Of course, more than just Matthew exists. This fact I know with a certainty. I must point out that the exercise I am going through is, in a way, unnecessary. I needn't prove a single thought. One of my friends is always keen to point out, for example, that God is a big guy and He can take care of Himself. I am well aware of this fact. And I'm fairly sure that all of you do not doubt the existence of the world. Nor should you wonder if I do. The reason I write what I write is not a sort of "motivated doubt", such as Descartes who sincerely doubted everything to find truth. I, on the other hand, am performing a thought experiment. Thought experiments are fun for both the author and the reader. And I believe that it is through asking and seeking that we find truth. Furthermore, I left the last issue at a critical point. I must continue with my train of thought.

I do not think that I could possibly be deceiving myself. The whole world, if it is an illusion, is not a hallucination produced by my brain. There is too much of it. There is too much wonder. There is too much imagination, science, knowledge, philosophy, history, language, art for a single mind to create within an elaborate illusion. There is too much consistency for this to all be an elaborate hallucination produced by my mind. What I see, therefore, must either be real or made by a Deceiver.

If everything were an illusion fabricated by a Deceiver, he has to be God. Or God would be in on it because I cannot imagine a loving God setting out to purposefully deceive someone to this magnitude. But this Deceiver, if he exists, is not a very malevolent Deceiver. Indeed, he has created for me a very pleasing illusion. I mean, sure, there is stress, loneliness, pain, sadness. But, in general, this Deceiver has made a very happy delusion for me. I have a plethora of friends, a faith in a really great God, a wonderful family--including great relatives beyond my groovy-groovy nuclear unit, amazing opportunities, tonnes of fun, chances to obtain a wealth of information, a keen mind, knowledge, chocolate, pizza, Coke, books, leisure and masses of other stuff to make this delusion rather pleasing. In this alleged delusion, I can be soothed by the sound of a symphony. I can smile at a chirping bird. I can pet my cat. I can dance in the sunlight. I can laugh at the rain. I can leap for joy in the sanctuary of my God! As well, this Deceiver has instilled inside of me the idea of God. But I do not have the notion of a deceptive God but a God who looks down and smiles upon me. A God who loves me and provides for me. And I have faith in this God; and when I pray to him, my delusion goes much better than if I don't. It does not really strike me as logical for this whole, vast universe to be a delusion created to deceive me by a great Deceiver. Therefore, stuff exists.

It is much more logical to believe in a great God than a great Deceiver. A God who loves me and bestows His grace upon me, thus resulting in all of the good stuff in life. And a God who has revealed Himself to me. God exists. He is evident in nature. We see Him in the amazing design of the universe. Everything runs so amazingly smoothly. How could we possibly, seriously believe that a universe of such perfect unity and symmetry and mechanical co-ordination has happened by accident? Not only do I find such a notion illogical, I find such a notion preposterous and not especially well-considered. As well, everything in this universe runs by causation. An object remains in motion unless stopped. An object remains at rest unless moved. Always are these actions performed by outside forces. The universe needs an outside force. I don't buy into the Big Bang, but even that needed something to trigger it.

Therefore, I am not everything that exists. I am not deceiving myself. Nor am I being deceived by a great deceiver. Indeed, I am being nurtured and cared for by the grace of an omni-amorant, omniscient, omnipotent God.