Running head: RESPONSE PAPER ON BEING AN ATHEIST
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Being an Atheist and God Existence
Name
Liberty University
RESPONSE PAPER ON BEING AN ATHEIST
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Abstract
This essay will give an overview on how Atheist compare themselves as claiming to give
conception that God don’t exists. I will be giving arguments for God’s existence and how my
worldview is compared being an Atheist argument for God’s existence and offer the problem of
evil as a reason why one should not believe in God.
Keywords: Atheist, belief, Cosmological argument, God, Evil, Teleological Argument
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Being an Atheist and God Existence
In my research of reading on being an Atheist by H.J. McCloskey is somewhat a man that
truly does not believe in God, and wants everyone else to understand his vision for why there is
no God and how he claims if God exists why is there so much evil in the world such as
murdering, rape, and stealing. Personally, being of Christian faith my worldview is optimally
and upmost know that God exists, and he died and rose again so that we may live. McCloskey
tries to show claims of his proof of the existence of God is merely based on motivations toward
the argument of design cosmological proof and the teleological proof. Base on Foreman
comments in his “Approaching the Question of God’s existence,” God is good all the time, and
he is omnipotent that God has all abilities to be good and perfect. (Foreman) God is Necessary
Being because only God is essence to exits.
On the Cosmological argument McCloskey thinks that the existent of the universe is not
enough to validate the existence of God, so therefore he tries to discredit the cosmological
argument. McCloskey tries to disengage theism by saying their belief of a creator is untrue and
that God does not whole to the world in his hand and there are not claims in it. On the other
hand, according to Evans and Manis in Philosophy of Religion, the non-temporal form claims of
the cosmological argument is presented in “the contingency of the universe” which is an
argument that it is not necessary and does not exists. In order to be existence, it must have first
cause for the universe to necessary be it be contingent. God is the best clarification for the
existence of the creator because he was the first the created Adam and Eve. McCloskey states
the cosmological argument “does not entitle us to postulate an all-powerful, all-perfect uncaused
case.” (McCloskey, 1968, p.52) The cosmological argument is an external value that cannot be
used alone as support of God existence.
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According to Evan and Manis, the cosmological argument “hardly constitutes more than an
entering wedge into the knowledge of God.” Meaning that our belief should come from the value
of God existence and the support and our values of the argument should come from knowledge
of God.
Another argument that McCloskey pointed out was the Teleological argument which is
also known as an argument from design. McCloskey may be right on this one that his claim that
no indisputable example exists because the argument is not an indisputable proof, do have a
possible explanation, and according to the teleological argument, there is not an absolute proof
for the existence of God. There is no purpose for the design in the university. Take for instance
a DVD player it was built by design a square box with technology filled with components and
power to play. It cannot play a movie unless one a CD is inserted. In order words, you don’t get
anything out unless you put something In.
Despite McCloskey implying that evolution has displaced the need for a designer. In
looking at the Big Bang model it is the most popular naturalist explanation of the universe. One
main belief of evolution is the idea that all living thing shares the same offspring that human
“appears to be a designer of mechanistically,” (Evan & Manis, 2017, 82) and they were created
and related to one another. God is a designer by creating the earth, he created two of everything
even the plants. God made Man from dirt and then created Women from the rid of a man now
that’s evolutional.
When it comes to the change of teleological argument of McCloskey claims that “the
presence of imperfection and evil in the world argue s against. The perfection of the divine
design or divine purpose of the World.” (McCloskey) if there is a reaction there is a cause to
have the reaction. Yes, there is an imperfection and evil in the World, but it is not the cause of
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Gods design it is what the people have chosen to do. Teleological argument since to air on the
side of atheism belief rather than the theists' beliefs.
McCloskey confirms the reality of evil and denies the reality of God, he showed several
examples why theism presence evil. God should not be logical comparable to evil, God meant
all criteria that he is Being of omnipotent that is all powerful, he has put together all forms of the
universe he is all good, and he knows all meaning Omniscient. God made us all free as humans
of moral good, but being free some sense to create their own evil in the world. If we all live by
God example, then we will be a perfect image of God.
Accord to Evans and Manis, “Almost all contemporary theodicies base their arguments
on greater good principle, the evil that God permits is justified because allowing that evil makes
possible the achievement of a greater good or the prevention of a worse evil.” (Evans & Manis,
2009) If something happens to say that some die that had long suffered pain, by dying they are
released of the long-suffering they are at a better place this is a moral belief. It goes back to the
beginning of Genesis where our pain, injustice, unbelief come from. God loves us we can
sustain and prevail his goodness if we believe and have faith.
On the final pages of McCloskey article, he claims that atheism is more comforting than
theism. Craig argument atheistic morality by saying if atheism is true, then there is no God and
there is no immortality. If there is not God, then one has no good reason to be moral. Against
morality, he says if moral values are just expressions of personal taste or the product of evolution
and conditioning, then objective moral values do not exist. Therefore, if there is not God, then
life has no ultimate purpose. We all should live by the example of God in peace, loving, and
harmony. Thanking God for our existence as humans live free but not carefree knowing there is
evil in the World all we can do as Christian is to stay in prayer and believe in our true worldview.
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Work Cite:
RESPONSE PAPER ON BEING AN ATHEIST
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Craig, W.L, (2008), Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics, 3rd Ed., Wheaton, IL.
Crossway Books, 71-90
Evans, C.S., & Manis, R.Z., (2009). Philosophy of Religion, 2nd Ed. Downers Grove, IL.
InterVarsity Press
McCloskey, H.J., (1968) On Being an Atheist. Question one. 51 -54
