Four Ways To Think About The ‘God Doesn’t Exist Because He’s Hidden’ Argument
If God exists, how come we never “see” Him? That’s a claim usually heard from self-avowed atheists, but it can also be the plaintive cry from the heart of the most convinced believer. “God, where are you?” is a question I have asked, too.
Philosopher Kenneth R. Samples of Reasons to Believe takes up this claim and explains on his web site, Reflections, the four arguments that have been made over the centuries in response to the claim that there is no God because one is never seen.
“The four traditional arguments for God’s existence are the cosmological argument, the teleological argument, the moral argument, and the ontological argument. There are many versions of these classic arguments, along with many other arguments apologists can marshal from different academic disciplines (history, science, mathematics, aesthetics, etc.),” Samples explains.
“I have chosen specific versions of the arguments and have presented them in introductory, outline form. In logic, an argument is defined as a supported claim. The claim is called the conclusion and the support (facts, evidence, reasons) are called the premises. For each argument, I have briefly identified the basic support for the premises and noted the biggest objection to the argument followed by a rejoinder,” he continues.
Whether you are an atheist, an agnostic or a theist in search of clarity for why you think and believe as you do, Samples’ explanation of these four arguments is crisp, clear and concise. Go here for the balance of his explanation.