Critic Paper on the Debate of Dr. Willian Lane Craig and Daniel Came on Does God Exist.

By Jonie V. Robles

Dr. Willian Lane Craig and Daniel Came debate about the problem of God’s existence. Both
philosophers present their stand about the raised problem. They present their stand based on their
different logical argument. Dr. Craig, who is a Christian philosopher, starts the debate by presenting five
reasons for God's existence. And these reasons are first the origin of the universe, The fine-tuning of the
universe for intelligent life, the existence of objective moral values and duties in the world, the historical
facts concerning Jesus of Nazareth, the personal experience of God. On the other hand, Dr. Daniel Came
who presents himself as an uncommitted atheist, argue the God hiddenness, question the love of God, and
the argument from pointless evil to doubt the existence of God. These two philosophers have a good
argument that can really help us to reflect on the problem of if does God exists.
The five reasons for God's existence of Dr. Craig are sound and very justifiable by human thinking.
He is good at presenting a logical basis for his argument. Such as in the argument about the origin of the
universe, which is the first reason he used in his argument, he used a logical proposition (1) the universe
began to exist, (2) if the universe began to exist, then the universe has a transcendent cause, (3) therefore,
the universe has a transcendent cause. 1 The premises that he presents agrees with the conclusion that he
proposed, although we can also argue that it does not follow that if the universe began to exist, there is
already a transcendent cause that causes the universe to begin. however, as Dr. Craig also argues, if the
universe began to exist not by a transcendent cause, then what or where that cause the universe?
Therefore, the argument of Dr. Craig is still valid. This is the same case in his third reason in his
argument. He argues the logical proposition that (1) If God did not exist, objective moral values and
duties would not exist, (but) (2) objective moral values and duties do exist. (3) Therefore, God exists.
Both this argument for the existence of objective moral values and duties in the world, and the argument
for the origin of the universe has a sound logical argument although it can also argue in a different way.
Dr, Craig, as he also proposes in his last argument, argues that if the premise support and agrees on the
conclusion that has been done, it will remain valid, regardless of if it will accept by others or not.
On the other side, Dr. Daniel Came, who proclaimed himself as someone who did not either
active atheist or theist, argue about the problem about the existence of God. he uses three points of idea as
support to his argument, and these arguments are about the God hiddenness, problem in the idea of God’s
love, and the argument of pointless evil. He also used a logical proposition that necessarily, if God exists,
there are no pointless evils, but probably, there are pointless evils, Therefore, he concludes that probably
God does not exist.2 He focusses on the argument on why, if God exists, He hides on the physical sense
and allow the pointless evil to exist, which make doubt for the existence of God. However, his argument
did not deny or support the existence of God, but simply raise the question of the problem in the existence
of God.
The objective of philosophy, according to Wittgenstein, is to make a logical clarification of ideas.
Therefore, a philosophical idea should also consist of a clear logical proposition. However, the aim of
philosophy is not to make several philosophical propositions, but to make the propositions clear. 3 This
argument, even intentional or not, is observed by both arguments of the two philosophers in the previous
paragraph. Both arguments of two different philosophers have a strong logical proposition of argument.
However, the clarity of their point just matters on how they present it in accordance with their position.
Dr. Craig, as presented in the previews paragraph, stands for theistic and Christian argument that God
1
“William Lane Craig vs Daniel Came | Does God Exist?,” YouTube video, March 2017,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLbnrurMgYM&t=1359s
2
Ibid.
3
Ludwig Wittgenstein. Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus (1992), 4.112
exists. His argument, in general, is based on cosmological, moral value, and Scriptural facts of God's
existence. However, the argument of Dr. Came, like Dr. Ayer in his idea on Language, Truth, and Logic,
doubt the existence of transcendent being, that we believe that God is, and its reality. However, he, Dr.
Came, did not totally deny the existence of a God, but he just did not find, even he tries, any convincing
argument or religious experience that proved God's existence. Therefore, he argues not really to deny the
existence of God but to raise the question of its existence. He came up with the conclusion that God might
probably not exist because of the existence of pointless evil and the hiddenness of the transcendent being.
however, based on his own argument, of the possibility of God’s not existence, you may also argue on the
hand that God also probably exists. This may also use as lesser support to the argument of Dr. Craig, that
God exists. Therefore, the debate of the two intellectuals, about the problem of God's existence, may
conclude that God indeed exists or probably exist. however, the possibility of God's existence is also a
proved that God really exists.