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The Existence of God

The Existence of God. Deacon Ken Reisor September 15, 2011. We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things seen and unseen… -Nicene Creed. God’s Existence. How do we know there is a God?. God’s Existence.

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The Existence of God

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  1. The Existence of God Deacon Ken Reisor September 15, 2011

  2. We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things seen and unseen… -Nicene Creed

  3. God’s Existence How do we know there is a God?

  4. God’s Existence “There is a God-shaped vacuum that only God can fill.”

  5. God’s Existence • “What else does this craving, and this helplessness, proclaim but that there was once in man a true happiness, of which all that now remains is the empty print and trace? This he tries in vain to fill with everything around him, seeking in things that are not there the help he cannot find in those that are, though none can help, since this infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words by God himself.” Pascal

  6. God Is Known Through Personal Experiences • Restlessness (unfulfilled desire) • Our hearts are restless , O Lord, until they rest in Thee. St. Augustine of Hippo • Sense of Justice • Heaven and Hell • Love • No material explanation can fully explain it • The Human Person • Moral goodness • Sacrificial love • Truth and beauty • Rom 1:20 Ever since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity have been able to be understood and perceived in what he has made.

  7. As Catholics, We Understand The Importance of Both Faith and Reason • Faith (Divine Revelation) • What we can know about God has been revealed by Him through His Son and taught by His Church • Reason (Rational thought) • What we can come to know about God through our natural abilities • Faith and reason do not conflict • Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth – in a word, to know himself – so that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves.” – Pope John Paul II (Fides et Ratio)

  8. REASON or RATIONAL THOUGHT, otherwise…PHILOSOPHY

  9. St. Thomas’ Proofs for the Existence of God • The First Mover • A thing must be first moved by something else; it cannot move itself (move here means “change.”) • The First Efficient Cause • There is no case known (neither is it, indeed, possible) in which a thing is found to be the efficient cause of itself; for so it would be prior to itself, which is impossible.

  10. St. Thomas’ Proofs for the Existence of God • There are three others but let’s stop here… • “I felt in my bones that this universe does not explain itself.” C.S. Lewis • Ultimately, we come to the agreement that there must have been something at the beginning that always was!

  11. God Is Known Through Divine Revelation

  12. God Is Known Through Divine Revelation Holy Scripture In Holy Scripture, there is no real elaborate argument attempting to prove that God exists…

  13. God Is Known Through Divine Revelation Holy Scripture His existence is, basically, taken for granted.

  14. God Is Known Through Divine Revelation Tradition Sola Scriptura APOSTOLIC LETTER ROSARIUM VIRGINIS MARIAE

  15. God Is Known Through Divine Revelation Our response to Divine Revelation is… …Faith

  16. So, what is God like?

  17. Qualities of God • Oneness – God is one • Eternal – God has no beginning and no end • Omnipotent – God is all powerful • Omniscient – God is all knowing • Immutable – God does not change • Supremely Holy – God is goodness itself • Personal – God is intimately concerned about His creation

  18. In Conclusion… • Let’s take a look at Deacon Ken’s philosophical theory called the… “Well,Duh” Factor. • Does God exist? • Well, duh…

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