Inspired by:
Chasing Daylight – Scott Buckley
There is no greater question in the human mind than this: "Is there a Creator?" And the very act of asking this question already suggests an inclination towards the answer. For only a mind capable of grasping the concept of origin, reason, purpose, and eternity could inquire about the foundation of existence. This capability is not self-evident. It is a trace, a sign within humanity itself that the origin of our mind is not irrational but logical. The fact that humans can pose questions about the Creator implies that something within us remembers, seeks, and reflects Him.
The existence of the law of cause and effect indicates that everything that begins to exist has a reason for its existence. The universe began; therefore, it has a cause. This cause cannot be within the universe. It must be beyond time, matter, and spacetime—timeless, immaterial, personal.
Here enters Leibniz's principle of sufficient reason, according to which nothing exists without a sufficient reason, that is, a cause capable of explaining its existence. The existence of the world requires such a reason, and the simplest, most coherent, and sufficient explanation is not found within the world itself but beyond it, in a Creator.
Testimony to the Creator is also found in the order and complexity of nature. From the level of DNA to the cosmic geometry of galaxies, nature exhibits not just structure but directionality. The laws of physics, mathematical constants, the so-called fine-tuning of the universe to permit life, are not satisfactorily explained by random events or multiple universes. On the contrary, the simplest explanation is that there is a Mind behind the logic of the world.
The existence of moral conscience in humans also bears witness to the Creator. We are not speaking of social rules or evolutionarily beneficial behaviours, but of the internal, innate knowledge of good and evil, of justice and injustice. Humans do not merely follow laws; they feel within themselves an imperative that is not explained biologically. Kant spoke of the starry sky above me and the moral law within me as the two palpable proofs of divine reality.
The human mind and self-awareness are yet another point of reference. Humans not only know but know that they know. They can reflect on their own existence, question truth, contemplate eternity, and seek the absolute. Nothing in biological evolution adequately explains why humans have spiritual needs, seek art, meaning, and God. If we are the product of random material processes, where does this longing for the eternal come from?
The human experience of the sacred, present in all cultures since the dawn of history, testifies that the sense of God is not a social construct but an element of human nature. Prayer, sacrifice, temples, myth, revelation are universal phenomena that cannot be explained solely as cultural remnants. People have felt and still feel that they are not alone.
Historical revelation is also central. If God is a Person, He would not remain uninvolved. And within human history, there are testimonies of theophanies, revelations, words that changed the world. The incarnation of the Logos in the person of Jesus Christ, through His life, His word, His crucifixion, and Resurrection, constitutes the centre of this testimony. He is not merely a moral teacher or philosopher but the One who said, "I am the light of the world" and "He who has seen Me has seen the Father." The testimony of the first Christians, the transformative power of the Gospel in millions of souls, the birth of the Church through martyrdom and not power, are elements that are not adequately explained unless the event they testify to truly occurred.
God is not a theory; He is a relationship. Whoever seeks Him with sincerity and a humble heart finds Him, not as a concept but as a presence. People of all eras, all races, all educational levels have felt this Living Reality transform them. This experience cannot be artificially produced nor explained psychologically. It is the testimony that gives meaning to Being and peace to the soul.
As Victor Hugo said, "Man is an infinite that suffers." And only if there is Someone behind the infinite does this pain find hope. Or as Plotinus wrote, "The One is beyond all Being, but all things tend towards it." And Saint Gregory the Theologian tells us, "It is a great thing to know God, but to love Him is even greater."
There is not a single proof. There is a multitude of voices that together form a holy whisper: You are not alone. Someone willed you. Someone loves you. There is a Creator.
Suggested Bibliography:
Leibniz, G. W. (1714). Monadologie (available in German or English as Monadology)
Kant, I. (1788). Critique of Practical Reason (Kritik der praktischen Vernunft)
Plotinus, The Enneads (English translation by Stephen MacKenna)
Augustine of Hippo, Confessions
Romano Guardini, The End of the Modern World
Nicholas Cabasilas, On the Life in Christ (Περί της εν Χριστώ Ζωής)
Saint Maximus the Confessor, Various Questions and Responses (Περί Διαφόρων Αποριών)
Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI), Introduction to Christianity