As we continue to look at some of the classical arguments for the existence of God, let’s look today at the Cosmological Argument.
In essence, the Cosmological argument asserts there must be a “First Cause” or “Uncaused Cause.” The theory behind it is that everything we experience in our lives and witness with our senses is an effect of a cause. There had to be some beginning, and that First Cause should be considered God. Here’s a breakdown of the premises:
- Everything that begins to exist has a cause.
- The Universe itself began to exist.
- Therefore, the Universe must have a cause.
Even so-called “old-earth” creationists would argue that it is God who caused the Big Bang to occur. If you take a more literal approach to the creation story in Genesis, then it’s obvious that God is the first cause. Be careful to understand that the Cosmological argument doesn’t describe HOW the Universe came to exist, but WHY. We may not be able to determine the specific methods that God used in creation, but we argue that it is because of Him that we do exist.
This argument can quickly deteriorate into an evolution vs creation debate, but that’s not the point of it (as a side note, check out Creatolution written by my friend awhile back). If you don’t believe that God orchestrated creation, then I would ask you the famous question, “Why not nothing?”
What do you think?