Believers defending their faith give five primary
reasons for the existence of God. |
One is personal experience - God has spoken to me. Another
is the existence of miracles. The third is the First Cause argument.
The fourth is the apparent impossibility of evolution. The last is
the stability of the universe. |
The first two arguments are easily demolished. The last
three appear to be on stronger ground but their foundations are illusions.
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Personal experience is just that: personal. No matter
how strong the presence of God in our lives, no matter how convinced
we are that that presence comes from outside us and exists independently
of us, at the end of the day, all experience of God comes from within
and is nothing more than self-created delusion. |
Miracles are equally irrelevant. Miracles were frequent
in ancient history when events were rarely and uncertainly recorded
and people were more credulous. Over years stories grew and changed
in the telling and small incidents or outright lies metamorphosized
into interventions of the almighty. |
As we learn about the world about us and record our
history better, miracles have shrunk. Instead of global floods and
plagues of locusts, John Paul II's claim to sainthood is based on
the fact that a nun prayed to him after his death and her Parkinson's
disease disappeared. |
Two facts: the cure appeared inexplicable and she prayed
to the late Pope. Ergo, she was cured by a miracle. Any ten-year-old
with reasonable intelligence and a decent education would spot the
fallacy in that argument, but sound reasoning is not a trait normally
associated with the Christian faith. |
With dissension truly suppressed, God moves on to common
law. Commandment five tells us to honor our parents, six not to murder,
seven to abstain from adultery, eight not to steal, nine not to bear
false witness and ten not to covet our neighbor's possessions.
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For the benefit of nine-year-olds who may be reading
this column and uncertain of the illogicalities, let me make it clear.
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Start by asking for the medical evidence, including
dated and witnessed brain scans pre- and post-"miracle" that prove
both that the condition was Parkinson's and that it has been permanently
cured. Prove that no other condition could produce the same symptoms
and disappear in the same way. |
IF the disease was Parkinson's and it has been cured,
examine all the circumstances in which the disease pro- and re-gressed.
Compare other potential contributing factors such as diet, sleeping
habits, chemicals in the environment (eg from cleaning fluids or nearby
factories) and so on to eliminate all other causes of regression.
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Compare this case with other situations where patients
have unexpectedly made a recovery without resort to prayer.
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Compare all other prayers made to John Paul after his
death, no doubt with equal or greater fervor, and ask whether they
have been granted - particularly those that would qualify as miraculous.
Explain why the dead Pope would single out Marie Simon-Pierre for
work of wonder. |
And if after you have done all this and are still convinced
that God, or one of his saints, has performed a miracle, explain why
God and his saints ignore all the pleas of the millions of other human
beings who suffer illness and tragedy on a daily basis. |
In short, recognize that two events may be connected
(prayer and cure) but connection is not proof of cause. |
God, of course, might exist and be very different from
the miracle-working deity pictured by the Catholic faith.
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Among other arguments for his existence is the First
Cause - God caused the universe to exist. |
For centuries philosophers and scientists have looked
into the origins of the universe. As we explore ever deeper, our understanding
continues to develop, change and confuse. |
All very interesting, but not very relevant. Underlying
all the debate and scientific evidence, at the end of the day, there
are only two key points. |
The first is our ability to understand the universe
in which we live is inherently limited and our concept of "cause"
may be flawed or meaningless. |
Given that caveat, we move to the second point: we have
to decide whether all entities can or cannot exist without a cause.
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If some can exist without a cause, we accept that the
universe does not need a creator. |
If all entities must have a cause, then God created
the universe. And something created God. Something else created the
creator of God and so on into infinity. |
In short, recognize that two events may be connected
(prayer and cure) but connection is not proof of cause. |
The argument that the universe needs a cause but God
does not is both poor and hypocritical. |
Given these two choices - a godless and a god-created
universe - the more intellectually honest conclusion is that the universe
makes more sense without God. |
Two arguments remain - the apparent impossibility of
evolution and the stability of the universe (the fact that a few minor
alterations in the physical structure of the universe would make it
impossible to exist). |
Superficially, these arguments are attractive, but close
up, they're hollow. We'll take a look at them next week [at www.godwouldbeanatheist.com
] |
© Martin Foreman, all rights reserved |
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