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Curious, or no faithStep 2 of 8

The case for God

Not a lab result. More like a detective story.

Start here

Watch this first

Can We Prove That God Exists? (feat. Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P.) · Ascension Presents

Give it 10 minutes, then come back and we’ll walk through it together.

Video: Can We Prove That God Exists? (feat. Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P.), Ascension Presents, published Jun 25, 2021. Checked 10 October 2026. Loads from YouTube (privacy-enhanced mode) only when you press play. Watch on YouTube

You and the world both point past yourselves: things exist without having to, and you hunger for a truth and love nothing here can fill.12 The Church calls these converging arguments, and says God can be known with certainty by reason.34

Watch first Or start reading2 min read
The Creation of Adam, by Michelangelo: God reaches out to give life to Adam, their fingers almost touching.

Michelangelo, 1511. Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.

Journeys / Curious, or no faith / Step 2 of 8

On this page

Quick answers to related questions

Keep reading

All 8 steps in Curious, or no faith You’re on step 2
  1. 1. Is anyone there?
  2. 2. The case for God
  3. 3. Can we trust the Gospels?
  4. 4. Did Jesus really rise?
  5. 5. Why a Church at all?
  6. 6. What Catholics believe, on one page
  7. 7. Common fears
  8. 8. Talk to someone

Your own kitchen, any night

Here’s a weird thing about you: you want things that nothing in this world fully gives. More truth. More beauty. Love that doesn’t end.2

The Church says that ache is a clue. The desire for God is written into the human heart, because we were made by Him and for Him.5

A clue isn’t a proof. But detectives solve cases with clues that point the same way.

01The clues

Two roads that point the same way

Theological interpretation

Road one is the world. Things move, change, and exist without having to. Nothing explains itself. The Church calls these “ways” of coming to know God, starting from the world.31

Road two is you: your conscience, your freedom, your hunger for truth and goodness.2 You and the world both point past yourselves to a first cause and a final goal.6

“For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity, that they may be without excuse.”

Romans 1:207

Fine. But can anybody actually be sure?

02The claim

Certain, but not by force

Church teaching

The Church teaches that God can be known with certainty from created things by the natural light of reason.4

Not with a lab result. These are converging and convincing arguments, the kind that add up to real certainty.3

And it admits the hard part: our minds get tired and distracted, so reason alone gets there slowly, which is why God also speaks for Himself.89

So what if science already settled it?

03The objection

Science and faith aren’t rivals

Real science and real faith can’t contradict each other, because the same God gives us the world and the faith.10

A telescope tells you how the stars move. It can’t tell you why there are stars at all. Different questions, different tools.

If Someone is there, has He said anything? That’s the next step.

Your move

Try this, this week

  1. Read Romans 1:19-20. Paul says creation itself is a kind of signpost.
  2. Write down one thing you want that nothing in this world fully gives.
  3. Watch the video and notice which argument lands for you.

You’ll need

  • Five quiet minutes.
  • One question you’d ask God if He answered.

Remember A clue is not a proof, but clues that agree solve cases.

If this is hard

If belief feels impossible right now, that’s fine. You’re allowed to stay curious. Keep asking honestly; that’s already a kind of prayer.

How to talk to a priest

Only one thing to do

Your one next step

Watch the video, then take the next step: the Gospels. If God has spoken, that’s where He spoke most clearly.

Next: can we trust the Gospels?

Step 2 of 8 · Curious, or no faith

If Someone is there, has He spoken? Next: the Gospels.

Step 3: Can we trust the Gospels?
Back to all steps

Take it with you

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Short link: stoneandincense.com/go/cu2

Your real next step

This page can’t give you the sacraments. A parish can.

We’re just pointing. People walk with you. Find a Catholic parish near you, go to a Mass, or just ask a priest for ten minutes. You don’t need to have it figured out.

Take the next step What to say when you call

Notes

How we know · 10 sources for this page
  1. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 32. vatican.va
  2. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 33. vatican.va
  3. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 31. vatican.va
  4. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 36. vatican.va
  5. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 27. vatican.va
  6. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 34. vatican.va
  7. Romans 1:20, World English Bible. read the chapter
  8. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 37. vatican.va
  9. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 38. vatican.va
  10. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 159. vatican.va

Excerpts from the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for use in the United States of America Copyright © 1994, United States Catholic Conference, Inc. – Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Used with Permission. English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: Modifications from the Editio Typica copyright © 1997, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops – Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Scripture: World English Bible, Catholic edition (public domain), modern verse numbers; Douay-Rheims numbers in brackets where they differ. Early Christian writers: Ante-Nicene Fathers (1885, public domain). Video: “Can We Prove That God Exists? (feat. Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P.),” Ascension Presents, supporting material, not a teaching source.

Scenes marked “Imagine” are an invitation to picture the moment, not a historical record. Stone & Incense restates Church teaching in plain words; our wording is not an official Church text. Report an errorCorrections.