Were we intentionally created or did we just emerge?
Which best fits what we see?
Are we merely the products of a meaningless and transient Universe? And therefore is all we do equally meaningless?
Or are we here for a purpose, intentionally placed here by a Creator?
It is true that many people who do not believe in a transcendent Creator may still affirm that life can be purposeful. For instance they may find purpose and meaning through human connections, personal goals, societal contributions, or a sense of fulfilment derived from various experiences and relationships.
Some philosophical viewpoints, such as existentialism and certain interpretations of nihilism, propose that individuals create their own meaning in an ultimately meaningless universe. From this perspective, purpose is a construct that humans develop to navigate and find significance within their lives.
However, the bottom line is that, unless there is a transcendental basis to the universe, these attempts to find purpose are futile and, at best, give the illusion of purpose in order to provide motivation and fulfilment.
If there is to be an actual purpose for the Universe or for Humanity then that purpose can only have originated in the mind of a transcendent Higher Power. Otherwise, the point made by C. S. Lewis still stands.
Fortunately there are good reasons to believe that, not only is reality more than the material of which it is made, but that it does have a transcendent basis and that a belief in a Creator is the most likely model of the Universe to be true.
Moreover there are good reasons to believe that such a Creator must be personal and a Supreme Being.
Some of these reasons are listed below and are examined in more detail in subsequent pages.
Observation suggests that the Universe has been designed
Intuitively, if we see a complex object which behaves in a coordinated way or which appears to have a purpose, we are likely to believe it was intentionally made by some agent. Experience almost always confirms this intuition.
The Universe must have a cause
Physicalism requires that every effect has a cause, including the beginning of the Universe. To avoid an infinite regress, the cause of the Universe must transcend the physical in some way and be spaceless, timeless, immaterial and unimaginably powerful. In other words something like God.
Other arguments for a Supreme Being
Other arguments have been put forward, such as the existence of moral codes and the existence of attested miracles which could not have happened by natural means. While fairly weak in themselves, these arguments add weight to the overall picture.
Personal subjective experience and the testimony of the experience of others
While philosophical arguments can add support to the belief in the existence of God, the reason most believers believe what they do, including me, is because of direct subjective experience and the testimony of trusted others, including historians. As has been seen for the case of consciousness, this kind of evidence cannot be treated directly using the methods of science but it is nonetheless just as valid.