Over at Brandon Vogt’s website Strange Notions here and here I have a set of arguments for God’s existence which are not philosophical arguments based on Design, Prime Movers, etc, but on physical, historical evidence.
The argument and evidence goes like this: If atheistic materialism is true, then the natural world must be a closed system. Everything must be explained within that closed system. There is no room for angels or aliens, demons or devils, goblins or gods. If atheistic materialism is right there are not intelligent, reasonable, personal exterior forces superior to the natural world who might interfere or interact with the natural world.
However, if there is physical, historical evidence for a miracle, then there is a force outside of nature and greater than nature, and if the miracle in question is intelligible, reasonable and fits with the rest of what we know about history, science and the natural world, then the only conclusion is that the force that interrupted nature and altered the natural order is not only outside the natural order and superior to it, but is also an intelligent, reasonable and determined force.
Note that it only takes one miracle to prove this. If the system is closed there can be no miracles at all.
If, however, the system is not closed, then only one miracle is required to show this to be the case.
Where then might we find that one miracle, and is there historical, documentary, eyewitness record of this miracle? Are there multiple eyewitnesses whose stories fit together? Is there historical documentary evidence from other sources that corroborate the primary source? Is there archeological evidence, and most of all is there any scrap of evidence which can only be explained by the miracle that is testified to:
It is the resurrection of Jesus Christ, of course, which is the one miracle that rules them all, and I am more and more convinced by the evidence of the Shroud of Turin.
This website gathers the evidence of students of the shroud from around the world.
Whenever I am now in dialogue with an atheist I skip all the philosophical arguments and simply therefore point to the shroud.
My challenge to the atheist is, “I dare you to seriously study the shroud with an open mind in an objective manner.”
Most of them will sneer with a wave of a hand and say, “Carbon 14 dating proved that the shroud is a medieval fake long ago.”
The problem with this argument is that carbon fourteen dating is not foolproof and the carbon fourteen testing if far from the only evidence that the shroud presents.
Here are a few others that the person who doubts the authenticity of the shroud must answer: Continue Reading
