I've heard a lot lately about how people don't believe in God because there is no proof, or that bad things happen so God can't exist because He is supposed to be all powerful and all loving and he doesn't stop pain from happening. I honestly believe anyone who says there is no proof of God has their eyes closed. I see God in every person I meet. Every smile I see, every tear that falls, every feeling of love and care I feel. I know God is there when I am given the chance to comfort, when I'm given the chance to serve. God could fulfill all of our needs and yet I love the fact that God lets us do things for ourselves. I see God in the wonders of the world around me.
I do not believe that existence as it is here on Earth was some random accident where exactly the right specifications for life just managed to all fall together so as to allow life here on Earth. I do not honestly believe that there is a simple biological explanation for true love. Lust is a strong attraction based in biological signals that occur when we see something we find attractive, but the kind of love that creates a lasting relationship where two people get married and are together for their entire lives is built on something so much deeper. Love is of God, because he loves us we have the capacity to love. One thing I like to say is what would be the point of so many of the emotions we have if our only purpose was to ensure the continuance of our biological line. Not to say we don't feel some imperative to reproduce that is driven by biological signals. But love would have no place as love should be. Nor would the sincere compassion that people should and do feel for each other. Some people get hurt and so they fail to develop the group compassion but for the most part all people care for other people. All people may not care about every other person but caring for so many people makes no sense if we served no other purpose than to reproduce.
As for bad things happening, God has the power to keep us from harm, and His original plan for us did not include any kind of pain, but because we are human and imperfect we messed up, and we hurt God, he wanted us to love Him, and we scorned Him by ignoring Him and eating of the tree of knowledge, we allowed the serpent to corrupt us. God could step in at any time and stop all pain, but why doesn't he? A lot of people who dispute God's existence ask that question. They wonder why He allows us to be hurt and experience loss. If you never experienced anything bad would you have any idea that you were experiencing good?
Imagine for a moment that you are a parent, such as God is our father, you have a child who you love with all your heart and you are teaching them how to ride a bike. Now, you are holding the bike up and it is in your power to keep them from falling from the bike. Now, you can go on holding the bike forever, keeping them from getting hurt. But what are they learning, will they ever ride the bike for themselves? No. So, what do you do, do you go on holding on the the bike forever? Or do you let them go and watch them fall and get hurt despite the fact that it tears at your heart to see it happen? I would love to hold onto the bike forever, to keep my child close and unharmed, but I know I'm keeping them from growing and learning if I do so, and so I release the bike with much reluctance and when they fall I help them up, comfort them, and help them try again. I guess in short I'm just trying to say that God is there, He loves you, and he wants you to love Him.
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I posted this elsewhere and my next post is a response to the comments so I'll be posting them below.
ReplyDeleteMatt:
ReplyDeleteNot to rain on your comments, it was a good analogy, but... in our existence there isn't even a need for an all-powerful being, its an improbability. The study of human psychology and thought process manifestations are the reason we have developed divine beings, not because they are there.
Your child knows your there, holding the bike, and they also know your not there when you let go. God is this being that has never shown himself except in old ages where people were notorious for great storytelling and the lack of knowledge of mental issues played a role where some (or all?) of these people could have merely had mental problems, or had visions and such when they obtained high fever as delusions as prominent.
You can find the truth in the study of humanity, intelligence leads to ignorance because we over-explain everything. Plus, I don't think humans are so important that we have a god who created us and all these things for us, thinking our species is that important is quite selfish of us, is it not?... See more
It was a good thought though for sure, well put together.
Sean:
ReplyDeleteAlso found the note randomly, but didn't exactly make my day. Though belief in a god is something that helps a lot of people, and something I would have to be heartless to take away, it is not a requisite for life on earth, nor is it supported by any evidence. I saw two main points in your note. First, that altruism cannot be useful in an ... See moreevolutionary paradigm, since it does nothing to pass one's genes along. This is based on a false premise. Evolution has to do with the fitness of a population, not an individual. Thus, if altruism (or love, or any emotion) increases the survival rate of a population, which I'm sure we can agree it does, it would explain its development throughout evolution.
Second, you present the analogy that god strengthens us by testing us, as a parent with a child learning how to ride a bike. This is Christian naivety at its worst. Your analogy should be that of a parent pushing his child in front of a truck to teach him a lesson. Not all suffering makes us stronger. Sometimes it's just suffering. For instance, certain mental disorders distance one from reality, while causing great pain to all involved. Can god really be trying to draw someone nearer to him/her/it while taking away the mental faculties necessary to do so? Obviously not.
In summary, your faith is your faith. It is obviously important to you, and to many who posted on this page. But do not presume that because you believe something so fervently, it makes it reality. I will never tell someone that they should not believe in god. That's their right, and it's something that does many people a lot of good. But that doesn't mean you can prove it. I'm quite aware of what science is, and what constitutes proof, and I guarantee you there is no empirical proof for god. Believe in god because it gives you hope, or because it makes you a better person. Don't try to believe in god because you think you can prove god exists.