Discuss critically the idea that the existence of God can be known through reason alone. (40 marks)

“Discuss critically the idea that the existence of God can be known through reason alone.” (40 marks)

Knowledge of God can be known in many ways, especially through reason. This is because God provided us with rationality and created us in “his image and likeness” so that we can learn of his existence through our own ability. Our ability to reason is what makes us so special compared to other animals, we have a special connection with God since “he breathed the breath of life into Adam”. Hence to claim that we can prove God’s existence through reason is very reasonable. However, although reason, logic and observation (natural theology) is key to support the idea of God’s existence, it does not teach us about God’s character nor does it enable us to create a personal relationship with him. Instead it is a very shallow and a weak source of knowledge. On the other hand, revealed theology is a great source of gaining knowledge about God’s nature and character. In this essay, I will endeavour to show that God’s existence can be known through more than reason. I will use scholars such as Bonaventure, Aquinas, Calvin, Aristotle and Plato to support and contradict the question. I will also question the extent to which we as humans can gain knowledge of God through our own ability and the extent to which we can find out about God.

The question of how we gain knowledge has been lingering around since ancient times. Aristotle and Plato aimed to offer an answer as to how we are able to reason and gain knowledge. They took two different approaches to explain this answer. Aristotle was an empiricist and he argued that we can only gain knowledge through experience and experiments. On the other hand, Plato was a rationalist, he believed that we gain knowledge through our soul, which previously lived in the world of the forms, where it learned everything. Therefore, in this physical world we only recognise and remember all that we already know, we don’t actually learn anything. Although these theories are plausible they do not help us to gain knowledge about God.

When we say that the existence of God can be known through reason alone we are claiming that natural theology is the best way to find knowledge about God. Natural theology is about gaining knowledge of God solely through human reasoning and observation whereas revealed theology is about gaining knowledge of God through scriptures and religious experience. In other words, he chooses to reveal himself to us. Both theologies can be used to learn truths about God, but some people argue that we should only use revealed theology, since it is more reliable in the sense that we gain knowledge from God himself and that natural theology should be rejected because it is based on human reasoning, which most of the time is flawed. A good example of natural theology is Paley’s analogy of a watch. He argues that if we were walking on a heath and saw a watch on the ground we would assume that its parts had not come together by chance because it is too ordered and complicated. Therefore, it must have been designed by a watchmaker. Similarly, the universe is also in order, complex like a watch, and perfectly calculated for life to exist. Therefore, there must be a designer who designed it. For Paley the natural world presented an unmistakable evidence of a God. Likewise, in Psalm 19:1-3, we are told, “the heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.” This passage shows that humanity only has to look at the wonders and beauty of the world to see the power and benevolence of God. 

For Aquinas, natural theology was necessary and important for proving the reasonability of Christianity. He was keen to show that Christianity was not in opposition to common sense but was supported by it. For example, from seeing that the world is in constant change we can support the idea that there must be an Uncaused Causer. We can also prove that there must be a necessary being by showing that all other things are contingent. This shows that natural theology is a useful method in gaining knowledge of God. Richard Swinburne also puts forward the idea that our human reason and powers of observation provide us with solid grounds for supporting the probability that there is a God. This is because order, regularity and purpose within the world show that it cannot be a result of chance. Some believe that natural theology comes from innate human sense of the divine. Cicero argues that in the history of every country, society and culture people have had a sense that there is a divine being who is in control of the universe. We know for a fact that there is no way that those cultures could have had an influenced or connections with each other, therefore, there must be an innate sense for God within us. This is supported by the Bible when we are told that God breathed life into Adam. This suggest that we all have a “spark” of divinity within us which responds to God. This idea was further developed by Calvin who believed that we all have “sensus divinitas”. He wrote, “there is within the human mind, and indeed by natural instinct, an awareness of divinity.” He also argued that anyone who can reflect on the natural world, its beauty and order, should have no difficulty understanding the existence of God. Available to “even the most unlearned and ignorant people”. Calvin also argued that the created world is a “mirror” or a “theatre” for God, who sometimes shows himself so that no one can have an excuse for being unaware of his existence. For Calvin, epistemic distance was created by human beings and their ignorance, this is proven by the fact that God has made it impossible for people to ignore him and his will unless they deliberately choose to. This idea differs from others in the sense that other believe God created the epistemic distance so that we can have freewill and act out of want not by force.

In his work “The Mind’s Road to God” Bonaventura uses an analogy of eyes to explain that the mind had at least three ways of knowing.  Out of the three eyes, the “eye of contemplation” is the eye which allows us to come to knowledge of God by going beyond the scope of both sense experience and reason. It allows us to gain knowledge of God through faith. The idea that we can know God through other means has been a very popular view within Christianity and modern writers such as Polikinghorne. Polikinghorne also uses an analogy of “binocular vision” to further explain the different kinds of “seeing”. He explains that he sees science in one “eye” which shows him the physical world but then he understands God’s nature and spiritual truth through the other. He had a very holistic approach by which he argued that both eyes need to work together to give the complete view. Other scholars such as Newman, Butler and C.S. Lewis claim that we can find evidence of God by looking at our own human nature. Our ability to feel guilt and satisfaction when we do bad or good shows that we have an active conscience. This inner voice is not only evidence of God but of a God who makes demands and requires obedience from his people. This shows that we need reason to be able to gain all this knowledge.

Unlike natural theology, we cannot work out revealed theology with our own efforts. Revealed theology is special in the sense that it did not rely on people having strong intellectual gifts but, was available to everyone through faith. It conformed the findings of natural theology but also added further truths which are unavailable through reason alone. Such as the ideas about the afterlife and the person of Jesus Christ. Would have never been discovered through reason, these truths could only be discovered through revelation. Christians believe that the fundamental, distinctive teachings of their faith have been given to them by God through the form of revelation and from this, they were able to develop their religion. There are two types of revelation, immediate and mediate. Immediate revelation is understood as a direct encounter with God whereas mediate revelation involves learning about God from others. An example of immediate revelation would be a religious experience whereas mediate revelation would be learning of God through scriptures and tales.

Some knowledge of God is possible through experience and reason, but it is not complete. A much fuller knowledge of God can be gained by revelation through faith and by God’s grace in giving knowledge of himself through the holy spirit. Hence why, religious believers believe that sense experience, logic reason are limited in the sense that they don’t help us to gain knowledge of spiritual, supernatural truths, or ethical truths abought how we should live. On the other hand, others might argue that there is no such thing such as ethical or supernatural truths and that only the physical world exists. Using his Principle of sufficient reason Leibniz argues that everything which exists must have a reason or cause for its existence whether we know it or not. He argued that even if something is eternal we still need a reason for its eternal existence. He writes, “why is there any world at all… from this it appears that even if we assume the past eternity of the world, we can’t escape the ultimate and out of the world reason for things, namely God.” This principle shows that there must be a God, and that we can use our reason to work out his existence. Although Leibniz’s idea was not fully excepted, it has good face validity and a plausible explanation. This explanation shows that we can get further by using logic and reasoning rather than observation. This is because we cannot physically see or touch God. This gives more credit to the natural explanation for the existence of God.

In conclusion, because God is not physical or available to the five senses, he cannot exist in the empirical sense. He also can’t exist in the logical and reasonable sense because he is said to be beyond the realms of the human mind and rationality. This means that either God does not exist, meaning that knowledge of God is impossible, or knowledge of God cannot be gained in a specific way, we can only have faith in the teachings of Christianity despite doubt. However, this is very unlikely. The Roman philosopher Cicero looked at the natural order of things and was convinced that there must be some superior intelligence to explain it all.  In his book “On the Nature of the Gods” he writes, “What could be more clear or obvious when we look up to the sky and contemplate the heavens, than that there is some divinity of superior intelligence?” this shows that through reason we can be certain of God’s existence. This is further supported by Aristotle. He believed that the physical world contained everything that was worth knowing, this infers that through natural theology we can find knowledge about God. However, we must also consider the extent to which human beings can learn about God’s nature through our own efforts and the fact that we are incapable of finding out the truth that it can only be revealed to us through God. Religious people also believe that we can know God not as we know facts but as we know people. It is different to know of Theresa May than to know her personally. Similarly, religious people argue that God can be known personally. This shows that although we can learn a lot about God through natural theology and reason, revealed theology is more useful because we can develop a personal communication with him.

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