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In a great article titled, “When Science Points To God,” [1], Dinesh D'Souza explains an interesting twist of logic by atheists. The short of it is this: Since science has lately gone further to pointing in the direction of God, atheists may now be abandoning science for a sort of “leap of faith” into a very dark abyss. Let me digress for a moment. For many years scientists and atheists have argued that it is the height of arrogance for mankind to believe that the universe is all about life, especially human life. In other words, why are we here? Theists have said for millennia that we are here because God put us here. Human life is the center-reason of the universe. Notice I did not say, you or I am the center of the universe; that would be arrogant. Also, I am not talking about the physicality of the universe. While popular opinion holds that the sun is the center of the universe, scientists actually say that they don’t know where the center of the universe is at all. My point, however, is this: metaphysically speaking, the center of the universe is, generally speaking, "life," and more specifically, “human life.” Why do I say this? Well, first, as a Christian, this is what I believe the Bible teaches. God did not make the world and everything in it and then say,”Hey, I’ve got this great place, and it is complete, but just for fun, I’ll toss in life as an afterthought.” No, I believe that God had "life” front and center in his mind (speaking of God’s cognitive sense in this way is anthropomorphic). He created everything for the purpose of sustaining “life,” all life. Nonetheless, scientists and atheists for years have argued that “life” is an accident of odds. But recently (and not so recently), scientists have come to the conclusion that the universe is fine-tuned to support life! In the current issue of Discover magazine [2] there is an interesting article by Tim Folger titled “Science’s Alternative to an Intelligent Creator.” In it he states:
In this same article, physicist Andrei Linde is quoted as saying, “We have a lot of really, really strange coincidences, and all of these coincidences are such that they make life possible.” If you didn’t catch the impact of these quotes, read this one again, slowly, and think it through: “Tweak the laws of physics in just about any way and—in this universe, anyway—life as we know it would not exist.” This would seem to indicate, at least to clear thinkers, that all of creation was created and set in order to support life. Contrary to the atheists' perspective, “life” is not the ultimate parasite in the universe. The universe was created in a specific way so as to support “life.” Rather than "life" being a "parasite" of the universe, it is more accurate to think of "life" as the intended "charge" of the universe, i.e., the thing committed to its care. "Life" does not exist to support the universe; the universe exists to support "life." So, back to my main point . . . Atheists take “blind leap of faith” into a very dark abyss Since atheists can no longer say that “life” in general and humans in particular are just accidents of the universe, they have to go somewhere with their arguments . . . and they have. These atheists have been losing their scientific confidence, so they have taken up a different tack: a “blind leap of faith.” Dinesh D'Souza says that atheists have been putting up public advertisements from London to Washington DC. Richard Dawkins, says D'Souza, “helped pay for a London campaign to put signs on city buses saying, ‘There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.’” D'Souza says that there have been similar campaigns here in the U.S. in the nation’s capital. One sign proclaims: “Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness sake.” And atheists in Colorado have billboards telling people to “Imagine…no religion.” What’s my point? It is simply this: when science fails to satisfy the beliefs of these atheists, they do not “think through” the scientific facts that confront them, instead they resort to the worst kind of faith, fideism (fee-DAY-ism), also known as a “blind leap of faith.” Can you imagine? Their best argument now is simply that, “There’s probably no God.” Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician, physicist, and religious philosopher, who was born in 1623 already decisively dealt this this idea. In short he said this:
In other words, believing in God is your best (and wisest) bet.
And, what is this, “Be good for goodness sake”? How can anyone determine what is “good” if there is no absolute good to compare it to? If God does not exists, then “good” and “bad” become relative terms and ideas. What is good for a serial killer may not be good for me, and what’s good for me might not be good for a con-artist. You see, without God as the standard of what is good, there’s no way for any of us to know what is truly good or bad. It all just becomes relative to whatever each of us feels. Thus, to “Be good for goodness sake” makes no sense. Good for whom? Good according to whom?
It is both humorous and sad that atheists are paying for billboards asking people to . . . — “Imagine…no religion” — But, think of how Jesus' own brother defined religion: “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”—James 1:27 (New International Version). . . . and they want us to believe that, —“There’s probably no God” - “probably” no God? Remember Pascal’s Wager. — and to “Be good for goodness sake” - judging what is good is literally impossible without the existence of an All-good God as the measure of goodness. Since science is not on their side, some atheists are taking a “blind leap of faith” into a very dark abyss. Really Amazing If they really believe that there is no God and that there is no after-life, why are they so intent on taking so many peple with them? A “blind leap of faith” into a very dark abyss, very dark indeed. ================== [1] “When Science Points To God" http://townhall.com/columnists/DineshDSouza/2008/11/24/when_science_points_to_god [2] "Science's Alternative to an Intelligent Creator: the Multiverse Theory" by Tim Folger ===================== A Reader Response: Of course this mentality not only shows the faultiness of atheism, but--at least in some cases--demonstrates the reality of theism. That we recognize good at all and still "look over our shoulders" to check if, by some slight chance, there might still be a deity--is quite consistent with a theistic/Christian worldview. Thus, on the one hand, the "be good for goodness sake" mantra has no basis for its assertions. Yet, on the other hand, it shows what we all intuitively recognize, i.e., there must be some basis "out there" somewhere. We simply trace this to the One who has revealed himself in various ways, most profoundly in His Son.—Carmen
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