Be Careful When Using This Argument for God’s Existence

There are many powerful arguments for God’s existence, such as St. Thomas Aquinas’ argument from contingency.

Then there are trickier ones, such as invoking our free will to prove that there must be a creator. This explanation can work, but it does have some pitfalls.

Here’s how to frame (and not frame) the argument from free will when you’re debating an atheist.

Don’t act like the existence of God automatically follows from the existence of free will.
For those who don’t accept God’s existence, it’s easy to account for free will by referencing natural causes through biological evolution. It’s a similar mindset to the scientist who — though witnessing the extraordinary order in creation — thinks that natural explanations suffice in lieu of a creator.

Many atheistic philosophers and scientists have written and lectured extensively on how free will could have arisen without divine guidance. Their arguments are faulty, but be wary of debating them without being able to refute these arguments.

Adding love to the free will argument makes it more convincing.
It helps to point out that love can’t be mere subjective desire, but it is ordered toward the divine. You can demonstrate that it’s something we’re responsible for and can freely choose.

The problem with arguing for free will without love is that many atheists embrace an isolated, ego-centered view wherein they see themselves as masters of their own fate. To them, free will merely proves their own power, not God’s. It’s this mindset that leads some atheists to say that if they did discover God was real, they’d shake their fists in defiance of Him.

Theists have yet to find an argument from free will alone that convincingly leads to the existence of God. As it stands, various metaphysical arguments are much more effective.

But if you have developed a good argument building from this point, please share!