We know from the laws of logic that self-contradictory statements cannot be true. A statement cannot be both true and not true.
Many atheists will tell you that all there is to atheism is a denial of Creator God’s existence. Few statements are as naive as that. No belief, philosophy or world-view exists in isolation to other beliefs, philosophies or world-views. No belief in or denial of Creator God exists without that belief in or denial of Creator God having an affect on other thoughts and behaviours in one’s life.
Having said that, one of the effects of atheism is to rule out or deny the existence of objective morals, values and duties. A belief in atheism also requires the denial of the existence of ultimate truth. On atheism, truth and error, right and wrong become relative to the situation and selective based on the desires and opinions of the individual and / or society. Yet,
. Atheists will tell you that Christianity is false.
. Atheists will tell you that Christian teaching is wrong.
. Atheists will tell you that what you’ve been taught about God loving you is not true.
. And atheists will tell you that atheism is true to the exclusion of other belief systems, particularly ones that involve religion.
But how can that be since atheists have also told us that there isn’t any such thing as truth or error, right or wrong - only opinions, desires, likes and dislikes? Even things that atheists accept today, they freely admit might be discovered to be wrong tomorrow. And this is what frustrates atheists to no end; to know that Christians do not live in a perpetual state of doubt as atheists must of necessity do themselves.
Atheists seem to want everyone, like they do, to first deny that ultimate truth exists and to then live out one's days as though truth is the creation of each individual. Sad, sad, sad. "Live as you like," I say. "But don't expect me to voluntarily go down the tubes with you." I won't do it.
Showing posts with label Atheism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Atheism. Show all posts
Monday, November 9, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
What Is Truth?
Even though the view that there is no ultimate truth is intimately connected via atheism to the denial of God, such a view is clearly self-contradictory. Such is the illogic of atheism. A self-contradictory belief is an erroneous belief, as is atheism.
To know that disorder exists, one must have an idea of order.
To know that someone is blind, we must know what it means to have sight.
When a sceptic tells you that there is no such thing as truth, or that you are in error regarding your belief in God, that same sceptic is refuting h/her own premise that there is no such thing as truth. For when a sceptic says that Christianity is false, that same sceptic is telling you that s/he is in possession of truth even while telling you that truth does not exist.
Atheism, self-contradictory, absurd, incoherent and illogical to the core.
To know that disorder exists, one must have an idea of order.
To know that someone is blind, we must know what it means to have sight.
When a sceptic tells you that there is no such thing as truth, or that you are in error regarding your belief in God, that same sceptic is refuting h/her own premise that there is no such thing as truth. For when a sceptic says that Christianity is false, that same sceptic is telling you that s/he is in possession of truth even while telling you that truth does not exist.
Atheism, self-contradictory, absurd, incoherent and illogical to the core.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Atheism - The Unforgivable Sin?
There has been much talk and speculation about this “sin” down through the centuries. Certainly there has been much undue worry about whether “I’ve committed the unforgivable sin” in the minds of many people. There’s even a web site dedicated to trying to commit the unforgivable sin.
Anyhow, it seems to me that the only sin that is unforgivable is the sin that denies the need for forgiveness, or denies there to be a means of forgiveness. It seems to me that denying the existence of God would cover both of those scenarios.
“Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth to all men who please Him”
There is no peace for those who will not give glory to God in the highest.
Anyhow, it seems to me that the only sin that is unforgivable is the sin that denies the need for forgiveness, or denies there to be a means of forgiveness. It seems to me that denying the existence of God would cover both of those scenarios.
“Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth to all men who please Him”
There is no peace for those who will not give glory to God in the highest.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
All gods are real
When you understand why I accept all other gods, you'll understand why I reject your atheism
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Atheism - The 2 % Solution
What do you think most people do with the evidence that exists regarding Jesus of Nazareth? To date, regarding Jesus:
. Some of the world’s most magnificent architecture has been constructed as an act of worship to Jesus
. Some of the world’s most beautiful art has been created as an act of worship to Jesus
. Some of the world’s greatest music has been written as an act of worship to Jesus
Jesus:
. Because of whom millions of people have survived exile and labour camps
. Because of whom millions of people have willingly given their lives
. Because of whom criminals, drug addicts, the suicidal, the lonely, the poor (and some rich) have found comfort, renewal and emotional / spiritual health while people like Son of Sam serial killer have found miraculous transformations of character.
. Because of whom millions of people turn away from the pursuit of financial gain and give their lives to feed the hungry, clothe the poor, shelter the homeless and abused, support the grieving, parent the orphaned and heal the sick.
. Because of whom all industrialised nations, modern universities and modern science have had their origins
. Because of whom a planet exists within an unimaginably huge and hostile universe that itself owes its existence to this Being.
. Because of whom we have forgiveness of sins, freedom from real guilt and salvation for eternity.
In response to the evidence that is available regarding this Man Jesus, who today is worshipped by over two billion people, this Jesus is someone that atheists claim never existed.
Atheists challenge Christians with “Proof! Give me proof and I’ll believe.” This of course is nonsense. Like Jesus said regarding atheists, “Even when I rise from the dead, many will not believe.” The fact is there is no evidence that would be acceptable to atheists. Their denial of Creator God is not based on evidence nor the lack thereof. The denial that Creator God exists, and by extension Jesus the Christ is based on a desire to rebel against the idea that Someone exists to whom they will one day be accountable for their actions, thoughts and words. “No fucking masters” is becoming the catch phrase for those who deny the reality of their Creator.
If you’ve ever longed to belong to a losing 2% minority who deny reality simply to support their lifestyle, then atheism is a group suited just for you.
. Some of the world’s most magnificent architecture has been constructed as an act of worship to Jesus
. Some of the world’s most beautiful art has been created as an act of worship to Jesus
. Some of the world’s greatest music has been written as an act of worship to Jesus
Jesus:
. Because of whom millions of people have survived exile and labour camps
. Because of whom millions of people have willingly given their lives
. Because of whom criminals, drug addicts, the suicidal, the lonely, the poor (and some rich) have found comfort, renewal and emotional / spiritual health while people like Son of Sam serial killer have found miraculous transformations of character.
. Because of whom millions of people turn away from the pursuit of financial gain and give their lives to feed the hungry, clothe the poor, shelter the homeless and abused, support the grieving, parent the orphaned and heal the sick.
. Because of whom all industrialised nations, modern universities and modern science have had their origins
. Because of whom a planet exists within an unimaginably huge and hostile universe that itself owes its existence to this Being.
. Because of whom we have forgiveness of sins, freedom from real guilt and salvation for eternity.
In response to the evidence that is available regarding this Man Jesus, who today is worshipped by over two billion people, this Jesus is someone that atheists claim never existed.
Atheists challenge Christians with “Proof! Give me proof and I’ll believe.” This of course is nonsense. Like Jesus said regarding atheists, “Even when I rise from the dead, many will not believe.” The fact is there is no evidence that would be acceptable to atheists. Their denial of Creator God is not based on evidence nor the lack thereof. The denial that Creator God exists, and by extension Jesus the Christ is based on a desire to rebel against the idea that Someone exists to whom they will one day be accountable for their actions, thoughts and words. “No fucking masters” is becoming the catch phrase for those who deny the reality of their Creator.
If you’ve ever longed to belong to a losing 2% minority who deny reality simply to support their lifestyle, then atheism is a group suited just for you.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Reason vs. Atheism
The writer of the atheist blog, Whispersessions wrote a long time ago,
"It’s imperative to understand that not all atheists are advocates of reason. We are all born atheists, therefore it is our default state. Many atheists don’t believe in a god because they simply never gave it a thought. They could very well be dishonest, angry people who have no moral code whatsoever. Some are atheists out of rebellion to their family. They may have never given a thought to philosophy or science, let alone ethics and morality. Some are atheists simply because they despise religion. Their “lack of belief” is actually a vicious anti-belief, and when asked about what they do believe, they’ll generally have nothing more to say than how badly they hate someone else’s beliefs. They will tell you that religion is wrong, but they’ll have nothing to say about what is right. They’ll say theism is false, but they will have nothing to say about what is true. To be sure, many atheists’ atheism rests upon nothing at all. They are not advocates of reason. They are advocates of nothing. They are atheist, non-rational, amoral, and anti-reason all at the same time."
Atheists would love to believe that they became “that way” or that they chose that world-view because of logic and reason. I’m sure that for a few, that is indeed what happened. They use logic and reason to uphold their decision to deny the existence of God. However, for those who were once “christians” (and I mean the small c), I think that for many they did not have a belief in God. Instead, they had a belief in a belief regarding God. Most likely they got this belief from their parents; parent who brooked very little latitude in how God operated in the world. What was missing was a belief in God that came about because of an intimate, healed and forgiven relationship with God.
Then, God acted in a manner for which their belief did not allow. The rape of a child. The death of their dad. A failed relationship. Questions were raised. Doubts expressed. “How could this be?” was quickly met with anger and stern looks. THAT was not a safe direction to go. What could have and should have been a huge turning toward an exponential increase in strength and character from God Himself, it resulted instead in a turning away from Creator God. So now, in the aftermath of the difficulty, rather than admit that maybe s/he didn’t have God completely figured out, the former christian renounced not just h/her belief in h/her creedal god, s/he renounce h/her belief in God Himself.
Because of my own journey through life, I sometimes use the term, “blessed by tragedy.” I used it only because I and others who have walked through suffering with Jesus know that it is only in suffering that we have the potential to become the people we were meant to be.
If this raises questions, see my March post "Where is God when a little girl gets raped?"
Sadly, when a nominal christian has gone through tragedy, all that is revealed is his belief in his beliefs. God Himself is not revealed, certainly not in a way whereby the relationship becomes real. That is why mature Christians revolt against religious pretensions that pronounce that a loving God would never allow pain and suffering to enter into a good person’s life.
If tragedy, suffering and loss have shaken your creed, remember:
It wasn’t your belief in God that was mistaken
It was you beliefs about God that were mistaken
Because you were mistaken in your beliefs about God
You are mistaken in your conclusion that God doesn’t exist.
Many people are calling themselves atheists simply because they are rebelling against the presentation, an inaccurate presentation of God which was thrust upon them by ignorant and fearful adults. Atheists are absolutely correct when they say, “If to accept a presentation of God means the denial of things we know to be facts, then we are in a better position to say, “I will not accept an explanation of God which makes me call a fact not a fact.”
Sadly, many who call themselves atheists simply don’t understand that:
a) Not everything that we call a fact is a fact, and
b) Pain and suffering do not negate the fact of a loving God. The presence of pain and suffering are absolutely essential to our recognition of a loving God.
"It’s imperative to understand that not all atheists are advocates of reason. We are all born atheists, therefore it is our default state. Many atheists don’t believe in a god because they simply never gave it a thought. They could very well be dishonest, angry people who have no moral code whatsoever. Some are atheists out of rebellion to their family. They may have never given a thought to philosophy or science, let alone ethics and morality. Some are atheists simply because they despise religion. Their “lack of belief” is actually a vicious anti-belief, and when asked about what they do believe, they’ll generally have nothing more to say than how badly they hate someone else’s beliefs. They will tell you that religion is wrong, but they’ll have nothing to say about what is right. They’ll say theism is false, but they will have nothing to say about what is true. To be sure, many atheists’ atheism rests upon nothing at all. They are not advocates of reason. They are advocates of nothing. They are atheist, non-rational, amoral, and anti-reason all at the same time."
Atheists would love to believe that they became “that way” or that they chose that world-view because of logic and reason. I’m sure that for a few, that is indeed what happened. They use logic and reason to uphold their decision to deny the existence of God. However, for those who were once “christians” (and I mean the small c), I think that for many they did not have a belief in God. Instead, they had a belief in a belief regarding God. Most likely they got this belief from their parents; parent who brooked very little latitude in how God operated in the world. What was missing was a belief in God that came about because of an intimate, healed and forgiven relationship with God.
Then, God acted in a manner for which their belief did not allow. The rape of a child. The death of their dad. A failed relationship. Questions were raised. Doubts expressed. “How could this be?” was quickly met with anger and stern looks. THAT was not a safe direction to go. What could have and should have been a huge turning toward an exponential increase in strength and character from God Himself, it resulted instead in a turning away from Creator God. So now, in the aftermath of the difficulty, rather than admit that maybe s/he didn’t have God completely figured out, the former christian renounced not just h/her belief in h/her creedal god, s/he renounce h/her belief in God Himself.
Because of my own journey through life, I sometimes use the term, “blessed by tragedy.” I used it only because I and others who have walked through suffering with Jesus know that it is only in suffering that we have the potential to become the people we were meant to be.
If this raises questions, see my March post "Where is God when a little girl gets raped?"
Sadly, when a nominal christian has gone through tragedy, all that is revealed is his belief in his beliefs. God Himself is not revealed, certainly not in a way whereby the relationship becomes real. That is why mature Christians revolt against religious pretensions that pronounce that a loving God would never allow pain and suffering to enter into a good person’s life.
If tragedy, suffering and loss have shaken your creed, remember:
It wasn’t your belief in God that was mistaken
It was you beliefs about God that were mistaken
Because you were mistaken in your beliefs about God
You are mistaken in your conclusion that God doesn’t exist.
Many people are calling themselves atheists simply because they are rebelling against the presentation, an inaccurate presentation of God which was thrust upon them by ignorant and fearful adults. Atheists are absolutely correct when they say, “If to accept a presentation of God means the denial of things we know to be facts, then we are in a better position to say, “I will not accept an explanation of God which makes me call a fact not a fact.”
Sadly, many who call themselves atheists simply don’t understand that:
a) Not everything that we call a fact is a fact, and
b) Pain and suffering do not negate the fact of a loving God. The presence of pain and suffering are absolutely essential to our recognition of a loving God.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Atheism Simply Doesn't Compute
Except for epistemic, experiential, logical, coherent and reasonable evidence for the existence of God, I could be an atheist. Instead, my belief in God begins with the following observations:
. Because of scientific (observable, repeatable, verifiable) facts, we know that Whatever begins to exist has a cause.
. Because of scientific evidence, we know that The universe began to exist.
Because those premises are true and coherent we can know that the following conclusion is also true: The universe has a cause.
====
. Matter and energy cannot precede themselves or preexist themselves either physically or chronologically.
. The reason that no event can precede itself is because “Coming Into Being” is an essential and objective feature of time. Time did not exist prior to the Big Bang.
. Matter and energy do not have the ability to create themselves or bring themselves into existence from nothing ex nihilo
. As will be shown below, matter and energy cannot exist from infinity past.
. Whatever brought matter, energy, space and time into existence had to have existed outside of these entities.
====
. Anything that exists has an explanation of it’s existence, either in the necessity of its own nature or in an external cause.
. If the universe has an explanation of its existence, that explanation is God. That is because:
- Existing outside of time, the Cause is infinite or Eternal,
- Existing outside of matter, the Cause is immaterial or Spiritual,
- Existing as the Cause of time and energy, space, matter and the laws of physics, the Cause is immeasurably more powerful than the mathematically precise universe and its exquisitely Finely Tuned constants and quantities.
- The cause cannot be “scientific” because neither matter nor the laws of physics existed prior to the Singularity.
- Therefore the cause is not scientific but Personal.
- The transcendent Cause of the universe is therefore on the order of a Mind. It’s omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent.
That Cause, at least in the West is described as God.
. The universe exists.
. Therefore, the universe has an explanation of its existence.
Because the above premises are true and coherent, the following conclusion must also be true: The explanation of the existence of the universe is God
====
. If atheism is true, then the universe has no explanation of its existence. This in fact is what atheists would have us believe as literally over a dozen theories have come and gone in a vain attempt to rule out God as the Cause of a beginning universe.
. If there IS an explanation of the universe’s existence, then atheism is not true.
. Most atheists would admit that the universe does indeed have a beginning.
. Hence, most atheists are implicitly committed to God being the explanation of why the universe exists.
====
Some may deny that the universe began to exist, but in reality the universe cannot be infinite. That is because: The Second Law of Thermodynamics rules out the possibility of the universe existing from infinity past. As well -
. It is physically impossible to have an Actual Infinite Number of Things or Events preceding our today.
. A beginningless Series of events in time entails an actual infinite number of things.
. Therefore, a beginningless Series of events in time that leads to the beginning of our universe cannot exist.
====
. Neither can we get to our point in time by forming an actual infinite Collection of things by adding one member after another.
. A series of events in time is a collection formed by adding one member after another
. A collection formed by adding one member after another cannot be an actual infinite.
Because the above premises are true and coherent, the following conclusion must also be true: A collection of events in time cannot be actually infinite - therefore the universe cannot be infinite. Therefore the universe had to have a beginning and a Cause.
====
I believe in God because His existence answers not just, Why did the universe come into being, but Why is it so finely tuned that we can exist? Note: Fine Tuning is a neutral secular term in that it refers to constants and quantities (atomic weight, gravitational constant, etc.) being just right for the existence of intelligent life. That’s in comparison with the virtually infinite range of possible values. So:
. The fine tuning of the universe is due to either physical necessity, chance or design.
. It is not due to physical necessity (there is no reason whatsoever that any given universe would be so finely tuned) nor is this fine tuning due to chance (the fine tuning of our universe is so exquisite that an infinitesimal change in any one of the necessary constants and quantities would mean that neither we nor any life would happen).
. True claim: If observers who have evolved within a universe observe its constants and quantities, it is highly PROBABLE that they will observe them to be fine-tuned for their existence.
. True claim: It is highly and extraordinarily IMPROBABLE that a universe exists which is finely tuned for the evolution of observers within it.
Some might think that if the constants and quantities of our universe were different, then other life forms would have evolved. Virtually all of these people are those who hold to the neurotic hyperbole or Richard Dawkins. Nevertheless, this is simply not true. “Life” means the ability to take in food and use its energy, to grow and adapt and reproduce. Without the fine tuning that we observe, not even atomic matter would exist, not to mention planets where life might evolve. Among other things the universe would have either recollapsed or expanded beyond any ability to congeal. Again, there is no reason to expect that a universe as finely tuned as is our universe should exist by chance, nor is there any need or physical necessity for such a universe to exist anywhere except for the sole purpose of life. Because the above premises are true and coherent, the following conclusion must also be true: The fine tuning of the universe is due to design.
====
I also believe in the existence of God because:
. If God does not exist, objective morals, values and duties do not exist
. But objective morals, values and duties DO exist.
Because the above premises are true and coherent, the following conclusion must also be true: God exists.
Physical laws are fully realised in the physical world. Objective moral laws are fully realised in Jesus and Father God. Our daily interactions with others shows we believe that objective moral order is as real and independent of our recognition as is the natural order of things. Our perceptions of natural and moral laws are givens of our experience.
Fact: Objective moral Goodness and Duty are based on God’s character. Since our moral duties are grounded in the Divine commands, they are not independent of God. Neither are God’s commands arbitrary, for they are the necessary expression of His just and loving nature.
. Mercy is required of me if and only if a just and loving God commands me to be merciful. Meanness is forbidden of me if and only if a just and loving God commands me to not be mean. Mercy or meanness are permitted or denied for me if and only if a just and loving God commands me to / not to commit acts of mercy or meanness. God is merciful therefore He commands us to be merciful. God is not mean therefore He commands us to not be mean. God is Just therefore He commands us to act Justly. What God commands or permits is good and what He forbids is wrong, bad, evil, self-destructive. This is what it means for morality to be objective vs. subjective or relative to the situation or to the individual’s character or personality or level of empathy, likes or dislikes, sanity or insanity.
====
I believe in God because of the following philosophical and metaphysical evidence. Virtually all philosophers agree that if there is the slightest chance of God existing, then He does in fact exist. Therefore, we can ask ourselves, “What is the greatest conceivable being?” Our answer goes past me and you and the Dali Lama and any other "great" human being we can think of and we come to an omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent Being that we commonly call “God” We can call it a Mind or something else but it amounts to the same thing ie. The Greatest Conceivable Being That Can Possibly Exist.
Therefore we can know that God exists because:
. It is in fact metaphysically possible that a Greatest Conceivable Being exists.
. Because it’s possible that a Greatest Conceivable Being exists, a Greatest Conceivable Being does exist in some possible reality.
. Because of the very nature of a Greatest Conceivable Being, if a Greatest Conceivable Being exists in SOME possible reality, it exists in EVERY possible reality.
. If a Greatest Conceivable Being exists in every possible reality, then it exists in actual reality.
. If a Greatest Conceivable Being exists in the actual reality, then a Greatest Conceivable Being exists in our reality.
Because the above premises are true and coherent, it stands to reason that the conclusion is also true: A Greatest Conceivable Being or God exists.
I also believe in a Greatest Conceivable Being - God - because:
. Abstract objects, such as numbers and propositions, are either independently existing realities or else they are concepts that find their grounding in and from some Mind.
. Abstract objects are not independently existing realities. Yet we intuitively know that they exist. Our problem is that when we become aware of the sheer volume of potential abstract objects we know for certain that the mind which causes them to exist and find their being and grounding could never be any human mind.
. If abstract objects are concepts in some Mind, then an omniscient, metaphysically necessary being exists. That is, only in an omniscient intelligence or mind can we find the grounding or cause for abstract objects.
. Because some of these concepts exist necessarily they cannot find their grounding in contingent beings, namely us.
Because the above premises are true and coherent, the conclusion must also be true: An omniscient, metaphysically necessary being exists. That Being is what we call God.
====
. Because the cosmological argument shows that a Greatest Conceivable Being exists who is the cause or grounding of reality as we know it, and
. Because the moral argument shows that a Greatest Conceivable Being exists who is the cause or grounding of all objective morals, values, duties and Truth, and
. Because the conceptualist argument shows that a Greatest Conceivable Being exists who is the necessary intelligence for the grounding of abstract objects,
I believe that Creator God exists.
====
While any or all the above may or may not give you pause for thought, The most important basis for my belief in God has nothing to do with any of the above. Instead, His palpable presence in my life, His counsel, His comfort, His correction and guidance, His love and mercy and grace. All of these things are so very real in my innermost being that they compel me to acknowledge the truth of His existence. I am so very grateful that I have been granted the gift of "Wide-Band Awareness." This is an Gift / ability that is shared and immediately recognised by people from around the world regardless of race, social stature, gender or intellectual ability. For some reason atheists seem denied this perceptive ability.
Secondly, I believe in God because of the historicity of Jesus. His life, death and resurrection cannot be adequately explained away. Something totally other took place when Jesus appeared on earth.
Third, I believe in God because the heavens and the earth declare His handiwork. There is simply no sufficient explanation for why the universe began to exist exactly as it did other than “Creator God.” This is not an explanation from ignorance because Creator God is the conclusion that fits the scientific evidence.
While it's true that atheists have proposed other theories for the "Creation” of the universe, it was not because of any inadequacy in or lack of evidence for the idea of God as Creator. The presentation of alternative theories is only because God as Creator is philosophically unacceptable to atheists.
The type of belief in God that I'm talking about is sometimes called “faith.” But faith is often misunderstood as being separate from reason or evidence. That could not be more inaccurate. For one thing, we are told to love the Lord our God with, among other things, “all our mind.” Second the Bible describes Faith as being “The substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not yet seen.” While one’s faith does not find its origin in evidence (the origin is purely from God - John 6:44), faith is clearly supported by evidence, reason and logic. In other words, Faith is anything but blind or uninformed. In my opinion agnostics are the only ones who ‘go as far as empirical evidence will let them.’ Atheists, as I’ve stated, take the next step because of a philosophically unacceptable conclusion to where the evidence points: Creator God exists. Christians take the next step because of the reality of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Lord of lords and King of kings who lives within their very being. Nevertheless, my epistemic and experiential belief in God is grounded in logic and reason and that is why I'm not an atheist.
While there have been criticisms of the above premises, what’s important to note is that a criticism or an objection is not a refutation.
- When an intelligent person willfully abandons reason and begins to posit finite infinities, causeless beginnings and beginningless beginnings, I know that I’m dealing with someone involved in a desperate attempt to avoid a philosophically unacceptable conclusion: Creator God exists.
- When an intelligent person willfully abandons classical historical scholarship and begins to deny known and knowable facts of history, but only as they apply to the person of Jesus, I know that I’m dealing with someone who is confronted with a philosophically unacceptable conclusion: Creator God exists.
- When an intelligent person willfully and falsely claims to follow whatever ethical standard is currently in vogue and calls that a reasonable way to live, I know that I’m dealing with someone involved in a desperate, fearful attempt to avoid a philosophically unacceptable conclusion: Creator God exists.
- When someone goes in search of ever more complicated solutions, abandoning one after another, after another, after another, not because of new evidence but because of a need to avoid current evidence, and when that person never returns to a simple solution that coincides with current knowledge and common sense, I know that I’ve encountered an individual who has been confronted with a philosophically unacceptable conclusion: Creator God exists.
That is sad and that is why I’m not an atheist.
. Because of scientific (observable, repeatable, verifiable) facts, we know that Whatever begins to exist has a cause.
. Because of scientific evidence, we know that The universe began to exist.
Because those premises are true and coherent we can know that the following conclusion is also true: The universe has a cause.
====
. Matter and energy cannot precede themselves or preexist themselves either physically or chronologically.
. The reason that no event can precede itself is because “Coming Into Being” is an essential and objective feature of time. Time did not exist prior to the Big Bang.
. Matter and energy do not have the ability to create themselves or bring themselves into existence from nothing ex nihilo
. As will be shown below, matter and energy cannot exist from infinity past.
. Whatever brought matter, energy, space and time into existence had to have existed outside of these entities.
====
. Anything that exists has an explanation of it’s existence, either in the necessity of its own nature or in an external cause.
. If the universe has an explanation of its existence, that explanation is God. That is because:
- Existing outside of time, the Cause is infinite or Eternal,
- Existing outside of matter, the Cause is immaterial or Spiritual,
- Existing as the Cause of time and energy, space, matter and the laws of physics, the Cause is immeasurably more powerful than the mathematically precise universe and its exquisitely Finely Tuned constants and quantities.
- The cause cannot be “scientific” because neither matter nor the laws of physics existed prior to the Singularity.
- Therefore the cause is not scientific but Personal.
- The transcendent Cause of the universe is therefore on the order of a Mind. It’s omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent.
That Cause, at least in the West is described as God.
. The universe exists.
. Therefore, the universe has an explanation of its existence.
Because the above premises are true and coherent, the following conclusion must also be true: The explanation of the existence of the universe is God
====
. If atheism is true, then the universe has no explanation of its existence. This in fact is what atheists would have us believe as literally over a dozen theories have come and gone in a vain attempt to rule out God as the Cause of a beginning universe.
. If there IS an explanation of the universe’s existence, then atheism is not true.
. Most atheists would admit that the universe does indeed have a beginning.
. Hence, most atheists are implicitly committed to God being the explanation of why the universe exists.
====
Some may deny that the universe began to exist, but in reality the universe cannot be infinite. That is because: The Second Law of Thermodynamics rules out the possibility of the universe existing from infinity past. As well -
. It is physically impossible to have an Actual Infinite Number of Things or Events preceding our today.
. A beginningless Series of events in time entails an actual infinite number of things.
. Therefore, a beginningless Series of events in time that leads to the beginning of our universe cannot exist.
====
. Neither can we get to our point in time by forming an actual infinite Collection of things by adding one member after another.
. A series of events in time is a collection formed by adding one member after another
. A collection formed by adding one member after another cannot be an actual infinite.
Because the above premises are true and coherent, the following conclusion must also be true: A collection of events in time cannot be actually infinite - therefore the universe cannot be infinite. Therefore the universe had to have a beginning and a Cause.
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I believe in God because His existence answers not just, Why did the universe come into being, but Why is it so finely tuned that we can exist? Note: Fine Tuning is a neutral secular term in that it refers to constants and quantities (atomic weight, gravitational constant, etc.) being just right for the existence of intelligent life. That’s in comparison with the virtually infinite range of possible values. So:
. The fine tuning of the universe is due to either physical necessity, chance or design.
. It is not due to physical necessity (there is no reason whatsoever that any given universe would be so finely tuned) nor is this fine tuning due to chance (the fine tuning of our universe is so exquisite that an infinitesimal change in any one of the necessary constants and quantities would mean that neither we nor any life would happen).
. True claim: If observers who have evolved within a universe observe its constants and quantities, it is highly PROBABLE that they will observe them to be fine-tuned for their existence.
. True claim: It is highly and extraordinarily IMPROBABLE that a universe exists which is finely tuned for the evolution of observers within it.
Some might think that if the constants and quantities of our universe were different, then other life forms would have evolved. Virtually all of these people are those who hold to the neurotic hyperbole or Richard Dawkins. Nevertheless, this is simply not true. “Life” means the ability to take in food and use its energy, to grow and adapt and reproduce. Without the fine tuning that we observe, not even atomic matter would exist, not to mention planets where life might evolve. Among other things the universe would have either recollapsed or expanded beyond any ability to congeal. Again, there is no reason to expect that a universe as finely tuned as is our universe should exist by chance, nor is there any need or physical necessity for such a universe to exist anywhere except for the sole purpose of life. Because the above premises are true and coherent, the following conclusion must also be true: The fine tuning of the universe is due to design.
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I also believe in the existence of God because:
. If God does not exist, objective morals, values and duties do not exist
. But objective morals, values and duties DO exist.
Because the above premises are true and coherent, the following conclusion must also be true: God exists.
Physical laws are fully realised in the physical world. Objective moral laws are fully realised in Jesus and Father God. Our daily interactions with others shows we believe that objective moral order is as real and independent of our recognition as is the natural order of things. Our perceptions of natural and moral laws are givens of our experience.
Fact: Objective moral Goodness and Duty are based on God’s character. Since our moral duties are grounded in the Divine commands, they are not independent of God. Neither are God’s commands arbitrary, for they are the necessary expression of His just and loving nature.
. Mercy is required of me if and only if a just and loving God commands me to be merciful. Meanness is forbidden of me if and only if a just and loving God commands me to not be mean. Mercy or meanness are permitted or denied for me if and only if a just and loving God commands me to / not to commit acts of mercy or meanness. God is merciful therefore He commands us to be merciful. God is not mean therefore He commands us to not be mean. God is Just therefore He commands us to act Justly. What God commands or permits is good and what He forbids is wrong, bad, evil, self-destructive. This is what it means for morality to be objective vs. subjective or relative to the situation or to the individual’s character or personality or level of empathy, likes or dislikes, sanity or insanity.
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I believe in God because of the following philosophical and metaphysical evidence. Virtually all philosophers agree that if there is the slightest chance of God existing, then He does in fact exist. Therefore, we can ask ourselves, “What is the greatest conceivable being?” Our answer goes past me and you and the Dali Lama and any other "great" human being we can think of and we come to an omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent Being that we commonly call “God” We can call it a Mind or something else but it amounts to the same thing ie. The Greatest Conceivable Being That Can Possibly Exist.
Therefore we can know that God exists because:
. It is in fact metaphysically possible that a Greatest Conceivable Being exists.
. Because it’s possible that a Greatest Conceivable Being exists, a Greatest Conceivable Being does exist in some possible reality.
. Because of the very nature of a Greatest Conceivable Being, if a Greatest Conceivable Being exists in SOME possible reality, it exists in EVERY possible reality.
. If a Greatest Conceivable Being exists in every possible reality, then it exists in actual reality.
. If a Greatest Conceivable Being exists in the actual reality, then a Greatest Conceivable Being exists in our reality.
Because the above premises are true and coherent, it stands to reason that the conclusion is also true: A Greatest Conceivable Being or God exists.
I also believe in a Greatest Conceivable Being - God - because:
. Abstract objects, such as numbers and propositions, are either independently existing realities or else they are concepts that find their grounding in and from some Mind.
. Abstract objects are not independently existing realities. Yet we intuitively know that they exist. Our problem is that when we become aware of the sheer volume of potential abstract objects we know for certain that the mind which causes them to exist and find their being and grounding could never be any human mind.
. If abstract objects are concepts in some Mind, then an omniscient, metaphysically necessary being exists. That is, only in an omniscient intelligence or mind can we find the grounding or cause for abstract objects.
. Because some of these concepts exist necessarily they cannot find their grounding in contingent beings, namely us.
Because the above premises are true and coherent, the conclusion must also be true: An omniscient, metaphysically necessary being exists. That Being is what we call God.
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. Because the cosmological argument shows that a Greatest Conceivable Being exists who is the cause or grounding of reality as we know it, and
. Because the moral argument shows that a Greatest Conceivable Being exists who is the cause or grounding of all objective morals, values, duties and Truth, and
. Because the conceptualist argument shows that a Greatest Conceivable Being exists who is the necessary intelligence for the grounding of abstract objects,
I believe that Creator God exists.
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While any or all the above may or may not give you pause for thought, The most important basis for my belief in God has nothing to do with any of the above. Instead, His palpable presence in my life, His counsel, His comfort, His correction and guidance, His love and mercy and grace. All of these things are so very real in my innermost being that they compel me to acknowledge the truth of His existence. I am so very grateful that I have been granted the gift of "Wide-Band Awareness." This is an Gift / ability that is shared and immediately recognised by people from around the world regardless of race, social stature, gender or intellectual ability. For some reason atheists seem denied this perceptive ability.
Secondly, I believe in God because of the historicity of Jesus. His life, death and resurrection cannot be adequately explained away. Something totally other took place when Jesus appeared on earth.
Third, I believe in God because the heavens and the earth declare His handiwork. There is simply no sufficient explanation for why the universe began to exist exactly as it did other than “Creator God.” This is not an explanation from ignorance because Creator God is the conclusion that fits the scientific evidence.
While it's true that atheists have proposed other theories for the "Creation” of the universe, it was not because of any inadequacy in or lack of evidence for the idea of God as Creator. The presentation of alternative theories is only because God as Creator is philosophically unacceptable to atheists.
The type of belief in God that I'm talking about is sometimes called “faith.” But faith is often misunderstood as being separate from reason or evidence. That could not be more inaccurate. For one thing, we are told to love the Lord our God with, among other things, “all our mind.” Second the Bible describes Faith as being “The substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not yet seen.” While one’s faith does not find its origin in evidence (the origin is purely from God - John 6:44), faith is clearly supported by evidence, reason and logic. In other words, Faith is anything but blind or uninformed. In my opinion agnostics are the only ones who ‘go as far as empirical evidence will let them.’ Atheists, as I’ve stated, take the next step because of a philosophically unacceptable conclusion to where the evidence points: Creator God exists. Christians take the next step because of the reality of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Lord of lords and King of kings who lives within their very being. Nevertheless, my epistemic and experiential belief in God is grounded in logic and reason and that is why I'm not an atheist.
While there have been criticisms of the above premises, what’s important to note is that a criticism or an objection is not a refutation.
- When an intelligent person willfully abandons reason and begins to posit finite infinities, causeless beginnings and beginningless beginnings, I know that I’m dealing with someone involved in a desperate attempt to avoid a philosophically unacceptable conclusion: Creator God exists.
- When an intelligent person willfully abandons classical historical scholarship and begins to deny known and knowable facts of history, but only as they apply to the person of Jesus, I know that I’m dealing with someone who is confronted with a philosophically unacceptable conclusion: Creator God exists.
- When an intelligent person willfully and falsely claims to follow whatever ethical standard is currently in vogue and calls that a reasonable way to live, I know that I’m dealing with someone involved in a desperate, fearful attempt to avoid a philosophically unacceptable conclusion: Creator God exists.
- When someone goes in search of ever more complicated solutions, abandoning one after another, after another, after another, not because of new evidence but because of a need to avoid current evidence, and when that person never returns to a simple solution that coincides with current knowledge and common sense, I know that I’ve encountered an individual who has been confronted with a philosophically unacceptable conclusion: Creator God exists.
That is sad and that is why I’m not an atheist.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Who Needs Christianity?
From CNN online - "Police killed a 27-year-old man as he kicked, punched and stomped a toddler to death despite other people's attempts to stop him on a dark, country road, authorities said.
"It's been a long night of wondering, 'Why?' - not only for the officers and the passers-by who stopped and tried to help out, but for anyone. Why would somebody do this?" Singh said."
There are idiots out there who will say, “Incidents like this prove there isn’t any God.”
Incidents like this prove nothing of the kind. What they do prove is that God is willing to give us what we want and when we don’t want God involved in our lives, in our marriages, in our schools, in our communities and in our world THIS is what we get. Idiots would like to blame incidents like this on poverty or lack of education or on God Himself.
Because people don’t care about history, especially as it relates to the influence of Jesus, they cannot help but fail to note that even 50 years ago, our nation didn’t have kids going into schools with guns and killing their classmates. We didn’t have the majority of children living in homes where their parents either refused to or were incapable of getting along. We didn’t have millions of abortions because we didn’t have millions of people screwing around. We didn’t have road rage and we didn’t have child porn and we didn’t have high, high, high rates of depression and anxiety and we didn’t have high, high, rates of suicide. And what we mostly didn’t have 50 years ago was high percentage of the population who either didn’t believe in God or if they did believe in God they didn’t struggle with finding reasons to obey Him or make Him relevant in their lives.
Atheism is achieving it's goal and our children are reaping the consequences.
What we didn’t have 50 years ago was a high percentage of the population rejecting Christianity and thereby placing their allegiance with satan. When a large percentage of the population does that, what you see is what you get.
[The] couple saw the man beating the toddler behind his truck and throwing the child on the ground. He was punching, slapping, kicking, stomping, shaking," Singh said. "They tried to intervene and get involved, but their efforts really didn't have an effect. The suspect was engaged in what he was doing. He just pushed them off and went back to it."
"It's been a long night of wondering, 'Why?' - not only for the officers and the passers-by who stopped and tried to help out, but for anyone. Why would somebody do this?" Singh said."
There are idiots out there who will say, “Incidents like this prove there isn’t any God.”
Incidents like this prove nothing of the kind. What they do prove is that God is willing to give us what we want and when we don’t want God involved in our lives, in our marriages, in our schools, in our communities and in our world THIS is what we get. Idiots would like to blame incidents like this on poverty or lack of education or on God Himself.
Because people don’t care about history, especially as it relates to the influence of Jesus, they cannot help but fail to note that even 50 years ago, our nation didn’t have kids going into schools with guns and killing their classmates. We didn’t have the majority of children living in homes where their parents either refused to or were incapable of getting along. We didn’t have millions of abortions because we didn’t have millions of people screwing around. We didn’t have road rage and we didn’t have child porn and we didn’t have high, high, high rates of depression and anxiety and we didn’t have high, high, rates of suicide. And what we mostly didn’t have 50 years ago was high percentage of the population who either didn’t believe in God or if they did believe in God they didn’t struggle with finding reasons to obey Him or make Him relevant in their lives.
Atheism is achieving it's goal and our children are reaping the consequences.
What we didn’t have 50 years ago was a high percentage of the population rejecting Christianity and thereby placing their allegiance with satan. When a large percentage of the population does that, what you see is what you get.
[The] couple saw the man beating the toddler behind his truck and throwing the child on the ground. He was punching, slapping, kicking, stomping, shaking," Singh said. "They tried to intervene and get involved, but their efforts really didn't have an effect. The suspect was engaged in what he was doing. He just pushed them off and went back to it."
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Buddhism
A U.S. official was quoted on CNN as saying that the Myanmar Government doesn’t seem to grasp the severity of damage caused by the cyclone that struck there last week. He described meeting with a Myanmar three-star general who opened up a map of the country and pointed to the areas worst-hit by the cyclone."[He] characterized activity there as returning back to normal -- his words," Keating told CNN. "[He said] people are coming back to their villages, they're planting their crops for the summer season, the monsoon will come and wash all the saltwater out of the ponds. "His manner, his demeanor, his attitude indicated something less than very serious concern.
Perhaps what the U.S. official doesn’t grasp is that according to Buddhism, this is all an illusion. Apparently, when your really good at Buddhism you don’t even experience emotional pain nor do you care when your desires have been dealt a devastating blow. Total inner peace reigns supreme, as is obvious on the News Reports. In fact, desires are a thing of the past - for the really spiritual I mean. Perhaps what Myanmar needs most right now are more secular Buddhists in power who aren’t so sure that this is an illusion, that in fact they’re in deep, deep trouble and that virtually all of the Buddhist survivors are realising that desires are actually necessary to one’s survival.
As a point of interest, leading atheists appear even more delusional than Buddhism in that, while Buddhism teaches that we should learn to repress our desires; to actually reach a point of nothingness, atheism teaches that desires themselves are an illusion.
You go boys; lead us into the brave new world.
Perhaps what the U.S. official doesn’t grasp is that according to Buddhism, this is all an illusion. Apparently, when your really good at Buddhism you don’t even experience emotional pain nor do you care when your desires have been dealt a devastating blow. Total inner peace reigns supreme, as is obvious on the News Reports. In fact, desires are a thing of the past - for the really spiritual I mean. Perhaps what Myanmar needs most right now are more secular Buddhists in power who aren’t so sure that this is an illusion, that in fact they’re in deep, deep trouble and that virtually all of the Buddhist survivors are realising that desires are actually necessary to one’s survival.
As a point of interest, leading atheists appear even more delusional than Buddhism in that, while Buddhism teaches that we should learn to repress our desires; to actually reach a point of nothingness, atheism teaches that desires themselves are an illusion.
You go boys; lead us into the brave new world.
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