[This is a repost of 2014 article, which was deleted by mistake]
For centuries,
humankind has been debating about the existence of God. Most people say God
exists; some say that God does not exist, and still, others say that nobody can
know whether God exists or not. Friedrich Nietzsche went on to say, “God is dead.” Should you care God exists or not? If it doesn’t matter, one need not
pay attention, but how does one know it matters or not? Let us define God
first. Defining God exactly is impossible, for He is beyond definition and
comprehension. But for this article God is the “maximally great being,” by
which I mean He is the greatest, perfect, infinite, invincible, omnipotent,
omniscient, and omnipresent Being. Moreover, He is the Creator of the Universe
and everything in it.
Nietzsche
is wrong: God cannot be dead. His idea of God is not compatible to be called as
God. We don’t need to be so skeptical whether such a being exists or not, for we
conceived easily every now and then of such attributes. Moreover, we have
experienced enough in our suffering for such a being to help us or contemplate
for such ideas. By the way, there are many arguments available for the existence
of God, such as Cosmological, Teleological, Moral Arguments etc. Thus, it is
reasonable to believe in the existence of God.
Even if
one is not convinced by those arguments, he should care to know whether God
exists or not, because none can prove the non-existence of God either. Yes, one
does not need to care whether a unicorn exists or not, for there is no
implication of its existence and non-existence. But, God by definition, His
natures transcend the definition and everything. His nature reveals that he has
created the universe and mankind with a purpose. You better find out, for you are
his creatures. You are in His universe, you better pay attention to it. You
better know Him like you know your Car or machine. Or else, you would be in
deep trouble. You should really be caring to know of His existence.
Moreover,
Christians who believe in this God says God has revealed Himself to mankind. He
gives a moral law to live by. He says that every human being has violated His
laws (such as the Ten Commandments). He is just, that anyone who violates the moral
law will face its consequence; but He is also graceful that He provides means
to pardon anyone who would come to Him. Except one comes to Him, he has no
means of forgiveness. Therefore, you better know Him. You must care about His
existence.
The fact
that the debate exists should convince one to care about the existence or
non-existence of God. The crux of the debate is the accountability of humankind
to God. If He does not exist, indeed, humankind needs no accountability for the
purpose of its existence. In fact, that is what Nietzsche, Dawkin and other
atheists are trying to prove for. They don’t want moral accountability. They
want to live life as they want. Bertrand Russell rightly observed that the
implication of “God is dead” will make life “devoid of sympathy, ruthless,
cunning, cruel, concerned only with his own power.” We have seen that. The 20th Century
has become the bloodiest century. One victim of school-shooting in the US is said
to appeal the government to bring back God into the school. God existence cannot
be denied even philosophically, it cost us dearly.
When I
look at the background of most outspoken atheists, it is evidential that they
are anti-theists. Their denial of God’s existence is not a fact, but a
rejection of God. The Bible says, “Fool has said in his heart, “There is no
God.”” (Ps. 14:1) It is not a fact that God does not exist, but the rejection
of it. Another group says that the arguments for God’s existence is not
convincing, and choose themselves to stay out. That cannot be a position to
live on. Pascal’s wager is fitting for them. If one bets on the existence of
God and follows him; and if He really exists, one gains His eternal favor. But
if one bets the other side, he loses His favor and faces the justice of God.
If He does not exist, nobody lost anything. Yes, we must care about the
existence of God, not just because it is reasonable to believe that He exists,
but also because of the implications of belief in His existence or
non-existence. The implication is not just about the impacts on society but
also our position before the true justice of God.