* * * * *

Premise 2: The primacy of consciousness is invalid.

Conclusion: Therefore, the claim that God exists cannot be true.

1. The distinguishing characteristics of God show that God, if it could exist, is essentially a form of consciousness:

1. "God is a Spirit." (John 4:24)
2. God is a "personal being." (common apologetic claim)
3. God is an "immaterial substance" - i.e., no body. (common apologetic claim)
4. God's attributes are attributes of consciousness:

1. God has a mind (cf. Acts 20:19; Rom. 11:34; I Cor. 2:16; Philip. 2:5, et al.)
2. God has unlimited awareness (cf. Ps. 33:13-15, 139:1-24; Prov. 15:3; Acts 15:18; Heb. 4:13; I John 3:20, et al.)
3. God has a will (cf. Matt. 6:10; 26:39, 42; Luke 11:2; Rom. 8:26, 12:2; Heb. 10:9, et al.)
4. God has thoughts (cf. Ps. 40:5, 92:5, 139:17; Is. 55:8-9; Mic. 4:12, et al.)
5. God speaks and authors judgments (cf. Gen. 1:2, 6, 9, 11, 14, etc., 21:2; Deut. 1:17; Ps. 50:1, 108:7; Rom. 11:33, et al.)
6. God is a moral being (common apologetic claim)
7. God plans the future (cf. Rom. 8:29-30; Eph. 1:4-5, 11; et al.; doctrine of prophecy)
8. God can love (cf. John 3:16, 5:42; Rom. 5:8, 8:39; II Cor. 13:11; Eph. 2:4; I John 4:8-11, 16, et al.)
9. God can be angry (cf. Num. 22:22; Ex. 32:2; Ezra 8:22; Rom. 1:18, 9:22; Eph. 5:6; Rev. 14:10, 19, et al.)
10. God experiences pleasure (cf. Gen. 33:10; Ps. 115:3; Is. 46:10; Matt. 3:17; I Cor. 12:18; Heb. 13:16, et al.)

5. Therefore, God is best described as a form of consciousness.

2. ‘God’ as an ‘immaterial being’ is unbound by laws of nature.

1. God, as creator of the universe, is also creator of natural law. (common apologetic claim)
2. God, as creator of natural law, can violate, bend or discard natural law (i.e., God does not obey natural law, instead natural law obeys God). (doctrine of miracles)
3. Therefore, God, as creator of natural law, is not bound to natural law.

3. The idea that a form of consciousness which is unbound by the laws of nature implies that consciousness is not dependent upon existence. (inference from b)
4. Therefore, the idea of God alone implies the primacy of consciousness.

3. The tasks ascribed to God presuppose the dependence of existence on a form of consciousness:

1. God is said to have created the universe (i.e., existence) through an act of will. (cf. Gen. 1:1; John 1:3; Hebrews 11:3)
2. God can change A into non-A (i.e., alter the identity of entities) through an act of will. (doctrine of miracles; e.g., Jesus turns water into wine - John 2:1-11, et al.)
3. God can make A perform the behavior of non-A (i.e., alter the causality of entities) through an act of will. (doctrine of miracles; e.g., Jesus walks on water - Matt 14:22-33, et al.)
4. A personal will (i.e., volition) is a form of consciousness. (Axiom of consciousness)
5. Therefore, existence is dependent on a form of consciousness ("God's will") - which means consciousness holds primacy over existence.

4. The characterizations of God are incompatible with the primacy of existence (i.e., are compatible only with the primacy of consciousness):

1. According to the primacy of existence, existence exists independent of consciousness. (Objectivism: Rand, Peikoff, et al.)
2. These characterizations of God do not hold that existence exists independent of consciousness, but that existence is dependent on a form of consciousness. (inference from I., II., and III.)
3. Therefore, these characterizations are incompatible with the primacy of existence.

5. Therefore, the claim that God exists can only be true if the primacy of consciousness is valid.

1. The primacy of existence and the primacy of consciousness constitute exhaustive metaphysics.

1. There are two fundamentals which a metaphysic must identify in the foundation of a philosophy: that which exists (existence), and that by which one is aware of that which exists (consciousness). (Objectivism: Rand, Peikoff, et al.)
2. There is no third alternative to this distinction. (Axioms of existence and consciousness)
3. The issue of metaphysical primacy states that, in any philosophy, one (existence or consciousness) will be assumed to hold metaphysical primacy over the other. (Rand, PWNI)
4. Therefore, the primacy of existence and the primacy of consciousness constitute exhaustive metaphysics.

2. The primacy of existence and the primacy of consciousness are in contradiction to each other

1. The primacy of existence holds that existence exists independent of consciousness. (Objectivist principle derived from axioms)
2. The primacy of consciousness holds that existence in some way is dependent on an act or form of consciousness. (Rand, Peikoff)
3. Therefore, the primacy of existence is in contradiction to the primacy of consciousness.

3. Therefore, if the primacy of existence is valid, then the primacy of consciousness is invalid.

2. The primacy of existence is valid.

1. If existence holds metaphysical primacy, then the primacy of existence is valid. (Peikoff)
2. Existence holds metaphysical primacy.

1. If existence exists, existence holds metaphysical primacy.
2. Existence exists. (Axiom)
3. Therefore, existence holds metaphysical primacy.

3. Therefore, the primacy of existence is valid.

3. Therefore, the primacy of consciousness is invalid.