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God Over Atheism Research Paper

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God Over Atheism
Elizabeth McIver
ID: L25662046
PHIL 201 B06 Spring 2018

Abstract
How do you justify a belief in God when there is no absolute proof? H.J. McCloskey, an atheist, would suggest you don’t. How do we find comfort and security in the midst of turmoil? Do we lean on God or rely on ourselves? How do we find peace when surrounded by evil? All very valid and complex questions that, to date are still being debated.

God Over Atheism When there is no absolute proof, how do you come to a decision to believe in God? The first misconception is in the term proof. Proof implies the idea that something is factual. I believe the correct term should be evidence, which leads us to the question is there enough evidence to draw a conclusion or to make a decision about God? You don’t simply look at the reasons as proof, but more as bits of evidence. Like an attorney, use each bit of evidence provided to draw a conclusion as to whether to believe or not to believe in God. In his article “On Being an …show more content…

McCloskey asks, “might not God have very easily so have arranged the world and biased man to virtue that men always freely chose what is right?” (pg. 53) The word free by definition means not being restricted or regulated. So to answer McCloskey’s question, no I don’t believe so. If we go back to the idea that Adam was created as a caregiver and a companion for God and not as an equal than he would have had to be created to have free thoughts otherwise God would basically be talking to himself. Also, if you trust in the Scripture then you know that God didn’t want to distance himself from the world it was Satan that wanted the world distant from God. Again a being like God interfered. Satan was the being that introduced evil to the world, and it was mankind who freely chose to disobey. One could argue that if it weren’t for Satan then evil as we know it would never have existed in our

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