God vs. Science

I'm always interested in a healthy debate, especially when truth is presented intelligently. I don't know where this originated from. It arrived in my email "inbox" this morning. The word of God urges us to "always be ready to give an answer for the hope that lies within you." May we each one spend enough time with our own thoughts to respond as respectfully and truthfully as this student did.

A science professor begins his school year with a lecture to the students, 'Let me explain the problem science has with religion.' The atheist professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his new students to stand.

'You're a Christian, aren't you, son?'

'Yes sir,' the student says.

'So you believe in God?'

'Absolutely.'

'Is God good?'

'Sure! God's good.'

'Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?'

'Yes.'

'Are you good or evil?'

'The Bible says I'm evil.'

The professor grins knowingly. 'Aha! The Bible!' He considers for a moment. 'Here's one for you. Let's say there's a sick person over here and you can cure him. You can do it. Would you help him? Would you try?'

'Yes sir, I would.'

'So you're good...!'

'I wouldn't say that.'

'But why not say that? You'd help a sick and maimed person if you could. Most of us would if we could. But God doesn't.'

The student does not answer, so the professor continues. 'He doesn't, does he? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though he prayed to Jesus to heal him. How is this Jesus good? Hmmm? Can you answer that one?'

The student remains silent.

'No, you can't, can you?' the professor says. He takes a sip of water from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax.

'Let's start again, young fella. Is God good?'

'Er...yes,' the student says.

'Is Satan good?'

The student doesn't hesitate on this one. 'No.'

'Then where does Satan come from?'

The student falters. 'From God'

'That's right. God made Satan, didn't he? Tell me, son. Is there evil in this world?'

'Yes, sir.'

'Evil's everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything, correct?'

'Yes.'

'So who created evil?' The professor continued, 'If God created everything, then God created evil, since evil exists, and according to the principle that our works define who we are, then God is evil.'

Again, the student has no answer. 'Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things, do they exist in this world?'

The student squirms on his feet. 'Yes.'

'So who created them?'

The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his question. 'Who created them?' There is still no answer. Suddenly the lecturer breaks away to pace in front of the classroom. The class is mesmerized. 'Tell me,' he continues onto another student. 'Do you believe in Jesus Christ, son?'

The student's voice betrays him and cracks. 'Yes, professor, I do.'

The old man stops pacing. 'Science says you have five senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Jesus?'

'No sir. I've never seen Him.'

'Then tell us if you've ever heard your Jesus?'

'No, sir, I have not.'

'Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelt your Jesus? Have you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus Christ, or God for that matter?'

'No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't.'

'Yet you still believe in him?'

'Yes.'

'According to the rules of empirical, testable, d emonstrable protocol, science says your God doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?'

'Nothing,' the student replies. 'I only have my faith.'

'Yes, faith,' the professor repeats. 'And that is the problem science has with God. There is no evidence, only faith.'

The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of His own. 'Professor, is there such thing as heat?'

'Yes,' the professor replies. 'There's heat.'

'And is there such a thing as cold?'

'Yes, son, there's cold too.'

'No sir, there isn't.'

The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested. The room suddenly becomes very quiet. The student begins to explain. 'You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, unlimited heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don't have anything called 'cold'. We can hit up to 458 degrees below zero, which is no
heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold; otherwise we would be able to go colder than the lowest -458 degrees.'

'Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-458 F) is the total absence of heat. You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.'

Silence across the room. A pen drops somewhere in the classroom, sounding like a hammer.

'What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?'

'Yes,' the professor replies without hesitation. 'What is night if it isn't darkness?'

'You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light, but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and t's called darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we use to define the word.'

'In reality, darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?'

The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him. This will be a good semester. 'So what point are you making, young man?'

'Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed.'

The professor's face cannot hide his surprise this time. 'Flawed? Can you explain how?'

'You are working on the premise of duality,' the student explains. 'You argue that there is life and then there's death; a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought.'

'It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it.'

'Now tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?'

'If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes, of course I do.'

'Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?'

The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes where the argument is going. A very good semester, indeed.

'Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?'

The class is in uproar. The student remains silent until the commotion has subsided.

'To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, let me give you an example of what I mean.'

The student looks around the room. 'Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the professor's brain?' The class breaks out into laughter.

'Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor's brain, felt the professor's brain, touched or smelt the professor's brain? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, with all due respect, sir.'

'So if science says you have no brain, how can we trust your lectures, sir?'

Now the room is silent. The professor just stares at the student, his face unreadable.

Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man answers. 'I guess you'll have to take them on faith.'

'Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with life,' the student continues. 'Now, sir, is there such a thing as evil?'

Now uncertain, the professor responds, 'Of course, there is. We see it everyday. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil.'

To this the student replied, 'Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what
happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light.'

The professor sat down.

been thinking about hope

My contemplation has taken me on a journey of considering important concepts and beliefs that I have formed. One of those is a well rooted belief that some how scripture promises us a better life through Jesus Christ. That the span of the years I spend on this earth will be better because I "believe in" Jesus. Now that thought provides some serious contradictions. Because if my faith in God is rooted in the fact that I believe that my life will be better, then every time I perceive my life not being better, I'm shaken to the core.

This belief skews our perspective, especially in those times when, seemingly out of nowhere comes pain and suffering. The kind that completely rob you of your joy. You know the experiences I'm talking about. You believe with the known capacity of all your heart that your doing your very best to do what you understand God wants you to do - only to find yourself in the middle of a trial that's completely unexpected.

Now others around you might have expected it - but it takes you by complete surprise. And to be honest, nothing about it seems to make your life better. To the contrary, your life seems to be a lot worse. Now what? Do you throw up your fist and blame God? Maybe you're like me and you look at those around you and ask, "why didn't you warn me about this?" Or even more likely, "why did you do this to me?" Sometimes that takes on the air of victimization. In those moments you might wrestle a bit with your core beliefs. Maybe God isn't a good God. Maybe he doesn't exist at all. Maybe he doesn't care enough about me to give me the life that I believe the Bible promises. Maybe I haven't been good enough or deserve that better life. Or maybe, just maybe, I've got the premise wrong.

Maybe the promise of abundant life isn't at all about my physical comfort. Maybe it's not about me having all the things I've hoped for. Things like relationships without misunderstanding, the ability to see how my actions will effect those around me, controlling the outcome of the current events of my life. Maybe in those moments, when none of it seems to make any sense, this is really about something greater than the sum of what we can perceive.

I think the Biblical promise of a better life is really about a better hope. Whether the unexpected pain and suffering is released directly from God's hand or he simply allows it in my life. The belief I have in Jesus is all about hope. I don't have to depend on my knowledge or access to resources. I have been given "the keys to the kingdom," and the resources of God are at my disposal -as I walk in obedience to HIM!

That's amazingly powerful! I see hope as an attitude where everything stays open before me. Not that I don't think of my future in those moments, but I think of it in an entirely different way. Daring to stay open to whatever will come to me - knowing that nothing slips by the sovereign hand of God. I'm not manipulating the circumstances of today, tomorrow, or two months from now. To go fearlessly, in the security of close relationship with the ONE who knows me and loves me, without knowing exactly how things will turn out. To keep going when it seems like it doesn't make any sense or work out the first time. To trust unwaveringly in what I'm doing - now that's living with hope.

I wonder how much real abundance would exist in my life if I traded that old belief for a better truth. I wonder what God would do with the energy that was freed up when I let go of my expectations for comfort. I wonder what the future looks like for those walking the path of a better hope.

There's a purpose

I felt like it was appropriate to post one of the devotionals that arrive in my inbox each morning. This one is designed for workplace believers, but I see an application for all believers in it. May you be blessed as the Holy Spirit ministers to you through the wisdom of this author.


Divine Setups
TGIF Today God Is First, by Os Hillman

Simon, Simon, satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers. - Luke 22:31-32

Have you ever perceived yourself to be at one place spiritually only to discover that you were actually far from this place? Peter perceived himself to be so spiritually strong that he was prepared to suffer greatly for his Master. Yet Jesus knew where Peter really was in his own pilgrimage. He knew that Peter's enthusiasm did not match his reality. He was suffering from an attitude of self-righteousness. So, how did Jesus help Peter match his perception to his reality? Peter was the object of a divine setup.

First, notice that satan asked permission to sift Peter as wheat. Jesus determined that satan would be used to bring Peter to the maturity level both Jesus and Peter really desired. And Jesus was praying that Peter would pass the test. Jesus told Peter that he would deny Him three times that very day. Peter could not believe what Jesus was saying.

Sometimes the lessons we must learn are very painful. This experience was necessary in Peter's life. It was necessary to purge Peter from his sin of self-righteousness. This very lesson would allow Peter to come face to face with his own misperception of where he was in his relationship and devotion to Jesus. When he was forced to confront this, it nearly broke him apart. He wept bitterly once he realized he had done just as Jesus had predicted.

This confrontation with reality is necessary at times in our lives. Do not be surprised if Jesus allows you to experience some painful circumstance. You may be the subject of a divine setup designed to bring you to a greater maturity level in your walk with Jesus. It may not be a fun experience when you go through it, but you will, like Peter, become a leader whom God will use to lead others.

How?

How do you help someone who asks over and over again for help, but isn't open to hearing your thoughts. How do you sit back and watch them struggle and wretch against their pain that seems to oddly bring them comfort. Like a bear caught in a trap, they moan and scream to be set free...but approach with the tools to release the trap and you'll see the snarl of their teeth. Not even a chance to get close enough to bring them relief.

How odd is it that we find comfort in the complaining about our discomfort? Like the whining sound of our voice becomes white noise for our soul. Lulling us, soothing us, but never moving us.

When you're weary, there's always a friend. The pain you bear doesn't have to be anything more than a superficial wound. Let it go and find relief in the comfort of those God has placed around you. Healing may include healthy doses of "medicine" you don't like or "therapy" that hurts. Not all pain is bad. Trust the ones who love you. Trust that God will use them. He's for your good. Believe it today!