Introductory lesson on the evidence for the existence of God.

1. Introduction
to
Apologetics:
Defending the Faith
Stephen Russell

2. The Existence of God

3. “More consequences for thought and action
follow the affirmation or denial of God than
from answering any other basic question.”
-- Mortimer Adler

4. General Theism
vs.
Christian Theism

5. Proving God Scientifically

6. Cause and Effect
(Cosmological Argument)

7. Things exist
It's possible for those things to not exist
Such things have been caused to exist*
There cannot be an infinite number of causes*
Therefore, there must be an uncaused cause
The uncaused cause is God

8. Information/Order/Design
(Teleological Argument)

9. Romans 1:20
“For since the creation of the world God's
invisible qualities – his eternal power and
divine nature – have been clearly seen,
being understood from what has been
made, so that men are without excuse.”

10. If it looks designed, it
probably was.

12. “To suppose that the eye, with all of its inimitable
contrivances for adjusting the focus to different distances, for
admitting different amounts of light, and for the correction of
spherical and chromatic aberration, could have been formed
by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the
highest possible degree.”
-- Charles Darwin

13. ϕ and the Fibonacci Sequence
(Order & Design)

14. ϕ in art & architecture

15. ϕ in nature

16. Morality

17. All cultures have had a
sense of right and wrong.
People protest when
they are wronged.
What is our source
of morality?

18. C. S. Lewis
“My argument against God was that the universe
seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got
this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call
a line crooked unless he has some idea of a
straight line. What was I comparing this universe
with when I called it unjust?”
- Mere Christianity

19. Questions?