Category Archives: Existence of God

Has neuroscience killed God?

Walking With Giants Posted on by

I recently got round to listening to the podcast of a discussion on this topic on Premier Christian Radio’s Unbelievable show.  The Revd Dr Alasdair Coles is a neurologist and a Christian.  His interest in the subject was stimulated by meeting a Christian patient who claimed to have some very powerful religious experiences but which, as it seems, were actually being triggered by epilepsy.  The sceptical perspective was represented by Martyn Frame, a psychological therapist.…

The moral argument for God’s existence

Walking With Giants Posted on by

The moral argument, stated at its simplest, asserts that moral facts, or imperatives, exist, and that the best way of explaining these is in terms of a supernatural moral Being (i.e. God).

In asserting that moral facts exist, the Christian apologist is on common ground with the majority of philosophers, including those who are not theists.

Fewer, however would accept that the existence of moral facts necessarily entails the existence of God.

Some would try to explain the moral impulse in terms of social pressure and cultural conditioning. …

God of the Gaps

Walking With Giants Posted on by

A ‘God of the gaps’ argument is one which states that if something cannot be explained by scientific evidence and reasoning that it must be attributable to God.

An early instance of this kind of reasoning is found in the work of none other than Isaac Newton, who, finding that he could not fully explain the movements of the planets, postulated that God made periodic adjustments to their orbits.

Probably the most significant modern version of god-of-the-gaps argumentation occurs in Intelligent Design theory. …

Craig, Strobel, Wilson, Denison, and Hitchens debate God’s Existence

Walking With Giants Posted on by

You’ve got to hand it to Christopher Hitchens.  Such is his self-confidence, and perhaps his disdain for the ‘opposition’, that he is prepared to take on all-comers when it comes to debating religion.  Oh, and it must help his book to sell as well.

In March of this year Hitchens took on not one, not two, not even three, but FOUR Christian apologists at the same time.  Of course, he comes out fighting, and if he was feeling a little bruised by the end he is too wily a campaigner to let it show.…

Suffering and the existence of a God of love

Walking With Giants Posted on by

John Blanchard discusses this in his book Does God Believe in Atheists?  The argument against the existence of an all-loving, all-powerful God may be summarised as follows:-

1. Evil and suffering exist
2. If God were all-loving, he would wish to prevent evil and suffering
3. If God were omnipotent, he would be able to prevent evil and suffering
4. Evil and suffering are not prevented. Therefore, there is no such thing as an all-loving, all-powerful God

It is not incumbent on the apologist to demonstrate why or how such a God allows evil and suffering to exist.…

“There’s probably no God…”

Walking With Giants Posted on by

“…now stop worrying and enjoy your life.”

According to BBC news, bendy-buses with this slogan could soon be running on the streets of London.

‘The atheist posters are the idea of the British Humanist Association (BHA) and have been supported by prominent atheist Professor Richard Dawkins.’  In Dawkins’ (humble) opinion, ‘this campaign to put alternative slogans on London buses will make people think – and thinking is anathema to religion.’

On the same day, (Tuesday 21st October 2008), two rather more sobering stories were also in the news:-

In the first story, the charity Serve Afghanistan has suspended operations in Afghanistan after a British volunteer, Gayle Williams, was shot dead in the capital Kabul.…