The Intuitional Argument (also referred to as the Intuitive Argument for the Existence of God or the Sensus Divinitatus) is the philosophical position that the universal, inborn human predisposition to recognize a supernatural Creator is evidence that such a Creator exists.
The sources break down this argument into several key points:
1. Core Premise: Belief in God is Natural
The argument asserts that belief in an intelligent Creator is natural and inherent to mankind rather than a purely cultural invention. The sources note that even prominent atheists admit religion is universal, existing in every human culture ever studied, and describe this human drive as a “lust for gods” or an “ineradicable” religious impulse.
2. Evidence from Childhood Development
A significant portion of the argument relies on psychological research suggesting that children are “natural-born creationists”. The sources cite several psychological concepts to support this:
- “Promiscuous Teleology”: The tendency of children to spontaneously attribute purpose and design to natural events and objects.
- “Intuitive Theism”: The finding that children, if left to their own devices, would likely invent some conception of God because their minds are “pre-programmed” to assume design behind nonrandom structures.
3. The “Cost” of Religion
The argument challenges the atheistic evolutionary model by noting that religious belief is “costly” and “wasteful” in terms of survival.
- Evolutionary Conflict: Natural selection typically eliminates traits that waste time and resources without providing a physical survival benefit.
- Atheistic Response: To explain why this “wasteful” trait persists, some atheists categorize religion as a “mind virus” or “meme” that replicates for its own survival, even to the detriment of the human host.
- Theistic Response: The sources argue that if God exists, we have an excellent reason for this impulse: a loving Creator would “pre-program” humans with a desire to find Him.
4. Biblical Foundation
The sources link this argument to biblical passages suggesting that God has made Himself known within the human heart:
- Romans 1:19-20: Asserts that what may be known of God is “manifest in them” because God has shown it to them through the created order.
- Acts 17:26-27: Suggests that God designed humans specifically so they would “grope for Him and find Him”.
In summary, the Intuitional Argument concludes that because the concept of an intelligent Designer is the “intuitive” state of the human mind, and atheistic evolution is “counter-intuitive and unnatural,” the most rational explanation is that an actual Designer exists.