The Startling Conclusion About Everything

We've just concluded that there is a Creator. Not based on blind faith or fairy tales, or fear, or even the Bible, but based on reality. The reality that there is reality at all (something rather than nothing) and the reality that all people have a commonly understood set of moral standards which we call The Law.

Just as a particular brush-stroke is evidence of a particular artist, The Law is evidence of the Creator.

Now, it is time to bring the discussion to the Bible and the God described therein.

Why? Because of all the religions, and all the books, the Holy Bible is the one that describes creation in this way, and the one that describes the Creator (God) in this way.

Genesis 1:1, for example, says: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Something, from something... not something from nothing.

Romans 2:15 says, "they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness..." The commonly understood moral code... is inside everyone.

There are numerous other scriptures that touch on these subjects, but the two I've chosen are sufficient to illustrate the point. You may not agree, but I'd urge you to study the question. Don't continue to be led astray by the illogical argument that everything came from nothing. That's blind faith.

The God of the Bible is real. The evidence is all around you (creation), and inside you (your conscience).

What is God like? What are His attributes? They are clearly described in the Bible. They include: all-knowing, all-seeing, just, loving, creative, wise, eternal, holy, and faithful.

If those attributes don't make you uneasy, you're not thinking seriously about their meaning.

For example, suppose you broke the law and were taken into court to stand trial. There is no doubt that you're guilty. What should the judge do... let you go? Of course not. Not if he is a good judge.

When you break The Law (God's Law), which is understood by everyone (which means you know that you've broken it), what should a just and good God do with you?

Uh-Oh.

Just as a good judge would need to carry out the sentence, so will God.

We'll talk more about this next time.

Everything From Nothing, or Everything from Something?

We're making progress in seeking the answer to these questions: Is there a God? If so, who is He?

We have not specifically proven the existence of God, but we have discussed direct evidence of Him: the commonly understood standard of right and wrong, which we call The Law.

Once you understand that this law exists, you can move on to the next question...

Where did this law come from?

For that matter, where did anything come from?

Why is there anything, instead of nothing?

There are two dominant views concerning how everything got here: The Big Bang, and Intelligent Design (the idea that someone, or something, purposely put it here).

Keep in mind that all this stuff around us: planets, solar systems, protons, and electrons, all follow predictable patterns in strict, measurable ways. Some stuff, which we call 'living' stuff (kittens, dogs, people) also follow predictable patterns, but in a less rigid way.

According to the Big Bang theory, all this stuff, which acts in predictable ways, did something very unpredictable... It blew up.

In fact, all this stuff blew up for no known reason as the result of nothing happening (because nothing existed, including time) at a time when none of it existed. Odd, don't you think?

On top of that, after all this stuff, which came from nowhere for no reason, exploded, it organized itself into an orderly, predicable, measurable universe. Then it randomly organized into air, water, proteins, crystals, planets, the suns, moons, and more.

Next, all this inanimate stuff that randomly came into existence organized itself into pairs of replicating life forms. Each life form didn't just randomly come into existence by itself... a second one randomly occurred at the same time so that reproduction was possible. How convenient.

These life forms, again by random chance, just happen to provide balances in the ecosystem. Insects, plants, birds, animals, parasites, flies... each create benefits for other creatures. Without some, others could not live, and yet they came to exist at the same time.

On top of all of that, all this stuff that began so explosively and randomly now acts very predictably.

If you believe all that. You've got a lot more faith than those of us who believe the other option: an intelligent force designed and created all that we know about, all that we can see, and all that we can measure.

Why this is so hard to accept amazes me. On the one hand: design. On the other: nothing from nothing caused by nothing randomly organizes into everything.

Nothing else in life or science follows any rule that says anything like, "it just happens out of nothing over gadzillions of years." Nothing. So, why does anyone think that everything could just appear out of nothing and over gadzillions of years organize itself into something?

Not believing in a designer is blind faith. Believing in a designer makes complete sense, and follows the patterns that we understand logically and scientifically.

Here are a few more things to think about:

• Your car is proof that there are car-designers and car-builders.
• Your shoes are proof that there are shoe-designers and shoe-builders.
• If you find a series of seven or eight quarters lined up and spaced evenly, you immediately understand that someone (or something) did that... it wasn't random chance.

Therefore, order, design, creation and everything in it, is proof positive of a Creator.

Including the commonly accepted and understood Laws.

Just as a painter leaves behind traces and signatures of himself in the artwork... Just as a computer programmer leaves traces of his personality in the software... Just as a jeweler leaves telltale clues in his jewelry that it was his design... The Creator of the universe left clear indications of His design, including the Laws that are build into each one of us.

We'll explore this a bit more next time.

Is There A God?

The next few posts will focus on the questions: Is there a God? If so, who is He?

This posting will begin to answer the question, "Is there a God?"

I think the best introduction to this concept was written by C.S. Lewis, in his book Mere Christianity. I've used his outline as my guide for this article.

Some of you may object to my use of a book entitled, Mere Christianity, to introduce this topic. You may argue, "No fair, you're beginning with a starting point of Christianity."

Perhaps, but the fact is, I've studied this question most of my life, and I have arrived at the point of firmly understanding the truth of Christianity. So, even if you think my starting point is biased, I ask that you indulge the discussion with tolerance.

Maybe your patience will be calmed by considering that I'm not asking you to do anything that you don't do every single day. After all, most of the early scientists were Christians. Therefore many of the great scientific discoveries were made by Christians. Yet, you don't refuse to take Penicillin when you're ill, nor do you reject the fact that the planets revolve around the sun, simply because those ideas originate with Christians (Alexander Fleming and Nicolaus Copernicus, respectively). All I ask is that you consider this information so you can make an informed decision.

Let's begin with a simple question: Have you ever argued with someone?

Of course you have. Everyone has. But, why argue?

You argue, because you think you are right and the other person is wrong.

[A quick side note for those of you who make the claim, "There is no right or wrong." If you have ever had an argument (and you know you have), you have proven that you are wrong. Even the statement, "There is no right or wrong," is hypocritical (is that statement right, or wrong?).]

But even more important, you argue with others because you wish the other person to understand that you are right. But what do you base your position upon? C.S. Lewis stated that this position is based on a commonly understood standard of right and wrong. A standard understood by everyone, everywhere.

The proof is so obvious that most people don't even think about it, and that is: sometimes, the other person agrees with you.

Think about that. You disagree with someone. You argue. You point out where they are wrong, and they agree with you. Clearly you can only reach agreement when the other person shares your standard for what is right, and what is wrong.

For brevity, I'll assume that you see the point. We can now agree on the existence of the fact that there is a commonly understood standard of right and wrong. Let's call the standard for right, "Law".

The fact that people disobey these laws does not prove that they do not exist, only that people disobey them. Nor is is acceptable to claim that differences in laws prove there is no universal standard. The differences in laws we find from place to place are more anomalies than opposites.

We are currently witnessing an example of this principle. The 2008 Olympics are winding down in Beijing, China. There are a number of athletes and tourists from around the world gathered together in and around the host city. But we don't witness chaos, we see cooperation. Why? Because humanity has a common in-born agreement of what the laws of behavior are.

Of course, none of us are very good at keeping these laws. Worse, when we break them, we make excuses to justify our behavior. Watch any child who just stole a cookie from the cookie jar to see this in action. Watch the creativity for explaining the action away, denying what happened, or describing why the theft is reasonable. Why? Because our inner sense of the law tells us we must explain our poor adherence to the law. We twist reason and fact to try to convince ourselves and others that if not for a set of factors outside of our control, we'd be wonderful people in complete harmony with the law.

One final point about this inner-known law: respected people around the world agree that these laws exist. Want proof?

Listen to comments about people like Mother Theresa, Ghandi, and others who try to improve the human condition. They're called reformers, role models, great philosophers, more... They received awards during their lives, and get significant coverage in school discussions and textbooks. Even many so-called atheists agree that Jesus was a "good man", and a role-model. Based on what? It must be based on the internal law.

Finally, these internal laws are certainly not instinct (instinct being that inner voice that insists we not endanger ourselves, make life harder than it already is, and that we must preserve our DNA). Mother Theresa would not have lived in harsh conditions, Ghandi would not have gone on hunger strikes or sought peace at any cost. Firemen wouldn't rush into burning buildings, and men would not offer their seat to a weak elderly person, if instinct controlled our actions.

All of this brings us to the key question about this law: Where did it come from?

The answer to that important question will have to wait until my next post.