King versus McCloskey: Does God Exist?

H.J. McCloskey wrote a journal article in 1968 called “On Being an Atheist” which denounced the existence of the Intelligent Designer. He uses different tactics to try and prove that there could not be a God. McCloskey shows that his argument for atheism is not sound as the evidence he proves in his article can be combatted with well-thought responses provided by philosophers and Christians in order to show there is the possibility God exists.

To illustrate the weak points in McCloskey’s article, I will start with his use of “proofs”. McCloskey uses “proofs” in his arguments when combating against whether God is real. He believes since it cannot be proved that God exists that anything that cannot be proven is invalid and should be omitted (On Being an Atheist, 1968). Dr. Mark Foreman says when arguing if something is true, do not use “proofs” as no matter what nothing can be proved including God (Foreman, 2012). Nothing can be positively proved throughout the universe, so the method of proving is invalid. For example, I cannot prove without a doubt that I am truly sitting, but that does not mean that I nor the chair do not exist. There still is the possibility that I exist and so does the chair, just as there is the possibility that God exists as well. McCloskey should be careful using “proofs” in order to establish a case that God does not exist as other methods can be brought to light as to whether they can be accurately proven to be real.

Additionally, McCloskey claims that since the universe exists that there cannot be a being who created it (On Being an Atheist, 1968, p. 51). C. Stephen Evans and R. Zachary Manis in Philosophy of Religion: Thinking About Faith suggest, when discussing the non-temporal form of the cosmologica...

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...iefs of an Intelligent Designer, but gives weak examples and the use of “proofs” to try to show atheism is the way to go. He does not give an unbiased view of atheism and uses emotional tactics to try to sway readers to his side. Evans and Manis provide sound arguments in order to combat McCloskey’s damaging argument which he unsuccessfully proves atheism is better than theism.

Works Cited

Craig, W. L. (2008). The Absurdity of Life without God. In Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics, 3rd Ed. (pp. 71-90). Wheaton: Crossway Books.

Evans, C. S., & Manis, R. Z. (2009). Philosophy of Religion: Thinking About Faith (Second Edition) (Kindle Edition). Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press.

Foreman, M. (2012). Presentation: Approaching the Question of God's Existence. Lynchburg: Liberty University.

McCloskey, H. J. (1968). On Being an Atheist. Question, 51-54.