Why Does God Exist: Proof Of Intelligent Design

Different religious beliefs have always existed, and perhaps always will. Regardless, all main religions, more or less, share the same belief: that there is indeed a higher power controlling or guiding the universe we live in. However, is there really a definite way to ensure that this higher power, which most call God, in fact, really exists? It would seem quite difficult, seeing that the concept of God is just that: a concept. God is not a tangible being, and if He is, he is well hidden from our line of sight. Although there may not be complete truths or proofs regarding God’s existence, there are arguments deriving from the question of his existence. In my mind, the argument from design is the most convincing, stating that there is a God because of the intelligent purpose and design of our universe.

First of all, there is no denying the fact that the universe seems to have been cleverly crafted. For example, something as simple as the sun rising and falling each day has such important significance, for without the sun, all life would diminish. Something as minute as a single leaf is part of a tree or plant which provides oxygen for other living things. The world is composed of balance and structure, from an ant colony to a hierarchical society, from the photosynthesis of a plant to the life beating heart of animals and humans.

However, even before asking what the reason might be to prove God’s existence, perhaps we could ask the question; why question it in the first place? Using the example by William Paley, the origins of a rock and a manmade watch will produce two very different answers. The rock could be supposed to have always lain there, as there is no apparent attached purpose or function, or explanation for that matter. On the other hand, the watch has numerous parts which were clearly designed to fit together to suit a certain function and purpose. Given this, the watch must have had a designer of some sort, someone who constructed and thought of the suited purpose. This explanation for the origin of the watch could then be applied to the origin of the intricate designs found in nature, for instance, the complex anatomy of the human body. The way everything in our bodies is interdependent with each other and working together to create an incredibly efficient and functional system is a prime example of intelligent design.

One consistent argument against this outlook might be this: if God created a universe full of intelligent purpose and design, then why do such horrible things such as disease, starvation, and natural disasters exist? This can be a strong challenge against the existence of God because it questions the very motives of God, who is known to be a supreme benevolent entity laying down the laws of life, yet bestows inhumane horrors on humanity. For example, if ordinary human beings were to unleash such horrendous acts upon mankind, they would be severely punished or even put to death for their crimes. Though, it should be kept in mind that God is not human to begin with, and so should not be compared to the nature of human beings. However, it would seem that if God is all knowing and all powerful, then why didn’t God rid the world of such awful things or just demolish them from the �intelligent’ design in the first place? If God was the creator of all things, did he really have to include turmoil and despair, or anything bad at all in his creation?

It could be argued then, that perhaps such flaws and discrepancies are part of God’s intelligent design, as they help to create a sense of balance. For without balance, some things would destroy themselves. For example, if there was no death to balance life, then the world would overpopulate and collapse. The balance to good is the bad, for without one, the other would not exist. For instance, we wouldn’t know the difference between good and bad to begin with, if we could not compare one to the other. If there was no sadness in the world, we wouldn’t be able to appreciate being happy. Good and bad come in many different forms, and seem to be necessary to support one another. In another example, a sense of morality could not exist without first recognizing what is immoral. Perhaps God intended it to be this way, so we as an intelligent race could learn for ourselves and self-govern as we do today.

The fact that we can even recognize what is intelligent could also be part of the intelligence God has bestowed upon us. All humans and living things have cognitive thought: the ability to think, to comprehend, to understand, to manipulate. Our brain in the literal sense is a maze of tissue, nerves, weight, and mass, etc. If we are able to let thoughts emerge from this mass of tissue, there must have been something to provide the spark of cognitive thought. There must have been something to ignite emotion, feelings, and the ability to think individually, other than the physical aspects such as hormones and neural activity in the brain.