How To Find A God
Trying to figure out whether a god exists or not would sure be a lot easier if we just heard a big booming voice from the sky tell everyone "Hello, I'm God." In that case, we would at least know that a god did exist (even if he didn't have much style).
Perhaps a better way to get an idea of whether there is a god or not would be to simply look for one. So, how might we look for a god? Generally, what both theists and atheists do is look in places in which we might expect a deity to be involved, and then see whether there is any evidence for such a being or not.
I am going to list some of the most common areas that are often considered to be good places to look. Be aware, though, that simply saying that these are common places to look does not imply that there is actually evidence that a god exists. All this means is that these are places many people have thought that a god might be involved (the precise nature of that god is a whole other question).
Origin of the Universe
If there were a god, we would probably expect such a being to be responsible for creation or at least involved in it to a pretty high degree. So, the question we need to ask is "What does the origin of the Universe tell us about the god question?" Does the Universe look like it was the effect of some cause, or does it look like it has either been around forever or started by itself? Did it begin on its own, or did it need a kickstart?
Design of the Universe
If a god did create the Universe, we might also expect it to be created in an orderly fashion. It should not be haphazard; there should be some design to it. So, when we look at the Universe, do we see evidence of design? We might look for possible design in nature here on Earth and ask whether life could have begun on its own. Alternatively, we could back things up a step and ask whether there is design in the Universe itself - especially in the laws and constants that make the Universe look like it does.
Existence of Moral Values
A god who created mankind would probably have some opinions about how man should live and act. Without looking at any holy book and just considering our fellow humans (and ourselves), do we think that certain things are really good or bad, right or wrong? Are sex-trafficking and bigotry actually wrong or just social taboos? Are fairness and selflessness really right, or are we just conditioned by the herd mentality to do what is good for the group?
Special Interaction in the World
Do we have any evidence that a god has acted in a special way in the world? In other words, do we see any evidence that one or more "miracles" has occurred? If it could be shown that a miracle likely occurred, then we would have evidence pointing towards the existence of a god (and possibly have a clue as to which god). On the other hand, if certain miracles could be disproven (such as the resurrection of Jesus), then there would be evidence that a certain god did not exist.
Religious Experience
Have we personally experienced a god or other power in our lives? This last place to look for a god is a bit more personal as well as hard to debate. Nevertheless, in our own personal search for a higher power, we should also ask the question "Have I experienced anything that makes me think that there might be a god?" Be careful with your answer here. Because this one is personal, it is easier to want to see things differently than they really are (and that goes for people on both sides).
Weighing The Results
I have not attempted to answer any of these questions here - that is a much bigger topic. What I have attempted to do is show that it is not impossible to ask the question "Is there a god?" and go look for an answer. People from all sorts of beliefs (or non-beliefs) do this, and it is perfectly reasonable (and even desirable) to do so.
The real question we need to answer is, When we look in the sorts of places we might expect to find a god, what do we see? When all the evidence is weighed, does it seem more likely that there is a god or not?
