“Thirst was made for water. Inquiry for truth.” – C. S. Lewis
I’ve just finished reading a book by the late Antony Flew called ‘There is A God’. His philosophical arguments in favour of a naturalistic and Godless universe earned him his place as one of the world’s leading atheists for more than 50 years during the 20th century. However, as the title of his final published book suggests, his pursuit of the evidence ultimately lead him to change his mind before he died.
I wouldn’t call myself a philosopher, but I think all of us stumble into the realm of philosophy from time to time when we simply ask, whether internally or externally, questions such as ‘how did we get here?’ or ‘could there really be a God?’. And if you’re opinions are already firmly grounded, and you no longer feel the need to ask these specific questions you’ve probably already spent a fair amount of time thinking philosophically in one way or another (and will probably continue to do so!). But what is the truth? Are we indeed a freak occurrence destined to one day fizzle out into nothing, or are we divinely created beings with intention and purpose? It all boils down to one key question: is there really a creator God? The question of all questions.
It seems that an inherent aspect of mankind is a longing for something beyond us. We crave understanding and clarity as to who we are and where we have come from, and many reach the conclusion that that ‘thing’ they are searching for, that ‘something’ larger than themselves is simply a cosmic accident. My feet are firmly in the other camp; I am convinced that we were created by God and that we have great purpose and value.
But why would I think that? Not an easy subject tackle (people write entire books in response to these big questions!), but over the next few weeks I will briefly share with you some of the aspects of our world that convince me of the existence of a divine being. I hope and pray that by sharing these thoughts you will feel inspired to ask these big questions about God for yourself. After all, in the words of the great C. S. Lewis, “Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.”
