Posted by
James Biga on Monday, November 20, 2006 11:40:00 AM
It would appear that the amount of people not believing in the existence of an almighty is rising. At the very least they are getting more press and opportunity to press this belief. Men like Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins are gaining prestige for their atheistic views and appear to have an ample and growing following. Both men throw out the words Logic and reason when they press their opinions. They claim that man only needs to use his brain to figure that there is no almighty. To these men we are nothing but a big coincidence.
First off, I do believe there is a God. My faith leads me to believe he created this universe and everything in it. I also believe that this God has a plan for humanity. My Christian faith leads me to believe that God has sent a Messiah who was sacrificed for the likes of me. My Jewish brethren and I differ on this, but not on the belief in a God. Religion, which is the tool in which one practices their faith, is man made and therefore fallible. This however has no affect on true faith. It's actually pretty simple. Maybe this is why religion is often attacked. It is the easiest target to go after. Many people see a failure in a religion as a failure of faith. I disagree. Raising three children the same way and one goes astray does not mean that you were incorrect in your child rearing decisions. As with everything, the individual has to be factored into the equation. I digress.
I would like to no what the atheist considers to be reason and logic. Is it reasonable or logical to believe that everything we know to be is one huge accident of circumstances? Is it reasonable and logical to believe that something came from nothing? They often state that no one knows the answer of who conceived this God. Does it make you less of a truth because I don't know who conceived your father? Claiming that science is the answer to all, they disregard the fact that science can only prove how and not why.
Do I know exactly how the God I believe in made the universe? No. The simple description in the bible is good enough for me. I don't need in depth textbooks describing each step in the process. Using reason and logic from modern science I know that something can't come from nothing. Using reason and Logic I realize that there is something inherent in every human being that provides them with a meaning of life and an importance that can't be realized if there is no almighty power with plans. To deny the existence of an almighty is to deny the value of life. This is both unreasonable and illogical. If there is no God life has no meaning. If there is no God, how we deal with our fellow man has no true consequence. If there is no God we will never know WHY things are the way the are.
Atheism is an extreme that refuses to accept an almighty. Being an Atheist limits ones boundaries and puts the atheist in a box with no escape. Motivation must come from the "Human God" which, as we have seen, is often disappointing and extremely fallible. As A believer in an almighty I can imagine faeries, nymphs, ghosts, centaurs, and the like to be true. I can dream of what an afterlife would be like. As an Atheist all I would have is this world. This not only conflicts with what I know to be human instinct, it would be an extremely depressing existence.
No matter what your belief you can find people that will agree with your philosophy or ideas no matter how extreme or inane. The more illogical the stronger your supporters. Say what the people want to hear and you have an even bigger following. we see examples of this all around the world. Make a person feel better about their shortcomings and you have an ally for life. Hold a person responsible for their actions and they resent you.
God does this. He forces nothing on people that they don't want. He makes it easy to come to him. If people choose to face their situations on their own he lets them. If they choose to deny his existence, he lets them. If they choose to commit murder and rape he lets them. This is free will. We get to choose what approach we want. If we decide to make it without him, that is our choice. If we choose to confer with him and ask for guidance that is a choice. It is both reasonable and logical that there are consequences to our decisions.
If you refuse to believe in an almighty, you have chosen. You can color it anyway you want. It is unreasonable and illogical. Just because a large group of people believe that 2+2=5. doesn't make it so.