WEEK 8: The Design Argument

I would like you to reflect more generally on what, if anything, you think philosophy might contribute to the understanding of religion. Think about i) whether you think these arguments might change someone's religious convictions, and ii) whether there is anything about religious experience that is left out of these arguments (for example, some people might say that faith is important for religious conviction, yet of course faith has no role in philosophical argument).

Despite reading the textbook on philosophy and religion, it did not change my viewpoint of the existence of God. The design argument definitely contributes to proving the existence of a higher being. In general, religious people say faith alone is all one needs to believe in God because if you do not have faith in something, how can you truly believe it? For me, it's based on faith and arguments such as the design argument. It makes more sense to believe in a higher being that has placed us in a world that fulfills our needs in an organized manner. For instance, our bodies need food for energy and the earth produces it naturally and it heals our bodies (until the chemically processed foods by other humans came about).  If we exist by chance, how come there are natural resources for our needs?
There are religious experiences that are left out in philosophy such as pure faith as I mentioned above. Also, the controversy of miracles and how real/unreal they can be. Are miracles random ways to cheat death, or are they blessings from a higher being? Philosophers can ponder on this since the basic definition of a miracle is astounding in itself.
It can be said that most people choose to believe in God because it is more comfortable than believing there is nothing after death and does not want to be involved in such a dark reality; religion brings positivity to that. However, religion has also been able to cause oppression among people because they may use it to justify horrible crimes or to manipulate what others do to benefit from them. This can be backed up by years of Evangelical churches stealing money from offerings and becoming rich while saying giving money is necessary to lift the house of God and to be good Christians. This is an exploitation of others and is not okay, true faith in a religion is to love others and have God as a priority in your life.
Being a Christian is a personal lifestyle choice, and maybe it doesn't have to be for everyone because there are other gods people believe in that could have created the earth, we simply do not know who this higher being is or what are they. It seems impossible to know even if we think hard enough, there is no absolute certainty. Utilizing our talents and intellect is the best things humans can do to comprehend the world and to look out for each other to live in the most harmonious community together in the modern world.