Why a Train and a Paintbrush Prove God Exists (And Why Dawkins Totally Missed the Train) (Special Podcast Highlight)

Patrick Madrid explains the idea of infinite regression: basically, the concept of an endless chain of causes, and how it points to the existence of God. 

 

The Train Analogy:

 

Imagine you're sitting at a train crossing, waiting for the world's longest train to pass. Car after car zooms by. Each train car is being pulled by the one in front of it, but NONE of these cars are moving under their own power. What gives? 

 

Somewhere way up front, there HAS to be a locomotive: the unmoved mover... pulling the whole train. Without it, the entire line of train cars would be stuck. The same principle applies to the universe: you can’t have an endless line of “movers” (or causes) without something at the very beginning giving everything its first push. And that is God. 

 

Infinite regression (the idea of “it just goes back forever, no big deal”) is, as Patrick puts it, a logical impossibility. It’s like claiming the train just goes on forever without an engine. Nope. Not happening.

 

The Paintbrush Analogy:

 

This one’s for the art fans! Imagine a paintbrush painting a canvas. The brush creates beautiful strokes, but it’s only moving because someone: a painter... is guiding it. Now, what if the brush is part of a longer stick? Let’s say it’s a foot long… or 20 feet… or as long as a football field. What if the stick just keeps going forever without a painter? That’s absurd.

 

The same goes for creation: if there’s no “painter” (God) behind the brush (creation), then the painting (the universe) can’t exist. God is the ultimate painter, the one who gives creation its existence and beauty.

 

What About Infinite Regression?

 

Patrick explains that atheists, like Richard Dawkins, often try to argue for some other explanation: like “dark matter” or even, hilariously, aliens seeding life on Earth. But here’s the problem: all of these “answers” just kick the can down the road. Where did the dark matter come from? Who created the aliens? It’s begging the question, a fancy philosophical term that means dodging the real issue by postponing it. 

 

If you keep asking “what caused THAT?” at some point, you must land on an uncaused cause: something (or someone) that exists without needing a cause. That’s God. Simple as that. 

 

The Five Ways to Prove God Exists:

 

Patrick gives a shoutout to Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas, who developed five logical ways to explain God’s existence. They’re not “scientific proof” like you’d see in a lab, but they’re rock-solid philosophical arguments. These “Five Ways” look at things like cause and effect, motion, contingency, and design in the universe: all of which point to a necessary first cause: God. 

 

He recommends Peter Kreeft’s "Handbook of Catholic Apologetics" (co-authored with Fr. Ron Tacelli) as a go-to resource. If you want to strengthen your faith, it’s must-read. 

 

Final Thoughts:

 

Whether it’s the train, the paintbrush, or Aquinas’ Five Ways, these are tools to help us understand why belief in God isn’t just reasonable: it’s the only explanation that makes sense. 

 

So, the next time someone says, “But what caused God?” just smile and remind them: God is the engine, not another train car.