| [quote=Gorgo]Again, define your Creator
As Muslims we would use a different method to establish our thoughts about the existence of a Creator and this method is termed as the 'rational method of thinking'. By this we mean that rational thought is built upon four components that is; the reality, the senses that transmit the reality, the distinguishing brain and previous information. Therefore, the process of rational thought is where one senses the reality using his senses that transmit it to the brain, which links the reality that is sensed to the previous information, hence producing a thought. If we return back to the example of the painting when we sense the painting we realise that the paint does not necessarily fall into an intricate pattern that produces the painting instead something other than the painting is also required to produce the painting - that is a painter.
So using this rational method of thinking we can discuss the rational proof for a Creator.
The rational proof for the existence of the Creator
In order to understand the question of whether there exist a Creator or not we first have to sense the universe around us. By doing so we come to the clear conclusion that everything within the universe is defined by certain attributes and that these attributes are quantifiable. So whether we sense water with its particular boiling point, or the sun with its particular size, shape and temperature, or if it's an atom with its particular atomic number all of these are definable and quantifiable - hence we would term these things 'limited'. So no matter what is sensed within the universe all things are ultimately limited. Further the universe is the sum of all that exists, and because all that exists is quantifiable and definable then the universe is the sum of all that is quantifiable hence the universe is also quantifiable. A further point to note is that all limited things that are sensed cannot exist on its own accord, that they also require other limited things to exist. For example, paper has a certain size and shape, thus we will term it limited but the paper also required wood to exist. Wood is also limited and also requires trees to exist in order for it to exist, and trees require sunlight and carbon dioxide for it to exist, the sun requires the fusion of hydrogen for it to also exist. In truth anything we observe or sense within the universe are limited and dependant, which is they require other things to exist in order for it to exist.
This leads us to three possible conclusions.
1. Everything depends upon each other in an infinite chain of interdependent limited things.
2. Everything depends upon other things in an elaborate cycle such that they achieve mutual dependence, without the need for something to initiate it.
3. There needs to exist something independent that initiates creation i.e. a Creator.
Firstly, it is impossible for everything to depend upon other things in an infinite chain. To prove this point imagine a row of dominos, for the last domino to fall over it needs to wait for the proceeding domino to fall first, and for that domino to fall over it also needs to wait for its' proceeding domino to also fall first. Now if there were an infinite chain of dominoes, meaning that there is no beginning domino to initiate the fall of dominoes, then would any of the dominoes fall over? Of course not. In reality an infinite number of dominos means each domino would have to wait for an infinite amount of time, meaning they would have to wait forever. herefore if everything in the universe depends upon another thing and this chain goes on forever then nothing would exist as they would continually wait for the proceeding thing to exist. Therefore a chain of interdependent things that goes on forever cannot exist.
As for the second possibility that everything depends upon every other thing in an elaborate cycle we can also show that this cannot occur. If we return to the analogy of the water cycle then we can say that for water to exist it depends upon rain and for rain to exist it depends upon clouds and clouds depend upon evaporation of water. However water does not exist as yet, hence nothing in the cycle exists until something initiates the cycle. Further we can understand this point by another simple illustration by stating that A depends upon B and B depends upon A, this is a form of mutual dependence. So for A to exist B needs to exist but B doesn't exist until A exists, therefore nothing would exist. This simple demonstration proves that things cannot depend upon other things in a form of a cycle i.e. mutual dependence without something external first initiating the cycle.
Hence this leads to the final possibility as the only possibility to explain the universe around us. That is something independent requires to exist upon which every other thing ultimately depends upon. For this independent force to exist then it must be other than limited, i.e. other than quantifiable and definable. Therefore this independent thing must be unlimited. This necessitates that this unlimited, independent force chose to create and was not forced to create. Choice signifies will and intelligence. As a result we come to the rational conclusion that an independent, unlimited, intelligent force created the universe. For Muslims we call this Creator, Allah
An invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has come.
Last edited by mindclear; May 28, 2005 at 01:29 pm.
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