Is There a God?

This question throws many parents into apoplexy. Our first response is, “Of course there is a God! We have taught you about him. We have gone to Church worshiping him. We believe in him.” However, for a teen, it can be a question of utmost importance. Yes, teens have been taught about God, about Jesus, about the Holy Spirit. We take them to Mass. We send them to Catholic school. But, nonetheless, it concerns them because they can imagine that there is no God. They may have doubts due to one reason or another. They may equate God with the Catholic Church and see that they don’t like something with the Church, and thus equate that with not liking the God that is taught by the Church.

Why does this question pose a problem for parents with teens? Adolescence can be a time of restlessness and rebellion, against authority, against parents, and possibly against what may be for them the ultimate authority, God. There are a number of ways to respond to this question. What is key is what is bothering the person raising the question. If it is about the problem of evil, a resolution is found in Christ suffering through evil with us. If it is a problem of authority, a resolution may be found by acknowledging that God gives us complete freedom, but there is always a consequence to our actions. If it is a problem about the Church and it proclaiming something that is disagreeable, a resolution may be found in pointing out that the Church follows God in loving everyone, but that love involves truth and truth is not relative. If it is a problem about proof of God’s existence, a resolution may be found by looking at how other things that are not provable are still real, like love. If it is a problem of science vs. God, a resolution may be found by pointing out that science does not know all the answers about life and the universe, nor will it ever, because science can only deal with what is material, not spiritual.

Is there a God? There are only two possible answers, yes or no. The answer yes is based on faith and reason. The answer no is based on everything else. Do we have faith?  Do we have reason?  If we are open to truth, beauty, goodness, the voice of our conscience, our longings for what is beyond us and for happiness, and the evidence of creation, we will see that those very desires are implanted in us by God and lead us to God. As St. Augustine said: “Our hearts are restless until they rest in you, O God.” Read more about the existence of God in the Catechism, par. 26-43.

Know your faith. Live your faith. Teach your faith.