The Revealed Scripture is brimming with allusions to a number of proofs for the existence of the Divine. Yet there is a crucial difference separating Divine arguments from our own philosophical discourse.

The Scriptural arguments often stimulate our sensory faculties, via an articulated signifier pointing to a signified object in extramental reality. This way, the underlying meanings are rooted in something tangible and existent. You aren’t plagued by a constant barrage of abstract concepts and logical axioms. Instead you’re encouraged to look at creation, which acts as the membrane through which you engage your intellect, thereby keeping it safe from direct exposure to the rays of philosophy.

In contrast a philosophical argument often relies on the intellect’s ability to abstract in order to identify a non-existent signified. This highly abstracted, purely logical thought can blind you from the truth. You might get lost in a sea of axioms, get caught in the weeds of a false premise and drown in its darkness. The waters of the transcendental space are murky for the uninitiated, so tread carefully. Many a mathematician, philosopher or logician has snapped whilst striving in the name of truth (or scepticism), leaving their journey with fame but losing something of themselves along the way. This is not to say that philosophical and abstract arguments have no place, but they must be approached with caution and not everyone is suited to engage with them.

Part of the brilliance of scriptural arguments are their mercy in sparing us from these problems. Deriving wisdom from this balanced methodology that neither confuses the mind nor hardens the heart is possible for anyone who reflects and ponders.

Terms (briefly):
Signifier – The medium of communication (normally the words)
Signified – That which is being communicated