|
Proof that God Exists: Part 1
by Evelyn Puerto Finding God in Logic and Science At one time or another, nearly every person seeks proof that God existsor doesn't. But not every person is looking for the same kind of proof. Some are looking for logical or scientific evidence. Others are seeking proof through practical experience. Still others want to be convinced on an emotional level. Hundreds of books and articles have been written offering scientific or logical proof for God's existence. A seeker could spend years trying to read them all. One of the best summaries of one person's search for logical and scientific proof was told to me by a friend of mine who grew up in the Soviet Union. Igor accepted what he was taught in school, that there is no God. But later, as he began to study science, he realized that atheism had serious logical and scientific problems. He didn't understand why the Soviet scientists didn't see the major contradictions in their theories. Or maybe they were just ignoring them. There was no evidence to prove their theory; there was no way to verify their conclusions. This wasn't like mathematics, where you could check the calculation, or physics, where you could run an experiment to prove or disprove the theory. No one could go back in time to observe the process. And the answers they gave were shallow, never enough. One of Igor's friends, Misha, was asking the same questions. Together they pondered creation, looking for answers in science, in logic, in philosophy, in eastern and Hindu thought. One frosty day Misha and Igor were walking in the forest, discussing the mysteries of creation. "Now we know that no scientist argues with the First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics, right?" Igor asked. "That's right," Misha answered. "We all know that the amount of energy in the universe is constant; it can neither be created nor destroyed." "And we know that the form of energy is constantly changing, so that less and less of it is available. The result is that everything is naturally wearing down." "And left to itself, everything is becoming more disordered. Maybe the next time Mama tells me to straighten up my books I should tell her it's just the Second Law of Thermodynamics at work!" "Seriously, Misha! Every system in nature moves from the complex to the simple, wearing down, becoming more random and less complex. The only exception is when there is an introduction of energy into the system." "So our friends the atheists would have us believe that life starts very simply out of nothing, and all by itself gets more and more complex!" "Which is completely opposite to all the laws of nature! Laws that have been verified in the lab over and over by many scientists!" "So they take their theory of evolution, don't bother to explain how it can be in violation of the laws of thermodynamics, and tell us to believe it on the strength of a tooth or a bone they dig up somewhere. With no more evidence than that." "See that log hut? Logically, we must assume that someone built it." "That's right. We have no data from our experience to suggest that a hut can come into being by accident." "And living things, fish and animals and people, are much more complicated than a hut." "People used to think that the cells in our bodies were just bits of matter. Now they know they are not so simple. First they said cells were like factories, then like computers. Now there is nothing they can compare with them; they are just too complicated, more like a miniature universe. And we are to accept the idea that the first one-celled living things just mutated out of some chemicals in the sea that were struck by lightning?" "Would they also have us believe that lightning hitting a garbage dump would produce a television set?" "I read in a probability textbook that the chances of a live cell appearing from nothing are less than for a monkey to accidentally type a word-perfect copy of Hamlet." During their walk, they found a tiny six-inch snowman perched on a fence post. Igor asked Misha, "Where did this come from?" He grinned before replying, "Of course, it evolved." "Yes, some storm winds must have accidentally created it!" Igor concluded that creation must have a creator; he still had no idea of his identity. For many people, however, proof from logic or science will never be enough. Part 2 of this series will explore proof that God exists through practical experience. (Partially adapted from Beyond the Rapids by Evelyn Puerto) Evelyn Puerto is a former missionary to Russia and has recently published her first book, Beyond the Rapids. Read more about the book and the first chapter at http://www.beyondtherapids.com Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |