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Our lives go better in a world created by God

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 January 2025

Brian Ballard Open the ORCID record for Brian Ballard [Opens in a new window]
Brian Ballard*
Affiliation:
Center for Human Values and Department of Philosophy, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA Center for Faith and Flourishing, LCC International University, Klaipėda, Lithuania Christ College, Concordia University Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
*
Email: brian.ballard@cui.edu
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Abstract

This article develops a novel argument that God’s existence would greatly increase our prospects for meaning in life. The key idea is that if God exists, He stands in certain relations to the world that would confer value upon it. For instance, God would be its creator and sustainer. The world would thus gain value in much the way that relics gain value by their links with historical persons and events. And crucially, as a result of this infusion of value, our lives go better because the things we engage with matter more.

Keywords

axiology of theismpro-theismanti-theismextrinsic final valuemeaning in life
Type
Original Article
Information
Religious Studies , First View , pp. 1 - 15
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press.

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