Is it possible to prove or disprove the existence of God using the natural sciences? This article will examine the evidence, not to prove or disprove God exists, but to address whether it is possible to prove or disprove God exists.
First, we need to start with a definition of God. God means different things to different people, cultures, and civilizations. We likely could fill hundreds of pages, and still not cover all the potential definitions. Therefore, in the interest of brevity and focus, we will not concentrate on the beliefs of any one religion, but rather on the general themes regarding the nature of God that weaves through numerous religions. For this reason, it would be better to not use the word God, since it is often associated with monotheism (one God), but rather the word “deity,” which encompasses polytheism (multiple Gods). The question becomes, what is the nature of a deity? Five key attributes of a deity are found in numerous religions throughout the world:
- It is an eternal, divinely simple (no parts), supernatural being (omnipreternatural).
- It knows all (omniscience).
- Its power is unlimited (omnipotence).
- It is everywhere (omnipresence).
- It is all good (omnibenevolence).
If we attempt to go beyond the five attributes described above, we inevitably get into specific religions. However, the five attributes are sufficient to make one pivotal point, namely that a deity is supernatural. What would this imply? It implies that a deity is beyond the realm of nature (physical reality). Therefore, any experiments we do in the physical world will give us physical data, not supernatural data. This is a critical point; it implies that scientific proof of the existence of a supernatural being is impossible. The reverse is true. It implies it is impossible to disprove the existence of a supernatural being. We could stop here because the objective was to answer the question: is it possible to prove or disprove the existence of God using the natural sciences? If you assume God is supernatural, item 1, using the natural sciences to prove or disprove God’s existence would appear futile.
Unfortunately, I think most scientists and lay people that attempt to prove or disprove the existence of God really don’t get this crucial point, but use natural evidence to make inferences. Let me frame the debate. From a historical broad-brush perspective, it comes down to two main camps:
- Evolutionism—asserts we are here because of evolution, not divine intervention. In a modern context, the evolution is viewed to have started with the Big Bang itself. This school has also been termed “Darwinian evolution” and “scientism.”
- Creationism—asserts we are here because of divine intervention, referred to as “intelligent design.” In a modern context, the Big Bang was “God’s” chosen method to create our universe, which ultimately resulted in our existence.
Although, both camps make excellent points, and may people are convinced by their logic, they are not strictly scientific proof. Is not possible to prove the existence of a supernatural being (i.e., a being outside the natural laws) using natural laws (i.e., science)? In the end, I judge it comes down to belief, not science. What do you believe?
