Exploring the Divine Existence: A Journey through Cosmological Proofs and Church Fathers' Wisdom

1. The Cosmological Proofs:

As we contemplate the world around us — with its stars, planets, diverse life forms, and complex details of creation — we are filled with wonder about its origins. The universe's complete scale and harmonious order prompt us to think about the beginnings, prompting questions about the forces or entities that set it all in motion.

The cosmological proofs are arguments that suggest there must be a First Cause, a Prime Mover, who initiated the chain of existence. This First Cause is believed to be God, the Creator of all things.

"For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God." (Hebrews 3:4) "እያንዳንዱ ቤት በአንድ ሰው ተዘጋጅቶአልና፥ ሁሉን ያዘጋጀ ግን እግዚአብሔር ነው።" (ዕብ 3፡4)

2. The Human Spirit Reveals God:

Deep within each of us, there is a desire for something beyond the physical world, a thirst for meaning and purpose that transcends (goes beyond) our earthly existence. This spiritual aspect of our humanity, our desire for connection, for love, for truth, suggests that we are made for something more than what this world offers.

"The spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children." (Romans 8:16) "የእግዚአብሔር ልጆች መሆናችንን ያ መንፈስ ራሱ ከመንፈሳችን ጋር ይመሰክራል።" (ሮሜ 8:16)

St. Gregory of Nyssa (335-395 A.D.) taught that the human spirit has an inherent connection to God, the divine that seeks to be reunited with its Creator. Our spiritual nature reflects our origin in God and our potential for eternal communion with Him.

3. Beliefs about God:

Theism: Theism is the belief in one God and Theists believe in the existence of a single divinity or supreme being.

Atheism: Atheism is the belief that there is no God and Atheists are the individuals who believe that there is no God.

Psalm 14:1 - "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.' They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good." "ሰነፍ በልቡ፦ አምላክ የለም ይላል። በሥራቸው ረከሱ፥ ጐስቈሉ፤ በጎ ነገርን የሚሠራ የለም።" (መዝ 14:1)

Agnosticism: This is when people claim that they don't know whether God exists or not. They believe that the existence of God cannot be proven.

1 Peter 3:15: "But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." "ዳሩ ግን ጌታን እርሱን ክርስቶስ በልባችሁ ቀድሱት። በእናንተ ስላለ ተስፋ ምክንያትን ለሚጠይቁአችሁ ሁሉ መልስ ለመስጠት ዘወትር የተዘጋጃችሁ ሁኑ፥ ነገር ግን በየዋህነትና በፍርሃት ይሁን፡፡" (1 ጴጥ 3:15)

Religious Indifferentism: This is when people don't care much about religion or God. They may believe that all religions are the same or that it doesn't matter if you believe in God or not.

Matthew 12:30: "Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters." "ከእኔ ጋር ያልሆነ ይቃወመኛል፥ ከእኔ ጋርም የማያከማች ይበትናል፡፡" (ማቴ 12:30)

4. Thomas Aquinas and the Five Ways:

St. Thomas Aquinas. a 13th-century-renowned theologian and philosopher, used reasons and observation of the natural world to show that there must be a Supreme Being behind the existence of God.

Thomas Aquinas presented five arguments (the Five Ways) to prove the existence of God through reason and observation of the world.

• Argument from Motion: God is the unmoved mover behind all motion.

• Argument from Efficient Causes: God is the first cause of everything in existence.

• Argument from Possibility and Necessity: God is the necessary being behind all contingent (dependent) things.

• Argument from Gradation of Being: God is the ultimate standard of perfection in a world of varying degrees.

• Argument from Design: God is the intelligent designer behind the intricate order of the universe.

The biblical verses below emphasize that to approach God, one must believe in both His existence and His ability. Furthermore, God's presence is clearly seen in the very act of creation.

Hebrews 11:6 - "And without faith, it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." "ያለ እምነትም ደስ ማሰኘት አይቻልም፤ ወደ እግዚአብሔር የሚደርስ እግዚአብሔር እንዳለ ለሚፈልጉትም ዋጋ እንዲሰጥ ያምን ዘንድ ያስፈልገዋልና።"(ዕብ 11፡6)

Romans 1:20 - "For since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse."የማይታየው ባሕርይ እርሱም የዘላለም ኃይሉ ደግሞም አምላክነቱ ከዓለም ፍጥረት ጀምሮ ከተሠሩት ታውቆ ግልጥ ሆኖ ይታያልና፤ ስለዚህም እግዚአብሔርን እያወቁ እንደ እግዚአብሔርነቱ መጠን ስላላከበሩትና ስላላመሰገኑት የሚያመካኙት አጡ፤ ነገር ግን በአሳባቸው ከንቱ ሆኑ የማያስተውለውም ልባቸው ጨለመ።( ሮሜ 1፡20)

Esteemed Church Fathers like St. Jerome (347–420 A.D.) offer guidance to Atheists, Agnostics, and followers of religious indifferentism, attributing their denials to a lack of familiarity with Scripture. His poignant remark captures this sentiment concisely: "Ignorance of scripture is ignorance of Christ."

In conclusion, the contemplation of the universe and the human spirit leads us to ponder the existence of a Supreme Being. The cosmological proofs, as articulated by thinkers like St. Thomas Aquinas, point to a First Cause and a Creator behind the intricate order of creation. Our innate desire for connection with the divine echoes throughout history, challenging atheism, and indifference toward religion. Through reason, observation, and faith, we are invited to explore the profound question of God's existence, guided by ancient wisdom and scriptural insights that affirm the search for truth and the seeking of a deeper understanding of our place in the universe.