Slide 1

Is Anybody Up There? Bible references are from the King James Version unless otherwise indicated. Copyright 2013 by Church of Jesus Christ Restoration Branches. Unauthorized use or duplication of this material without express and written permission from the Church of Jesus Christ Restoration Branches is strictly prohibited. Slide 2 2 Atheism In the 1880s, Friedrich Nietzsche declared "God is dead. Slide 3 3 Two Competing Theories Two major influences on what we learned in school about the origin of life: 1.Atheism 2. Christianity Slide 4 4 Two arguments for the existence of a creator: 1.the argument for Design, and 2.the case for an Expanding Universe. Slide 5 5 In the process of making two arguments for the existence of a creator, we will review three major scientific discoveries of the twentieth century that seem to indicate a first cause or higher intelligence. 1.In the 1910s, Albert Einsteins theory of relativity. 2.In the 1920s, Edwin Hubbles discovery of an expanding universe. 3.In the 1950s, the electron microscope revealed that the cells of living organisms are incredibly complex. Slide 6 6 The Design Argument Slide 7 7 A Heavenly Watchmaker One of the oldest arguments for intelligent design came from Anglican theologian William Paley. In 1802, he wrote Natural Theology. Paley suggested that if you were walking along a path and saw a stone, all you would think is that the stone had possibly been there forever. Slide 8 8 The Design Argument A Heavenly Watchmaker But then suppose it was a watch you saw lying on the ground. Because a watch is a system of interacting components, you would immediately realize the watch had a designer who purposefully created it. Applying this to the larger universe, Paley called this designer the heavenly "watchmaker" of creation. Slide 9 9 The Design Argument There is a legitimate argument that can be made for the existence of an original cause or creator just by observing the order and complexity of the universe we see all around us. There is a legitimate argument that can be made for the existence of an original cause or creator just by observing the order and complexity of the universe we see all around us. Slide 10 10 Is Natural Selection Really A Blind Watchmaker? In 1986, atheist and biologist Richard Dawkins responded to Paley's design argument with his book, The Blind Watchmaker. Dawkins claimed that the process of natural selection resulted in the universe and was "the blind watchmaker" operating by mere chance without the aid of a creator. Slide 11 11 Is Natural Selection Really A Blind Watchmaker? Dawkins tried to use evolutionary theory for ideological purposes to discredit Christianity. Upon hearing Dawkins' suggestion that a watch or even the universe was created by mere chance, many people would respond, "I'm sorry, but I don't have enough faith to believe that the world was created by mere chance.". Slide 12 Dinesh DSouza, Whats So Great About Christianity? (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 2007), 148. 12 The Limits Of Evolutionary Theory "Ernst Mayer, a longtime champion of evolution, writes that when Darwin published the Origin of Species 'he actually did not have a single clear-cut piece of evidence for the existence of natural selection. Another Darwin enthusiast, Jonathan Weiner concedes that despite its title, Darwin's book does not document the origin of a single species.'" Slide 13 13 Perhaps natural selection might explain common genetic material between species, but Richard Dawkins' attempt to use the theory to disprove God falls short. Slide 14 14 1. The theory of evolution is limited to the arena of biology. 2. It does not explain anything about origins. 3. Natural selection does not attempt to explain how humans obtained a conscious awareness, the ability to reason or a sense of morality. Slide 15 Andy Knoll, PBS Nova Interview, May 3, 2004. 15 Andy Knoll, Harvard biologist, states: If we try to summarize by just saying what, at the end of the day, we do know about the deep history of life on Earth, about its origin, about its formative stages that gave rise to the biology we see around us today, I think we have to admit that were looking through a glass darkly here. We dont know how life started on this planet. We dont know exactly when it started, we dont know under what circumstances. Slide 16 Michael J. Behe, Darwins Black Box (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1996), 5. 16 Biochemist Michael Behe has no reason to doubt physicists assertion that the universe is billions of years old, but he sees limitations in the theory of natural selection: Although Darwins mechanism natural selection working on variation might explain many things, however, I do not believe it explains molecular life. Slide 17 Michael J. Behe, Darwins Black Box (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1996), 4-5. 17 Since the 1950s, electron microscopes have revealed an astounding complexity and order in the cells of living organisms: The cumulative results show with piercing clarity that life is based on machines machines made of molecules! Molecular machines haul cargo from one place in the cell to another along highways made of other molecules, while still others act as cables, ropes, and pulleys to hold the cell in shape. Slide 18 Michael J. Behe, Darwins Black Box (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1996), 4-5. 18 Machines turn cellular switches on and off, sometimes killing the cell or causing it to grow. Solar-powered machines capture the energy of photons and store it in chemicals. Electrical machines allow current to flow through nerves. Manufacturing machines build other molecular machines, as well as themselves. Cells swim using machines, copy themselves using machinery, ingest food with machinery. In short, highly sophisticated molecular machines control every cellular process. Slide 19 Paul Davies, The Origin of Life II: How Did It Begin? as found in Antony Flew, There is a God: How the Worlds Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind (New York, HarperCollins, 2007), 129. 19 Paul Davies, a physicist and cosmologist, states: The cell is also an information storing, processing and replicating system. We need to explain the origin of this information, and the way in which the information processing machinery came to exist... The problem of how meaningful or semantic information can emerge spontaneously from a collection of mindless molecules subject to blind and purposeless forces presents a deep conceptual challenge. Slide 20 Michael J. Behe, Darwins Black Box (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1996), 87. 20 Behes Conclusion: In the face of the enormous complexity that modern biochemistry has uncovered in the cell, the scientific community is paralyzed. No one at Harvard university, no one at the National Institutes of Health, no member of the National Academy of Sciences, no Nobel prize winner no one at all can give a detailed account of how the cilium, or vision, or blood clotting, or any complex biochemical process might have developed in a Darwinian fashion. Slide 21 21 Natural selection does not explain how the earth was placed at the right distance from the sun or how the earth rotates in just the right manner to create 24-hour days so the sun perpetually rises and sets. Slide 22 22 Though some atheists claim that natural selection explains origins, but it does not explain the ultimate force that originally created the universe or where the very first life form came from. Some atheists claim that natural selection explains origins, but it does not explain the ultimate force that originally created the universe or where the very first life form came from. Slide 23 Charles Darwin, The Autobiography of Charles Darwin 1809-1882, ed. Nora Barlow (London: Collins, 1958), 92-93. 23 Though he was strongly opposed to Christianity, in his own autobiography, Charles Darwin said When thus reflecting I feel compelled to look to a First Cause having an intelligent mind in some degree analogous to that of man; I deserve to be called a Theist. However, his original theory of evolution did not even attempt to explain how the first cell was created or the origin of the universe. Slide 24 24 Even Immanuel Kant, an Enlightenment philosopher, made the point that it is impossible to prove that this physical environment we experience with our senses is all that exists. Slide 25 Dinesh DSouza, Whats So Great About Christianity? (Carol Stream, IL:Tyndale House Publishers, 2007),100 and Richard Westfall, "Isaac Newton," in Gary Ferngren, editor, Science and Religion (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2002),155. 25 "Perhaps the greatest scientist of all time, Newton, viewed his discoveries as showing the creative genius of God's handiwork in nature. 'This most beautiful system of sun, planets, and comets," he wrote, "could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful being. Slide 26 Dinesh DSouza, Whats So Great About Christianity? (Carol Stream, IL:Tyndale House Publishers, 2007),100. 26 Newton's God was not a divine watchmaker who wound up the universe and then withdrew from it. Rather, God was an active agent sustaining the heavenly bodies in their positions and solicitous of His special creation, man." Slide 27 27 The order and complexity of the universe is undeniable. As Paley said, there must have been a divine watchmaker. Probability alone would indicate that such an intricate design points to the existence of a creator. Slide 28 28 "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the skies proclaim the work of his hands." Psalm 19:1 (NIV) "The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea and its motion. Yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form, doth witness that there is a Supreme Creator.Alma 16:54-55 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork. Psalm 19:1 "The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea and its motion. Yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form, doth witness that there is a Supreme Creator. Alma 16:54-55 Slide 29 29 Every person is given the ability to view creation and determine what they believe. There is a legitimate argument that can be made for the existence of a divine creator just by observing the order and complexity of the universe we see around us. Slide 30 30 William Paley's argument that there must have been a designer has never been refuted. In fact, with recent scientific developments, Paley's position is even stronger today than it was in 1802. We will discuss recent discoveries in the next segment called The Expanding Universe. Slide 31 31 1.In William Paleys example, a complex and orderly system of interacting components is the difference between a _s_______ and a _w________. 1.Did Darwins evolutionary theory ever attempt to explain how the very first life form on earth was originally created? 2.Electron microscopes in the 1950s allowed us to directly observe in elaborate detail how complex a _c_____ is. Slide 32 32 Slide 33 Four Aspects of the Genesis Account 33 Slide 34 34 "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." Genesis 1:1 Slide 35 35 1. God created time Time itself had a beginning. The phrase "in the beginning God created..." is unique to Christianity and Judaism. Other major religions do not teach that time started at a given point. Slide 36 36 2. God created the universe out of nothing John 1 says, "In the beginning was the Word." Genesis 1 says, And God said..." God merely spoke the words and the universe was created ex nihilo (out of nothing).. Slide 37 37 3. God created the universe in six days The Hebrew word for day in Genesis can mean: a literal 24-hour day, or a much longer period of time. Slide 38 38 4. God created man in his own image God is a spiritual being. So being created "in God's image" has typically implied that man received certain attributes of God such as a conscious awareness, the ability to reason and a sense of morality. Slide 39 39 Christians believe that God created the universe as described in the Genesis account. Slide 40 40 1. By saying In the beginning, God created... the book of Genesis is making what claim about the idea of time? 1.According to the Genesis narrative, did God use already- existing material to create the universe? 2.Does accepting Genesis require that I must believe the universe was created in six 24-hour days? Slide 41 41 Slide 42 42 The Expanding Universe Slide 43 43 An earlier slide in this presentation stated that we would present two arguments for the existence of a creator: 1.the argument for Design, and 2.the case for an Expanding Universe. We now would like to present evidence for an expanding universe. Slide 44 44 In the last several decades, science has been torn between two competing theories about the origin of the universe: a Big Bang explosion in which the universe was suddenly created, and a Steady State Theory in which the universe has perpetually existed without change going backward infinitely in time. Slide 45 45 Genesis claims that God spoke and the universe leapt into existence by the power of his word.. Slide 46 46 In the early twentieth century, there were two stunning scientific developments that seemed to confirm this idea of a universe created by a supernatural, primordial explosion of heat and light: Albert Einstein's theory of relativity, and Edwin Hubble's discovery of an expanding universe. Slide 47 Robert Jastrow, God and the Astronomers (New York, W.W. Norton & Co., 1992), 17, 21., 27. 47 The scientific story of Genesis begins in 1913, when Vesto Melvin Slipher... discovered that about a dozen galaxies in our vicinity were moving away from the earth at very high speeds, ranging up to two million miles per hour... By 1925 he had clocked the velocities of 42 galaxies... Slipher himself had never realized the connection between his measurements and the expanding Universe.. Slipher believed that the galaxy to which the sun belonged was drifting through space... Slide 48 Robert Jastrow, God and the Astronomers (New York, W.W. Norton & Co., 1992), 18. 48 Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic and by now it was wartime Einstein published his equations of general relativity in 1917. Willem de Sitter, a Dutch astronomer, found a solution to them almost immediately that predicted an exploding Universe, in which the galaxies of the heavens moved rapidly away from one another. This was just what Slipher had observed. However, because of the interruption of communications by the war, de Sitter probably did not know about Sliphers observations at that time. Slide 49 Robert Jastrow, God and the Astronomers (New York, W.W. Norton & Co., 1992), 20-21. 49 Around this time, signs of irritation began to appear among the scientists. Einstein was the first to complain. He was disturbed by the idea of a Universe that blows up, because it implied that the world had a beginning. In a letter to de Sitter... Einstein wrote This circumstance [of an expanding Universe] irritates me, and in another letter about the expanding Universe, To admit such possibilities seems senseless... I suppose that the idea of a beginning in time annoyed Einstein because of its theological implications. Slide 50 Dinesh DSouza, Whats So Great About Christianity? (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 2007), 119 50 The great physicist was, by his own account, 'irritated' by the idea of an expanding universe. He went so far as to invent a new force, the 'antigravity' force, as well as a number called the 'cosmological constant,' to try to disprove the notion of a beginning. Later Einstein admitted his errors and called his cosmological constant the biggest mistake of his life.'" Slide 51 51 Hubbles Discovery In the early 1920s, astronomers vigorously debated whether luminous swirls in space were just nearby wisps of gas in our own Milky Way galaxy or distant, gigantic galaxies. Some thought that the universe did not extend beyond the Milky Way. In the late 1920s, astronomer Edwin Hubble, who was inspired by de Sitters hypothesis of an expanding universe, began to painstakingly plot both the distance and speed of many different galaxies. Slide 52 52 Using the powerful 100-inch telescope at Mount Wilson Observatory (90 miles northeast of Los Angeles), he could see for the first time that the luminous swirls were distant galaxies each containing billions of stars. Hubble concluded that the farther away a galaxy was, the faster it was moving away from our own Milky Way galaxy. This proved that the entire universe was extremely large and rapidly expanding. Slide 53 53 Edwin Hubble had made perhaps the greatest discovery of the twentieth century. For the first time, we became aware that we had vastly underestimated the size of a universe that was comprised of many galaxies separated by millions of light years, galaxies that were dispersed by a kind of primordial explosion. Slide 54 Michael J. Behe, Darwins Black Box (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1996), 244. 54 This was the first observational evidence that Einsteins unfudged equations were correct in their prediction concerning the expansion of the universe. And it did not take a rocket scientist (although plenty were around) to mentally reverse the expanding universe and conclude that at some time in the past, all of the matter in the universe was concentrated into a very small space. This was the beginning of the Big Bang hypothesis. Slide 55 Stephen Hawking, The Universe in a Nutshell (New York: Bantam Books, 2001), 76. 55 Astrophysicist Stephen Hawking said that Hubbles discovery of the expansion of the universe was one of the great intellectual revolutions of the twentieth century. It came as a total surprise, and it completely changed the discussion of the origin of the universe. Slide 56 .56 Prior to Hubbles discovery in the late 1920s: Scientists assumed that the universe had always existed going back infinitely in time. Nothing about the laws of nature or the cosmos indicated a beginning to them. Nothing ever indicated that all the matter in the universe could have, at one time, been concentrated into a small space, possibly as dense as a single atom. Slide 57 Michael J. Behe, Darwins Black Box (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1996), 244. 57 Over 3,000 years ago, the book of Genesis claimed that God created the universe out of nothing. In the book of John, it says in the beginning was the word. This passage in John appears to indicate that the words of God were the original cause that brought the universe into existence. Nonetheless, despite its religious implications, the Big Bang was a scientific theory that flowed naturally from observational data, not from holy writings or transcendental visions. Slide 58 58 Other religions, such as that of ancient Greece, have creation myths in which their gods make the world out of preexisting material. The Genesis record is unique and seems to be vindicated by modern science. There was a beginning, and a creation from nothing appears to have been possible. Like ancient Greece, other religions have creation myths in which their gods make the world out of preexisting material. The Genesis record is unique and seems to be vindicated by modern science. There was a beginning, and a creation from nothing appears to have been possible. Slide 59 Dinesh DSouza, Whats So Great About Christianity? (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 2007), 121. 59 "Even so, many scientists were visibly upset by the concept of a Big Bang... Like Einstein, prominent scientists began to advance theories that would eliminate the need for a beginning. They worked very hard to find a scientifically credible way for the universe to have existed forever. Slide 60 Dinesh DSouza, Whats So Great About Christianity? (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 2007), 121. 60 Imagine the relief of these scientists when astronomers Hermann Bondi, Thomas Gold, and Fred Hoyle advanced what became known as the 'steady state' universe. Their theory was that the universe was infinite in age. Slide 61 61 Bondi, Gold and Hoyle suggested that as stars and energy burn out over time, the universe somehow continues to create matter and energy to replace them, even at a sufficient rate to keep up with the expansion of space, thus maintaining the same density of matter and balance throughout space. As a result, it is possible that the universe has always existed and had no beginning. In 1959, two-thirds of astronomers and physicists were still adherents of this theory. Slide 62 Dinesh DSouza, Whats So Great About Christianity? (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 2007), 160. 62 Religion is often accused of avoiding certain truths, but by embracing Steady State Theory, scientists appeared to be hiding their heads in the sand. "Physicist Stephen Hawking explains why a large number of scientists were attracted to the steady state theory of the origin of the universe: 'There were therefore a number of attempts to avoid the conclusion that there had been a big bang... Many people do not like the idea that time has a beginning, probably because it smacks of divine intervention.'" Slide 63 Dinesh DSouza, Whats So Great About Christianity? (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 2007), 160. 63 " The same point is made by Steven Weinberg. Some cosmologists [who study the nature or origin of the universe] endorse theories because they nicely avoid the problem of Genesis." Slide 64 72 " The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork. Psalm 19:1 Psalm 14:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork. Psalm 19:1 Slide 73 73 The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea and its motion. Yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form, doth witness that there is a Supreme Creator. Alma 16:54-55 Slide 74 Antony Flew, There is a God: How the Worlds Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind (New York, HarperCollins, 2007), 88. 74 Prior to Richard Dawkins, Antony Flew was the worlds most prominent atheist for 50 years. Mr. Flew said that, based on recent scientific evidence, he had become convinced that there was a God: I now believe that the universe was brought into existence by an infinite Intelligence. I believe that this universes intricate laws manifest what scientists have called the Mind of God. I believe that life and reproduction originate in a divine Source. Slide 75 Antony Flew, There is a God: How the Worlds Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind (New York, HarperCollins, 2007), 88. 75 When I first met the big-bang theory as an atheist, it seemed to me the theory made a big difference because it suggested that the universe had a beginning and that the first sentence in Genesis (In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth) was related to an event in the universe... If the universe had a beginning, it became entirely sensible, almost inevitable, to ask what produced this beginning. This radically altered the situation. Slide 76 76 1. The possibility of an expanding universe irritated Einstein because it meant that there must have been an initial explosion of heat and light or, as Genesis would say, In the _b___________. 2.The fact that Hubble actually observed galaxies hurtling away from us at a rapid rate proved that Einsteins general theory of relativity was correct in that it predicted an _e________ universe. Slide 77 77 It is not the goal of this presentation to disprove evolutionary theory. We simply offer two rationales for the Genesis account: the design argument and the scientific argument for an expanding universe. For those who suggest that science refutes the claims of Christianity, this presentation provides another perspective that hopefully will stimulate thought about the possibility of a creator. Slide 78 Jesus taught that a loving God created us and that he wants us to freely exercise our will. He invites us to come unto him. 78 Jesus invites us to come unto him. Slide 79 79 Slide 80 80 APPENDIX Slide 81 81 Probability: The Monkey Theory Slide 82 We have mentioned that evolutionary theory does not specifically address origins; it merely describes how various life forms developed over time. Regarding the probability that life would spontaneously arise by random chance, it is frequently asserted that, given enough time, a group of monkeys banging on a keyboard would eventually write a Shakespearean sonnet. 82 Slide 83 The British National Council of Arts conducted an experiment in which a computer was placed in a cage with six monkeys. After one month of banging on the keyboard, they had produced 50 pages of typing. However, not one word appeared (The word a would require a space on each side). 83 Slide 84 All the sonnets are the same length. Theyre by definition fourteen lines long. I picked the one I knew the opening line for, Shall I compare thee to a summers day? I counted the number of letters; there are 488 letters in that sonnet. Whats the likelihood of hammering away and getting 488 letters in the exact sequence as in Shall I Compare Thee to a Summers Day? Gerald Schroeder, Has Science Discovered God? as found in Antony Flew, There is a God: How the Worlds Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind (New York, HarperCollins, 2007), 76-77. 84 What is the chance of getting a Shakespearean sonnet? Israeli scientist Gerald Schroeder states: Slide 85 in base 10, 10 to the 690 th power [1 followed by 690 zeroes]... You will never get a sonnet by chance... Yet the world just thinks the monkeys can do it every time. If monkeys creating a sonnet appears to be impossible, the spontaneous creation of the first life form, even an amoeba, would far exceed the complexity of a sonnet. It is important to remember that we are talking about origins, not evolutionary theory. Gerald Schroeder, Has Science Discovered God? as found in Antony Flew, There is a God: How the Worlds Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind (New York, HarperCollins, 2007), 76-77 85 What you end up with is 26 [the number of keys] multiplied by itself 488 times or 26 to the 488 th power. Or, in other words, Slide 86 86 Slide 87 87 If God Exists, Why Does He Allow Evil and Suffering? Slide 88 If there is a God, why does he allow evil and suffering? This is a difficult and profound question. There are many things we could say, but given the limitations of space we will try to provide a concise answer. It is very natural for many people to think that, if God exists, his purpose must be to provide for our happiness in this life. The suffering and pain that we actually experience dont seem consistent with this goal of making us happy. 88 Slide 89 However, happiness as our culture measures it is not the purpose of this life. Instead, we were placed here that we might come to a knowledge of God, which eventually will lead to a different kind of happiness. Pain and suffering that we experience in this life seems unwarranted and meaningless, but there is a purpose from Gods perspective a purpose for the sufferer or for those around that person. 89 Slide 90 It is entirely possible that a world of maximum, unwarranted evil is the only thing that will cause souls to look to God for an answer. If we look at places where the Christian gospel is spreading most rapidly, it is nearly always in those countries where the most intense suffering occurs countries like Kenya, Nepal, China, etc. By comparison, church growth in wealthier, western nations is attenuated or flat. 90 Slide 91 Essentially, Jesus was saying, Give me the maximum amount of pain and suffering that the world can impose; place on me the sins of the entire world. Jesus took upon himself unimaginable pain, yet he was completely innocent. If anyone could complain about suffering it would have been him. Seen in light of the cross, evil and suffering take on an entirely different perspective. He bore the sins of you and me. 91 When people experience intense suffering and ask Where is God in all of this?, we should point them to the cross and say that he is right there in the midst of suffering and pain. Slide 92 Therefore, the problem is not how God can justify himself to us. The problem is how I, filled with wickedness and sin and guilt, can be justified before him. If God would go to that extent for me, then surely I can bear the burden that he expects me to carry in this short life. God can give us the grace and strength to endure. 92 Slide 93 If there is a God, why does he allow evil and suffering? For those who prefer a more logical, philosophical response, here are a few ideas to ponder: The question assumes that there is a God. The question also suggests that there is a moral law that establishes what is evil. But how do we know what is right and what is wrong, what is good and what is evil? 93 Slide 94 An atheist might suggest: It is entirely subjective; each individual establishes his morality for himself based on personal feelings or preferences. A humorous anecdote about preferences says: In some cultures they love their neighbor, in others they eat them. Which one would you prefer? It illustrates the fact that our views of morality cannot simply be a matter of individual preference. So there must be a moral law that governs the universe. 94 Slide 95 The original question is correct in suggesting that there is a moral law that identifies good and evil. But if there is a law, we have to ask ourselves, Who gave us that sense of morality? There can be no moral law if there is no lawgiver. The question Why does God allow evil? suggests that there is a moral God and autonomous human beings. A loving God created us in his image. One of the attributes that God gave us was agency or free will. It would be immoral for God to compel us instead of allowing each person to freely choose. 95 Slide 96 Most suffering in the world is caused by people and the choices that they make. The cumulative evidence for the existence of God is very strong, but a loving God gave us the freedom to follow him or reject him. Jesus Christ came to earth and became like us to endure suffering and to overcome evil. He took upon himself the sins of all people. He suffered immeasurably for our benefit that we might have eternal life. 96 Slide 97 Antony Flew, There is a God: How the Worlds Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind (New York, HarperCollins, 2007), 156. 97 Antony Flew, former atheist, states: Certainly, the existence of evil and suffering must be faced. However, philosophically speaking, that is a separate issue from the question of Gods existence... Nature may have its imperfections, but this says nothing as to whether it had an ultimate Source. Thus, the existence of God does not depend on the existence of warranted or unwarranted evil. Slide 98 98 Slide 99 Science and Christianity 103 Slide 100 104 Modern science is largely indebted to theories and methods that were developed by Christians who believed in the Genesis record such as Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Brahe, Descartes, Boyle, Newton, Leibniz, Gassendi, Pascal, Mersenne, Cuvier, Harvey, Dalton, Faraday, Herschel, Joule, Lyell, Lavoisier, Priestley, Kelvin, Ohm, Ampere, Steno, Pasteur, Maxwell, Planck and Mendel. Slide 101 105 Laws That Man Is Able To Discover Christianity believes in a God of reason, order and rationality. Faith in these attributes of God enabled Christian scientists to believe there were laws governing the universe which man was able to discover. Slide 102 106 Not Every Culture Embraces The Idea Of A Rationally- Designed Universe "Historian Joseph Needham explains that despite the wealth and sophistication of China in ancient and medieval times, science never developed there because 'there was no confidence that the code of nature's laws could ever be unveiled and read, because... (next slide) Slide 103 Joseph Needham, The Grand Titration: Science and Society in East and West (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1969), 327 as quoted in DSouza, Whats So Great About Christianity, 96. 107 there was no assurance that a divine being, even more rational than ourselves, had ever formulated such a code capable of being read.'" Slide 104 Robert Jastrow, God and the Astronomers (New York, W.W. Norton & Co., 1992), 21. 108 For Einstein, the existence of God was proven by the laws of nature; that is, the fact that there was order in the Universe and man could discover it. When Einstein came to New York in 1921 a rabbi sent him a telegram asking, Do you believe in God? and Einstein replied, I believe in Spinozas God, who reveals himself in the orderly harmony of what exists. Slide 105 Max Jammer, Einstein and Religion (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1999), 93. 109 Einstein stated: Everyone who is seriously engaged in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that the laws of nature manifest the existence of a spirit vastly superior to that of men, and one in the face of which we with our modest powers must feel humble. Slide 106 110 Christian belief is no longer welcome in the scientific community. Slide 107 1. Naturalism says that natural law is all that governs the universe. There are no miracles, and there is no supernatural power. 111 Two dogmatic assumptions of modern science : Slide 108 2. Materialism says that the material existence we see around us is all there is. 108 Slide 109 Christianity says: God has put natural laws in place. But there are also miracles and a spiritual realm that we do not see. 109 Slide 110 It is impossible to prove that the immaterial or supernatural do not exist. 110 Slide 111 Near-death experiences indicate there is a spiritual realm that is not subject to natural law. Atheists say that such experiences are imaginary and merely due to the operation of neurons in the neocortex of the brain that continue to function during a state of unconsciousness. 111 Slide 112 But what if the brain's neocortex is disabled during a near- death experience? Dr. Eben Alexander, a neurosurgeon who once taught at Harvard medical school, experienced a rare form of meningitis and a resulting coma that lasted for a week. In his book, Proof of Heaven, he says: My entire neocortex the outer surface of the brain, the part that makes us human was shut down. Inoperative. In essence, absent. Eben Alexander, M.D., Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeons Journey into the Afterlife (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2012), 8-9. 112 Slide 113 Despite the fact that his brains neocortex was disabled, Dr. Alexander claims that, while in a coma, he experienced a spiritual realm that is undetectable to our physical senses. Dr. Alexander is now convinced that this spiritual realm is just as real as the physical existence we live in and that there is life after death. Eben Alexander, M.D., Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeons Journey into the Afterlife (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2012), 8-9. 113 Slide 114 1. Christians believe that a god of order and reason created natural laws that man is able to discover. Is this idea universally accepted by all cultures in the world? 2. N__________ says that natural law is all that governs this existence; nothing is ever supernatural. 3. M__________ says that the material world, what we see around us, is all that exists. 4. Is it possible to prove either of the principles mentioned in 2. or 3. above? 114 Slide 115 115 Slide 116 116 Our Limited Understanding Slide 117 Is There Another Reality That We Are Unable to Perceive With Our Senses? "For now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to face; now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." 1 Corinthians 13:12 117 Slide 118 There is a reality that we experience through our five senses. Some people believe that sensory experience is all that exists. If I eat an apple, I can see, touch, smell and taste it. But my perception of that apple is strictly limited by the sensory tools that I use to perceive it. 118 Slide 119 119 Using another example, if you look at a straw standing in liquid, it appears to be bent at the surface because the light that your eyes see is refracted. The straw is actually straight. In this example, our sense of sight has created a perception that is not accurate. Slide 120 120 Another example would be the light we see emanating from space. People often have a perception that they are observing light from the stars in real time. However, it takes many years for that light to reach the earth. What we are observing is light that could have radiated from a star millions of years ago. A light-year is 186,000 miles per second or six trillion miles per year. It might not often occur to us, but the light that we presently observe from a galaxy in space might have left there three million light-years ago (the time it took to reach earth). Slide 121 121 Immanuel Kant, an Enlightenment philosopher, said that our senses are limited and might not be showing us a greater reality that exists outside the bounds of sensory experience. He called this greater reality the noumenal realm. Christianity would call this the spiritual realm. Slide 122 122 Kant thought that other realm was inaccessible and unknowable. Therefore, we are unable to know anything about God. Christianity tells us that revelation from God bridges that gap and opens a window to the spiritual. Slide 123 100 In critiquing traditional philosophy, Kant suggested that we actually have no way to positively conclude that our perception of physical reality is the same as actual reality. Christianity would agree with this. There is an actual reality that we are unable to perceive with our senses. Slide 124 101 Christianity goes beyond Kants view and actually claims there is a greater reality, a spiritual realm, that exists beyond the limits or ability of our five senses to perceive it. In this life, we "see through a glass darkly," but in the life hereafter, we will see that spiritual reality very clearly. Slide 125 125 Slide 126 Second Law Of Thermodynamics 126 Slide 127 127 It is important to know something about thermodynamics, which is the study of energy. Energy can be in the form of heat, light, chemicals or electricity. The second law of thermodynamics suggests that energy in our universe follows a pattern called "entropy," in other words, gradually losing energy, dissipation, breaking down, corrosion, decay, falling apart or disorder. The theory of evolution suggests that it is an exception to this law of entropy and that, for this one area only, the second law of thermodynamics does not apply. In other words, life forms are moving from a state of disorder to a state of order. Slide 128 128 One example of entropy is the fact that our bodies are not perpetual motion machines that will live forever. Eventually, the energy they possess will dissipate and we will pass on. Scripture says that our bodies will one day return to the dust from where they came. Our bodies are subject to the law of entropy. Slide 129 129 Another example would be the sun. We know that the energy the sun contains is gradually diminishing and that it is subject to the law of entropy. However, this suggests that there must have been a beginning, or burst of energy, when the sun was originally "lit up. Slide 130 Robert Jastrow, God and the Astronomers (New York, W.W. Norton & Co., 1992), 83. 130 At the end of a stars life, when its reserves of nuclear fuel are exhausted, the star collapses under the force of its own weight. In the case of a small star, the collapse squeezes the entire mass into a volume the size of the earth. Such highly compressed stars, called white dwarfs, have a density of ten tons per cubic inch. Slowly the white dwarf radiates into space the last of its heat and fades into darkness. Slide 131 131 Energy in the universe follows this same gradual pattern of entropy. If this is so, how did the energy that we observe around us come to be in the first place? It suggests that there must have been an original cause. Christianity calls that original cause God.