I’m still working on development of an analysis of the question “Does God exist?” that would help to organize systematic investigations of the question.

In the Part 1 post in this series I suggested an analysis in terms of logical possibility, logical necessity, certainty, and probability (click on image below for a clearer view of the diagram):

In that same post I suggested another possible way to analyze the question “Does God exist?” in terms of the traditional roles that God plays (creator of the universe, ruler of the universe, revealer of truth):

In the Part 2 post in this series,  I suggested an analysis of the question that was based on a modified (simplified) version of Richard Swinburne’s analysis of the meaning of the word “God”  (I dropped a few of the divine attributes from his analysis, ones that seemed problematic or less important):

Since then I have made a second attempt at an analysis of the question based on my simplified version of Swinburne’s analysis of the meaning of the word “God”:

Today,  I have another analysis to consider, one based on how a scientific skeptic would approach the question “Does God exist?”.   A scientifically oriented skeptic objects to the idea of there being bodiless persons (or minds without brains), and also objects to the idea of there being persons with supernatural powers.  So,  my latest analysis puts an emphasis on these sorts of issues:

1. Are there any animals or persons who have supernatural knowledge? (telepathy–mind reading, extra-sensory perception, clairvoyance, prophecy, out-of-body experiences)

2. Are there any animals or persons who can communicate supernaturally? (telepathy–communication)

3. Are there any animals or persons who can perform supernatural healings?  (supernatural healings, resurrections)

4. Are there any animals or persons who can create a physical object out of nothing?

5. Are there any animals or persons who have other supernatural powers (not knowledge, not communication, not healing, not creating things out of nothing)? (telekinesis,  levitation, supernatural flight, , invisibility, nature miracles, curses, hexes, spells, wizardry, witchcraft, black magic, etc.)

6. Are there any animals or persons who are supernatural beings? (bodiless: ghosts, angels, demons, gods)

7. Are there any animals or persons who have supernatural knowledge and who communicate supernaturally?

8. Are there any animals or persons who have supernatural knowledge, communicate supernaturally, and can perform supernatural healings?

9. Are there any animals or persons who have supernatural knowledge, communicate supernaturally, perform supernatural healings, and who can create physical objects out of nothing?

10.  Are there any animals or persons who have supernatural knowledge, communicate supernaturally, perform supernatural healings, create physical objects out of nothing, and have other supernatural powers as well?

11.  Are there any animals or persons who have supernatural knowledge, communicate supernaturally, perform supernatural healings, create physical objects out of nothing, have other supernatural powers, and who are bodiless?

12.  Is there a being who is eternally omniscient, eternally omnipotent, eternally bodiless, eternally perfectly morally good, and who created the universe out of nothing?

I’m working on a chart for these questions…