God caused the existence of the universe and the uncaused existence of God, therefore, tells us that God is a supernatural being. His state cannot be explained in words, understood in any caliber, and it is simply accepted as a fact that from God the universe was created and Mankind sprang forth. His control is what maintains the unexplainable phenomenon such as the sky, the stars, the moon and the sun. How to keep them in check and how there are no faults in the universe.
According to logical reasoning, Human is to error, and we can never be accurate enough to predict the future or change the past, among other things. Human is vulnerable to sickness, and they are weak creatures. However, from the beginning of the recorded time, it has been passed down from generation to generation that there is a God in existence and consequently the universe is still in existence. I think it's safe to say human beings are afraid of what they can't understand. God is a supernatural being, and the fact is that none of us can explain how He came into existence.
Principle of sufficient reason
This principle bluntly states that everything and anything must have a reason, cause or be based on the specific ground. If we think that the world has infinite life, therefore, there would be no reason for its existence. Since there would be no logical explanation of how it came to exist. Given the state of human existence and how we exploit the environment, the earth would have succumbed to depletion owing to the way we over-utilize the resources. The cycle of life of plants and animals is fixed in that they experience birth and death. Humans are also subjected to the same cycle of life. It is, therefore, safe to assume that the Earth also experiences depletion of resources as much as it is self-sufficient. In time, however, it would eventually reproduce itself back into life. That being said, the earth was brought into existence by a supernatural being. Specifically God.
Sufficient reason means that the validity of the statement is quality in that it is backed up by some sources as much as examples.
Portions of the principle of sufficient reason
The principle seems to have a stand in truth as much as in life. For an occurrence of an event, there must be a contributing factor (a related reason). Most things in life happen due to reason. There are many logical explanations of why things happen. In the medical field for instance, putting on excess weight narrows the veins leading to high blood pressure and/or cardiac arrest which is as a result of increased fat content on the outer layer of the heart and also, applying stress to the heart and joints- pain often results as the body experiences difficulty in carrying the excessive weight. Most things in life happen for a reason, and the fact that there is a reason behind everything enables humans to have a deeper understanding of their bodies and their existence as a whole, to make rectifications to help improve their lives.
Only when we understand something can we find a way to improve it, change and adapt to it-consequently, we will have the ability to move forward in the right direction. To enable us to grow and develop better versions of ourselves.
Validity of a sound argument
Rowe's version is a sound argument in that there is no evidence that dates back to the beginning of time that can fully explain the occurrence of events- the creation of the universe, the functionality, how it is self-sufficient and How God (Supernatural) come into existence. There is no logical argument in any reference that can explain all these factors. The only evidence is the Bible that explains and gives the true account of how the world was created, how long it took, how God existed as a spirit and He brought forth the universe and all that is within the earth.
Philosophers have tried to discover the origin of man- using skills such as carbon dating to dig up fossils and therefore try to track the existence of man back millions of years ago, coming up with theories such as Darwin's theory of mankind of how man came from walking on quadruple to bipedal. These are speculations and cannot be proved beyond reasonable doubt. The arguments brought forward references the existence of Universe to the presence of the Supernatural Being whose beginning cannot be explained scientifically or logically rather, only by trusting in the origin story presented in the Bible.
Therefore, avoiding attempts to find an explanation for the origin of God and His existence, is a gesture of humility to a superior being who is in control of the universe and therefore submitting to the fact that there are things which are beyond human understanding. Although human beings are superior as compared to other living things, when it comes to God human beings are much inferior.
Presentation of a strong argument to convince an atheist that God exists
The argument presented has lacked any empirical evidence to scientifically explain the existence of the universe. It is not convincing enough, logically, that there is a superior being in control. There are some things which are beyond the influence and comprehension of man. For example, a large percentage of the earth is comprised of water: approximated 75% of the earth. But the land does not sink. As for the tsunamis or the earthquakes that take place- scientific reasons which have been brought forward to explain what happens. The shifting of tectonic plates causes a disruption in the normal functioning of the earth. The earth is said to be floating in the solar system. It rotates on a 24 hr basis and revolves yearly. There are scientific deductions of how events take place, but one question remains unanswered- why they do take place?
The question remains- who is control of the earth and the universe? How did the world function in ancient times? The Bible plainly explains some events that took place. That God created everything and has total control over some things.
Failure to recognize the presence of a superior being is arrogance that can be compared to arguing that if a fish had a nose, it would probably be able to fly. There are reported stories of miracles of people who are terminally sick waking up completely cured in hospitals after being prayed for, leaving doctors dumbfounded and dazed. Using the principle of sufficient reason the earth is dependent on a superior being and so are we (Humans).
References
Bolzano Bernard (2014)- Theory of Science, 4 volumes, translated by Paul Rusnock and Rolf George, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014
Retrieved from https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/sufficient-reason/
Euler, Leonhard (2009)- Letters to a German Princess in E. Watkins (ed.), Kant's Critique of Pure Reason: Background Source Materials, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009, 183230.
Retrieved from https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/sufficient-reason/Hick John (1960) - "God as Necessary Being," Journal of Philosophy, 57(22/23): 72533.
Does God have a cause of his existence? [Robin Le Poidevin, Arguing for Atheism, Routledge 1996, Chapter 1]
Retrieved from http://www.philosophyofreligion.info/theistic-proofs/the-cosmological-argument/
http://www.wikipedia.com/Principleofsufficientargument/
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