In the Beginning

Greetings.

Contemplating the existence of God can be the most mind bending, thought provoking topic one can consider. Depending on your ultimate conclusion, if there ever is one, it will no doubt alter your perceptions and how you live your life. The consideration of the subject can raise tempers on all three sides (pro/con/undecided) and invite heated debates by those that would argue in absolutes. This contemplation (and eventual conclusion) is the subject of this blog.

In the beginning there was this young boy. His family were practicing Roman Catholics. With a few years of Catholic school under his belt the question of the existence of God was a non issue. "Of course he exists, Idiot!" would be the young mans response if asked. As the young man grew, acquired some wisdom and became more educated, he began to feel as if he had been lied to his entire life. There was no God. His first emotion when he accepted that as fact, was anger. Anger that he had been misled. Angry that he had been taught "absolutes" that were, in fact, not absolute. As the now grown man continued gaining new wisdom and education events led him back to the undecided category. While pondering the question one night he asked himself:

1. Does the question really need to be addressed? Does it really matter if God exists or not?

2. Am I really ready to look at all of the evidence and put the question to rest once and for all in my own mind?

3. If I do this and reach a conclusion, how will it affect my life? Am I prepared to handle the truth?

Answering the three questions in the affirmative, the man started his quest. The quest to find the answer to one of the most debated subjects in the history of mankind.

Yes the man is me. For nearly ten years I have been gathering information and verifying it. I believe that I am ready to resolutely state my conclusion but, given the personal significance, I am going to look back at everything I have discovered and reevaluate my considerations, re analyze the arguments and re verify my older material that I originally accepted for consideration. I have decided to review the material here so others may share in what I have learned and possibly lend additional considerations to the subject.

As an FYI, while probably not using the exact scientific method, I have been very careful to only consider facts and arguments that are logical in nature. The process of verifying information as accurate was probably the most time consuming aspect of my research. Now that the majority of that has been done, I should be able to review everything with the source already available. An example would be a Quote from, say, David Hume. A recognized philosopher (among other things) that contemplated the same question. I would ask is his quote accurate? Can I find it at more than one reliable source? When I verified the information, I logged the sources and will share them here as I consider the evidence.

Our journey is going to take us to many places. From the Big Bang to the Bible. From Freud's perceptions of human nature to the biological realities of living things. I believe that I have left no stone unturned. I have learned so much. I hope you will find this contemplation intriguing and maybe even enlightening. If you answered yes to my three questions above, maybe I can assist you on your journey.