[Avodah] belief

[Akiva Miller]

.
R' Joel Rich asked:

> If I understand correctly, R’EW in the Kovetz Maamarim makes
> the watchmaker argument to prove God’s existence. He then goes
> on to say that this is so obvious that anybody who denies it
> is doing so because of his wish to willfully throw off the
> yoke of Heaven. How does this square with your experience?

(For clarity, I presume that RJR is referring to the idea that when
presented with a complex mechanism such as a watch, no rational
person would think that it sprang into existence without a watchmaker; kal
vachomer, this complex universe *must* have a Creator.)

My experience is that there are two sorts of "proofs". For lack of a better
term, let's call them "objective" and "subjective" proofs. (If more formal
descriptors exist among those of you who have studied these things, please
share.)

Mathematics is a good example of objective proof. I have two apples, and
then I take another apple, and now I have three apples. I have objectively
proven that two plus one equals three. It is inescapable, as far as I can
tell. This is what people usually mean when they use the word "proof".

In my experience, I have NEVER seen or heard of ANY proof of God's
existence (or non-existence) of the above type. Furthermore, I believe,
categorically, that no such proof will ever be found or devised, and that
God specifically designed Creation in such a way as to make such proofs
impossible, in order to preserve our freedom of choice to believe or not.

In my experience, EVERY proof of God's existence (or non-existence) is in
the category that I'm calling "subjective" proof. In these types of proofs,
the argument ultimately ends up at a point where one side says to the
other, "This is so very obvious that I am personally convinced that it is
correct", or "This is so very ridiculous that I am personally convinced
that it is wrong". But the point has not been strictly proven or disproven.
All we've done is to convince *you*, while someone else might remain
unconvinced.

I believe that RJR's example falls in the second, "subjective" category.
Example: With what I know about modern quantum physics, it most definitely
IS POSSIBLE that the random items sitting on my desk might suddenly
rearrange their components into a beautiful and functioning gold watch. The
ONLY problem with that scenario is that it is highly unlikely.

Personally, I do believe that God created the universe, and at the same
time, I do NOT believe the Watchmaker Argument to be an *objective* proof.
I have other experiences (and I stress the concept of "experiences" as
opposed to logical arguments) which have proven God to me, and I'm
satisfied with that.

Akiva Miller

POSTSCRIPT: Upon rereading the above one last time before sending it, I now
see that I was ranting about the word "proof" in the contest of the
Watchmaker Argument, and that I failed to address the main part of the
question.

I still maintain that the Watchmaker Argument is not a true objective
proof, because it IS remotely possible (per quantum theory) that the watch
assembled itself spontaneously. But what does this say about a person who
relies on this remote possibility to deny God's existence?

You and I feel it is ridiculous to rely on the infinitesimal possibility
that the universe arose spontaneously. But R'EW goes further, declaring
that "this is so obvious that anybody who denies it is doing so because of
his wish to willfully throw off the yoke of Heaven." I respectfully
disagree. The problem is this: Just like you and I find it ridiculous to
think that the universe arose spontaneously, some people think it's
ridiculous to think that there's a Being In The Sky Who Controls
Everything. As I wrote above, the evidence for and against is - and must
be! - evenly balanced, lest bechira go out the window.

These people aren't stupid or evil or lazy. I know such people, and in fact
I used to be one of them! All due respect to Chazal, not all of them are
looking for an excuse to do arayos. They just haven't had the exposure to
these concepts, and it is just too hard for them to "wrap their heads"
around the idea that it could be real. Every day I thank Hashem that I
*was* exposed to such ideas, and over many years I grew to accept them and
believe them. And whenever my children and grandchildren ask how I was able
to do it, I always give the exact same answer: "Baruch Hashem, I had very
good teachers."

Akiva Miller
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