“Prove
it!” The man nearly yelled with an angry finger pointed in the direction of the
man standing behind the other podium. “Prove that there is a God. When you can
prove to me that there is a God then I’ll rethink everything about life. “
“That’s
just it the other man said I cannot scientifically prove to you that there is a
God. It is a matter of faith. The God of Scripture requires that we look around
us and see the evident of His designs and believe in Him. Everything has His
fingerprint on it. It is too sophisticated and intricately intertwined to be
the result of chance and time.”
“Natural
selection is the guiding “designer” in this process of evolution. The mutations
that improve survival are naturally what survive to reproduce. No “god” is needed,”
the atheist professor said smugly.
“Too
many mutations have to be in place at once for that to be the case. Remember
Philip Johnson’s example of the woodpecker. Which of the three mutations
happened first to the woodpecker to make it better able to survive? The structure
of the long beak that made is possible to penetrate hard wood trees, the
structure of the skull that made it possible to hit the tree without splitting
its head open, or the long tongue for
grabbing grub larva that would not allow the bird to fly safely were it not
encased in the long bill? The thousands of DNA base pairs for each of these
genes would all have to be spliced into the genome at one time or none of them
would work and the bird’s ‘intermediate specie’ would surely not survive,” the
creationist professor replied.
“You
are asking me to accept as fact something that cannot be tested or proven.
Prove it!” the first professor demanded.”
“But
evolution cannot be proven scientifically either Professor. If it could we
would not be calling it a theory. I could say the same to you sir. Prove that
there is not a God,” the creationist professor softly replied. “Both of
our views are a matter of faith, the only difference is I’m
will to admit it.”
I have
been watching this argument for a long time now. Since I finished my Animal
Science degree in 1988 I have watched the debate go on back and forth between
atheist/naturalist and creationists. When I was in college there was really no
response to speak of from the creationist side of the argument. At least I was
not aware of one. The forces were certainly aligned on the side of naturalism
against what I had believed all my short, green life.
I don’t
hold a grudge against an honest question about the existence of God. Everyone
who is honest has their doubts. I don’t blame those searching for proof of what
they are considering.
I was
listening to the radio this week and heard a message from the book of Daniel. I
think Nebuchadnezzar was an honest atheist to start with. Not long after Daniel
was taken into Nebuchadnezzar’s royal court, the king had a dream that “troubled
his spirit”. I think he was a pragmatist king who used whatever influences were
expedient for his success to become the powerful sovereign he was. I say this
because of what he did to try to understand why his dream was so troubling in
the second chapter of Daniel:
Dan. 2:1-9 In the second year of the reign of
Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his spirit was troubled, and his
sleep left him. Then the king commanded that the magicians, the enchanters, the
sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be summoned to tell the king his dreams. So they
came in and stood before the king. And
the king said to them, "I had a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know
the dream." Then the Chaldeans said
to the king in Aramaic, "O king, live forever! Tell your servants the
dream, and we will show the interpretation." The king answered and said to
the Chaldeans, "The word from me is firm: if you do not make known to me
the dream and its interpretation, you shall be torn limb from limb, and your
houses shall be laid in ruins. But if you show the dream and its
interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor.
Therefore show me the dream and its interpretation." They answered a
second time and said, "Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we
will show its interpretation." The king answered and said, "I know
with certainty that you are trying to gain time, because you see that the word
from me is firm-- if you do not make the dream known to me, there is but one
sentence for you. You have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me
till the times change. Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you
can show me its interpretation." (ESV)
Nebuchadnezzar had a brush with something he perceived as
spiritual. The dream was apparently of such magnitude his usual confidence was
shaken to the core. He was now facing the question of the ages, “Is there a
spiritual dimension to man’s existence?”
I say he was an atheist/pragmatist at heart because he knew too well the
phonies he kept in his court. I am assuming he used them for influencing the
“religious and superstitious” under his reign. The way he treated them, it
sounds like he was all too aware of their shallow trickery. He had a spiritual
problem and he needed a spiritual answer. He turned to the brokers of all
things spiritual, (magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans)
and at spear point he commanded them to be well… spiritual. It was time to earn
their keep by their trade or get off the payroll.
The king had come to a crisis in his life and needed to know
what the significance of this crisis was. If there is no spiritual component to
life he would chalk it up to indigestion, have another glass of wine and move
on in life. His decree was “firm.” He had to know. If I may, everyone has this
moment in their life; a critical time when a crisis of the mind, body and
spirit has to have an answer. Nebuchadnezzar simply knew how to expedite the
process and frankly had the means at his disposal to do it (Dan 2:12).
It is my belief that when you come to this place in your
life personally that God has someone in your sphere of influence that can help
you with the question. Of course I am assuming that there is a God. Isn’t that
fair though? If there is a God who cares isn’t it fair to ask for and expect confirmation?
And if there is a God who cares wouldn’t He have someone or some way around you
to give you an answer for that crisis? It is ok to seek proof of the spiritual dimension.
In Nebuchadnezzar’s life that person was Daniel. Daniel’s
crisis had already passed in his young life and he had received his
confirmation (Dan. 1:8-17). Daniel trusted the same source he had relied on
before to help the king. It was a comfort to me when I read: "Blessed be
the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. He changes
times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the
wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; he reveals deep and hidden
things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him. (Dan
2:20-22 ESV)
And to the king:
Dan 2:30 But as for
me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because of any wisdom that I have
more than all the living, but in order that the interpretation may be made
known to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your mind. ESV
The answer was given to Daniel so that Nebuchadnezzar would know the thoughts of his mind. Understanding the crisis of his mind was the
reason the answer was sent and Nebuchadnezzar could be certain the answer was
true because the answer’s credibility was inherent in the answer itself. The
question of the supernatural came supernaturally. The thoughts of
Nebuchadnezzar’s mind were exposed and explained to him. In the answer he
received confirmation of the dream’s content and meaning. He also got affirmation of the purpose of his life
(this probably being the core of what cause him to be troubled in his spirit).
The heart knows when it hears the truth like the lungs know
when they are full of fresh air. It affirms and provides meaning to life’s big
question: Is there a God that cares for me?
You have a right to ask that question. If I may, my crisis
was answered shortly after I finished my Animal Science degree from the
University of Missouri-Columbia. I got mine from a search of the Bible. The
Bible makes a promise to give you an answer about the supernatural supernaturally.
Heb 4:12 For the word
of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the
division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the
thoughts and intentions of the heart. ESV
An answer that affirms the question and the questioner is waiting.
It will help you understand the thoughts of your mind and where you fit into life. You will find it in the pages of the
Bible.
Isa 55:10-11
"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not
return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed
to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my
mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I
purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
From seed to bread is start to finish, beginning to end. Take
a walk in the rain. Sit quietly in the woods during a snow shower. The answer
will come.
