Why Should I Believe God Exists?

I've often had people say to me that they don't really believe in God because they've never been given any reasons to believe in such a being. Even people who have gone to Church for many years have said the same thing to me – no evidence for God has been offered, so they just go to church to please their parents / partner / family or friends. But it means little to them because they can't see that Christianity can be true if God doesn't exist.

Christians, however, do have a number of reasons for believing in God. This article will, very briefly, outline some of them and give you links to resources which will explore these further. At the end, some books on the subject are recommended in case you'd like to read further on this.

Reason 1: the universe needs an explanation

This is called the Cosmological Argument and asks how the universe came into being. Peter May explores this question and why it gives us a good reason to believe in a Creator God in two of his articles: Has Science Disproved God? and Two Good Reasons for Believing in God.

Reason 2: the universe is 'just right' for life

This is called the Fine Tuning argument and asks why the physical laws controlling the universe are so finely balanced to be 'just right' for life to exist. Peter May again explores this in Has Science Disproved God?.

The astronomer Hugh Ross goes into more scientific detail behind both the Cosmological Argument and the Fine Tuning Argument in his talk Is there scientific evidence for God?.

Reason 3: certain actions are objectively wrong

This is called the Moral Argument. If certain actions are objectively right or wrong, this implies that this is more than a social consensus of how to behave. If there are Laws, then there needs to be a Lawgiver. Peter May again explores this in his article Two Good Reasons for Believing in God.

Christian philosopher Peter S. Williams gives a concise but clear explanation of the Moral Argument in conversation with Alex Banfield Hicks in Cinderella, the Ugly Sisters & the Moral Argument – start listening at about 11 minutes in.

Another Christian philosopher Bill Craig gave a 45 minute lecture to students at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London on this topic. Watch the video here: Bill Craig's Lecture "Can we be good without God?"

Reason 4: the resurrection of Christ

The central belief of Christianity is that Jesus of Nazareth rose from the dead. These resources explore whether it is reasonable to believe in the resurrection of Jesus. Christians believe that God is always at work in the world, and that the events and teaching recorded in the Bible particularly speak to us of who God is and of his love for us. The resurrection of Jesus is the supreme example of God acting in history to validate the life, teaching and ministry of Jesus who reveals God to us.

Watch Bill Craig's Lecture "The Evidence for the Resurrection".

Listen to a series of talks (transcripts are also provided) on the evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Start off with The Resurrection Factor Part 1.

The article Is there really solid evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ? examines the evidence and why alternative explanations do not hold water.

Responding to Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion

Richard Dawkins' best-selling book The God Delusion brought together many criticisms of belief in God. David Robertson has written a response to each of the chapters in his book The Dawkins Letters. Read all 11 parts on bethinking, starting with Part 1 Dawkins' Delusion.

Other Resources

The resources above cover just a few of the reasons that people believe in God. You can watch Bill Craig presenting seven reasons for belief in God to students at Imperial College, London, here: The Evidence for God.

Explore more resources, including debates, on the evidence for the existence of God and the resurrection of Jesus on bethinking,org. The following links will show you all the resources on God, on the Resurrection and Miracles and on the Bible and Jesus, or search the site for yourself.

Recommended books

Bill Craig On Guard (David C. Cook, 2010) View on Amazon.co.uk

Lee Strobel The Case for a Creator (Zondervan, 2004) View on Amazon.co.uk.

Lee Strobel The Case for Christ (Zondervan, 1998) View on Amazon.co.uk

Andrew Sach Has Science Disproved God? (UCCF / IVP bethinking booklet) View on IVPbooks

Michael Green Jesus for Sceptics (UCCF, 2013) View on IVPbooks