Does it Make Sense to Believe in God?

For as long as man has existed on this Earth, the question of God and His significance has been posed and debated. In the ancient times, most people believed in many Gods (polytheism) and it wasn’t until the time of Abraham (Jewish patriarch) that we saw the emergence of the belief in one God (monotheism).

During the ancient times there were always battles of one kind or another. The armies that went to war usually left with the understanding that if their God were powerful enough, then, they would be victorious. These people proved how great their Gods were based on whether or not they won a battle or a war. If you consistently won then your God is powerful and is to be feared. If you consistently lost, then your god was weak, almost nonexistent.

Many, in modern times, struggle to have a deep faith in God. Many will ask the question, “How can I have a strong belief in someone that I can’t see?” This is a very valid question. Everything we do in life is based on what we observe with our senses. We see, we touch, we smell, we hear, and we taste. All of our senses are based on the physical world that we live in. We grew up confirming things in our lives based on our senses. We see something says, “wet paint” we go touch the wall to see if the paint is indeed, wet! We see something that looks like a bug and we go poke it with something to see if it moves. We see a plate of food on the table and we want to go up close to see if it smells and tastes as good as it looks. In science, we are taught to make observations and these observations are based on our senses. When it comes to God, our senses don’t really help us a whole lot; or do they?

Why do most, if not all cultures seek to understand their origins? Why this burning question of “Where did we come from?” Why can’t we just say, we are here and we will make the most of this time and then we die and that is it! Yet, we try to tackle this question in all of our schools. We talk of evolution, the Big Bang Theory, Creative Design, Creationism and many other theories. There are so many plausible and outrageous explanations as to where man comes from. But why even ask the question? Why is that question so important to man? Why do we even argue or fight about who is right and who is wrong when it comes to answering that question?

Some have theorized that man, and the Earth that sustains us, came about as a result of some random events. Any person who has studied anything about biology, chemistry or physics can see that the world is anything BUT random! We live in a very complex world that is “governed” by some very specific laws. We talk about the “laws of nature.” We talk about physical constants found in the universe. For example, all objects fall to the earth at the same rate due to the force of gravity. The Sun and the Earth are approximately 93,000,000 miles away from each other. If the sun were closer, the Earth would not be able to sustain life; it would be too hot. If the sun were a little farther, it would be too cold to sustain life. Light actually travels at a constant speed. It travels at approximately 186,000 miles per second. If we could travel safely at that rate, we would have been able to make 37 round trips from New York to Los Angeles in one second!

Have you ever been on the top of a very high mountain and surveyed the land below? How did you feel? Time to use those senses. Most people feel very insignificant and are often in awe of what they see. Consider the fact that we have something built-in inside of us that even gets us to appreciate beautiful things in nature. We see the huge trees (redwoods) in California and we are simply amazed. We see a gorgeous sunset and we want to relive that moment because it somehow “touches” our soul. Many love to live by the beach because of the serenity that it provides. There is just something amazing about walking along a vast body of water as you listen to the waves undulate back and forth. It is amazing and at times scary to see massive lightning strikes and to hear the thunderous sounds that follow. We are amazed at the birth of babies and are in awe at the birth of some of our kittens and puppies. We are amazed when we see a seed finally poke itself out of the dirt as it makes its entrance into the world and continues the cycle of life. There are so many more things that you can think of that amaze you about life and the Earth. Are these things random?

Consider that this planet of ours has the right mixture of air (nitrogen, about 78%, oxygen, about 20.9%, and others like carbon dioxide, helium, etc. which account for the other 1.1%) to sustain us. All life relies heavily on the oxygen. As humans, we take in oxygen and we produce carbon dioxide and water vapor as “waste” products of our breathing. Plants, on the other hand, rely heavily on the carbon dioxide that is produced by animals (including humans). The plants use the carbon dioxide and the sunlight to produce “food” and they in turn, produce oxygen for us to use. Wow, how random is that! Why does such a cycle even exist? Why is there such a harmony on our wonderful planet that we call Earth?

Most of the water (unless taken to space) that has ever existed on Earth in the past (including the time of the dinosaurs) exists now. The water is constantly being recycled through what scientist call the “water cycle.” It rains, the water goes into the ground, it goes to underground streams, goes to rivers and oceans, it also gets evaporated, it forms clouds, and then we get rain again. Why does that even work that way? Is it just by some random event or is it just made for our benefit and enjoyment?

We could look at the complexity of the human body alone and see that there is nothing random about it. The brain, for one, is a very complex organ. So much information can be processed and so much can be done in such a confined space. Any computer that comes close to doing a third of what the brain does has to be a MASSIVE computer. The heart is an amazing pump that on average beats 100,000 times in 24 hours. In one year that would be 36,500,000 beats! That’s a lot of energy! Our nerves (neurons) are numerous. Scientists estimate that there are more than 1 trillion (1,000,000,000,000) neurons in the human body; more neurons than there are stars in our Milky Way Galaxy. The properties of blood are amazing. There are the red blood cells; they transport oxygen to every cell in the body and then the white blood cells do an amazing job of attacking and eradicating foreign bodies that cause illness and threaten the life of an individual. We are made up of trillions of cells. All of our cells, except the red blood cells contain our genetic (DNA) information. DNA stands for Deoxyribonucleic Acid. This acid is responsible for the complete construction (gives “instructions” on which organs to build and how to build them) of our bodies and is also responsible for the traits that we inherit from our ancestors and the ones we pass on to our offspring. All organisms on the planet contain some form of genetic information that allows it to reproduce itself and pass on their genes from generation to another. Scientists have concluded that genes for specific traits (for example, bushy eyebrows), over the long run, adapt (turn on or off) according to the conditions of the environment. What harmony! This is too complex to be random!

Evolution, I love this concept. I believe it occurs. But, do you realize that scientists are saying that there is a “force” of nature that exists to help organisms improve their current condition and the conditions of future generations. Scientists are saying that the “force” of evolution compels all organisms to adapt to their surroundings and to do everything possible to survive so that the species will continue to exist (not become extinct). My question is, who, what, controls this “force” of nature? We know it is there, but why are all organisms on Earth subject to this force? It is not a random force. This force of evolution only propels the organisms forward and seems to operate with this mechanism termed “natural selection.” Scientists have called this the “survival of the fittest.” Evolution theorists say that from the beginning of “time” organisms have been improving from being very simple to their most complex states. So, there is a random force of nature that drives all of us to get better or we fall by the “wayside.” Again, not a random concept, this sounds more like a “law of nature.”

So, we can’t go and touch, see, hear, smell, and taste God using our traditional “senses” but we sure can see the complexities of this planet, the life on it and look at the vastness of space and “see” God! We must question that which is not plausible. We must challenge our senses and force them to examine the many wonders near and far. When we do that, we will see how, in fact God does exist. There is no way that all of what we see, hear, taste, touch and smell came to be by some random events. We would never see a new car in the driveway and believe that it materialized out of thin air! We would never find an iphone in our car and just assume that our car somehow “manufactured” it on its own. We should not use that “silly logic” to explain away God’s existence and his creations either.

Consider this quote:
18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. (Romans 1:18-20, New International Version)

The above quote is from the Bible. All the events in the Bible are historical. Much care was put into it to record events that supported what was being said. Archeology owes a lot to the Bible because the Bible served as a map to explorers who wanted to excavate ancient cities, their prized artifacts and their rich histories. Jesus, himself, extensively quoted from the Old Testament. We know that he was a true, historical figure. After 2000 years, no one has been able to dispute that fact. After Jesus’ departure, his disciples (Apostles because they were with him from beginning to end) recorded his life and teachings (New Testament). They worked together to pass those accounts to us. I have researched the whole Bible and I know that it is true and it can stand up to any ancient works out there. In fact it is more reliable than other ancient works because of how heavily it has been duplicated.

Use your senses but use them to get the whole picture. As you do that, you yourself will be convinced that God does exist. As surely as we exists and get to flourish on this Earth, God exists! What I covered in this account is minute compared to the many amazing things that exist on this planet and in space. But if you stop to look carefully, you will see God’s invisible qualities in all the things that have been created.


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