Faith in God
QUESTION #10: Is There a God?
Like most of our information, it’s hard to “know” anything 100%. When we cross a street, do we really “know” 100% that we won’t get hit by a car? Do we really “know” 100% that George Washington was the 1st President of the United States? We never saw him, or met him and weren’t even alive at the time. Ultimately, our “knowledge” is really a reflection of conclusions we have drawn based on evidence and experience. To really raise some questions about how limited our “knowledge” could really be, take a look at the movie, “The Matrix[1].”
Yet, there is a commandment in the Torah to “know” G-d.[2] So as with any other form of “knowledge” that we profess, we need to examine the evidence. Various philosophers and theologians throughout the centuries have offered hundreds of pieces of evidence that allow us to “know” G-d. Since we are all different, I find that not everyone likes every “proof.” And that’s OK. With hundreds of pieces of evidence to choose from, each person needs to find only one that resonates to help establish and secure one’s faith. For a Jew, I often find that it is helpful to share the method that Avraham (Abraham) used to figure out that there is a G-d. Since he was the father of the Jewish people,[3] we may relate more to his reasoning than to that of others. But if you happen to not like his argument, that’s OK too, since there are hundreds of other arguments for G-d.[4]
Avraham grew up surrounded by idol worshippers,[5] a home and community that denied the existence of one all-powerful G-d; his father even tried to have him killed for his monotheistic beliefs.[6] But as Avraham examined the world around him, he developed what some refer to as the “Intelligent Design” approach to belief in G-d. Imagine that we finally succeed in sending a manned spacecraft to Mars and find a functioning wristwatch. Would we conclude that the watch randomly formed on its own? More likely, we would realize that someone had “created” that watch (which might mean life on Mars or might just mean that someone else came to visit first). When Avraham examined the intricacies of the world around him, he too concluded that the world could not have randomly formed by itself; he realized that someone had to have created a world that has so much design.
Centuries later, this argument was espoused by Sir Isaac Newton, the world-renowned astronomer and physicist,[7] who also happened to be a devout believer in G-d.[8] A story is told that Isaac Newton’s apprentice, a professed atheist, walked into a room to find Newton standing in front of a model of our solar system, suspended in the air from the ceiling. This model was an impressive replica of our solar system. Every planet resembled the ones in real life and even rotated around the model sun. The apprentice told Newton how impressed he was with Newton’s creation. But the apprentice was quite incredulous when Newton told him that he had not created the model. Newton explained that when he walked into the room, he found a large pile of materials on the floor, which included paper, string, paint and the like. He gave the pile a really big kick and the materials randomly connected with one another, forming an exact replica of our solar system. The apprentice exclaimed that it is not possible for this complex model of the solar system to have come about randomly. Newton retorted that if all the requisite materials were in that pile, it was certainly possible for his kick to have randomly caused this masterpiece of a model. While his apprentice acknowledged that it was technically possible, 
he explained that the odds were so low for it to have formed by chance, that only a fool would believe that this model of the solar system did not have a designer or creator. At that point, Newton pointed out the irony of this atheist’s words – “If a mere model of the solar system must have had a creator, certainly the real solar system must have had a creator as well!”[9] And the real universe is much more complex – it’s not just a few balls rotating around, but millions of planets and stars. And the complexity of any life-form adds a whole new level of intricacy.
When Avraham looked at plants, trees, animals or even the human eye, he saw the beauty and complexity of the design and concluded that there must have been a creator. Modern experts, including the world-renowned Stephen Hawking, argue that the odds of the elements necessary to create life on earth having come about randomly would be the same odds as a horde of monkeys spontaneously typing one of Shakespeare’s sonnets with no prior training![10] In mathematical terms, while not 100% proof of G-d, the chance of randomly typing the 488 letters to produce just one sonnet (average length) is one out of 26 to the 488th power, or one out of 10 to the 690th power – a one followed by 690 zero’s! The immense scale of this number is hinted at when one considers that since the Big Bang, roughly 15 billion years ago, there have been only 10 to the 18th power number of seconds that have ticked away.[11]
So while this argument does not prove with 100% certainty that there is a G-d, based on the arguments posited by Avraham and Sir Isaac Newton, it appears to be highly probable from a statistical perspective.
For references to this article in the news, CLICK HERE.
To learn more about G-d, click on any of the items below:
To comment on this article or to see more recommended reading about this topic, scroll down to after the footnotes.
[1] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133093/
[2] Shemos (Exodus), 6:7 and 20:2; Devarim (Deuteronomy), 5:6; Rambam (Maimonides), Sefer HaMitzvos (Book of Commandments), Mitzvah #1
[3] Beresihis (Genesis), 32:10; Zecharia, 1:73; Shemoneh Esrei Prayer
[4] Links to a handful of the books that offer evidence for G-d appear just above and just below the footnote section
[5] Rambam (Maimonides), Mishna Torah, Hilchos Avodah Zarah (Laws of Idolatry), 1:3
[6] Rashi, Bereishis (Genesis), 11: 28
[7] History of Science: Newton citing: Delambre, M. “Notice sur la vie et les ouvrages de M. le comte J. L. Lagrange,” Oeuvres de Lagrange I. Paris (1867); Westfall (1980), Chapter 11; “Newton: Physicist And … Crime Fighter?],” Science ( 2009), NPR.
[8] (1975) “Isaac Newton: Inventor, Scientist and Teacher,” Milford, Michigan, U.S., Mott Media; Newton to Richard Bentley (1692), in Turnbull et al. (1959–77), vol 3, p. 233; Opticks, 2nd Ed 1706. Query 31
[9] Isaac Newton, The Principia: Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy
[10] Stephen Hawking, A Brief History of Time
[11] Dr. Gerald Schroeder, “Genesis and the Big Bang”
7 Comments
You look both ways, If you see a car you don’t cross the road.
I’ve never see a god looking either way, why would I wait on the side of the road and worship the nonexistent.
Even for the skeptic, there’s always the possibility that G-d exists. One can never prove that something does NOT exist, since no one could possibly know every single entity in the universe. That being said, there can be evidence that something does exist. I have encountered hundreds of arguments for the existence of G-d. I presented a small glimpse of that evidence in my article above. If you would like to explore some of the other evidence, click here – https://www.simpletoremember.com/articles/a/creatorofworld/
While I would suggest that the vast evidence makes the likelihood of a G-d well over 99%, even if you maintain that there’s only a 50% chance, you may want to consider the ramifications of “Pascal’s wager”. Here’s one way to explain it:
Let’s say you’re dorming in school and you come back to your dorm one day and find your roommate with a fresh pie of pizza. Your roommate offers you a slice. Before you take a bite, your other roommate comes rushing in and claims that the pizza has been poisoned, and if you eat it, you will die. The first roommate disagrees and maintains that the poisoned pizza has been discarded and this one is perfectly fine. The second roommate argues back that the good pizza was discarded, but this one is poisoned. Assuming that neither roommate is lying or trying to deceive you, would you eat the pizza? There is now a 50% chance that the pizza is fine and a 50% chance that if you eat the pizza, you will die. Do you eat the pizza?
The answer is of course not, because the consequences of death are much more severe than the consequences of being a little hungry. But you then call over a scientist friend who does an experiment on the pizza and concludes that there is a 90% chance that the pizza is fine, but still a 10% chance that the pizza is poison and if you eat it, you will die. Do you eat the pizza?
The answer is still no, because even though there is only a 10% chance of death, since the consequences of death are so much worse that the consequences of being a little hungry, it would be foolish to eat the pizza.
Now let’s look at the question of faith in G-d. I would argue that the vast evidence out there presents a 99.99999% chance that G-d exists and that He wrote the Torah. But even if there was only a 50% chance of G-d’s existence and the Divine origin of the Torah, it would still make sense the follow His Torah just in case. Let’s examine the consequences. If a person leads a religiously observant lifestyle and it turns out that there is no G-d, there is no Torah and there is no eternal life after death, what has the person really lost? It’s subjective and debatable, but one could argue that he didn’t lose anything, and may have even gained. Religiously observant Jews tend to have lower divorce rates, lower drug abuse rates, lower crime rates and the like. And even if it turns out that they’re wrong about G-d, they can sleep at night much more soundly by believing that evil people will have to answer for the their crimes, that good people will be rewarded, and that everything that happens in this world has a purpose, even if something seems unfair or unjust. Furthermore, we believe that one our loved ones pass away, they can still watch over us and we will eventually be fully reunited with them in Heaven. So while one can argue both sides about whether a religiously observant person gained or lost in a G-d-less world, any consequence is debatable and it’s possible that such a person actually benefited. However, with regard to the person who leads his life ignoring the Torah, if it turns out that there is eternal life after death, this person would have lost eternal pleasure!!! Even an entire lifetime of pleasure in this world could not mathematically compare to just one second of pleasure in the infinite After Life and an entire lifetime of pain and suffering in this world would not be as painful as one second of suffering in the infinite After Life. So since the consequences are so much greater for the non-observant person in the event that there is a G-d, it would be worthwhile for us to try our best to observe the Torah, even if there is only a 10% chance that it’s true. Even if it’s a only a 1% chance, it would still make sense to follow as many laws as we can just in case it is true, as the consequences last forever!
I would add one caveat to “Pascal’s wager.” He was coming form the perspective that it would be worth it to sacrifice this world in order to obtain eternity. And while that is mathematically true, the traditional Jewish perspective is that G-d gave us the Torah in order to enable us to enjoy this world to the fullest, not just the afterlife. So there’s no need to sacrifice anything!
I would add that Judaism is not an “all or nothing” religion. So even if keeping all of the Mitzvos (commandments) is not realistic at this time, keeping some of them, even just the easy ones, would still have the potential to create unimaginable infinite pleasure.
good job god your the best from ryan
Opinion of Jesus Christ
While Jesus was Jewish, the vast majority of Jews never accepted him as the Messiah because the associated prophecies relating to the arrival of the Messiah have not yet transpired. As such, we are still waiting for the Messiah and the prophecies of world peace and the like that are supposed to come along with it.
And although Judaism and Christianity differs in this respect, there is so much more that unites us all than divides us. So hopefully we can respect the differences and embrace the many shared values!
in the freebands knighthoods we say.. the greatest of those that have been before, they shape the face of today… they are like the stars in the nights sky… all done with their righteousness to change the world to a better place… yet still.. then.. God is Day. the most righteous of all
ryan likes good things and people plz tell god I by his side evryday thanxs god for it all