As a former teacher of high school philosophy, I loved to inspire my students to think about the origins of life.

One of our fascinating activities was a debate we had that attempted to answer the question, “Can the existence of God be proven?”

We set ground rules. No personal stories were to be offered because one’s personal experiences cannot prove or disprove the existence of God to others. No beliefs from specific religions unless research supports that those beliefs are common to most.

That said, the teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Augustine can be a basis of argument on both sides of the debate because they offer philosophical evidence along with liturgical reasoning. St. Thomas argued that God is not created by something else. God is pure existence. Atheists say that everything comes from something so God must have been created by something.

One particular point of view was a significant student focus. In philosophy, we examine something called the “Theory of Infinite Regress.” What created life from the very beginning? If there is God that did this, then what created God? And if something created God, then what created that? And so on and so on.

Research was to be the basis for every argument. The great philosophers and scientists who have attempted to answer the question about God’s existence are qualified to support every point of view.

We split our students into two teams: God exists and the God does not exist. We randomly created the teams, but before we did, a student named Angelo approached me at my desk.

“Mr. Strack, I’m planning on attending a seminary to become a Catholic priest so I’d like to be on the God exists team.”

“Well, I am glad you told me before we picked the teams so I’m going to put you on the God does not exist team.” His face turned pale and his eyes opened wide.

“Why would you do that?” he asked. “That side goes against everything I believe.”

“Of course, it does,” I replied, “but as a priest one of your challenges will be to convince the doubters and the nonbelievers to believe in God, so you should be prepared to face the opposing points of view.”

When it was his turn to present his argument during the debate, the expression on Angelo’s face was shocking when he had to say, “God does not exist.” After the debate, he raised his hand. “For me, this was difficult because I argued against my own beliefs, but now I can understand a lot about what the other side thinks and why.”

After a daylong debate in the school library, the teams waited anxiously for me to acknowledge the winning team. I built drama into my reply.

“And the winner of our God debate is — nobody!”

A collective groan came from my students.

“Both teams provided excellent evidence,” I said. “But the fact remains that there is no absolute proof to everyone in the entire world that there is or there is not a God.”

One student raised her hand.

“Then why did we do this debate if you knew nobody could win?” she asked.

“That’s what philosophy is all about,” I said. “It raises questions without answers. What we heard today in this debate inspired me, and hopefully inspired you, to think more about the existence of God than you might have before.”

Believing in a creator has been a progression for me. I grew up Catholic and became a Eucharistic minister at our Lady of Fatima in New Jersey. I read the Bible and yet, reading words that were written thousands of years ago fell short of bringing the living God to me.

American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson said that God can be experienced in nature. He wrote that nature’s purpose is to be a representation of the divine so that we might have insight into the universe. This works for me. I cannot help but be in awe that the same life force that created this marvelous planet that is billions of years old has also created me. Life brings life. A rock cannot deliver something that is breathing.

I see the parallels of the living God everywhere. The seasons mirror human existence. In the spring, nature gives birth to green leaves on the trees, buds and blossoms upon the flowers. A child is born into the spring of its life. The summer months are the peak of mature life in the valleys and on the mountains. I am part of the cycle. My autumn enters the twilight of adulthood before the months ahead bring me the winter of my years.

The same life force that created an immortal universe created my temporary life. If that be true, then perhaps immortality awaits me beyond my final breath, and that would be in some form of energy that helps this grand universe sustain life. The cycle of my life is identical to plant and animal life. The universe is a representation of birth, growth and death.

When I go outside and rake leaves, I don’t have to look any farther than at my feet to find the existence of nature’s life force. I raise my eyes from the ground and I look at any one tree with its bare branches. I know that come the spring, the cycle of life begins all over again.

Email Rich Strack at richiesadie11@gmail.com