Belief vs. Proof

I’ve recently learned not to confuse the two when thinking about God. In so far as the way we define “proof”, there is none for His existence. Perhaps more importantly is that there will never be such proof in this life.

No one today can tell you for certain whether God exists. Most of us believe he exists, but none of us have proof. Equally so, no one has proof to the contrary.

Philosophically speaking, to have proof would render the choice to Believe useless because then we would have no choice but to Believe. (It’s like staring at the sun – you can’t deny it exists and so your ‘belief’ in it is nothing more than an acknowledgement of what you actually witness on a daily basis.) If we had proof that He didn’t exist, then we would be fools to Believe.

I don’t mind saying that the day someone proves to me that God does not exist is the day I’ll stop Believing. (Dawkins tried but he offered neither new insights nor new arguments.)

Science
I used to think that there was maybe proof in The Quran.(1) Recently, I am realizing, at a very rapid pace, that there really is none. There are interesting allusions to greater knowledge (considering the Quran made it’s appearance 1400 years ago) discovered only this century, but there is no clear evidence or proof as defined here:

sci•en•tif•ic: [sahy-uh n-tif-ik]
.1. of or pertaining to science or the sciences
.2. occupied or concerned with science
.3. regulated by or conforming to the principles of exact science
.4. systematic or accurate in the manner of an exact science

…which has absolutely nothing to do with Belief or Faith, a common mistake made by many on both sides of the question.

I hear Muslims repeat over and over that within Islam is ‘proof’ that God exists. With all due respect – and this is something I have recently been forced to say to myself: This is complete nonsense. I say that I look around me and see order and so believe in God. I look around me and think about the concept of ‘creation’ and I believe in God. I am incapable of ‘creating’ and so rationally link that back to my belief that something greater than me exists and from which I came. Further to this point is my personal belief that I can not possibly comprehend what I can never execute: creation. We can clone and we can split atoms, but we can not create an atom from scratch, nor can we create anything without possessing the composite of it as it already exists elsewhere.

But…within none of these thoughts is there proof of His existence. What there is, is one individual’s rational and very personal process to answer the Question most (if not all) of us struggle with at some point in our lives.

This rational process is time and again reinforced in the Quran when readers are challenged to “reflect” on their surroundings and “see” the signs as the pointers to God’s existence. When read clearly, it’s actually a dare more than anything. The point here is that the reader is nowhere asked to devise scientific evidence to prove His existence. Not surprising, this too is the same process that would make one a non-Believer.

It’s precisely the choice and the freedom inherent within making that choice that renders Belief much more poignant and worthy to the Believer.

Another situation one may confuse is experience with knowledge. Speaking for myself, I can say that I have experienced profoundly moving circumstance that have furthered my Belief in Him. To others, such experiences could be perceived as nothing more than a Believer’s over active imagination simply because they want it so much. Either way, no one has proof.

To make certain of this, the above distinction also speaks to three key points that can be found in most traditions and which I’ll briefly touch on from the Islamic perspective: (1) egalitarianism, (2) free will, and (3) humility.

First: egalitarianism. None of us knows for certain and so we are all starting from the same point; no one holding an advantage (proof) over the other. I don’t know anymore than you do, and vice versa. If one of us held ‘proof’, that would indicate an advantage in the make up of humans, rendering the concept of egalitarianism here null and void.

Second: free will. If I am forced or am programmed to do something…if I have no choice in the matter, then the act itself is – arguably – meaningless.

Muslims believe that this life is quite simply a gateway to the next world. It is in this world that one’s character is formed and tested. If you were to consider the finish line of a marathon, then the months – and sometimes years – of training are working to condition your body and mind in an effort to reach your goal. For Muslims, this life is where we condition the spirit and resolve of who we are. Our ‘grades’ in the next life depend on how we do in this life.(2)

Third: humility. Were Believers to actually possess proof that God existed, I believe that the main component of ‘Faith’ would no longer be a part of our make-up: Humility. Humility that comes from acknowledging that we simply can not truly know, but even within that uncertainty (a place that can sometimes be terrifying) we still choose to believe. If we’re wrong, then so be it – nothing lost and nothing gained, because a true Believer’s behaviour should be rooted in conviction rather than coercion.

If right, then we got lucky…and we’ll see y’all in the afterlife.

Also. I’m hungry.

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(1) Over the last while, there has been a surge in “scientific evidence” within the Quran. Some of these items may speak to some while not to others, and even though they don’t offer ‘proof’, they are nonetheless deserving of attention and further reflection and investigation.

(2) And what of divine intervention? I don’t know the answer to that, but I do know that I pray for it on a regular basis, and as certain as I am of death, I too am certain that God has stepped in when I needed Him most.