Apologetics Journal

Key Idea

Apologetics are the defense of Faith by showing that the weight of the evidence favors Christianity. Apologetics, however, are arguments that can only provide evidence; these arguments are not definitive proof for the existance of God. Apologetic arguments provide philosophical, scientific, and teleological evidence. Our Reading Book provided evidence of God through nature and through the human person.

Knowledge of God via Natural World

Anthropic Principle

In order for there to be life on earth, millions of individual things had to occur in just the right way. For instance, if gravity on earth were slightly stronger, or if subatomic particles were slightly different, or if the earth were slightly closer to the sun, life would not be possible. The chances of all of these things occurring in this precise way are huge! Because of these seemingly insurmountable odds against life on earth, there must have been some divine hand that guided the formation of the universe.

Kalam's Argument

Kalam's argument says that all things that have a beginning were created by some being outside of themselves. (i.e. everthing that begins has a creator) Since the universe had a beginning, it must have been created by an outside force, namely God. For more on Kalam's argument, visit my section webassignment.

Paley's Watch and Watch Maker

This argument states that the universe must have had a divine creator, as everything in the universe has a distinct purpose. For example, if you were walking along in the woods and you chanced upon a watch on the ground, you would know that it is not natural. Because it is not natural, someone must have made it. This same reasoning can be used to try and answer the God question. Things on earth work too well and seem to have a purpose in life (though we are not always sure of what that purpose may be) so there must be someone who created them. Click here to see an animation describing .Paley's watch and watchmaker argument.

Our book provides several other arguments via the natural world which I did not include. These three are the most convincing for me, especially the Anthropic Principle.

Knowledge of God via the Human person

Argument from Religious Experience

Man has always had a desire to believe in some supernatural, divine, infinite being that governs the universe. The Ancient Egyptians, Ancient Greeks and Romans, and almost every other ancient society had a set of gods that they worshipped. Today, millions of people say that they are theists and are a part of a religious community of some sort. If millions of people throughout the history of humanity have all felt a desire to believe in a divine, infinite being, how did this desire get there? Perhaps there truly is a divine being who built all of us with an innate desire to try and know Him better.

Argument of Natural Law/Argument from Conscience/C.S. Lewis' Argument

Humans have an inborn sense of right and wrong. The majority of the human race believes that it is wrong to kill innocent people, that stealing is also immoral, and other basic moral values. If humans have this set of moral laws, there must be a moral law-giver.

The book divides these three arguments into separate sections, but I chose to link them all together, since they show many similarities.

Three Ideas to Remember

In reading this section, it is important to remember that none of these arguments are proof of God's existance. These arguments can merely provide evidence supporting His existance. This is important to remember because Faith is not based solely on these philosophical and scientific arguments. There needs to be an element of risk. The risk here is that in believing in God, you could be wrong. If these arguments could prove God's existance, there would be no "leap of faith" in Faith; there would be no risk. God wants us to choose to believe in Him using our reason and free will. Also, humans are limited in what they can know about God. Science and proof can only go so far to answer the many questions humans have swirling around in their minds. No scientific or philosophical argument can ever calm our minds and give definite answers to these questions. This is important to keep in mind.

Another important idea in this section was an answer to the question, "Where do we learn how to live a good life? How do we learn this "universal moral code" if we do believe in God?" Throughout history, there have been many great minds who try reveal this moral code to us: Buddha, Mohammed and the Koran, Moses and the Ten Commandments. All of these people and their respective religions give answers to the question of how to live a good life. For Christians, and for many others, Jesus is the best example of how to live a moral life. For Christians, Jesus revealed God's will to us when he came down to Earth, taught, suffered, died, and was resurrected. Jesus' key teachings give us a pretty clear outline of what it means to be moral. If we live by Jesus' example, we can find happiness.

A third idea that is important in this section is that it is up to you to choose whether or not you believe in God. If you do believe, try to answer for youself the question of why you believe. What are your reasons? Are these good reasons to believe? If you don't believe in God, why don't you? What are your reasons, and are these reasons logical? You also need to ask youself if these arguments such as the anthropic principle, Kalam's argument, and C.S. Lewis' argument are convincing to you. This section spends a lot of time on the personal level, and this self-exploration and meditation is an important part of this class and of theology in general.

Image that Reminds Me of Jesus

This has always been one of my favorite images of Jesus. I have always liked the story of the washing of the apostles' feet because it really shows Jesus as a servant, as someone who is truly here for His people.

"Who Do You Say I Am?"

Jesus is a lot to me, as He is to most Christians. To me, He is an example, and a teacher, and our savior.

Historically, Jesus was a revolutionary figure in His time. He faced opposition from the pharisees, from the common people, as well as the citizens of His hometown. Despite this opposition, Jesus continued to preach His message of love. He continued to teach even when His word fell on deak ears. He continued to spread the good news even when people tried to kill him. This example of strength in the face of adversity is incredible and admirable. Jesus was an amazing teacher and an amazing example for all of us.

Even more importantly, Jesus saved us through His death and resurrection. This portion of jesus is hard to put into words...how can such an incredible, amazing, and wonderful sacrifice as that be described using words? It is really a hard topic to talk about, as there is a lot of personal feelings and beliefs which would be too confusing and difficult to write down. Jesus to me is a personal hero in the most beautiful sense of the word. He is the romantic ideal of an unknown, humble hero who changes the world, who saves His people, even those who did not believe Him. But Jesus is even more than that. He goes beyond anything some novelist could dream up as he is the "real deal," not a work of fiction (at least to those who believe in Him, His life, and His resurrection).