An Example for How to Discover God Using the Steps of the Scientific Method

In my last post, I explained how the scientific method could be used to discover God. Please read this post in context of that post.

Here is how one might use the steps of the scientific method to discover God’s existence: 

1. I observe. 

I may observe that I feel guilty when I do something wrong and I feel warm when I do something right, even when no one else is watching (an internal observation). Please note, this is not the only observation that could be used. 

2. I ask a question. 

For example, the question may be, "Could these negative and positive feelings come from God?" 

3. I make a prediction and form a hypothesis. 

Whatever my hypothesis is, I must believe that God could exist. It is important to note your prediction, your hypothesis, should be based on the best available literature and evidence on the subject (religious texts, alternative explanations, etc.) However, you cannot discount the idea that God could exist. Good scientists and researchers do not discount all the available possibilities. Good researchers are humble enough to recognize when their original explanations were wrong. 

4. I conduct an experiment. 

I may go to a place of worship, pray, and/or read a holy book, etc. Any combination of these things are the independent variables. While doing these things, I record how I feel; that is the internal, dependent variable. 

It is important to note, in science, a large sample size would be tested. In the case of internal evidence, like this, we are not observing a large sample of people, so we must repeat this process multiple times ourselves until we have a large enough set of data to work with. 

Also note, I would suggest, while praying that you ask God if He exists and if He does that He will show you the evidence. 

5. I analyze the data. 

I look back on the feelings I received and the person I have become. What are the results? I must compare these results, this set of data, to the results without this spiritual and religious behavior (the independent variable). I especially pay attention to the moments I have prayed to ask if God is present. 

6. I draw conclusions. 

I accept or reject whether I believe in God based on the internal evidence I have collected. 

7. I repeat the process. 

The scientific method is a slow process when hundreds of scientists are involved, so we should not expect anything different in this case. "Rinse and repeat" is sound scientific advice. 

We most likely will not know that God is there the same way we know the sun is in the sky, but that does not make it any less real. I believe God is there as much as I believe the sun is in the sky, but the internal evidence I have collected is difficult to explain to anyone else. Each person must collect their own evidence based on their own experiments.