Evidence for the existence of God

Many people do not accept the idea God exists because they believe there is no evidence for the existence of God. I have heard people claim in a derogatory way God or gods only "exist as concepts, things imagined, in individual brains."

I think for some people they would ignore any kind evidence for the existence of God because it would not be in alignment with their own preexisting prejudice for how the World works.

Here's what I would consider to be evidence for the existence of God. What is the IT that decides something is being observed in a double slit type experiment in quantum mechanics. The evidence seems to support the idea that reality is not real. The evidence seems to suggest that we exist or reality exists as part of some kind of higher mind.

I would go further and say the way reality operates is as a dance between observer and what is being observed causing changes in what is physically realized is an indication that God is actively participating in the way everything is ordered yet unimaginably creative at the same time. Is seems to me if the Universe were not mind-like in the way it is experienced by observers then everything would be much more ordered and predictably boring.

I'm not the smartest person in the World but I find the way nature behaves at the smallest scale of measurement to be quite shocking.

“Those who are not shocked when they first come across quantum theory cannot possibly have understood it.” Niels Bohr, Essays 1932-1957 on Atomic Physics and Human Knowledge

“A physicist is just an atom's way of looking at itself.” Niels Bohr

“The meaning of life consists in the fact that it makes no sense to say that life has no meaning.” Niels Bohr

People who believe God does not exist with so much confidence also seem to believe they have a perfect and complete understanding of our Universe and nature. Or if it's not complete, it will be complete at some future time. To me it seems these type of people are either ignoring the evidence presented to us by experiments in quantum mechanics. Or they do not understand what the implications are by the evidence. Or they have an absolute dogma that with live in a clockwork Universe with hard determinism. I am not confident or convinced the Universe we live in is machine like at all. As far as I can tell from the scientific evidence everything seems to be rather strangely spiritual.

These same people who claim there is no evidence for the existence of God seem to have a very precise definition for God. For these people, is a presupposition God or gods must be a thing "out there" to be experienced like an object. Objects have definitions. Objects have limitations. Objects have boundaries.

The thing is every definition of the idea of God I have ever read claims God is infinite, without boundaries, and transcendent. However, presupposing God is a thing presupposes God has finite boundaries. Only things can be experienced as real is a presupposition to existence.

Yet, every religious text I've read uses words to represent ideas having no boundaries. Words like God, spirit, Tao, Nirvana, Oneness, on and on. Every major work on religion talks about religion as being a path to some higher experience. Each of us has a personal journey to a specific type of subjective experience of the World. Most people who study religion call this experience as being in the presence of God. As far as I can tell it can only be classified as a purely subjective experience. Regardless of the type of experience, it seems to me experience is real.

I think what we have here is a set of data points or experiences. I think each of us chooses what these data points of experience mean. Either we choose to ignore our role in our participation in our points of experience. Or, we become observer and observed in a tightly locked gaze like two opposing mirrors the result being some kind of transcendent unexpected experience.

Imo, God is existence itself. God is everything from A-Z. We are created in the image/likeness of God, which is our spirit or conscious. Those who don't believe in God, don't believe in existence or conscious. Also, polarities apply. Dark can't exist without light, hate can't exist without love, life can't exist without death, truth can't exist without lies, atheism can't exist without religion, etc..

a reply to: dfnj2015

I must ask, which God are you referring to?

There are any of them, I know how the universe works but I don't know why it works the way it does, that's where agnosticism comes into play.

These gods exist, only because we created them not the other way around. Now what created the universe? We don't know and more than likely never will.

This reality is the place we attend to determine our worthiness to ascend into the real world. They only accept honest people who are trustworthy here, this reality is the testing ground. I think we are more than just the thoughts of the creator. I think that a great computer program developed in the future could create a reality like this to train and assess a person to see if the child will be allowed to be in society.

This may be way more advanced than that though. Remember a very great society would also include conservation and ecology into their training, those who flunk that and buy more than they really need will not be allowed either.

But I do not run the program, but a greedy rich person has a chance of getting into heaven which is comparable to a camel going through the eye of a needle.

a reply to: dfnj2015

Yet, every religious text I've read uses words to represent ideas having no boundaries. Words like God, spirit, Tao, Nirvana, Oneness, on and on. Every major work on religion talks about religion as being a path to some higher experience. Each of us has a personal journey to a specific type of subjective experience of the World. Most people who study religion call this experience as being in the presence of God. As far as I can tell it can only be classified as a purely subjective experience. Regardless of the type of experience, it seems to me experience is real.

A poem to explain that...

The Blind Men and the Elephant
John Godfrey Saxe (1816-1887)

It was six men of Indostan
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind.

The First approached the Elephant,
And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side,
At once began to bawl:
"God bless me! but the Elephant
Is very like a WALL!"

The Second, feeling of the tusk,
Cried, "Ho, what have we here,
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me 'tis mighty clear
This wonder of an Elephant
Is very like a SPEAR!"

The Third approached the animal,
And happening to take
The squirming trunk within his hands,
Thus boldly up and spake:
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a SNAKE!"

The Fourth reached out an eager hand,
And felt about the knee
"What most this wondrous beast is like
Is mighty plain," quoth he:
"'Tis clear enough the Elephant
Is very like a TREE!"

The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,
Said: "E'en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most;
Deny the fact who can,
This marvel of an Elephant
Is very like a FAN!"

The Sixth no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope,
Than seizing on the swinging tail
That fell within his scope,
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a ROPE!"

And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong!

Religions are all trying to explain something that they cannot grasp the whole of.

Excellent OP and thank you for writing it.

S&F...

a reply to: Thecakeisalie

These gods exist, only because we created them not the other way around. Now what created the universe? We don't know and more than likely never will.

If you haven't figured it out yet, we are the gods.

We just don't understand ourselves enough to know that.

Yet.

a reply to: dfnj2015

Personally there seems to be a problem with promoting something godlike in materialistic ways. For you that may be Quantum Mechanics in reality it's not as simple.
The tiniest particles don't behave strange "when they feel like it" but always, everything is repeatable. I mean there is no pattern spelling out "hi how are you" or something when they're quantum tunneling through a wall.

I believe there can be a universe as object and a meta-universe as "consciousness" the biggest problem for god is simply that we got no working definition of consciousness not being just electricity in grey matter.
And subjective experience doesn't and shouldn't count because we know our brain is mostly just "making stuff up", that's true for our perception and even more so for every interpretation or narrative.

Another one of god's problems is that the stories assigned to him, all holy texts are just fabricated ancient lies. Fiction. And most of it is not even good.

a reply to: Lumenari

Bingo, current existence.. meet why we had to leave in the first place and return.

people would ignore the evidence of the existence of god? I don't think so... Provide some real evidence.

Anything.. you can't. Because if you prove god, belief in the thing fails.

god is man made. it's as simple as that.

belief in something other than this existence, sure why not.. But when we die, that's it. We're no longer. No pearly gates, no heaven.. no hell..

When I hold you live.
Whosoever holds now, is me.

The OP opens the spring of clear water, which very quickly gets muddied by people who would rather spout an opinion than to understand. Typical.

a reply to: gallop

people would ignore the evidence of the existence of god? I don't think so... Provide some real evidence.

people ignore evidence because of pre conceived notions all the time. I think Jesus could appear in the sky and tell us all to repent and some people would say its a bird or a bug or a weather balloon .

Not trying to make this political but both sides ignore evidence because our minds are made up on Trump.

God is way deeper ..

Nearly everyone believes god exsists in one form or the other, some however just have given up on the idea due to exasperation in dealing with this world.

But tell you what -

Find a non believer hang with them until something highly unexpected happens and i bet the first thing out of their mouths is " oh my god".

They believe alright they just have zero spiritual connection and thus don't realise that they by default believe in god.

These are the souls you should be saving.

originally posted by: Lumenari
a reply to: Thecakeisalie

These gods exist, only because we created them not the other way around. Now what created the universe? We don't know and more than likely never will.

If you haven't figured it out yet, we are the gods.

We just don't understand ourselves enough to know that.

Yet.

Believing we are gods????? - Text book sin.

originally posted by: Lazarus Short
The OP opens the spring of clear water, which very quickly gets muddied by people who would rather spout an opinion than to understand. Typical.

LOL - clear water????

Its hip to say god doesnt exist, but let your child end up in the emergency room and even the staunchest God deniers start praying.

Personally, I definitely believe there’s a higher power but the closest thing we have to understanding it is lost in the ancient shadows of our history, masked by the corruption of man.

It’s not Christianity, or Islam, or Hinduism, or any other modern religion. Those are just places people go to be a part of something bigger than themselves in the unconscious pursuit of the lost knowledge.

If I had to describe what I believe it to be I would say it’s the connection between all life and conscious that would be the higher power. God is life itself. The more connected to life you are the more connected you are to “God”. Being a good person means something in this sense.

The more good we do as individuals to ourselves and the world around us then the more connected we are to ourselves and this theoretical higher power. It gives that power strength. It gives us all strength.

There is absolutely no evidence of the existence of a so called "God", so to claim that there is when there is overwhelming evidence against such, is itself evidence of the non existence of such!

Wake up believing numpty's!

originally posted by: RP2SticksOfDynamite


There is absolutely no evidence of the existence of a so called "God", so to claim that there is when there is overwhelming evidence against such, is itself evidence of the non existence of such!

Wake up believing numpty's!

Except this creation, and many worship this creation

Self evidence, wake up self deceiving numpties

This planet, life, emotions, love belief, it’s no accident
Ghosts, aliens, miracles, things beyond our understanding

You don’t have to believe it’s God, you don’t have to understand it but there really is another dimension and only those who have hardened their hearts and minds willingly deny reality disagree

People believe one thing or another.

People claim to know or believe they know. If the world was the universe we only understand less than a spec of sand on it.

The truth is no one knows.


Since the OP brought up the double-slit test here is some food for thought. What if we could look back in time to observe the test? Would that change the outcome? We can't do that now, but in the future, we should be able to.
Imagine doing the test in space with an apparatus that can observe from a light minute or so away. Do the test and no one watches up close then record the result. The second team observes the test from a light minute away.
Will the results change will the results be the same or different?
Will we break reality?