Does God Exist?

This application helps you explore an age-old question, "Does God Exist?" It starts by asking you to consider what you mean by God, then presents a series of observations. You'll be asked to indicate how consistent each observation is with the existence and non-existence of God. In the end, the odds that God exists are computed.

Obviously, this application isn't likely to settle the debate, but it should provide food for thought and lively discussion. I've had Christians tell me the app promotes atheism and atheists tell me it promotes belief in God. However, the result is not predetermined nor is this app intended to expound one conclusion. Rather, it is designed to help you think about the issues.

After you've done a calculation, you can share the results via email, Google+, etc. (Facebook doesn't work, but that's Facebook's fault not mine.)

Some suggestions for use:

1. Facilitate discussions between believers and non-believers, to help understand differences.

2. Guide a discussion in an introductory philosophy class.

3. Conversation starter when you are sitting on an airplane or bus. (Ok, maybe not.)

Questions you can try to answer using the app:

1. Is an indifferent or evil God more probable than an all-powerful, loving God?

2. Is a God with limited power more probable than an all-powerful God?

3. How do your answers to the individual questions differ from those of a friend with different beliefs, and why?

Your suggestions for improving this app are welcome. Please use the "Email developer" link to send your suggestions.

Mathematical note: the app uses Bayes' theorem to perform the calculations, with a prior probability of 50%. Individual probabilities are restricted to the range 1% to 99% to prevent any single consideration from determining the outcome. Note that the reason that each observation has two questions is that we need these two responses to apply Bayes' theorem. If you are interested in Bayes theorem, check out my "Estimate Anything" app.