Post I posted on Facebook.
Hello friends,
Introduction:
I am resolutely secular but I am nevertheless interested in religions and in particular in my religion, the Jewish religion, because it is interested in the meaning of the universe and in the defense of universal human values: truth, justice, beauty, freedom and love of neighbor. However, I do not think that keeping the commandments is a certificate of immunity from evil deeds.
Question:
One of the arguments against the existence of God that has convinced me is this, and I would like to hear your opinion on this, whether you are secular, traditional, religious or ultra-Orthodox:
The religious say: If God did not exist, then how do you explain that our world so well organized was created?
To that I answer:
Behind this argument is the following axiom:
Everything that is organized has necessarily been created by an entity different from the thing itself.
This axiom leads us to the following proof:
- Our world is organized, and there is no doubt about it.
- Everything that is organized has necessarily been created by an entity different from the thing itself.
- Let's call this entity: "God"
- So, God exists.
- QED
To that I answer:
1) The axiom you are starting from is just ... an axiom, that is, something that we admit without proof.
Maybe this axiom is simply not true!
2) Suppose we have accepted the axiom, then if we continue following the same logic, we can say:
- Our world is organized, and there is no doubt about it.
- Everything that is organized has necessarily been created by an entity different from the thing itself.
- Let us call this entity: "God".
- So, God exists.
- God created the world, which is an organized thing.
- So, God is organized at least as much as the world if not more.
- Everything that is organized has necessarily been created by an entity different from the thing itself.
- Let's call this entity: "Super-God"
- So, Super-God exists.
- Super-God created God who is an organized thing.
.
.
.
- So Super-God exists, and also Super-Super-God, Super-Super-Super-God and we can continue like this until infinity.
- QED
You see what I mean: your argument "explaining" the existence of the world by the existence of God does not explain anything at all. It just pushes it back a notch.
I have no idea how the world was created. It really is an enigma. But when we don't have an answer to a question, it doesn't mean that any answer is valid.