rtris (01/28/83)
Yes, Dale Henrichs, is would indeed seem that mathematical (rigorous) type proofs fail to be conclusive w.r.t. the existence of God for reasons of which yours is undoubtedly one. To paraphrase (always a good excersise): to be conclusive about God one would have to be able to step into the system (the universe) in which God resides in order to prove his existence. This seems rather impossible at the present time. However, I submit the we hold many things to be true, even (or perhaps especially) those things and values upon which our lives are based, "merely" on the basis of reasonable evidence. (For instance, that Julius Ceasar lived, Aristotle, our ideas about what is "better" (for me, for them, your wife etc.) (now you see the reason I mentioned "especially", these kinds of things (values) are rather unprovable)). And we make decisions based on these facts and values that shape our lives day by day (i.e. I am attempting to demonstrate that they are important in our lives, even that they, ultimately, determine what kind of people we are and the world we live in). And, to reiterate, a whole pile of the basis for our decision making rests upon unprovable (in a rigorous sense) things. I also submit that it would be possible to gather reasonable evidence for the existence of God, and ascertain his qualities (character) to a reasonable extent, if he somehow entered our system. (Then we don't have to perform the feat of getting outside of our system in order to know anything about Him, instead He comes into ours and shows us). And, I submit lastly, this has happened in the person of Jesus Christ. Ralph.