Probably the most ancient and fundamental question of all times on the individual and the collective mind is: "Is there a God?"
The answer to this question has profound implications, and indeed direct impact on the life of mankind and how it looks upon the very meaning and purpose of life. It can change what we strive for, how we look at ourselves and others, what goals we set, and how we live.
In regards to proof of existence of God, opinions range from "there is no god," to "the existence of God cannot be proven or disproven," to "the existence of God can be proven." `Abdu'l-Bahá was of the latter mind, and this paper follows His lead.
The meaning of proof, types of proof, and conditions of the existence of a proof are explored. A few of the classical proofs of the existence of God are briefly examined. Some of the modern reasons believed by some to show why God is not needed to explain the universe are also reviewed.
The proof of existence of God is pursued on two levels, which have been the traditional stomping grounds of those examining this question: the phenomenal world and its fundamental laws and properties, and the evolution of species on earth. The approaches chosen are necessarily extra-scientific, that is, beyond the domain of science, but not beyond the domain of rational discourse. More specifically, it is shown that "something cannot result from nothing," or put metaphorically, "there is no free lunch." This pre-existence principle is applied to the physical world itself and the properties embedded therein.
The pre-existence principle is also applied to the phenomenon of evolution by examining information contents at various organizational levels of living organisms. A second approach applied to evolution is based on probabilities. A simplified model of DNA permutation is presented and argued that low level organizations cannot spontaneously assemble into higher level organizations by a purely random process.
It is concluded that the ultimate source of pre-existence is God, and that the pre-existent properties are attributes of God. It is further concluded that the DNA molecule is endowed with pre-existent potentials and configurations of life gradually triggered to be revealed over the course of time, which is outwardly observed as evolution.
