Reasons to believe in God

1. The Design Argument

Objectives

• Understand one argument for the existence of God called the ‘design argument’

• Provide examples to illustrate the argument

Imagine you are the presiding judge over a murder trial.

Exhibit A

• Ballistic tests match perfectly with a gun found in the possession of the accused.

• The odds of another gun firing the bullet that killed the victim are let's say one in a billion.

• The defendant claims that it is a sheer fluke that his gun happens to match the ballistics tests and that there must be another gun out there that is the real murder weapon.

• "After all," he says, "it is a possibility."

Exhibit ‘B’

• The defendant's fingerprints are found all over the victim's body.

• He claims there must be another person out there who happens to have astonishingly similar fingerprints.

• Again, it is possible.

Exhibit ‘c’

• There are eyewitnesses who testify to seeing a man gunning down the victim who looks just like the defendant.

• The defendant claims there must be another person out there in this big world who looks just like him, and that man is the real murderer.

• After all -- it's not impossible.

You are the judge,

• You need to make a decision.

• What do you decide?

The chances of the universe arising as it is now as a result of a big bang are 10 to

the power of 60.

If the force was a little greater it would not work if it was a little weaker it would not work.

To what accuracy did the force of the explosion need to be to create a planet like ours?

• It would need to be so accurate that the chances of it succeeding are:

• 1 chance in 100000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000!

• To give you an idea about the size of this number is compare it with the number of seconds since the big bang happened…

• 473040000000000000 seconds since the start of the universe.

• 1 chance in 100000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 that such an explosion could create something like planet earth.

The Design ArgumentImagine walking in the desert and coming across two small stones

in close proximity to each other. Most probably, you would think nothing of it. Two stones randomly sitting beside each other is

no big deal.

You continue your walk in the desert and stumble upon three rows of stones piled up in a brick-layer fashion.

Chances are you would quickly surmise that someone was here and arranged these stones in this manner. It didn't just happen.

You continue your walk and happen to find a watch lying in the middle of the desert.

Would you suspect that a windstorm somehow threw these pieces together and randomly created a watch?

• (Everything written in bold is in the correct place. Everything in italics has been jumbled up. See if you can put Paley’s argument in to shape)

William Paley (1743-1805 CE) developed the Argument from design to prove that God must have designed the world. His argument goes like this:

Argument From Design.

1. Imagine that someone who was walking in the countryside…

2. Paley claimed that you could compare and find a parallel between

3. …suddenly came across a watch hidden in the grass, having never seen one before.

4. …the intricate (complicated) detail of the world pointed to the existence of…

5. …but instead pointed to the existence of an intelligent watchmaker who designed it.

6. That person would immediately be impressed by its detailed mechanism.

7. …the watch in his example and the world.

8. He backed this claim up by saying that just as with the watch,…

9. They would think that something as detailed as a watch surely is not made by chance,…

10.…an intelligent designer God who created it.

1. Imagine that someone who was walking in the countryside…

2. …suddenly came across a watch hidden in the grass, having never seen one before.

3. That person would immediately be impressed by its detailed mechanism.

4. They would think that something as detailed as a watch surely is not made by chance,…

5. …but instead pointed to the existence of an intelligent watchmaker who designed it.

6. Paley claimed that you could compare and find a parallel between…

7. …the watch in his example and the world.

8. He backed this claim up by saying that just as with the watch,…

9. …the intricate (complicated) detail of the world pointed to the existence of…

10. …an intelligent designer God who created it.

Simply put

• Things which are obviously designed by man are complex, detailed and have purpose. For example watches. They could not have been produced by accident. They have obviously been designed by someone.

• Things in nature are also complex, detailed and have purpose. For example, butterflies. They also could not have been produced by accident. Therefore they must also have been designed by someone…

Does this work?

A Watch is complicated

Complicated things aren’t random

It must have been designed

There must be a watchmaker

who designed it

The earth is complicated

Complicated things aren’t random

It must have been designed

There must be a God

who designed it

1. The earth is complicated (watercycle – stick insects – flowers, butterflies – human thumbs - rainbows)

2. It can’t be an accident3. It must have been designed4. There must be a creator God who designed the world

Complicated things can’t be randomThey must have been designed

They must have a designer

1. Watch is complicated – (cogs, wheels, mechanics, symbols,)

2. Complicated things can’t occur by an accident3. It must have been designed4. There must be a watchmaker who designed it

Evidence of design in the world

Evidence for design in the world

Provide three examples of apparent design in the world.

For each one.

1. Give it a sub-heading

2. Draw it

3. Explain why it could be evidence for design.