Atheists accuse creationism of being myth or legend, and they accuse believers of being stupid, brainwashed, and irrational for believing it. Is creationism irrational?
The following argument outlines creationism in a logically valid form:
P1 YHWH exists
P2 YHWH is omnipotent
P3 YHWH is omniscient
P4 YHWH is omnipresent
P5 YHWH had the desire and intent to create the universe and everything in it
P6 YHWH acted on His desire and intent to create the universe and everything in it
C1 Therefore, YHWH did create the universe and everything in it
Testing for Logical Validity
An argument is logically valid if it is structured in such a way that if its premises are true then its conclusion must also be true. The above argument does meet the test for logical validity. We can test for validity by reasoning through the premises of the argument and seeing if its conclusion can be logically derived from them.
If YHWH exists
And if YHWH has unlimited power
And if YHWH has unlimited knowledge
And if YHWH has unlimited presence
And if YHWH wanted to create the universe and everything in it
And if YHWH acted on His want to create the universe and everything in it
Then YHWH did create universe and everything in it
The basic structure of the argument is: YHWH exists, YHWH possesses the means to create the universe, YHWH possessed the desire to create the universe, then YHWH acted on His desire and put his power into action to create the universe.
The argument for creationism is logically valid. All the premises logically flow from one to the next, building upon one another to arrive at their conclusion. Furthermore, if all the premises are true then the conclusion will also be true. The argument is logically valid.
Being logical valid does not mean the argument is logically sound or true. Logical validity is the first requirement for an argument to be sound or true. Then, all the premises must actually be proven true. This is logical soundness: If the premises are all true then the conclusion must also be true, and the premises must actually be proven true.
I am not proving the premises of the creationism argument in this article. To test the premises and prove them true is the pursuit of the faith, and it’s beyond the scope of a simple article to prove YHWH, His attributes, and His act of creating. What I have done in this article is demonstrate the faith is logically valid, which means it is rational, it is reasonable, and it is worthy of testing for truth. Starting at a logically valid base is the first step towards demonstrating an idea has merit, and it is the first step towards seeking the truth of the premises.
One might not believe the argument is true, and one might not want to test the premises for truth, but it cannot honestly be said the argument is thoughtless or stupid. To believe YHWH created the universe and everything in it is not irrational, as many accuse it of being. The argument for YHWH as creator of the universe is valid, even if one does not accept it as sound.
What About Naturalism?
Naturalism asserts there is no God, no supernatural creator of the universe. Rather, naturalism asserts the claim that everything in the universe came about from natural, physical, forces and laws that we can observe. Atheists esteem naturalism as intelligent, rational, and true. Is naturalism a rational explanation for the creation of the universe?
In our observation of natural laws,
Energy doesn’t spontaneously emerge from no-energy
In our observation of natural laws,
Matter doesn’t spontaneously emerge from no-matter
In our observation of natural laws,
Life doesn’t spontaneously emerge from no-life
So, how could the universe become
Apart from a creator?
If we exclude YHWH
If we exclude intelligent design
If we exclude a creator
Where did the energy of the universe come from?
Where did the matter of the universe come from?
Where did the life of the universe come from?
Since none of these can naturally become of their own accord.
Is there a logically valid argument for the universe spontaneously existing by random happenstance? Without YHWH? Without intelligence? Without design? What are the premises to such an argument?