As anyone who knows me knows, I’m a big fan of the Kalam cosmological argument. It’s a wonderful argument for the creation of the universe that doesn’t depend on Scripture. One of its leading proponents is a “friend in the field” of apologetics, Dr. William Lane Craig. Check out this fantastic brief YouTube video that explains the argument:
Thank you very much for this fascinating video that clearly and succinctly demonstrates that the cosmological argument that the universe has a first cause beyond space and time is quite reasonable, and therefore the existence of God, at least the God of the deists, is also quite reasonable.
This video prompted me to reason further. Is it reasonable to assume that if God is powerful enough to create something, that is the universe, out of nothing, then this God can also interact with the whole universe in general and humanity in particular as the theistic religions argue? If God can meet humanity in a personal way, can God not also do so in a most radically personally way as the Christians argue when they make the bold claim that God actually became man to defeat sin and death as a way to bring fallen humanity back into right relationship with God? Can not this God-man called Jesus Christ who defeats sin and death meet the human person in a most intimate way as simple food and drink under the appearances of bread and wine as the Catholics argue? Perhaps reason alone answers “yes” to the previous questions, or perhaps reason alone answers “no” to these questions. Whatever the case, God reveals a big YES!
Reason describes the painting and speculates on the purpose of the painting and the possible painter, but faith definitively reveals the purpose of the painting and the identity of the painter himself.
This is why reason and faith must meet. Reason without faith leads to relativity and nihilism, whereas faith without reason leads to superstition and fanaticism.
St. Thomas Aquinas elucidated the Catholic marriage of reason and faith, for he “recognized that nature, philosophy’s proper concern, could contribute to the understanding of divine Revelation. Faith therefore has no fear of reason, but seeks it out and has trust in it. Just as grace builds on nature and brings it to fulfillment, so faith builds upon and perfects reason. Illumined by faith, reason is set free from the fragility and limitations deriving from the disobedience of sin and finds the strength required to rise to the knowledge of the Triune God. Although he made much of the supernatural character of faith, the Angelic Doctor did not overlook the importance of its reasonableness; indeed he was able to plumb the depths and explain the meaning of this reasonableness. Faith is in a sense an ‘exercise of thought’; and human reason is neither annulled nor debased in assenting to the contents of faith, which are in any case attained by way of free and informed choice” (Blessed Pope John Paul II, Fides et Ratio, no. 43).
The video portraits the kalam cosmological argument in a simple concrete way. I have not seem a video like this in the past. Thank you for introducing me to it and thanks Matt for sharing your thoughts on this!