[Literature Reflection] The Brother of Karamazov: Does God Exist?

A narrative of how I would have answered Fyodor Karamazov's question "Does God exist?" in Book 3 Ch. 8

With an eccentric tone never heard in a while, Fyodor asked: “Speak, is there a God?” 

“Yes, there is,” I replied with a scowl. I was much disturbed and skeptical of what this buffoon was intending as he asked such a question. 

At my prompt answer, he smirked and replied: “Ha! Of course, you believe in God, immortality, and all the mystic rubbishes that the damned reverend fathers mumble on Sundays. Yet who can prove that the greatest being you so ardently defend exists? What if such a being does not exist? We shall behead the fraudulent monks, the much-extolled disrupters of human progress. Shall we not?”  

“It is fallacious of you to disregard the existence of the greatest being. By definition, the being shall exist. Then, the earnest followers of the “existing” greatest being are not to be spoken ignobly of.” 

“How is that so?” Fyodor was back at his usual mischievous attitude: he prattled for a while, throwing nasty jokes and cackling at himself. However, I could sense a noticeable petulance hidden amid his playful remarks. 

“If you, by any chance, admit the existence of existence itself and that the existing beings are by no matter identical to each other, then it logically follows that out of dissimilar beings of all sorts, there shall be the greatest being over all the other. The greatest being, by definition, is God.” 

“I am astonished to hear you, an ardent and faithful seeker of some mysticism called Christianity, say such thing as if degrading your omnipotent God into a similar being with us unimportant humans.” Fyodor sniggered. He seemed to enjoy mocking the argument I proposed to persuade him. 

I answered. “Well, you speak of the truth that our God is not to be degraded to a similar being with us men. I pray you; bear with me as I start by proving the existence of “the greatest being” and continue elaborating on how God the Jehovah is the God who exists.” 

Jeering at frowned Fyodor, endeavoring hard to look unmoved, I continued. 

“Do you admit that a certain moral order exists in the universe?” 

Fyodor answered with a reluctance, “Well, I believe so. Although I lie astray from such orders.” He almost looked like he regretted that he questioned me. 

“Since nothing in the universe exists without its cause, the moral order must have a cause or its creator. Then, who shall its creator be? Will it be men? Just by observing you alone, Fyodor, it is readily deduced that fallible men are never to be creators of universal moral orders. So I assume that God, an incomparably potent being to men, is the creator of such moral orders. Thus, through the existence of moral order in the universe, God expresses himself and his divine existence to us men. Now you may question how I am convinced that God the creator of principles is the same Jehovah I worship. Well, the greatest being is assumed to have the perfect morality and virtue as he is the creator of such standards, is he not? Now look around and see with your own eyes who is the God of absolute morality and principle. Is Zeus the one? Or any earlier gods from Europe, Asia, or Africa? I daresay God Jehovah, the prelude of all creation, the creator and the protector of moral principles, and the benevolent judge of all men, is the only God who instructs us men through his words, the Bible. So seek him and confront him, as he is the only existing and benevolent Lord of mankind.”

At my words, he remained silent and dumbfounded, reluctantly processing what I had told him. Leaving the father troubled, I walked out of the room.