Introduction

• Most believers do not require proofs for the existence of God, yet they still feel the need to speak about arguments in favour of God’s existence.

• Most nonbelievers or atheists do not feel the need to prove their non-belief or non-acceptance of God because they consider it the most natural position.

• In such a scenario, the responsibility of giving arguments to prove the existence of God appears to rest on the believers.

• It is agreed that there can never be a universal proof for the existence of God.

• Even without a universal proof, it is still possible to speak meaningfully of arguments in favour of the existence of God.

• The aim is to examine certain traditional arguments that have been used to prove or demonstrate the existence of God.

• Different types of arguments are examined along with the views of individual philosophers who presented significant arguments for God’s existence.

• The discussion involves the actual demonstration of God’s existence, meaning the ways to show that the proposition “God exists” is true.

• A central question is whether this proposition is evident or not.

• That which is evident shows itself directly and does not require any demonstration.

• For a proposition to be evident, both the subject and the predicate must be known to us.

• If the subject and predicate are not known, the proposition is not evident.

• A proposition that is not evident does not necessarily mean it is false.

• A proposition may be true even if it is not evident, but its truth then requires demonstration.

• If the proposition “God exists” were evident, there would be no atheists.

• The presence of atheists shows that the proposition “God exists” is not evident, even though it may be true and certain.

• The proposition needs to be demonstrated because its terms are not known to us directly.

• Since we do not see God directly, we are required to prove that God exists.

• This raises the continuing question of whether a universal proof of God’s existence is possible.

• For hundreds of years, philosophers, scientists, and theologians have debated the existence of God.

• These debates include arguments both for and against the existence of God.

• This debate forms a central problem in the philosophy of religion.

• Belief in God occupies a central position in religious faith and practice.

• There is a close relationship between the idea of God, the nature of God, and the arguments for His existence.

• The ideas and nature of God are understood by observing the relation between God and the world.

• Understanding God also involves studying the religions of the world.

• Examining the arguments for God’s existence further helps in understanding His nature.

• The main focus is on presenting traditional theistic arguments that support belief in and the existence of God.

Ontological Argument

• The ontological argument attempts to prove the existence of God from ideas or human experience.

• It was first proposed by St. Anselm, a medieval philosopher.

• Notable supporters of the ontological argument include St. Anselm, Rene Descartes, Spinoza, Leibnitz, and Hegel.