Whether or not to believe in God is sometimes a sensitive issue and can lead to heated discussions. There are many disagreements between different religions, but they all agree on at least one thing: there is a god, who is the intelligent creator and benevolent ruler. However, agnostics and atheists disagree.
Table of contents
- Theists
- Atheists
- Agnostics
- Western philosophy tradition: trying to prove that god exists
Theists
Theists are certain that God exists. Every follower of any religion, anywhere in the world, is a theist. It does not matter whether the religion has one or more gods, because it requires the same belief in ‘an intelligent creator’. This creator is so perfect that he deserves our worship. Theists or believers therefore devote their lives to God to a greater or lesser extent. Some believers regularly attend places of worship or attend rituals and religious traditions.
Atheists
The atheists, just like theists, have no doubts. Only they claim to be certain that God does not exist except in the minds of men. Atheists therefore need arguments against the existence of God. To this end, some atheists use the problem of suffering as evidence against theists (who believe in god).
Agnostics
Agnosticism, like theism and atheism, is a belief. Agnostics believe that there is insufficient evidence to know whether God exists or not. So one hesitates between two poles: believers and atheists. The agnostics differ from the atheists because atheists believe that there is no god. Agnostics give the theistic theories and the possible existence of god the benefit of the doubt.
Atheists or agnostics usually do not actively follow a religion. Some unbelievers regularly go to a place of worship, partly because of their social situation, for example in a strictly religious family. In this case, they have to choose between their family, relatives, friends or their beliefs. The choice often goes to the family, and therefore the faith, because they are afraid of being rejected from their family.
Western philosophy tradition: trying to prove that god exists
Despite the benefit of the doubt that agnostics give to believers, they are not appreciated by many religions because of their criticism and demand for proof of the existence of God. The term agnosticism is sometimes used to describe our lack of knowledge about God, and not just the people who hold this belief.
There is a long tradition of debate between theists and atheists. Although for a very long period in our history, ‘proving that God exists’ has been especially important. In the past, anyone who tried to argue otherwise was prosecuted or executed. That is one of the reasons why there are many theistic sources in philosophical history, and fewer critical and atheistic ones. Critical articles were therefore sometimes published under pseudonyms and ‘packaged’ in a fictional story.
Cosmological argument
Thomas Aquinas based a line of thinking on the fact that everything is in motion, in the world and beyond. Because every movement must start with another movement, like for example a ball needs a gust of wind or a football player to start moving. The ‘first mover’ must therefore be god.
Ontological argument
This was first formulated by Anselm. The ontological argument states that there is something after which it is no longer possible to think bigger. Everything that exists in reality therefore exists both physically and in thought, so that nothing can be greater. From this one concludes that god exists, a god who is the pinnacle of physical reality and thought, or the only thing greater.
Teleological argument
In this line of thought, the existence of god is ‘proven’ on the basis of the beauty and regularity of nature. Nature is so beautiful and complex, but at the same time ordered, that there must be an intelligent creator behind it. This creator is then called god. The great weakness is the presence of imperfections in nature. This means that God can make mistakes, which is why atheists and agnostics refer to the problem of suffering. Today there is an alternative to this theistic mindset. They now sometimes invoke Darwin’s natural selection as evidence that God deliberately built in imperfections.
Moral argument
Thomas Aquinas wrote in one of his theistic arguments that God must exist because He is the most perfect cause of everything that is less perfect. He is therefore the highest moral authority, who can judge good and evil. Kant replied many centuries later that asserting and believing that God exists is necessary for people to obey moral laws. He therefore pointed out the political usefulness of the discussion, because religion is often linked to power.
read more
- To be happy according to Epicurus
- Solipsism: what is real and what is illusion?
- Transhumanism
- The problem of suffering