circulated debate regarding religion

There is a much circulated debate regarding religion, there is always that question that people

throughout history have spent a lot of time contemplating, and that question is: does God

exist? The kalam cosmological argument of causation attempts to prove that God exists with the

reasoning that God is the uncaused cause that caused the universe to exist. It describes everything

that exists but could also be non-existent to have a cause to exist and it cannot pre-exist in order to

bring itself into existence. The cosmological argument goes against the idea of there being an infinite

number of causes that bring something into existence because that means there is not an initial cause-

however since the universe exists it must have a cause. There must be a beginning for the causes which

is the uncaused cause; this uncaused cause of all things must possess great qualities that could only be

possessed by God.

Thomas Aquinas had also argued for the existence of God by providing five proofs. The first three were

associated with a cosmological argument. He pointed out the fact that every change in the world is the

result of some source of change, and that every effect results from a prior cause. In his proofs

everything that changes must be changed, the universe is in a constant lux of change. He had concluded

that we are led ultimately to a source of change that is unchanged, this source is called God. He had

supported the fact that everything that happens has a cause. He argued that there is a Being that does

not depend on anything else for its existence; this Being was the first cause- which is God.

While there are arguments that are for the existence of God, there are some that counteract it by

denying the existence of God which is done by Hindu absolutists, Buddhists, and Taoists. Hindu

Absolutists do not exactly believe in God rather they believe in Brahman- the Ultimate Reality- which is

full of mysticism and Maya-illusion. They believe that God is an illusion; he is a reflection of Brahman.

They do not necessarily regard Brahman as God, rather they consider Brahman to be everything, it is

oneness and unity, and it is a way of being. While the Hindu absolutists do not completely deny God’s

existence, they do not find it to be of any importance. The same applies to Buddhism, God is irrelevant

and perhaps even inferior to Buddha because God is trapped in the cycle of life and knowing whether

God exists is unnecessary to achieve the ultimate reality. In Buddhism Ultimate Reality can be achieved

by the Four Noble Truths and the Eight-Fold Path, these set you in the direction of righteous living and

enlightenment. In Buddhism there is no purpose for God rather everything is an accumulation of

energies. The ultimate attainment in Buddhism is to be set free from the wheel of life which is samsara

and to achieve Nirvana which is blissful extinction of life.

Taoism completely denies the existence of God, there is no God to be worshipped rather all are equal. It

is based on mysticism and it is the way of life. In the Taoist way of life humans are free to do as they

please however it preaches that they stick to nature which is more simple and holy rather than

indulging themselves in luxuries and material items. It believes that the true nature of the unknown can

never truly be known.

In my opinion, I do not think that the existence or non-existence of God can be proven because the

arguments and mystical experience all have holes in them which are the cause of counter-arguments and

skepticism. I somewhat agree with the Taoist belief, if God is all-knowing and powerful then we would

not ever be able to completely understand this and therefore would not be able to rationally

comprehend and explain such an unknown thing. I also believe that there must be a first cause however I

do not believe that we can ever really find substantial proof for a cause of which is beyond our

knowledge. Even if God was proven to be existent then there would be more doubt concerning the

question of who caused God and there would be a never ending loop of chasing after a primal source of

all things that exist. Although I understand that many people are trying to figure out this idea of God,

it is much like how

scientists attempt to find a cure for a disease of which they do not know what the cause of it is but

nonetheless believe that there is a cause, I just believe that if God exists it will be very difficult to give

solid proof that leaves no room for doubt considering how long mankind has gone so far pondering this

question. I believe that God is and will forever be unknown, it is up to the individual to figure out how

much importance this idea or belief of God should play in their lives.

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