Whether God is Fact or Fiction?

Summary: Existence of God has been a matter of eternal debate in human society. Human beings are divided in to theists, atheists and agnostics on this ground. All the three hold their ground firm. Theists fail to explain why God is so very essential in nature and universe. Scientific compulsion of facts leading to transcendental or metaphysical phenomena alternatively designated as God is discussed herein.

The subject of God has intrigued mankind since times immemorial. For the majority, it is a matter of personal faith and belief or feelings and therefore it has also been often said that every human being has a personal God which is beyond enquiry and investigation. Personal God of one human being can not be compared with personal God of another. God being a matter of faith and belief, any critical analysis is totally unwarranted. Therefore Hindus recognize 330 million Gods and Goddesses. On a website I found more than 1600 views about what is God, none verified or proved.

At the same time it is also said that God is one and various recognized Gods and Goddesses are merely reincarnations of the one and only God. Irreconcilable differences between various forms of God are totally ignored. Critical analysis is forbidden and understanding or realization of God becomes a matter of personal experience elevated to the level of a divine or out of this world experience. Those who are unable to acknowledge realization of God are declared ignorant by those who claim to have realized God leaving them even more confused. There is literally no test to verify claims of the claimants. To atheists, there claims are in a state of eternal doubt and an eternal debate between atheists and believers continues without any effective resolution. I have come across believers who even though do not claim to have yet realized God, argue that subject matter of God should not be made a matter of scientific investigation and enquiry. They just want to drift in a divine current.

So there arises a question as to what is the necessity of believing or feeling existence of God and is there a compulsion of scientifically acknowledged facts and logic that leads us not only to postulate existence of God but also define it? Such a God shall be amenable to verification and therefore shall be a universally acknowledged truth.

There arises another question whether or not natural phenomenon can be sufficiently explained on the basis of our understanding of time, space, matter, and energy; and laws of physics, chemistry and biology.

In this endeavor, be guided by the following two principles:-

1)          Let nature be my only teacher and guide.



2)          C.L.Morgan’s cannon:-



         “In no case is animal activity to be interpreted as the outcome of the exercise of higher psychical faculty, if it can be fairly interpreted as the outcome of his exercise of one which stands lower in psychological scale”



         Explanation: In any complex situation there would exist a hierarchy of plausible natural explanations to explain a natural phenomenon such as death can be explained as caused by a disease or wish of destiny etc. In this hierarchy of explanations material or physical stands at the lowest rung and metaphysical or transcendental at the highest provided transcendental explanations are natural and not supernatural. In any given hierarchy of plausible explanations if a natural phenomenon can be sufficiently explained at physical level, than metaphysical explanations should not be invoked and so on and so forth.



         In nature, several phenomenon such as creation of universe, origin of life, origin of mechanisms essential for existence of even the simplest of particles such as photons, origin of mechanisms enabling perpetual compliance of laws of conservation of mass, momentum and energy by all the stable particles all the time over ruling inherent contradictions to enable survival are beyond any material explanation so far.



         Even evolution of universe and biological evolution are beyond materialistic explanations. Much of the nature’s diversity is beyond physical explanations.



         Something had to precede creation of material universe. At present one has to invoke metaphysical explanations to explain the above stated natural phenomenon. What preceded all origins and creations may be collectively referred to as metaphysical influences or transcendental influences or God. In fact name doesn’t matter so long as it refers to the same reality. You can choose your own name for this aspect of reality.



         Therefore, until such time that we are able to find suitable material explanations for these phenomena, existence of God or metaphysical influences or transcendental influences can’t be ruled out.



Hence, God can only be a fact and not fiction until and unless proved otherwise.

Author: Dr Mahesh C. Jain is a practicing medical doctor has written the book “Encounter of Science with Philosophy – A synthetic view”. The book begins with first chapter devoted to scientifically valid concept of God and then explains cosmic phenomena right from origin of nature and universe up to origin of life and evolution of man. The book includes several chapters devoted to auxiliary concepts and social sciences as corollaries to the concept of God. This is the only book that deals with origin of nature and universe from null (Zero or nothing). This article is in line with author’s understanding of nature.

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