“Only to sit and think of God, Oh what a joy it is! To think the thought, to breathe the Name. Earth has no higher bliss.” (Frederick W. Faber)

Introduction: Here are two short but powerful arguments pointing clearly to the existence of God. The goal here is to utilize rational thinking (human reason) in support of faith. “Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart the desire to know the truth — in a word, to know himself — so that by knowing and loving God, men and women can come to the fullness of the truth about themselves” (Saint Pope John Paul II, Encyclical Fides et Ratio).

Argument # 1

       If there was nothing to begin with then there would be nothing at all.

EXPLANATION: If there was nothing to begin with…then there would be nothing at all. Nothing from nothing leaves nothing. But since there is something – and here we are discussing it! – there was something to begin with! Without something to begin with there would be nothing at all. God was not created because He has never not been. He is that uncreated Something to begin with. He Is the Alpha and the Omega. God is the necessary Something to begin with, without which there would be nothing at all.

Argument # 2

      The greater does not come from the lesser.

EXPLANATION: The key point here is that inert, unthinking, inorganic matter has never had the capacity to create itself, and then a universe. Organic matter, the matter of biological life, shows up on the scene late on the time-line, apparently favoring planet earth, and out of this life comes the life of rational creatures, human beings. Matter, therefore, starting off as inert and inorganic, is not a sufficient cause for its own existence. In short, inert matter started off radically incapable of bringing itself into existence without a higher cause.

CONCLUSION: It is impossible for God not to exist. Otherwise, there would be nothing.

Tom Mulcahy, M.A.

Sources: For argument # 1, see p. 121 of the Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics (on causality). For argument # 2, see p. 3 of Providence by Father Garrigou-LaGrange wherein he says: “…it will be well to point out one general proof [of God’s existence] that virtually contains them all…The greater does not come from the less, the more perfect does not come from the less perfect, since the latter is incapable of producing this effect” (see also p. 176 of Aquinas’ Proofs for God’s Existence by Dennis Bonnette).

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