Universality of Belief in the Existence of God.Basic truths
(1) The fact stated and proven:
Man everywhere believes in the existence of a supreme Being or Beings to whom he is morally responsible and to whom propitiation needs to be made.
Such belief may be crudely, even grotesquely stated and manifested, but the reality of the fact is no more invalidated by such crudeness than the existence of a father is invalidated by the crude attempts of a child to draw a picture of its father.
It has been claimed by some that there are or were tribes in inland Africa that possessed no idea or conception of God. Moffat, Livingstone’s father-in-law, made such a claim, but Livingstone, after a thorough study of the customs and languages of such tribes, conclusively showed that Moffat was wrong.
Nor should the existence of such few tribes, even if granted, violate the fact we are here considering, any more than the existence of some few men who are blind, lame, deaf, and dumb would make untrue the statement and fact that man is a seeing, hearing, speaking, and walking creature. The fact that some nations do not have the multiplication table does no violence to arithmetic.
Concerning so-called atheists in Christian lands: it may be questioned if there are really any such beings. Hume, known as a famous sceptic, is reported to have said to Ferguson, as together they looked up into the starry sky: “Adam, there is a God.” Voltaire, the atheist, prayed to God in a thunderstorm. Ingersoll, when charged with being an atheist, indignantly refuted the charge, saying: ”I am not an atheist; I do not say that there is no God; I am an agnostic; I do not know that there is a God.” “I thank God that I am an atheist,” were the opening words of an argument to disprove the existence of God. A new convert to atheism was once heard to say to a coterie of unbelievers: “I have gotten rid of the idea of a supreme Being, and I thank God for it.”
(2) Whence comes this universal belief in the existence of God?
aa) Not from outside sources, such as reason, tradition, or even the Scriptures.
Not from reason or argument, for many who believe in God have not given any time to reasoning and arguing the question; some, indeed, intellectually, could not. Others who have great powers of intellect, and who have reasoned and argued on the subject are professed disbelievers in God. Belief in God is not the result of logical arguments, else the Bible would have given us proofs.
Nor did this universal belief come from tradition, for “Tradition,” says Dr. Patton, “can perpetuate only what has been originated.”
Nor can it be said that this belief came from the Scriptures even, for, as has been well said, unless a man had a knowledge of the God from whom the Scriptures came, the Revelation itself could have no authority for him. The very idea of Scripture as a Revelation, presupposes belief in a God who can make it.--Newman Smith. Revelation must assume the existence of God.
bb) This universal belief comes from within man.
All the evidence points to the conclusive fact that this universal faith in the existence of God is innate in man, and comes from rational intuition.
(3) The weight and force of this argument.
The fact that all men everywhere believe in the existence of a supreme Being or beings to whom they are morally responsible, is a strong argument in favor of its truth. So universal an effect must have a cause as universal, otherwise we have an effect without any assignable cause. Certain is it that this argument makes the burden of proof to rest upon those who deny the existence of God. (From “The Great Doctrines of the Bible” by Rev. William Evans, Ph.D., D.D.)
[ 1] “Man everywhere believes in the existence of a supreme Being or Beings to whom he is morally responsible and to whom propitiation needs to be made.”
[2] “This universal belief comes from within man.”
[3] “The fact that all men everywhere believe in the existence of a supreme Being or beings to whom they are morally responsible, is a strong argument in favor of its truth.”
Further study (Be like the Bereans! (Acts 17:11)
[1] Evidence for God, from Institute for Creation Research
- Everything Has a Cause
- The Effect Problem
- Time, Space, and Matter
- The Logical Implications
- God Caused Beauty
- God Caused Justice
- God Caused Love
- God Caused Meaning
- God Caused Order
- God Caused Time, Space, and Matter
ICR’s popular Acts & Facts free monthly news magazine contains articles and information of current interest dealing with creation, evolution, and related topics. Current and past issues can also be read, and you can sign up to receive future issues in the mail, all for free. Full versions of previous editions can be viewed online in PDF format.[2] The Revelation of Righteousness, by Allen Ross, Th.D., Ph.D.
[3] No Excuse for the Heathen (Romans 1:18-32), by Bob Deffinbaugh, Th.M.
Notes:
[1] “The Great Doctrines of the Bible” by Rev. William Evans, Ph.D., D.D. is a well-respected reference material for Bible students, pastors, missionaries and laymen. You can read the entire book from Google (click the picture of the book cover) or download the complete zipped e-book. [2] Surf to the index of lessons and online quizzes from Evans. [3] The most important ideas and statements from this part of Evans’ book are listed in the “Basic truths” section above. [4] Photo source: ChristianPhotos.Net - Free High Resolution Photos for Christian Publications. [5] This ministry does not necessarily endorse or share all the views and opinions expressed in the materials, resources or links mentioned in these posts. Please always refer to the Articles of Faith and Biblical distinctives of Baptists when you study these materials.
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