God's Existence
The Ontological Argument
James 2:19
You believe that there is one God. You do well.
Even the demons believe-and tremble!
NKJV
The ontological argument, sometimes called the religious or general argument, is based upon the premise that man naturally believes in a god. God is pictured as matching the dictionary definition of a supreme being, one who is perfect, independent, and infinite. This is viewed philosophically as a rational argument, for if man's logic is incorrect, these concepts are not true, and our thinking would be futile. Who wants to believe man's logic is empty?
This argument lies on a foundation of universalism. Even amongst the "backward" tribes of the world, those living apart from modern civilization, there is a belief in the supernatural God. Thus, since this belief is universal, it must come from within mankind. This belief is part of our nature. Since there is a thirst for God, there must be a God creating this thirst.
This is clearly a deductive argument. The argument begins with an assumption based upon the universal existence of the God belief. This argument does not define God, but argues merely for the existence of a supernatural being. The argument, in a logical presentation, goes something like this:
- An intuitive, universal belief must be true (major assumption).
- The belief in God is universal and intuitive (minor assumption)
- The belief that there is a God is true (conclusion).
Judge for yourself how valuable this approach is for proving God. Remember, this is an argument from logic. How good is the logic of man?
