Beauty: A Proof of Existence of God?
January 10, 2008An interesting Q&A I found on the AskPhilosophers website:
Question:
Are there any interesting arguments for the existence of God from the existence of beauty? i.e., because there is beauty, we know there is God?
Answer:
by Richard Heck
My understanding is that Kant argued in something like this fashion. Or, at least, that Kant thought that it was through the contemplation of beauty that we could experience the divine. I don’t myself see that any sort of real argument will be forthcoming along these lines, but I do understand the sentiment. Certainly there is music that makes me particularly conscious of God: Plenty of Coltrane, for example. But for myself, I think my deepest sense of the divine emerges from contemplation of the men and women who have made great contributions towards the emergence of justice in the world. To me, that is, the best argument for the existence of God is the existence of people like Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. I don’t expect that to be convincing to anyone else, though.
As Muslims, for us one of the best arguments for the existence of God is the existence of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). The epitome of beauty in every human faculty. The more we learn and know about him (peace be upon him) the more our belief in Allah increases.
In the perfection of the Messenger of God, Muhammad (upon him peace and unending blessings) are signs that point to the existence of the Almighty and Merciful Allah subhan Allah wa ta’ala.
Something to ponder about.
..and because there is change there is existence of God as He is the only constant entity, everything else changes.
I agree with that argument put forward by Richard Heck to a certain degree. As muslims yeh the argument for the existence of God is our prophet Muhammed, but that should’nt be the only argument for the existence of God. There is so much proof for the existence of God just by observing the Universe (how it works) and by observing ourselves. Besides there is only 1 God and he is the same god that is the god of the christians, the jews, the hindus and the Muslims. So the existence of Prophet Muhammed should’nt be the only argument for the existence of god!
If we are all agreed that there is only one God than all that is left to be ascertained is which is the true religion? Which is the religion that is acceptable to God? Do you see my line of thinking?
@asqfish: very true, everything is perishing except Him (sw)
@Abdul: I see what you’re saying bro, it’s not the ONLY proof for the existence of God, and Heck admits it wouldn’t be a convincing one for most people. But I don’t think there is a single undeniable “proof” for the existence of God, the point of faith/belief is to believe in the unseen. Certain aspects of creation ‘point’ to a Creator, something we can intuit. People have their faith in God confirmed by reflecting on the Universe but also some peoples atheism is confirmed.
The argument of moral beauty as a proof of God as exemplified by great individuals can be a powerful one. Ghandi, Mother Theresa, Da Lai Lama, Mandela all were/are religious people.
As I learn more about our Prophet Muhammad (sal Allahu ‘alayhi wasallam) my faith increases, I think a lot of non-Muslim hearts would open to the deen if they knew more about him (sal Allahu ‘alayhi wasallam).
I am a liberal Christian minister in the Congregational UCC tradition, but much of my family has converted to Islam and this has produced many happy conversations, if not a greater sense of communion. I feel that the great messenger of Allah (Mohammed), or the Son of Man (Jesus Christ) are like doorways. As we enter the door the world of the divine becomes more evident. The people listed in the blog above were all people of great faith of the one God. I firmly believe that all people of faith meet in the grace of prayer and in grace filled actions which serve the human being at the margins. Of course it is important to remember that all people of the book (whether the influence is latent or otherwise) are inspired to do these things by what they consider to be holy scripture. This said, I feel that one can only come to know one faith at a time; for to see the seed grow into fullness, you have to nourish it and stay with it. Let our dialogue and works together grow as we are inspired in common humility to the mysterious Divine