Over the next few weeks, I would like to focus our attention on four big questions.

These questions might be described as the elephant in the room.

That is the term we often use to describe a topic, a question or an issue that is obvious to everyone but nobody wants to bring up. They are reluctant to mention it because it may be awkward, uncomfortable or embarrassing to talk about it.

This first question is a huge question I suspect we have all asked at some point: Does God really exist? How can we know for sure that God is real? Is there any evidence to prove his existence?

I am not convinced anyone can undeniably prove or disprove the existence of God.

More than 400 years ago, a French philosopher and mathematician named Blaise Pascal suggested that even if the existence of God could not be determined through reason, a rational person should wager as though God exists because living life accordingly, he or she has everything to gain and nothing to lose.

He went on to talk about two possible mistakes people might make. The first is believing in a God that does not exist. The second is not believing in a God that does exist. The second mistake is certainly more significant than the first.

There are consequences to not believing in a God that exists. The belief that God exists might require change for some. They may need to change their thinking, friends, priorities, lifestyle or morals.

In some ways, to admit there is a God would feel like giving up control. To deny God’s existence allows people to continue doing their own thing without feeling guilty about it.

To believe in God would mean they are accountable. The belief that God exists may require them to make some changes in their lives that they may be unwilling to make.

Ultimately, what we see in human experience, science, logic and history leads to a confident answer that yes, God certainly does exist. But there will always be some who choose not to believe.

And for the person who opposes even the possibility of there being a God, any evidence can be rationalized or explained away. That is because belief in God requires a step of faith.

But accepting the existence of God is not a blind leap of faith into the dark. In many ways, it is a trusting step out of the darkness into the light.

Steve Greene is the lead pastor of The Point in Seymour. Read his blog at pastorgreene.wordpress.com or email him at [email protected]. Send comments to [email protected].