There are a number of reasons to suggest that the statement that the Cosmological Argument does not help religious belief is correct. For example, the concept of fideism and Flew’s Leaky Buckets argument undermine the value of the argument to religious faith. On the other hand, one could argue that the cosmological argument affirms religious belief and that the Cosmological Argument is a reasoned argument that provides a basis for believing in God. Moreover, the Cosmological Argument’s value to religious faith is diminished by the concept of fideism. This idea suggests that one should believe that God exists because of their faith rather than because his existence has been proven through rational means.
For instance, one should accept the teachings of the Bible as true and see that the Universe was brought into existence by God, in the same way, that an atheist would accept that God does not exist and believe that the Universe occurred as a result of a random spontaneous event. Therefore, the Cosmological Argument does not help religious belief because a religious believer should immediately accept God’s existence as fact. In contrast to this, the cosmological argument aligns with the concept of natural theology. This is the term given to a reasoned argument that provides a basis for believing in God. The Cosmological Argument has its basis in observation of cause and effect and therefore, one could state that it is a reasoned argument. Therefore, the Cosmological Argument helps religious belief because it is a reasoned argument, which provides a basis for believing in God. Despite this, Flew’s ‘Leaky Buckets’ argument infers that the Cosmological Argument does not help religious belief.
The philosopher states that the different arguments for the existence of God do not cumulatively support a belief in God. Flew postulates that several bad arguments, such as Aquinas’ Ways, do not collectively make a sound argument, in the same way that leaky buckets do not hold water. The Cosmological Argument does not support a belief in God as it consists of many flaws which may in fact lead one to believe that God does not exist, meaning that it detracts from a belief in a religion However, one might argue that the Cosmological Argument adds strength to a religious belief because it affirms one’s belief in God or could lead someone to believe in a God. As Richard Swinburne states, the argument is the simplest explanation for why there is something rather than nothing.
In addition to this, the Big Bang Theory supports the Cosmological Argument as it proves that the Universe has a beginning and did not just come into existence, thus disproving the belief that the Universe is infinite. The argument has both a scientific basis and also provides an explanation for the Universe’s existence which makes perfect sense, which therefore means that for a religious believer, the Cosmological Argument strengthens a belief in God and therefore helps religious faith. In conclusion, the Cosmological Argument helps religious belief because it provides a simple and convincing argument for why there is something rather than nothing. The argument is a reasoned argument which provides a basis for a belief in God and it affirms a religious belief by enforcing God’s role in the world.
