Existence of God proof study outlines/Pseudo-ontological proof outlines

Outline for Promulgation of Universal Peace, pp. 82-83

• I. Among the proofs of the existence of a divine power is this: that things are often known by their opposites
  • A. It is necessary that each should exist in order that the other should have reality
    • 1. Night and day must be in order that each may be distinguished
      • a. Night itself is an indication and evidence of day which follows
      • b. Day itself indicates the coming night
      • c. Unless night were a reality, there could not be day
    • 2. Were it not for death, there could be no life
    • 3. Were it not for darkness, light could not be sensed
    • 4. Were it not for death, life could not be known
    • 5. If ignorance did not exist, knowledge would not be a reality
    • 6. Therefore, our weakness is an evidence that there is might
    • 7. Our ignorance proves the reality of knowledge
      • a. Were it not for knowledge, ignorance would be unknown
    • 8. Our need is an indication of supply and wealth
      • a. Were it not for wealth, this need would not exist
    • 9. Were it not for power, there would be no impotence
  • B. In other words, demand and supply is the law
• II. Undoubtedly all virtues have a center and source
• III. Man has virtues
• IV. The Creator of man must be endowed with superlative intelligence and power in all points that creation involves and implies
  • A. We are weak; He is mighty, because, were He not mighty, He could not have created us
  • B. We are ignorant; He is wise
  • C. We are poor; He is rich; Otherwise, He would have been incapable of our creation
• V. That source is God, from Whom all these bounties emanate

Outline for Promulgation of Universal Peace, pp. 424-425

• I. It is quite evident that our kind of life, our form of existence, is limited
• II. The reality of all accidental phenomena is, likewise, limited
• III. We know things philosophically by their antitheses
  • A. We know, for example, that poverty is the lack of wealth
  • B. Where there is no knowledge, there is no ignorance. What is ignorance? It is the absence of knowledge
  • C. To make it plainer
    • 1. If there were no wealth in the world, you would not have poverty
    • 2. If there were no light in the world, you could not conceive of darkness
• III. Were there no unlimited, or infinite, reality in life, the finite being of objects would be inconceivable
• IV. There must needs be an unlimited reality
  • A. Therefore, our limited existence is a conclusive proof that there is an unlimited reality, and this is a shining proof and evident argument
  • B. Many are the proofs concerning this matter, but there is not time to go into the subject further

Outline for Some Answered Questions, chapter 2, pars. 3-6

• 0. Thus the contingent world is the source of deficiencies and God is the source of perfection
• I. (Things are often known by their opposites)
• II. The very deficiencies of the contingent world testify to God’s perfections
  • A. For example
    • 1. When you consider man, you observe that he is weak
    • 2. Were it not for power, weakness could not be imagined
      • a. Without power there could be no weakness
    • 3. This very weakness of the creature betokens the power of One Who is Eternal and Almighty
      • a. This weakness makes it evident that there is a power in the world
  • B. Thus the weakness of the creature is evidence of the power of God
  • C. (Other examples)
    • 1. Again, in the contingent world there is poverty; hence there must be wealth for there to be poverty in the world
    • 2. In the contingent world there is ignorance; hence there must be knowledge for there to be ignorance
    • 3. If there were no knowledge, neither could there be ignorance; for ignorance is the non-existence of knowledge
    • 4. If there were no existence, non-existence could not be
  • D. Contingent world
    • 1. It is certain that the entire contingent world is subject to an order and a law which it can never disobey
      • a. Even man is forced to submit to death, sleep, and other conditions
    • 2. In certain matters man is compelled
    • 3. This very compulsion implies the existence of One Who is All-Compelling
      • a. So long as the contingent world is characterized by dependency, and so long as this dependency is one of its essential requirements, there must be One Who in His own Essence is independent of all things
        • 1. In the same way, the very existence of a sick person shows that there must be one who is healthy; for without the latter the existence of the former could not be established
• III. It is therefore evident that there is an Eternal and Almighty One Who is the sum of all perfections, for otherwise He would be even as the creatures

Outline for Tablet to Auguste Forel, par. 19

• I. We ascribe attributes and perfections such as will, knowledge, power and other ancient attributes to that Divine Reality
• II. These attributes are the signs that reflect the existence of beings in the visible plane and not the absolute perfections of the Divine Essence that cannot be comprehended
  • A. For instance
    • 1. As we consider created things we observe infinite perfections, and the created things being in the utmost regularity and perfection we infer that the Ancient Power on whom dependeth the existence of these beings, cannot be ignorant; thus we say He is All-Knowing
    • 2. It is certain that it is not impotent, it must be then All-Powerful
    • 3. It is not poor, it must be All-Possessing
    • 4. It is not non-existent, it must be Ever-Living
• III. The purpose is to show that these attributes and perfections that we recount for that Universal Reality are only in order to deny imperfections, rather than to assert the perfections that the human mind can conceive
  • A. Thus we say His attributes are unknowable

Outline for Tablet to Auguste Forel, par. 23

• I. The limited is known through the unlimited
• II. Limitation thus itself proveth the existence of the unlimited
  • A. Just as
    • 1. Weakness itself proveth the existence of power
    • 2. Ignorance proveth the existence of knowledge
      • a. Without knowledge there would be no ignorance
    • 3. Poverty proveth the existence of wealth
      • a. Without wealth there would be no poverty
    • 4. Darkness itself is a proof of the existence of light for darkness is the absence of light
      • a. Without light there would be no darkness
• III. (This proves the infinite Power that knoweth no limitations

Outline for Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, sec. 21.10, p. 49

• I. And further, all created beings are limited
• II. The existence of a limited being denoteth the existence of a Limitless One
• III. This very limitation of all beings proveth the reality of the Limitless