Does it Make a Difference If God Does or Does Not Exist?

To discover if belief in God makes a difference, one must first look to the motivations and reasons for one to adopt and accept the existence of God. To use an analogy, when sky diving, a parachute is not needed...that is, until one has jumped from the plane. The parachute is a type of insurance to prevent certain death. Some people use God as a parachute, it does not matter if He exists or not, until He is needed, until problems become too much to bear, until one is alone, or wants something not achievable by one's own devices.

Some seek God and Heaven for comfort: that this life, with all its problems, is not all there is and something better awaits one after death. Still others watch and wait for God to avenge all the wrongs committed against them. Putting aside all the reasons one might find comfort by believing in God, even if it could be proven that God does not exist, some people would continue to believe, because it is all they have known; continuing to believe in God is easier than admitting that one has been wrong one's whole life. According to the Central Intelligence Agency, in 2004 it was estimated that 85.6% of the world believe in God or a higher power/being, with 12% non-religious and 2.4% atheists (Central Intelligence Agency, 2007).

Does God's existence or non-existence make a difference to the individual? Given all the motivations and reasons for one's belief in God just mentioned, which is by no means an all inclusive list, how can the existence or non-existence of God not make a difference to each individual believer? There have been documented cases of patients experiencing spontaneous remission frequently attributed to prayer, divine intervention, and belief in God (Institute of Noetic Sciences, 2004). Religious beliefs have been known to positively affect an individual's physical and mental health, as well as improving a person's ability to cope with long-term illnesses (Young, C. & Koopsen, C., 2005). Belief in God leads to friendships and reduced isolation as meeting others who share the same beliefs and core values give a strong foundation on which to build lasting relationships. Many criminals find God in prison to achieve early release, but some are eventually able to become productive members of society. Regardless of the denomination, belief in God does deeply impact the individual on many levels.

Does God's existence or non-existence make a difference to society? As a society, God's existence makes no difference, because there is, as of yet, no way to definitively prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt for the whole world, whether God does or does not exist; however, the belief in God's existence is of vital importance. If it were proven that God did not exist, the fundamental nature of societal relations would change. Without belief in God, there would be no religion-based values or the measure in which the individual evaluates his or her life's decisions and choices. Ethical values, fear of eternal consequence, and even the "grounding" provided by belief in God would change each individual believer's basic everyday actions and interactions.

For many, legal consequences are not enough to quell illegal and immoral behavior, but a strong belief in eternal life, be that belief in reincarnation, heaven or hell, reward or damnation, or being judged by God upon one's death for actions during life are enough to stymie illegal and immoral behavior in the majority of society. How many years...centuries...has the Church kept society attending service and paying tithes on a regular basis by promoting fear? There are ways to avoid legal consequences for one's actions, but not eternal consequence for those individuals whose belief in God sets the standard for actions and behavior.
Leibniz used the theory: 'principle of sufficient reason,' which loosely translated means that there is a reason for everything being the exact way it is; Leibniz used this theory as proof that God exists (Moore, B. N. & Bruder, K., 2005). Setting aside the question of God's existence, we can expand on Leibniz's theory by proposing that there is a reason why one person believes in God and another does not.

The Chinese yin/yang philosophy, which originated from Taoism, profoundly simplified, means for everything has an opposite: man/woman, black/white, summer/winter, birth/death... God/no God; opposites create balance and harmony (Moore, B. N. & Bruder, K., 2005).

The combination of Leibniz's 'principle of sufficient reason,' and the Taoist's yin/yang philosophy causes one to draw the conclusion that the reason one person believes in God and another does not is to balance each other and the universe. Whether God does or does not exist is not as important as the balance of opposites; so long as there is one person who believes that God exists, there must be another who believes that S/He does not.

Philosopher William James maintained that it is more important for one to search for the truth than to avoid making a mistake. James believed that God's existence cannot be decided by reason alone, because we are influenced by a myriad of different persuasions: peer pressure, emotions, past experiences, desires, and fears. James proposed that our passions were what determined our belief systems. (Moore, B. N. & Bruder, K., 2005) One's belief in God's existence is influenced primarily by one's emotions and passions and dictated less by one's intellect.

All the believer has is a conviction that there is a higher power. There is no proof. There is no discernable evidence. Having a belief system, with God as the foundation, is just that...a belief. It is faith; proof is not necessary. Alvin Plantinga believed that it is reasonable to hold a belief in God and have that belief as the foundation for one's value system without any sort of proof of God's existence to support those beliefs (Moore, B. N. & Bruder, K., 2005).

Philosophy may never finitely answer the question of whether or not God exists, but doubtless, there will be many fascinating theories to arise from the search. It is a given that there are sincere people on both sides of the debate as to whether or not there is a God. After centuries of serious inquiry and investigation by philosophers and realists alike the divisions that exist amongst theists as to the existence, the very nature, and even the concept of God continue to thrive; subsequently, the question about the existence of God must remain open, with exception of one's own personal convictions.

References

Central Intelligence Agency. (2007). The world factbook. Click here.

Institute of Noetic Sciences. (2006). What is spontaneous remission. Click here.

Moore, B. N. & Bruder, K. (2005). Philosophy: The power of ideas (6^th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education

Young, C. & Koopsen, C. (2005) Spirituality, health, and healing. Jones & Bartlett Publishers