|
 Is
it wrong to question the existence of God?
When it comes to religion, most people believe what they
have been taught by their parents or the ministry in
their local churches. If it were not that way, the
religious institutions of our society would have to
re-prove to each generation that their particular brand
of religion is the “true” religion…and maybe that would
not be a bad thing.
However, instead of looking to the various institutions
for explanations about the existence of God, wouldn't it
be more logical to begin by questioning the very
existence of God Himself? That way, the whole matter of
religion and everything about it could be considered.
For instance, questions like, Is the Old Testament only
a collection of tribal legends and myths? Was Jesus
Christ a great philosopher who is dead and has stayed
buried? Was Mohamed a bloodthirsty radical or a
visionary from God? All of these questions would be
irrelevant, if God does not exist.
Essayist Roger Rosenblatt once wrote : "The essential
act of faith, it seems to me, is to wonder…I don't
believe in seeking, and I don't believe in finding."
I don't know Mr. Rosenblatt’s motive for writing that.
However, one thing is certain: his kind of faith leaves
a person free to live life without absolutes; or, should
I say, free to live life according to his or her own
absolutes, without any interference from God if God
exists at all.
If God does not exist, Mr. Rosenblatt’s brand of faith
would be quite appropriate. If God doesn't exist, every
human could just be preoccupied with pondering sort of
indulging in a never-ending binge of philosophizing. And
let’s face it, it’s more convenient to always be
wondering than it is to be seeking answers, because to
find answers from outside yourself is to admit there is
a greater source of truth.
But what if there is a real, true God? What if God has
established absolutes that govern life on this earth?
What if breaking these absolutes brings consequences for
the individual, society and the entire world? If that is
a possibility, it behooves every individual to prove or
disprove the existence of God.
Is it really possible to prove or disprove God's
existence?
If you are truly interested in the question of God's
existence; and if you are ready to try to prove or
disprove God's existence, there is one principle you
must follow to arrive at a worthwhile conclusion: You
must NOT create your own version of God or your own
explanation for the absence of God. You must determine
to stay with what you can know, what can be proven.
Remember also: this is YOUR quest; not your professor’s,
your colleague’s, your family's, your rabbi's, or your
priest's.
What can you know?
We live in a physical world that functions on scientific
principles that are provable. If God exists, there
should be some scientific evidence that He does…and
there is. Science provides powerful evidence of God’s
existence.
For example, we know that if we jump off a building, we
are going to fall very rapidly to the ground. The law of
gravity, along with other natural laws, is proven to us
from a very young age. Many of these natural laws that
act upon us daily can be studied, and their effects
observed in a high school chemistry or physics lab. In
your quest to know if there is a God, it wouldn’t hurt
to ask where these laws came from.
Scientists have been able to prove these laws behave the
same way on other planets as they do on ours, but they
have also proven that major differences exist that
prevent other planets from supporting life. For
instance, there is a law that acts upon the earth to
keep it spinning so that the sun “comes up” everyday. We
know the sun doesn't come up, really; but where did the
law come from that keeps the earth revolving on its axis
so that we have daily sunrises and sunsets that are so
predictable we can calculate months and even years ahead
exactly when they will occur? And what keeps the earth
spinning at just the right speed so that it doesn’t
overheat or freeze so that it can support life? How
did all that physical perfection that is needed to keep
oxygen in the atmosphere, oceans in their beds, seeds
sprouting, and hair growing on our heads get started
anyway? And why isn’t it happening all over the
universe? There is no explanation for it but one – God.
But, you see, if you try to devise other explanations
from your imaginative ponderings…like…a big bang theory
that imagines a big bang came out of nowhere causing
spontaneous worlds to suddenly appear; or a restless,
changeling theory that puts forward the notion a
mythical fidgety worm crept out of a mystical slimy
pool, only billions of years later to decide to develop
lungs because it couldn’t breathe without them, along
with kidneys, unbelievably complex brains, and human
reasoning, then such speculative notions demand gigantic
leaps of faith: they defy every bit of logic as well as
every natural law. Such notions are not provable, but
lead only to continuous speculation that keeps us
pondering, right along with Mr. Rosenblatt.
One principle of science that absolutely proves there is
a God is the law of biogenesis. Biogenesis simply means
that physical life comes only from life that’s a
proven fact. Defined in the negative, it means physical
life cannot come from what is dead: the inorganic cannot
give birth to the living. Simply put, inorganic pools of
water can’t create slime, let alone something to crawl
out of it, no matter what the temperature of the water
might be.
The gulf between what lives on our earth and what is not
living cannot be overcome, even with all the tremendous
scientific abilities man has acquired. Man still cannot
create life without starting with some basic substance
that has a spark of life in it. The only conclusion one
can make, based upon this knowledge, is that physical
life must come from a life-giver. The very existence of
living beings on this planet means life was put here by
someone who could create that life someone who does
not depend upon pre-existing organic elements of the
earth for His life. This obvious conclusion is that
there is someone who has the power to initiate life.
The list of scientific evidence of a Supreme Living God
is without end, and beyond the reach of this article.
There is much a person should do, however, to read about
and even study the scientific workings of our world
with, as was stated earlier, an open mind. Such a study
will, without doubt, lead you to the obvious conclusion
there is a grand design to our world and our universe
that demands a grand designer, and that designer is God.
One big question.
There is one proof of God's existence that should
impress any individual who has the slightest bit of
humility. It is the answer to the question, Where did
you come from? Yes, you.
Humans are able to discover and utilize technological
advancements that take them into space. Humans are able
to clone various forms of life. However, all of these
achievements do not produce anything that could be said
to be even close to the intelligent workings of the
human mind: the human mind is vastly superior to
anything it is able to create. Therefore, the question
should be asked, did the human mind evolve from
something that crept out of a slime-covered pond
billions of years ago? Was the human mind developed from
something that is far inferior to it? The answer should
be obvious: an incredibly intricate physical brain that
enables a powerful intellect to think and create does
not evolve. That being the case, isn't it obvious the
human mind is the creation of a mind far superior to it
just as human creations are not equal to the humans who
create them.
The inescapable conclusion that a superior being created
mankind is difficult for many people to believe. Others
believe there is a God because that is what they have
been taught, not what they have proven for themselves.
Is it wrong to question God’s existence? That is what
was asked at the beginning of this article. The answer
is no, it is not. If questioning the existence of God
leads you to a study that brings you to the conclusion
there is indeed a God, then questioning His existence is
very worthwhile. In fact it is incumbent upon each of us
to do so. We cannot live our lives "wondering", never
“seeking or finding”, as Mr. Rosenblatt suggests. That
kind of human reasoning leaves us rudderless and without
hope.
If you decide to take up the challenge to prove God’s
existence, do not settle for traditional answers fed to
you by others. Do not rely on what you have always felt
or been taught. It is important that you stand on firm
ground about your beliefs. So go ahead. Try it. Prove
whether or not God exists. Choose just one of the
world’s elements, water for example, and determine
whether it could have evolved. Don’t be afraid to apply
some good old common sense as you consider whether the
intricacies of even one part of this world’s systems
could have come out of nowhere without any planning.
With such questioning, and by keeping an open mind and
an honest heart, you will very quickly conclude there is
indeed a God. Then once you have proven God’s existence
(for there will be no other outcome from such an open,
honest quest), you might enjoy finding God’s answer to
why He created mankind in the first place. To help you
consider this important question, we invite you to
request or download your free copy of our important
booklet, Why Were You Born? The answer will truly amaze
you: we guarantee it! |