Is it reasonable to believe in God?

A Question of Faith

We come to believe in God by deciding for ourselves:•whether other people’s reasons make sense;•with guidance from the teaching of the Church;•that these reasons are convincing enough to lead

us to faith.

We experience God:•through other people;•through the world around us.

Is it reasonable to believe in God?

A Question of Faith

Do you believe in God? Why?

How does that belief affect your life?

The heavens proclaim the gloryof GodThe story of God is written in the natural world

Biblical authors described God:•God speaks like thunder or a soft gentle whisper.•God’s action is like the storm, the earthquake, the flood or the avalanche.•God is a mighty king, a stern judge, a gentle midwife, a loving father or mother.•The Lord is my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold (Psalm 18).•The Lord is my shepherd (Psalm 23).

The heavens proclaim the gloryof GodWhat are your words and images for God?

The heavens proclaim the gloryof God•The Catechism of the Catholic Church presents three ways to know God:

1. Creation2. Human Person3. Divine Revelation

•God is the ultimate MYSTERY•God is Trinity means there is 1 God in 3 divine personsAtheists: Those who assert that there is NO godAgnostics: Those who can’t decide if God exists

We can begin to know God through human reasoning

As human beings, with our human intellects, it is impossible for us to grasp fully what God is like or who God is St. Augustine said that if you thought you could fully understand God, it would not be God that you understood God transcends all human thinking – even Sacred ScriptureUltimately, faith in God is unreasonable!

We can begin to know God through human reasoning

St. Thomas Aquinas

•Born in Aquino in Italy in 1225.•Studied in Paris and Cologne, taught by St. Albert the Great.•Ordained a Dominican priest.•Nicknamed ‘the dumb ox’ (meaning ‘one who does not talk’).•His great work, the Summa Theologica, used human reasoning to harmonize the truths of the Bible with Greek philosophy.•Identified ‘five proofs’ for the existence of God.•Died in 1274; canonized a saint and named a doctor of the Church.•Patron saint for Catholic schools.

We can begin to know God through human reasoning

The Five Proofs of St. Thomas Aquinas:

•The existence of a prime mover.

•Cause of existence, an uncreated

creator.

•The existence of a necessary Being.

•A perfect standard by which all is

measured.

•Universe designed by an intelligent

designer.

Consider other arguments forGod’s existence

Consider the human response to evil

Some philosophers propose:•We can know of God from the reaction

of most humans to evil.•There is a moral law deeply

embedded in the heart of people.•The origin of this innate sense of

right and wrong comes from God.

Catechism of the Catholic Church says that our longings for infinite and for happiness points us toward the existence of God

Consider other arguments forGod’s existence

Transcendence

Transcendence refers to the idea that God is so ‘beyond’ the universe, and so different from anything else that exists, that God cannot be directly experienced by human beings. A shorthand way of saying that God is transcendent is: ‘God is the absolute Other.’

The story of St. Katharine Drexel

St. Katharine Drexel

•Born in Philadelphia in 1858 into a wealthy family.•Became a missionary to Native Americans in the West and Southwest United States.•Founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament religious order and opened a boarding school in Santa Fe.•Founded Xavier University in New Orleans, the first US university for African Americans.•Died in 1955 and was canonized in 2000.