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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 ourselves 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 those 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.
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. 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 proved 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, but they have also proven
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 when they will occur months and even years
ahead? 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 necessary 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? Could it be God
designed it that way?
But, you see, if you try to devise other explanations
for why such laws exist by utilizing your imaginative
ponderings…coming up with ideas like…a big bang theory
that imagines a big bang came out of nowhere and caused
spontaneous worlds to suddenly appear…or a restless,
changeling theory that speculates a fidgety worm crept
out of a slimy pool and billions of years later decided
to develop lungs, kidneys, unbelievably complex brains,
and human reasoning…then you must also take gigantic
leaps of faith, because such unproven notions defy all
logic as well as every natural law. Such theories lead
to continuous speculations that keep us pondering, right
along with Mr. Rosenblatt.
Biogenesis
One principle of science that points to a first cause,
or the existence of a God, is the law of biogenesis.
Biogenesis simply means that physical life comes only
from life and 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 vast 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,
with all his intelligence, 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 another source of life -- a life-giver. The
very existence of living beings on this planet means
life was put here by a “first cause” or a being who
could create that life someone who does not depend
upon pre-existing organic elements of the earth for His
life. The obvious conclusion is that there exists a
being who has the power to initiate life, and we will
refer to that being as God.
The list of scientific evidence of a 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 lead
you to the conclusion there is an obvious grand design
to our world and universe that demands a grand designer.
One big question
Now, to answer the question this article poses: Does God
exist? We should answer a very basic question. To do so,
we need to look at 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, these
inventions are far inferior to the minds that created
them: the human mind is vastly superior to anything it
has ever been able to create. Therefore, the question
should be asked, did the human mind with all its
complexities and amazing abilities just evolve out of
chaos? Was the human mind developed from something that
is far inferior to it – a curious amoeba perhaps? The
answer should be obvious. That is, an incredibly
intricate physical brain that enables a powerful
intellect to think and create could not evolve from
nothing. Indeed, why would it?
Think about it. There is nothing in heaven or on earth
that requires that we go to the moon to facilitate our
further physical development -- our continuing
evolution. Why would we need to? Do we need to cast off
our lungs in order to be oxygen free? Is that what
drives our exploration of space? There is no answer
within the confines of evolution that can satisfactorily
answer such a question. That being the case isn't it
obvious the human brain is not the result of an
evolutionary process, but instead is an incredibly
complex and highly engineered organ that gives rise to
human thought and perforce must be the creative
handiwork of a being far superior to it, just as humans
are vastly superior to their own creations.
Should we question God’s existence?
The inescapable conclusion that a superior being created
mankind is difficult for many people to reach because
they have been programmed to believe otherwise.
Unfortunately, the utilization of common sense in
determining such things is not encouraged by the
“programmers” who prefer to promote their rambling
thoughts and unrestrained imaginings over the employment
of pragmatism governed by principle and law. Others
believe there is a God because that is what they have
been taught, not what they have proven for themselves.
But the God of the Bible challenges us to prove his
existence, and states emphatically that we can.
Therefore, 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.
To begin your quest, you might want to 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
has to be a God. Then once you have proven God’s
existence, 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! |