How do you know God is or isn’t?
Agnosticism and atheism. Skepticism and doubt. Some individuals have come to one or more of those perspectives. There are various processes that have led them to conclude that believing in the reality of God is not an acceptable notion. I can’t and won’t try to speak for all, but some of these processes can be identified in a general way. To keep things simple, I’ll use the term “skeptic” as an identifier for all agnostics and atheists.
Some skeptics witness the outlandish actions or attitudes of some religious persons and kind of jump to the conclusion that there is no God. If there is a God, how could his believers be so ridiculous? Here’s a preacher declaring that he is the second coming of Christ who is obviously a greedy, self-satisfied fraud with a fondness for gold – consequently no God exists.
Then there are skeptics whose idea of the god in whom religious people supposedly believe is so bizarre that there is no wonder they are unbelievers. One commenter described the “biblical God” with terms such as “human-like,” “monstrous,” “psychopathic,” a “jealous, irrational, sadistic tyrant” who waves a “magic wand.” Well, sure, I don’t believe that god exists, either. (I use lower case g when the word is used for a being that cannot be the true God.)
Many skeptics hold the idea that Reality is only material – there is no spiritual dimension, nothing supernatural (that is, beyond physical nature, and so this worldview is called naturalism), nothing miraculous, therefore, there is no God. Materialists (or naturalists) believe the only way to know reality, to know what is, to know what’s true is by the scientific, empirical method. This boils down to: if you can observe it with physical senses, it’s real, and if not then it’s nothing but fantasy.
Quite a few skeptics cannot believe God is because bad things happen. I think they must have the underlying idea (or at least desire) that life ought to be comfortable and safe so if there was a powerful, good God, he would make life comfortable and safe for everyone. Entertainer Woody Allen once wondered how anyone could expect him to believe in God “when only last week I got my tongue caught in the roller of my electric typewriter?”
The bad-things-happen argument is much more deeply personal for some people, those who have experienced an excruciatingly painful tragedy, such as the untimely death of a loved one, or the victims of violence (assault, abuse, war, etc.), and feel like God let them down. My heart goes out to those folks. Again not wanting to try to speak for all or anyone in particular, I suspect many of those skeptics actually just don’t like God or are angry at him so they adopt an agnostic/atheistic stance. It could be a way to ignore God, to keep him at a distance because they just don’t want to have anything to do with him. I can understand how that could be easier than accepting his existence when they are in such pain.
While the various skeptics have come to their disbelief for diverse reasons (most lay claim to more than one reason, of course), all skeptics (that I know of) ask for evidence and proof from theists. They ask that we believers not just assert that it is right to believe in God but that we provide verification for our belief. They imply and sometimes state that if there is irrefutable confirmation for God’s existence then they will believe.
So I want to talk about evidence and proof. For this essay, I intend to make a distinction between evidence and proof. Often the two words mean the same thing and are used interchangeably, as in saying something like “the evidence proves the man is guilty.” But there is also a legitimate way of seeing some difference between the two words. For what I need to say here, I need to use that distinction. Hopefully, this will make sense by the time I am finished.
So, here’s how I will distinguish evidence and proof. Evidence points to the truth. It’s like a sign which you see next to the highway that reads “Denver 100 miles.” The sign gives you a reason to believe that you will arrive in Denver after you’ve traveled 100 more miles down this road. However it’s in the realm of possibility that the sign is wrong. Maybe the distance was not measured correctly and Denver is 110 miles ahead. Maybe someone moved the sign from another highway and you’ll never get to Denver by the road you’re traveling. You may not have absolute certainty, but it is reasonable to believe that it’s true that Denver is 100 miles ahead. That’s what I mean by evidence in this article. There are some things that give evidence that God is. They point to the possibility of his existence. Granted, they don’t provide absolute certainty, but they grant a reason to believe. I’ll share a few in a bit.
On the other hand, proof, as I am using the word, does more than point to the truth. This gets a little more complicated. Proof is what you have when truth is known. Back on the highway to Denver: at the sign that says “Denver 100 miles” you mark the car’s odometer reading and truck on down the road. After a period of time, you drive into a large city named Denver, look at the odometer, do some quick math and confirm that you have traveled 100 miles since you passed the sign. The sign was correct, but you’re not just confirming the sign. You’re confirming that Denver is there. Yes, it’s where the sign said it would be, but it’s more than that. Denver has been made known to you. It has come into your view. That’s proof that Denver is. This is what I mean in this essay by proof that God is. When God comes into your view, you have proof. It’s irrefutable confirmation.
Now even though it’s irrefutable confirmation, a person can refuse to accept it. A person could drive into Denver and refuse to accept it: “Nope, this is be Greeley. I’m not stopping here.” Likewise, a person can refuse to accept the reality of God. That’s a choice. God is irrefutable but not irresistible.
Okay, there are evidences for God’s reality. There are some facts that serve as signposts pointing to God, and I am meaning God of the Bible, God of Christianity. People can and will argue about “which god?” but I’m not getting into that; it’s another discussion not for here. I present these evidences bare-boned without explanation because explaining them would take too much time and space for now. Here are a few (there are many more) indications of God’s existence:
- There is a universe which had a beginning.
- Life emerged from non-life.
- The idea/concept of good and evil
- The history of the nation Israel until 70 AD
- Jesus of Nazareth
- Millions of people testify that God has affected their lives.
These six facts point to the possibility that God is. They are like six signposts next to the highway. I think anyone who seriously questions God’s existence should honestly study these facts and see where they lead. This is a big question and calls for more than merely dismissing them without doing some hard work on understanding what they could indicate.
However, these evidences are not proof that God is. They don’t provide irrefutable confirmation. There may be explanations for them other than the activity of God. They don’t bring God into view, at least not clearly. They are signs, but they are not God.
For proof, you can’t stay at the signs. Remember the sign: “Denver 100 miles.” If you stay stopped on the side of the road reading that sign, you’ll never arrive in Denver, you’ll never see Denver, you’ll never know Denver. You can believe that the sign is telling the truth; you can camp next to the sign and continue reading it or take a picture of it and periodically read it that way, but you won’t know. Unless you take the journey down the highway for 100 miles, you won’t know. You have to do something more than read the sign. (Of course, you can disbelieve the sign and go on your merry way. That’s your choice.)
So it is with proof of God. If a skeptic stays at the sign – the evidence – they will never know. They need to go further than the evidence (like the 6 facts I named) can take them.
Material evidence can’t take someone far enough (can’t prove that God is) because God is spirit. Physical, material methods, senses, and instruments cannot discover something – someone – who is not physical and material but who is spirit. Some skeptics ask for material proof such as God writing in the sky (although one atheist honestly admitted he would think it was somehow a hoax). A frequent request by skeptics is for God to restore someone’s amputated limb and thus prove his existence. These kinds of things are still materialistic, only physical; they might provide evidence but not proof. Efforts – indeed, demands – to know God with scientific evidence will fall short. Efforts to insist – to prove – by way of scientific evidence that there is no God to know will not succeed either. That’s not because God just refuses to be known scientifically. It’s because it just cannot be. It’s not a thing. Physical, materialistic, naturalistic, scientific methods only go so far. They don’t go far enough to bring God into view.
Since God is spirit, one must reach for him in spirit, with one’s own spirit. The spirit is what enables a human to relate to God. We relate to the physical world around us with the body and its five senses. We relate to God with the spirit. It is the core of our identity; it is who a person really is. Our individual uniqueness, purpose, and meaning are rooted in the spirit. The spirit is the motor of our reason and will. The spirit drives us to reach beyond the base, materialistic dimension of existence, drives us to reach for transcendence – ultimately to search, find, and know God.
To bring God into view, a person must reach to him with the spirit. A skeptic will find proof of God’s reality only by going further than physical, scientific evidence can go. The spirit of a person needs to be activated and engaged in the search. This will probably not be easy for a person who has only consciously depended on materialistic or scientific thinking or on their emotions. It will take time and intentional effort. It’s not just a matter of trying to be religious or of fantasizing. One’s spirit can be set in motion by consciously thinking on spiritual possibilities.
One of the most widely used methods of counseling is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). A key skill taught in CBT is alternative thinking – the client learns to identify and develop thoughts that are different than the thoughts that have been contributing to his negative moods and behaviors. This is essentially what I am suggesting for a skeptic to do in order to begin activating the spirit: deliberately and clearly think on some spiritual possibilities.
There is no specific formula or list or ritual to use. A person must begin where they are and think their own thoughts in order for this to be personal. The following are some suggestions that one could try. They can be adapted to the individual’s own way of thinking. These are introductory thoughts; it will be necessary to continue with a train of thought that will enable the mind to develop each one:
- There may be more to reality than I can observe with my physical senses. If there is, I’m willing to know that…
- Maybe there is a part of me that is spirit. If so, I want to activate it and see what happens…
- It may be that God is real and I have just not seen it. I’ll accept other ways of coming to know…
- If God is real then he is greater than I am. If he is not just a power and is actually personal and caring, then he can somehow communicate to me. So I’ll pay attention to any “spiritual messages” that occur…
Since we reach to God with the spirit it’s important for the seeker to express what is really in their spirit, what’s truly inside their mind and heart. It’s good to be honest about these things. I believe it’s especially critical for the skeptic who has denied God’s reality because of tragedy and pain. Thinking about spiritual possibilities includes those emotions and ideas, even to the point of clearly thinking (maybe saying or writing) what they feel, such as I’m angry at whatever God there might be, I don’t like this God who let this happen or even God, I’m angry at you, I don’t like you… We need to seek God in spirit and in truth.
Activating the spirit continues beyond one’s own thoughts. Reading and engaging with Scripture (the Holy Bible) will be important. It’s not a good idea to start with something like the creation account or descriptions of miracles and try to explain or accept them. I suggest that a skeptic carefully read and meditate on the seventeenth chapter of the Gospel of John. This is a prayer by Jesus which focuses on knowing “the only true God.” One of the key issues in his prayer is about having God in view. Of course, a skeptic will not understand everything Jesus said (no one does), but they can use the statements and ideas to help shape their thoughts and to tune their spirit to spiritual realities.
The time will come when the skeptic needs to talk with someone about his thoughts and feelings, about her reaching for God with her spirit. I wish we could just tell them to go to the nearest church and talk to the pastor, but, unfortunately, that can’t be done. It may take some work to find one, but there are churches and pastors and individuals who will know how to talk with a skeptic – will listen, not push, not condemn, and not coddle. Talking these issues out will help refine one’s reaching for God with the spirit and open up other possibilities. Getting involved in “spiritual activities” like worship, study, ministry, and prayer will further refine and strengthen the spirit.
Author Anne Lamott, raised by her “very staunch atheist” father and “not-too-devoted atheist” mother, describes the process of her own coming to know God: “My coming to faith did not start with a leap but rather a series of staggers from what seemed like one safe place to another. Like lily pads, round and green, these places summoned and then held me up while I grew. Each prepared me for the next leaf on which I would land, and in this way, I moved across the swamp of doubt and fear.”
When God comes into view for the skeptic he will be himself. No one can expect God to be something he is not. We can’t decide for ourselves what God is like. Just as God allows each person to be who they really are as they come to him, we have to be willing to allow God to be who he is. Millions of people testify that what God is like is Jesus Christ – characterized by grace and truth. He shows himself to be loving, merciful, and good. He reveals that he has a goal for each person that satisfies their needs and endows them with eternal meaning.
I don’t want to leave the impression that everyone who seeks for proof of God by activating their spirit will follow this process step-by-step. It’s going to look different – going to look personal – for each one. Some may take a more emotional path than what I’ve described. Great! My main proposal here is that proof of God happens beyond evidence. Proof of God comes by way of the spirit of a person – we relate to God with our spirits. Proof of God happens when he comes into view by the spirit and then the skeptic knows. Former atheist Nicolle Cliffe explains what happened to her: “I had been cracked open to the divine, I read books that I would have laughed at before the cracking, and the stars lined up and there was God, and then I knew, and then I said it out loud to a third party, and then I giggled.” “Cracked open to the divine” is what I mean by reaching to God with one’s spirit. I believe that God does not merely wait passively for a person to find him but will be reaching out in various ways through his Spirit to the one who seeks him.
Let’s go back to the sign: “Denver 100 miles.” The sign is evidence, not proof. One will not know Denver at the sign. The traveler must journey in his car instead of staying at the sign until Denver comes into view to have proof that Denver is. When the skeptic, the seeker, is willing to journey with his spirit, then it will be possible to find proof of God.
Comments and questions are welcome, but Alternative Ministry Project is not an apologetics website. I’m not going to debate or argue about atheism/theism. Any comments by unbelievers or believers that are argumentative, attacking, or ridiculing will not be accepted for posting. I’ll gladly provide links to evidences if anyone needs them.
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