Does a God Exist? The rational argument By Hamza Andreas Tzortzis

1. Does a God Exist?The rational argumentBy Hamza Andreas Tzortzis Presentation for the “Does a God Exist” Derby debate with Mike Lake 3rd November 2007

2. Introduction • My background • www.theinimitablequran.com • hamzatzortzis.blogspot.com • Today’s discussion • Frank, honest and open dialogue • Rational discussion • Not an irrational emotional argument

3. Setting the Scene • Emotional arguments are invalid E.g. Cancer is an unfortunate reality, no one wants to get cancer. In fact everybody hates cancer. However, just because it has negative effects on our health and our lives doesn’t NEGATE the fact that it exists • Every emotional argument has many perspectives, including a positive perspective • Therefore, emotional arguments are irrelevant to this discussion

4. The Approach • The Islamic perspective • Searching for truth is based upon evidence • There is no blind thinking or blind adoption of the Islamic creed When it is said to them: "Come to what God has revealed; come to the Messenger": They say: "Enough for us are the ways we found our fathers following." What! Even though their fathers had no knowledge and no guidance? Qur’an 5:104

5. The Existence of God:A Rational Argument

6. How do we see the world? • We can all agree that we : • Have five senses • Use these senses to make judgments on our world • Use information to analyse things and make conclusions • Have a mind that can differentiate between one thing and another • Therefore we should proceed with this method and refuse to accept blind emotional arguments…

7. The Origin of the Universe • We all have asked the same questions: • Where did the universe come from? • Why does everything exists instead of nothing? • Typically Atheists have said the universe is: • Eternal • Uncaused • A result of ‘pot luck’ • This is irrational. If the universe never had a beginning, that means there is an infinite number of past events.

8. Can an Infinite Number of things Exist? • Infinite regression is an impossibility • Mathematicians recognise that the existence of an actually infinite leads to contradictions • Infinity – Infinity = Infinity • David Hilbert a famous mathematician said: “The infinite is nowhere to be found in reality. It neither exists in nature nor provides a legitimate basis for rational thought…”

9. There is no Actual Infinite • The Library Book Example: You are waiting in a queue for a library book consisting of an infinite number of people. Will you ever get the book? • Soldier Example: A soldier requires permission of the soldier behind him to shoot. If there are an infinite number of soldiers, will he shoot?

10. Some Astrophysical Evidence • This conclusion is confirmed by physics • The ‘Big Bang’ • Physical time and space were created • Matter and energy were also created • Cambridge Astronomer Fred Hoyle states that the universe at a point in the past: “..shrunk down to nothing at all” • The ‘Big Bang’ model requires that something was created out of nothing.

11. Very Awkward for the Atheist • Anthony Kenny Professor at Oxford University: “A proponent of the big bang theory, at least if he is an atheist, must believe that the…universe came out of nothing and by nothing” • But out of nothing, comes nothing! • Even atheists recognise this, famous Philosopher David Hume: “…I never asserted to absurd proposition as that anything might arise without a cause”

12. Summary of the Argument…so far • We can summarise the argument: 1. Whatever begins to exist has a cause 2. The universe began to exist 3. Therefore the universe has a cause

13. Some Counter Arguments • The universe can be a cycle of events • This is absurd as this would indicate that the future causes the past! • Things can exist without a cause • Some atheists claim sub atomic articles exist out of nothing • This is false as there are fluctuations in energy that caused the emergence of sub atomnic particles! • The problem of Evil • Evil existing is an irrelevant emotional argument that doesn’t negate existence • Reconciliation between life’s tribulations results in a positive perspective for a Muslim…

14. Then who Caused God? The argument is about all things that beginto exist have a cause… NOT Whatever exists has a cause! God/The Cause didn’t begin to exist.

15. The Universe has a Cause • The cause of the universe is: • Uncaused by rational necessity (ref: library book and soldier example) • ‘Unlimited’ and beyond creation • Not subject to time or space • Is a personal being that has a will…how else can a timeless being bring the universe into existence? • Not subject to the laws that govern temporal phenomena

16. Some additional supporting arguments… • The fine tuning in the universe is such that it is absurd to claim that it was out of chance – Probability: 1010 [123 Zeros] • This is equivalent of believing a talking Pink Hippopotamus exists that was born on Pluto and flew here on a giant feather! • A ‘Bang’ causes disharmony…why was a the rate of expansion so specific? • Why would the smallest deviation in the rate of expansion make the universe collapse?

17. 123 Zeros! • 100000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

18. On Mike Lake’s Pink Hippopotamus • Mike Lake’s Pink Hippopotamus so-called refutation: • Is rationally absurd as he confuses existence of a sole cause of the universe and it’s essence or character • Refuses to argue the premises of the argument • What is the essence of the cause of the universe?....Requires a separate slide/discussion and is not part of this debate

19. Mike Lake must… …prove the following counter claims: • All things that begin to exist have no cause • The Universe had no beginning • The Universe has no cause

20. The Premises of my argument… …can only be refuted if Mike Lake proves: 1. That there can be an infinite set of past events i.e. infinite regression is a reality 2. That things which begin to exist have no cause

21. Rational Conclusion:A Timeless Unchanging Cause Exists… …but what about ‘God’????

22. Calling God ‘God’:The necessity for external information

23. Why Revelation? • Muslims do not have an explicit assumption about WHO God is • Our finite minds cannot explain or fully comprehend the infinite/timeless • Therefore we do not have the Christian traditional approach of who God is • Its like a knocking on the door… • So IF God said anything about Himself, it is definitely in the form of external revelation

24. The proof explained • Qur’an Chapter 2 Verse 23 “And if you are in doubt concerning that which We have sent down to our servant (Muhammad pbuh) then bring a chapter of the like thereof and call your witnesses (supporters and helpers) besides Allah if you are truthful”

25. Five Main Arguments Five Main Arguments Eloquence Rational Deduction If the best of Arabic speakers couldn’t meet the challenge then who wrote it? It has the most accurate and perfect choice of words, word order, choice of prepositions… Rhetoric Unique Literary Form Unique Genre It has more rhetorical features then any other text, past or present. It creates an unparalleled psycholinguistic effect It has its own unique form of Arabic It has a unique way of using various linguistic and literary features

26. So who created the Qur’an? • Rational deduction • Is it from an Arab, Non-Arab, the Prophet (pbuh) or the Creator? • The Prophet and Hadith – Linguistic differences • The pre-requisite – Creator • No other rational explanation!

27. Miracle After Miracle • My favourite….. “As tangible signs Qur’anic verses are expressive of an inexhaustible truth. They signify meaning layered within meaning, light upon light, miracle after miracle.” Prof Bruce Lawrence “…and that though several attempts have been made to produce a work equal to it…none has as yet succeeded.” Prof Arbuthnot

28. Conclusion: A Miracle Indeed it is! • Martin Zammit, in “A comparative Lexical Study…” “Notwithstanding the literary excellence of some of the long pre-Islamic poems…the Qur'an is definitely on a level of its own as the most eminent written manifestation of the Arabic language.” • Rev. R Bosworth Smith concludes: "…It is the one miracle claimed by Muhammad, his standing miracle, and a miracle indeed it is."

29. Thank you! • Email: a_tzortzis@yahoo.com • Mobile: 07988850946 • www.theinimitablequran.com • hamzatzortzis.blogspot.com Alhamdulillahir Rabbil’Alameen [All Praises & Thanks Due to the Lord of the Worlds]