APOL500_AFBA
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School
Liberty University *
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Course
500
Subject
Philosophy
Date
Feb 20, 2024
Type
docx
Pages
3
Uploaded by ElderHyena2296
A
POLOGETICS
F
IELD
-B
ASED
A
CTIVITY
: T
HE
E
XISTENCE
OF
G
OD
T
EMPLATE
Do not change any aspect of this template; and do not delete anything from this template except for the arguments you are not using (see 1a). Instead, just type your content in the spaces provided, below. Before typing your content, you should review the entire document to be sure you understand what is required.
Type your name here
: Instructions for this submission The purpose of the activity is to provide you with an opportunity to construct a short argument for the existence of God while anticipating possible objections to that argument and then sharing that argument “in the field
.” In the sections provided below, you will insert your constructed argument and possible objections; you will enter the date, time, setting, and short description of the person with whom you share the argument; and a short reflection on the sharing experience.
1.
Construct a short argument for the existence of God while anticipating possible objections.
a.
Type below the list, the type of argument for the existence of God that you will be constructing; delete the arguments you are not using in order to avoid possible confusion (limit yourself to one of the arguments below): Teleological arguments: A Recent Fine-Tuning Design Argument (Sweis, p. 106-122)
b.
Lay out your argument as you plan to use it in the conversation you will be having.
The book of Genesis 1:1-2 starts out with, “In the beginning, God created the heavens
and the earth. The earth was without form and void…” (English Standard Version). As of recently, some of the world’s greatest minds have concluded that the existence of life itself is but a mere coincidence.
1
If the Bible claims that God is the great designer and many highly intelligent individuals demonstrate sympathy towards the theory of design, how can we conclude that it was all just coincidental? As a man of reason and logic, like you, I do not feel that we are just a consequence of an infinite number of coincidences that led to highly conscious beings. Our designer, God, has meticulously created us in accordance to His will. c.
Anticipate two to three possible objections to your argument and how you would
address those objections in a short conversation. I believe that the first possible objection is the numbers. I believe he will first ask to look at the numbers and research behind my argument. My response will come from chapter 12 of Sweis and Meister’s book: Christian Apologetics: An Anthology of Primary Resources
. Another objection I believe my partner will have is how can we know who specifically is the designer of the universe. My response will consist of quotes from the Bible such as Genesis 1.
[1] Khaldoun A. Sweis and Chad V. Meister,
Christian Apologetics: An Anthology Of Primary Resources
Grand Rapids, MI.: Zondervan, 2012, 107.
[2] English Standard Version. Wheaton: Crossway, 2008.
2.
Sharing your argument for the existence of God.
a.
Identify the time and place in which you had the conversation.
The time was 8a.m. on September 2
nd
, 2022, at Better Buzz Coffee.
b.
Identify the setting (coffeeshop, online, text, etc. It must, however, be a conversation and not a monologue): The setting is a coffee shop and we are meeting in-person. c.
Identify your conversation partner (no names please): unbeliever, believer; uncertain; knowledge level, attitude of partner (antagonistic, interested, doubtful, devil’s advocate). My conversation partner is a believer and is interested in additional proof in Christianity. Additionally, he was a part of my cohort in my Doctor of Physical Therapy program and has in-depth knowledge and understanding of the human body all the way down to the cellular level. 3.
Reflection in which you describe how the conversation went, the reaction of your conversation partner both during and after the presentation of the argument, what you might have done differently, and how you feel after presentation about the strength of the argument.
a.
Describe details about how the conversation went.
Overall, the conversation went very well on my behalf. My conversation partner was very interested in my argument and made valid rebuttals to my argument. First, he asked if I had considered whether or not I could believe that we are just a product of chance. To which I responded with, “No.” I explained that arguing anything using the
idea of chance is irresponsible and naïve. Furthermore, I added that if chance was all we had to go off of then why is it that only our planet has intelligent life on it. Even if
there has been water on other planets, the sun has warmed up or cooled down, other planets having an atmosphere, the universe being billions of years old, then why have we not seen any intelligent life elsewhere? My belief would be that if there were any intelligible life forms that have ever existed then our chances of even seeing them would be just as great as the chances of all of this being a coincidence. His last great rebuttal was how can I prove then that a designer, God, exists. I said, “look around.” Every bit of this “coincidence” has allowed us to be here in this moment in time to simply discuss how we even arrived at this moment. I then mentioned that in Ecclesiastes 1:9 it states that “…what has been done is what will be
done, and there is nothing new under the sun.”
3
Not only him and I, but millions, if not billions, of other people have sat under the sun discussing “What are the chances?” To me, the chances are one out of one because the Lord is my savior in whom I put all my trust and faith unto. b.
Describe the reaction of your conversation partner both during and after the presentation of the argument.
[3] Ibid.
Although my partner was not incredibly surprised at the notion that God designed the universe in a very specific manner, he was relieved to know that there is an immense amount of knowledge, and people of knowledge, that cannot unequivocally deny that there are far too many coincidences for us to not believe in a designer. c.
Describe what you might have done differently. I believe the most important thing I left out of my argument was the Bible. Although this was a teleological argument, I know that using scripture within the context of an argument could have added validity. I believe that one of the most significant statements in the New Testament is when they mention how many people were present during the miracles that Jesus performed.
4
These eyewitnesses were some of the most well-known people that went out and preached the good news of our Christ. d.
Describe what you feel after the presentation about the strength of the argument.
I feel the strength of the argument is sound and reasonable for many people who have
a firm understanding of science. The argument uses probabilities versus improbabilities very well, but could definitely use more probabilities of God existing outside of faith. Overall, I feel the argument is firm and could definitely lead many non-believers to research the probability of our existence, which can then segue them right into Christianity. [4] Ibid.
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