In the most general sense, a theist is a person who believes in at
least one god or deity. Theism stands in contrast with atheism
(the denial of the existence of any god) and agnosticism (the
belief that the existence of a God or gods is uncertain). Now,
why is theism true? Simply because the evidence says so.
least one god or deity. Theism stands in contrast with atheism
(the denial of the existence of any god) and agnosticism (the
belief that the existence of a God or gods is uncertain). Now,
why is theism true? Simply because the evidence says so.
From the Cosmological Argument we know that God is:
1.Self-existent, timeless, nonspatial, immaterial (since He created
time, space, and matter, he must be outside of time, space, and
matter). In other words, he is without limits. That is, He is
infinite.
2. Unimaginably powerful, since He created the entire universe
out of nothing.
3. Personal, since He chose to convert a state of nothingness
into the time-space-material universe (an impersonal force has
no ability to make choices).
From the Teleological Argument we know that God is:
1.Self-existent, timeless, nonspatial, immaterial (since He created
time, space, and matter, he must be outside of time, space, and
matter). In other words, he is without limits. That is, He is
infinite.
2. Unimaginably powerful, since He created the entire universe
out of nothing.
3. Personal, since He chose to convert a state of nothingness
into the time-space-material universe (an impersonal force has
no ability to make choices).
From the Teleological Argument we know that God is:
- Supremely intelligent, since He designed life and the universe
with such incredible complexity and precision.
- Purposeful, since He designed the many forms of life to live
in this specific and ordered environment.
From the Moral Argument we know that God is:
Absolutely morally pure (He is the unchangeable standard of
morality by which all actions are measured. This standard
includes infinite justice and infinite love).
Theism is the proper term to describe such a God. Now here is
the amazing truth about these findings: the theistic God we have
discovered is consistent with the God of the Bible, but we have
discovered Him without the use of the Bible. We have shown
that through good reason, science, and philosophy much can be
known about the God of the Bible.
In fact, this is what the Bible itself says (e.g., Psalm 19; Rom.
1:18-20; 2:14-15). Theologians call this revelation of God natural
or general revelation (that which is clearly seen independent of
any type of scripture).
The revelation of Scripture is called special revelation. So, we
know through natural revelation that theism is true. This
discovery helps us to see not only what the true box top looks
like, but what it cannot look like. Since the opposite of true is
false, we know that any nontheistic worldview must be false.
This may seem like a grandiose claim—to deny the truth of so
many world religions at this stage. But by simple logic—using
the Law of Noncontradiction—mutually exclusive religions
cannot all be true. Just as certain football players are rightfully
cut from the roster of possible players because they lack
necessary abilities, certain world religions are rightfully cut from
the roster of possible true religions because they lack necessary
qualifications.
So, logically, if theism is true, then all non-theisms are false.
Now this does not mean that every teaching of a nontheistic
religion is false or that there is nothing good in those religions—
there is certainly truth and goodness in most world religions. It
simply means that as a way of looking at the world (i.e., a
worldview), any nontheistic religion is built on a false
foundation. While some details may be true, the core of any
non-theistic religious system is false. They are systems of error,
even though they have some truth in them.
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