I was thinking this morning that when an archeologist unearths
the ruins of an ancient civilization, it would never occur to him to believe
that it spontaneously grew there underground.
He careful digs and brushes back the layers of dirt and discovers tools,
utensils, walls laid out in logical fashion, a way for water to be obtained by
the village’s residents, artwork the occupants have created and much more. He concludes that thinking human beings lived
there. He assesses their degree of
sophistication and marvels at what they created.
How on earth can we look at the world around us, and
specifically at the human body, and think that it arose spontaneously from a
swirling cloud and an organic soup? The
earth is fine-tuned to support life. The
human body is the incredibly complex culmination of life. In every cell and the way in which it relates
to the whole, we see organization, function and artistry. It screams, “This was planned by an
intelligent being!”
Of course, the problem is that if we admit to an intelligent
creator…that is, GOD, we might have to acknowledge that we are in some way
responsible to him. Ah…there is the
rub. It is NOT logic or science that
prevents people from believing there is a God.
It is the unpleasantness of admitting that he may have something to say
about our behavior. People want to be
self-determining. They do not want
limits placed on their conduct. God may
have some guidelines for us to follow.
Following those guidelines would be logical, because the
creator might just have insight into what is best for his creation. But this is where logic is abandoned. For some ridiculous reason, humans persist in
thinking they know better. If you want
to ignore God, declaring that he doesn’t exist makes it easier.
So if you want to be an atheist or even an agnostic,
fine! But don’t try to convince yourself
and others that it has anything at all to do with logic or science. Admit that it is because you don’t want God
to meddle in your life and decisions.
