Does God Exist?
Links
Animations
Articles
Books
Debates
DVD Documentaries
Public Appearances
Peer Reviewed Publications
Resources
Animations of Nanotechnology in Living Cells:
Things that Look Intelligently Designed
Articles for "Does God Exist?"
Introduction
Cosmology (lessons 2-4)
Biology (lessons 5-8)
Morality (lessons 9-10)
Op-Eds
Articles Introducing the Science that has Implications for Theism and Atheism
- • William Dembski, "Science and Design," First Things (October 1998). An introduction to the logic of design in the natural sciences.
- • Stephen C. Meyer, "A Scientific History and Philosophical Defense of the Theory of Intelligent Design," Religion–Staat–Gesellschaft (October 2008).
- • Stephen C. Meyer, "The Scientific Status of Intelligent Design: The Methodological Equivalence of Naturalistic and Non-Naturalistic Origins Theories," Science and Evidence for Design in the Universe (Ignatius Press, 2008). Answers objections such as "intelligent design is not testable."
- • Stephen C. Meyer and Michael N. Keas, "The Meanings of Evolution," (PDF) Darwinism, Design and Public Education (Michigan State University Press, 2003).
Articles About Lessons 2-4: Cosmology — Fine-Tuned Cosmos with a Beginning
- • Jay Richards, "Did Physics Kill God?" The American (November 3, 2010).
- • William Lane Craig and James D. Sinclair, "The Kalam Cosmological Argument," 101-201, in William Lane Craig and J. P. Moreland, The Blackwell Companion to Natural Theology (Wiley-Blackwell, 2009). An expensive volume published by a leading publisher of scientific and technical journals and books.
- • Robin Collins, "The Teleological Argument: An Exploration of the Fine-Tuning of the Universe," 202-281, in The Blackwell Companion to Natural Theology (Wiley-Blackwell, 2009). See Robin Collins' similar essay, "The Fine-Tuning Design Argument" (1999).
- • Jay W. Richards & Guillermo Gonzalez, "Are We Alone?" The American Spectator (May 2004).
- • Walter L. Bradley, "The Designed 'Just So' Universe" (January 1999).
- • Robert C. Koons, "Post-Agnostic Science" (November 1998).
- • William Lane Craig, "Existence of God: A series of articles on natural theology." Requires free login. Some are reprinted from scholarly journals (e.g., Canadian Journal of Philosophy).
- • William Lane Craig, "Existence and Nature of God: A series of popular articles, featuring defenses of various arguments for God's existence." Requires free login.
Articles About Lessons 5-8: The Inference to Intelligent Design in Biology
- • Stephen C. Meyer, "DNA and Other Designs," First Things (April 2000).
- • Stephen C. Meyer, "Intelligent Design: The Origin of Biological Information and the Higher Taxonomic Categories," Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington (August 2004). This peer-reviewed journal is published by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C.
- • Stephen C. Meyer, Marcus Ross, Paul Nelson & Paul Chien, "The Cambrian Explosion: Biology's Big Bang," Darwinism, Design and Public Education (Michigan State University Press, 2003). The pattern of fossil appearance in the Cambrian period contradicts the predictions of neo-Darwinism.
- • Michael J. Behe, "Molecular Machines: Experimental Support for the Design Inference," Cosmic Pursuit (March 1998).
Articles About Lessons 9-10: God is the Best Explanation for Moral Experience
- • Mark D. Linville, "The Moral Argument," 391-448, in William Lane Craig and J. P. Moreland, The Blackwell Companion to Natural Theology (Wiley-Blackwell, 2009).
- • Paul Copan, "The Moral Argument for God's Existence" (2008).
- • William Lane Craig, "Theistic Critiques of Atheism," abridged version in The Cambridge Companion to Atheism, 69-85, ed. M. Martin. Cambridge Companions to Philosophy (Cambridge University Press, 2007).
- • Peter Kreeft, "The Moral Argument," essay #14, in Twenty Arguments For The Existence Of God. See the related arguments from Consciousness and Conscience.
- • Video clip related to the articles above: William Lane Craig, "Richard Dawkins and the Moral Argument for God."
Op-Eds About Intelligent Design
- • Stephen C. Meyer, "Pro-Darwin consensus doesn't rule out intelligent design," CNN.com (November 23, 2009).
- • Stephen C. Meyer, "Intelligent Design is not Creationism," The Daily Telegraph, London (January 29, 2006). Explains the scientific basis for intelligent design and how it differs from creationism.
- • Stephen C. Meyer and John Angus Campbell, "How Should Schools Handle Evolution? Debate it," USA Today (August 14, 2005). Teach evolution as Darwin presented it, with competing arguments.
- • Michael Behe, "Design for Living: The Basis for a Design Theory of Origins," The New York Times (February 7, 2005).
Book Resources for "Does God Exist?"
Essential Reading
Introduction to Design (lessons 2-8)
Cosmology (lessons 2-4)
Biology (lessons 5-8)
Morality (lessons 9-10)
Atheism
Essential Reading (best read in this order)
These books are also included in the topical lists below.
- • Strobel, Lee. The Case for a Creator: A Journalist Investigates Scientific Evidence That Points toward God. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2004. Introductory overview of the implications of science for the theism vs. atheism debate. This book most closely matches the structure of Meyer's arguments in TrueU. Also watch Strobel's The Case for a Creator documentary DVD.
- • Meyer, Stephen C., Signature in the Cell: DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design. New York: HarperOne, 2010. Subscribe to a free weekly newsletter from the Center for Science & Culture and download a complimentary digital book, Signature of Controversy, in which Meyer responds to Darwinist critics. View the related DVD Unlocking the Mystery of Life.
- • Heeren, Fred. Show Me God: What the Message from Space Is Telling Us About God. Wheeling, IL: Day Star Publications, 1997. A fun and easy read compared to similar books about cosmology.
- • Craig, William Lane. The Kalam Cosmological Argument. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2000. Craig explains the cosmological argument for God better than anyone.
- • Gonzalez, Guillermo, and Jay Richards. The Privileged Planet: How Our Place in the Cosmos Is Designed for Discovery. Washington, DC: Regnery Publishing, Inc., 2004. View the documentary DVD by the same title: The Privileged Planet.
- • Meyer, Stephen C., Scott Minnich, Jonathan Moneymaker, Paul A. Nelson, and Ralph Seelke. Explore Evolution: The Arguments for and against Neo-Darwinism. London: Hill House, 2007. Also view these companion documentary DVDs: Icons of Evolution and Darwin's Dilemma.
- • Dembski, William A. The Design Revolution: Answering the Toughest Questions About Intelligent Design. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2004.
- • Craig, William Lane, and J. P. Moreland, eds. The Blackwell Companion to Natural Theology. West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009. Leading philosophers provide relevant arguments in light of state-of-the-art philosophical and scientific discussions. This anthology offers lengthy essays on all the major arguments for God's existence, including the moral, cosmological, and teleological—the principal arguments in TrueU DVD set #1: Does God Exist?
- • West, John G. Darwin Day in America: How Our Politics and Culture Have Been Dehumanized in the Name of Science. Wilmington, DE: Intercollegiate Studies Institute, 2007. Documents the morally damaging effects of Darwinism in the USA. View these related DVD documentaries: Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed (2008) and What Hath Darwin Wrought? (2010).
- • Behe, Michael J. Darwin's Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution. 2nd ed. New York: Free Press, 2006. Also read Behe's sequel — The Edge of Evolution: The Search for the Limits of Darwinism. New York: Free Press, 2007.
Books about Lessons 2-8: Intelligent Design vs. Darwinism and Naturalism
- • Dembski, William A., and Jonathan Witt. Intelligent Design Uncensored: An Easy-to-Understand Guide to the Controversy. Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 2010. Introduction to intelligent design similar to Dembski's book coauthored with Sean McDowell, Understanding Intelligent Design. Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2008. Read one of these two books if you are new to intelligent design or found yourself struggling to understand some of the books in the essential reading list (above).
- • Dembski, William A. The Design Inference: Eliminating Chance through Small Probabilities (Cambridge Studies in Probability, Induction and Decision Theory). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006. The seminal text that defines how design inferences occur in the sciences. See Dembski's other books and articles (especially his "Science and Design" essay of October 1998) for more accessible treatments of the methodology of intelligent design in the sciences.
- • Dembski, William A. The Design Revolution: Answering the Toughest Questions About Intelligent Design. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2004.
- • Johnson, Phillip E. Darwin on Trial. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993. The classic text by the founding father of today's version of intelligent design theory.
- • Menuge, Angus. Agents under Fire: Materialism and the Rationality of Science. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2004. Argues that science itself requires a metaphysical foundation that includes intelligent agency (mind and "intentionality" that cannot be reduced to material processes, or you remove the epistemological basis for the practice of science).
- • Stewart, Robert B. Intelligent Design: William A. Dembski & Michael Ruse in Dialogue. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2007.
- • Wells, Jonathan. The Politically Incorrect Guide to Darwinism and Intelligent Design. Washington, DC: Regnery Publishing, Inc., 2006.
- • Wiker, Benjamin, and Jonathan Witt. A Meaningful World: How the Arts and Sciences Reveal the Genius of Nature. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2006. Expands the "privileged planet" thesis of Guillermo Gonzalez and Jay Richards to all the arts and sciences with a focus on the highest sort of intelligent agency — genius. Surveys the history of science and provides a rationale for studying science from the vantage point of intelligent design theory.
Books About Lessons 2-4: Cosmology — Fine-Tuned Cosmos with a Beginning
- • Craig, William Lane. The Kalam Cosmological Argument. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2000. Craig explains the cosmological argument for God better than anyone.
- • Craig, William Lane, and Quentin Smith. Theism, Atheism, and Big Bang Cosmology. New York: Oxford University Press, USA, 1995. Craig argues that the "Big Bang" beginning of the universe was created by God, while Smith concludes that the Big Bang had no cause.
- • Gonzalez, Guillermo, and Jay Richards. The Privileged Planet: How Our Place in the Cosmos Is Designed for Discovery. Washington, DC: Regnery Publishing, Inc., 2004. View the documentary DVD The Privileged Planet before you read this book.
- • Heeren, Fred. Show Me God: What the Message from Space Is Telling Us About God. Wheeling, IL: Daystar Productions, 1996. Fun and easy read compared to similar books about cosmology.
Books About Lessons 5-8: The Inference to Intelligent Design in Biology
- • Behe, Michael J. Darwin's Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution. 2nd ed. New York: Free Press, 2006. Also read Behe's sequel — The Edge of Evolution: The Search for the Limits of Darwinism. New York: Free Press, 2007.
- • Campbell, John Angus, and Stephen C. Meyer, eds. Darwinism, Design, and Public Education. East Lansing: Michigan State University Press, 2004. Essays from competing perspectives.
- • Dembski, William A., ed. Uncommon Dissent: Intellectuals Who Find Darwinism Unconvincing. Wilmington, DE: Intercollegiate Studies Institute, 2004.
- • Dembski, William A. No Free Lunch: Why Specified Complexity Cannot Be Purchased without Intelligence. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2007.
- • Dembski, William A., and Michael Ruse, eds. Debating Design: From Darwin to DNA. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2007. Essays from competing perspectives.
- • Dembski, William A., and Jonathan Wells. The Design of Life: Discovering Signs of Intelligence in Biological Systems. Richardson, TX: Foundation for Thought and Ethics, 2008
- • Meyer, Stephen C., Signature in the Cell: DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design. New York: HarperOne, 2010. Subscribe to a free weekly newsletter from the Center for Science & Culture and download a complimentary digital book, Signature of Controversy, in which Meyer responds to Darwinist critics. View the related DVD Unlocking the Mystery of Life.
- • Meyer, Stephen C., Scott Minnich, Jonathan Moneymaker, Paul A. Nelson, and Ralph Seelke. Explore Evolution: The Arguments for and against Neo-Darwinism. London: Hill House, 2007. Also view these companion documentary DVDs: Icons of Evolution and Darwin's Dilemma.
- • Wells, Jonathan. Icons of Evolution: Science or Myth? Why Much of What We Teach About Evolution Is Wrong. Washington, DC: Regnery, 2002. See the DVD by the same title.
Books About Lessons 9-10: God is the Best Explanation of Moral Experience
- • Beckwith, Francis, and Gregory Koukl. Relativism: Feet Firmly Planted in Mid-Air. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1998. A rigorous critique of moral relativism. For additional resources from Greg Koukl visit www.str.org.
- • Clayton, Philip, and Jeffrey Schloss, eds. Evolution and Ethics: Human Morality in Biological and Religious Perspective. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2004. Most of the essays in this anthology argue that Darwinism is compatible with a robust morality (typically by attempting to combine theism with Darwinism). Visit www.faithandevolution.org for a critique of this approach.
- • Lewis, C. S. The Abolition of Man, or, Reflections on Education with Special Reference to the Teaching of English in the Upper Forms of Schools. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2001 (first published in 1943). One of the best books on the theistic implications of our moral experience and how modern education often erodes such awareness.
Other Books on Atheism vs. Theism
- • Beauregard, Mario, and Denyse O'Leary. The Spiritual Brain: A Neuroscientist's Case for the Existence of the Soul. 1st ed. New York: HarperOne, 2007. An important book to be read alongside J. P. Moreland's book on consciousness.
- • Berlinski, David. The Devil's Delusion: Atheism and Its Scientific Pretensions. New York: Basic Books, 2009.
- • Craig, William Lane, ed. God Is Great, God Is Good: Why Believing in God Is Reasonable & Responsible. Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 2009.
- • Craig, William Lane, Stan W. Wallace, and Antony Flew. Does God Exist: The Craig-Flew Debate. Hants, UK: Ashgate Publishing, 2003.
- • Flew, Antony, and Roy Abraham Varghese. There Is a God: How the World's Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind. New York: HarperOne, 2008.
- • Hunter, Cornelius G. Darwin's God: Evolution and the Problem of Evil. Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2002. Darwinists often resort to theological arguments that take the form of "God wouldn't have done it that way." Darwinists fail to recognize that they are doing theology rather than science.
- • Lennox, John C. God's Undertaker: Has Science Buried God? Oxford: Lion UK, 2009.
- • Moreland, J. P. Consciousness and the Existence of God: A Theistic Argument. New York: Routledge, 2009. This is one of Moreland's best arguments for theism.
- • Richards, Jay W., ed. God and Evolution. Seattle: Discovery Institute Press, 2010.
- • Sennett, James F., and Douglas Groothuis, eds. In Defense of Natural Theology: A Post-Humean Assessment. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2005.
- • Strobel, Lee. The Case for a Creator: A Journalist Investigates Scientific Evidence That Points toward God. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2004. Introductory overview of the implications of science for the theism vs. atheism debate. This book most closely matches the structure of Meyer's arguments in TrueU. Also watch Strobel's The Case for a Creator documentary DVD.
- • Swinburne, Richard. The Existence of God. New York: Oxford University Press, USA, 2004.
Debates Relevant to "Does God Exist?"
Debates about Intelligent Design
- • Audio: Stephen Meyer vs. Peter Atkins (January 2010). Other Meyer debates are listed here too.
- • Audio: Stephen Meyer & Richard Sternberg vs. Donald Prothero & Michael Shermer. "Has Evolutionary Theory Adequately Explained the Origins of Life?" (November 30, 2009).
- • Audio: Christopher Hitchens vs. Jay Richards. "Atheism vs. Theism and The Scientific Evidence of Intelligent Design." Stanford University (January 27, 2008) moderated by Ben Stein.
- • Stephen Meyer vs. Michael Ruse: Ben Wattenberg's Think Tank (PBS). Video Part 1 (April 26, 2007) and Video Part 2 (May 3, 2007).
- • Video: Stephen Meyer vs. Peter Ward: Talk of the Times (April 26, 2006).
- • Video: Stephen Meyer vs. Michael Shermer: Faith Under Fire (August 20, 2004). Meyer addresses Shermer's objections, such as "who designed the designer?"
Debates about the Existence of God
- • Video: David Berlinski vs. Christopher Hitchens, hosted by Fixed Point Foundation. The question debated: What are the implications of a purely secular society? (September 7, 2010).
- • Video: Sean McDowell vs. James Corbett. "Is God the Best Explanation of Moral Values?" (February 26, 2010).
- • William Lane Craig vs. Christopher Hitchens. "Does God Exist?" Biola University (April 4, 2009). Debate Trailer, Order the DVD.
- • Audio (MP3 direct link): William Lane Craig vs. Massimo Pigliucci. "Does the Christian God Exist?" University of Georgia (2001).
- • Video: Richard Dawkins vs. John Lennox, hosted by Fixed Point Foundation. "God Delusion Debate" (October 3, 2007) and "Has Science Buried God?" (October 21, 2008). See other debates posted here: Dinesh D'Souza, Peter Singer, Christopher Hitchens, and more.
DVD Documentaries Relevant to "Does God Exist?"
DVD Documentaries about Intelligent Design (ID) and Darwinian Naturalism
- • What Hath Darwin Wrought? (2010) investigates the shocking history of "social Darwinism" in America and Europe, including the eugenics crusade against the "unfit," the euthanasia movement, Nazi genocide, and current efforts to devalue the lives of the handicapped. Read John West's book Darwin Day in America for background.
- • Darwin's Dilemma: The Mystery of the Cambrian Fossil Record (Illustra, 2009). Read this article for background: Stephen Meyer, et. al., "The Cambrian Explosion."
- • Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed (Premise, 2008). Ben Stein investigates why many intellectuals suppress the scientific theory of intelligent design. Learn about the struggle for academic freedom. Read John West's book Darwin Day in America for background.
- • The Privileged Planet (Illustra, 2004). Cosmological ID theory. See also the book by this title.
- • Unlocking the Mystery of Life (Illustra, 2002). Biological ID theory.
- • Icons of Evolution (ColdWater, 2002). Critique of Darwinism. See also the book by this title.
DVD Documentaries about Theism vs. Atheism
- • The Case for a Creator (Illustra, 2006). The best documentary overview of biological and cosmological ID theory and its theistic implications. Lee Strobel has also has a book by this title.
- • William Lane Craig vs. Christopher Hitchens: Does God Exist? Debate at Biola University (April 4, 2009). This debate DVD has documentary "extras."
Public Appearances Relevant to "Does God Exist?"
Peer-Reviewed Publications Relevant to
"Does God Exist?"
- • Discovery Institute maintains an annotated list of peer-reviewed publications that support intelligent design. Critics of intelligent design often claim that design advocates don't publish their work in peer-reviewed scientific journals, as if such journals represented the only avenue of legitimate scientific publication. Some of the most important and groundbreaking work in the history of science was first published not in scientific journal articles but in scientific books, including Darwin's Origin of Species. In any case, the scientists who advocate the theory of intelligent design have published their work in a variety of appropriate technical venues, including peer-reviewed scientific journals, peer-reviewed scientific books (some in mainstream university presses), trade presses, peer-edited scientific anthologies, peer-edited scientific conference proceedings and peer-reviewed philosophy of science journals and books.
- • The peer-reviewed publications identified on Discovery Institute's list are not religious; they do not argue for God's existence. Even so, the scientific inference to intelligent design has religious implications (as do materialistic theories such as Darwinism). To explore fully the relationship between the scientific evidence for design and the God hypothesis requires venturing into fields outside of the natural sciences, such as philosophy, history, and theology.
Other Resources Relevant to "Does God Exist?"
Curriculum for Public and Private High Schools and Colleges
- • Stephen C. Meyer, Scott Minnich, Jonathan Moneymaker, Paul A. Nelson, and Ralph Seelke, Explore Evolution: The Arguments for and against Neo-Darwinism (London: Hill House Publishers, 2007). A supplement to any standard biology textbook (it also stands well on its own). It does not teach intelligent design theory. Bulk book orders and ancillaries (PowerPoints, lesson plans, etc.): exploreevolution.com. Separate ancillary packages are available at three levels: AP/College, General Biology (9th/10th grade), and Lite (simplified).
Curriculum for Private High Schools and Colleges
Register for Free Resources
- • Subscribe to a free weekly newsletter from the Center for Science & Culture and download a complimentary copy of the 105-page digital book Signature of Controversy, a collection of essays responding to Darwinist critics of Stephen Meyer’s groundbreaking book, Signature in the Cell.
- • Register to use BIO-Complexity, a peer-reviewed scientific journal that evaluates the scientific merit of the claim that intelligent design is a credible explanation for life.
Web Links Regarding Faith, Evolution, and Intelligent Design