Kevin Michael Vandergriff Opening Statement

Generic NaturalismSupernaturalism Theism Christian Theism Degree of Modesty + Degree of Coherence = Degree of Simplicity (Intrinsic Simplicity) Generic Naturalism Plus The Hypothesis of an Indifferent Universe Scientific Naturalism

Naturalism is Self-Defeating  My first two arguments show that God exists necessarily.  “If theism were a necessary proposition and also true, then atheism would be, not just false, but self- contradictory, and so theism would…have an intrinsic probability of one.”~Paul Draper

Origin of the Universe  Borde-Guth-Vilenkin Theorem  Personal, Transcendent (Factually Necessary), Cause of Enormous Power

Something rather than Nothing  Necessary vs. Contingent Universe  Observation Collapses the Wave Function  Who collapses the wave function of the Entire Universe?

Applicability of Mathematics  Abstract Objects  Useful Fictions

Discoverability  Cosmic Location of Earth in Time and Space  Earth’s Abundant Resources for Technology

Moral Agents and Fine Tuning  Intrinsic Dignity of Moral Agents  Big Enough Brains for Moral Responsibility Fine Tuning of the Constants and Quantities that appear in the Laws of Nature

Morally Aware Agents & Necessary Moral Truths  No Ladder in Evolution  Natural Selection is blind to Moral Truths

Applicable Moral Truths Connected to Flourishing  Moral Universe  Acting Morally Contributes to our Flourishing

Self-Aware Beings  Theism Entails the Existence of at least One Self-Aware Being  Naturalism does Not Entail Self-Awareness

The Case For the Resurrection  Crucifixion  Burial  Empty Tomb  Post Mortem Appearances  Origin of the Disciple’s Belief in a Bodily- Resurrected Jesus

‘God Raised Jesus From the Dead’  1. It has great explanatory scope: it explains why the tomb was found empty, why the disciples saw post-mortem appearances of Jesus, and why the Christian faith came into being.  2. It has great explanatory power: it explains why the body of Jesus was gone, why people repeatedly saw Jesus alive despite his earlier public execution, and so forth.  3. It is plausible: since Jesus’ Messianic and divine self-understanding supercharges the religio-historical context with miraculous anticipation and concrete meaning; the resurrection serves as divine confirmation of those radical claims.  4. It is not ad hoc or contrived: it requires only one additional hypothesis: that God exists. And I have given evidence to think God exists.  5. It is in accord with accepted beliefs. The hypothesis: “God raised Jesus from the dead” doesn’t in any way conflict with the accepted belief that people don’t rise naturally from the dead. The Christian accepts that belief as wholeheartedly as he accepts the hypothesis that God raised Jesus from the dead.  6. It far outstrips any of its rival hypotheses in meeting conditions (1)-(5). Down through history various alternative explanations of the facts have been offered, for example, the conspiracy hypothesis, the apparent death hypothesis, the hallucination hypothesis, and so forth. Such hypotheses have been almost universally rejected by contemporary scholarship. None of these naturalistic hypotheses succeeds as well as the resurrection hypothesis.

Worthwhileness of Life  On balance, life is worth living  We are hard-wired to be resilient and overcome tragedies  We are hard-wired to be comforted in the face of seemingly pointless and random tragedies by finding and believing there is meaning and purpose in them.

TopicNaturalism’s PredictionTheism’s PredictionObservation 1) Origin of the UniverseNo Origin Event; Eternal and Uncaused Beginning of Time and Caused 2) Something Rather than NothingNecessaryContingent 3) Applicability of MathematicsNo Aesthetic ValueAesthetic Value 4) DiscoverabilityNo Aesthetic ValueAesthetic Value 5) Moral Agents and Fine TuningAmoral UniverseMoral Universe 6) Moral Beliefs and Necessary Moral Truths Moral Behavior and Beliefs Non -Truth Tracking Moral Behavior and Beliefs Truth Tracking 7) Moral Truths Connected to Flourishing Moral LanguishingMoral Flourishing 8) Self-Aware BeingsNo Consciousness of Any Degree Consciousness of the Highest Degree 9) Resurrection of JesusNo Divine Revelation Confirmed by a Miracle Divine Revelation Confirmed by a Miracle 10) Worthwhileness of LifeLife would not be worth living Life would be worth livingLife is worth living