one of two types: Either in the necessity of its own nature, no cause (like numbers, sets, functions, geometric shapes), or an external cause that brought it into existence, contingent (like people, classrooms, mountains, galaxies, etc). This principle underlies all of science.

Premise 2: If the universe has an explanation of its existence, that explanation is God. This premise is logically equal to what atheists assert: If God does not exist then the universe has no explanation of its existence. The second premise can stand on its own when considering the universe, because the universe is all of space and time. It includes all matter and energy; all physical reality. If the second premise is true, something that created it must transcend all of space, time and matter. Beyond space this “being” cannot be a material object, and it has to be timeless to create time. Philosophers think two can satisfy these conditions: 1) Abstract objects, (like numbers, sets, functions, geometric shapes)or 2) a personal mind- a self consciousness. Both are nonmaterial and changeless. What we know is that abstract objects don’t cause anything, and so the only explanation of the universe is a transcendent mind. This is more plausible than its negation, which is what atheists assert to.

Premise 3: The universe is an existing thing.
All three premises seem plausible and true then there negations, and so what follows is premise

4: The universe has an explanation of its existence, therefore God exist.
Atheists may say the universe exists in the necessity of its own nature and this is a radical position because most scientists and philosophers believe the universe is contingent. Also, atheists must give evidence that the universe exists in the necessity of its own nature.
God’s explanation of existence is God exist by the necessity of his own nature.

Argument from Contingency
Dr. William Lane Craig

In case I misunderstood what Dr. William Lane Craig was trying to saying plz feel free to correct me.

[Kevin Modglin]

Nice explanation Arlene!

As Pastor Scott explained it to me, there must be a first cause. We don’t see something just pop into existence from nothing, despite what auto accident reports might try to say – “But officer, the other car just appeared in front of me from nowhere!”. We don’t have any evidence to say that physical things exist without a cause.

So the universe didn’t just pop into existence from nothing, there was a need the universe to be created by an immaterial being that is outside of space & time, God.

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