Upwards Church

This Sunday we begin our new series, Explore God!  Each campus will explore the topic, “Is there a God?”  Leander on  9/8/13, Jarrell & Taylor 9/15/13.  Hope you can join us!  Below is an article from www.ExploreGod.com to get us thinking on the topic.

Football players point heavenward after scoring touchdowns or making great tackles. Grammy winners thank God for their success. Police officers wear Saint Christopher medallions when on patrol. Millions of people flock to churches and synagogues and temples each weekend for prayer, meditation, and praise.

Is this odd behavior—even a bit outdated for modern society? Some think so. What’s all the hoopla? With science and technology increasing our life expectancies and providing more control over what once was deemed “destiny,” it seems to matter less and less if God exists or not.

In fact, who really cares?

A Timeless Need

And yet so much in society still points in that direction. In my own job as a newspaper reporter, I come in contact with hundreds of people from all walks of life, all belief systems, all socio-economic backgrounds. Countless times I have seen true tragedy—from fires to floods to fatal car crashes—and in the majority of these instances, the survivors reveal a belief in God.

Part of this may be simply human nature. It seems that deep within our human fabric there is a need or desire for there to exist a higher being, a creator who oversees all, considers all, and takes appropriate action on our behalf.

This desire dates back to the earliest peoples who walked the earth. All major societies—from the ancient Egyptians to the Babylonians to the Meso-Persian Empire to the biblical Israelites—were structured around a core set of religious beliefs. In most cases, these beliefs permeated all aspects of corporate and individual life.

Today’s societies are not all that different. Though Muslims operate under a different set of principles than Buddhists do, both still live in accord with the structures and codes of a centralized belief system. A quick Google search of any major American city shows a diverse choice of churches to pick from—and that’s just Christian churches alone.

The Search                      

With so many options available to us, I think it’s safe to say that the majority of people are interested in or invested in—to put it another way, they care about—the existence of a higher power or powers. In fact, today, only approximately 12 percent of the world population identifies themselves as atheist or agnostic.¹ Many people around the world are searching for God, wish to live in some type of relationship with God, or believe they have already found God.

The search for truth, the force of the intellect and will, the pursuit of love, the untiring struggle to find some kind of meaning to life—these human endeavors seem almost inherent. They cross time, culture, and geography.

Could they, in part, indicate that human existence is born from a higher consciousness, the result of a divine design that surpasses chance? Even science, as far as it has come in explaining the world around us, doesn’t have all the answers. The definite, true answers to many of our basic inquiries remain enshrouded in mist and uncertainty: Why am I here? What is my purpose?

So What?

So who cares if there’s a God? I think we all do—on varying levels—at least in the sense that we care what that would mean for our lives. For if God does exist, his presence and nature could very well affect us all. From the most fervent congregation member to the most adamant man of science, we all must at least consider God’s existence when trying to answer the great questions of life.

• If there is no higher purpose, why am I here?
• If God exists, then what is his will for my life?
• If God doesn’t exist, where do I turn for direction?
• Does God think some things are good to do and others are bad?
• If God is real and good, why does he allow bad things to happen?
• If God isn’t real and there is nothing beyond this world, why do so many people feel empty and hopeless no matter what they attain materially on earth? 
• What happens when I die?

Whether or not you actually believe in God, the very nature of life—the answers to the above questions and more—is reason enough to care if there is a God out there.

What do you think?

www.RidgeFellowship.com

1. “Religion Statistics by Adherents,” Religion Facts, last updated January 2, 2013. Statistics come from the World Christian Database of Gordon-Cromwell Theological Seminary and can be found athttp://www.religionfacts.com/religion_statistics/religion_statistics_by_adherents.htm.

 Written by:  Ben Sharp

This Sunday we begin our new series, Explore God!  Each campus will explore the topic, “Is there a God?”  Leander on  9/8/13, Jarrell & Taylor 9/15/13.  Hope you can join us!  Below is an article from www.ExploreGod.com to get us thinking on the topic.

You’ve likely heard people talk about God, but is all that just a bunch of nonsense? Or could God be real?

What distinguishes a claim that an invisible God is present in the world from claims about the reality of Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, or a child’s imaginary friend? Is God real? If so, where is this God that people claim to know?

In 1952 the philosopher Bertrand Russell, a self-described atheist and agnostic, wrote an article for Illustrated magazine entitled “Is There a God?”¹ In it, he introduced his famous “orbiting teapot” idea. Russell claimed that the burden of proof lies with those who make claims that cannot be verified scientifically:

If I were to suggest that between the Earth and Mars there is a china teapot revolving about the sun in an elliptical orbit, nobody would be able to disprove my assertion provided I were careful to add that the teapot is too small to be revealed even by our most powerful telescopes. But if I were to go on to say that, since my assertion cannot be disproved, it is intolerable presumption on the part of human reason to doubt it, I should rightly be thought to be talking nonsense. If, however, the existence of such a teapot were affirmed in ancient books, taught as the sacred truth every Sunday, and instilled into the minds of children at school, hesitation to believe in its existence would become a mark of eccentricity and entitle the doubter to the attentions of the psychiatrist in an enlightened age or of the Inquisitor in an earlier time.²

Russell suggested that believers must prove God’s reality rather than expect nonbelievers to disprove God’s reality. Some have even satirically applied Russell’s idea to those who believe in invisible pink unicorns and flying spaghetti monsters.³

Russell’s point makes some sense. Just because somebody claims that something is true doesn’t mean that it is true or that we should feel compelled to prove that it is not true.

However, the claim that God is real is a bit different from Russell’s teapot—and from the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus for that matter.

Physical or Spiritual?

We know things about the physical universe that would make the teapot claim seem unjustifiable. Teapots are, after all, physical objects. Based on our present knowledge of the laws of the physical universe, we have no rational reason to believe in an orbiting teapot.

On the other hand, most religions describe God as a spirit, not a physical entity.⁴ If this is true, it would put the reality of God and that of an orbiting teapot in altogether different categories.

Visible or Invisible?

Disbelief in the reality of God is also based on the fact that God is unseen. However, we believe in the reality of numerous things we cannot see. For example, we accept the reality of historical figures such as Plato and Socrates, although we’ve seen neither. Historical evidence points to their existence, so we accept them as real.

We deal differently with mythological characters such as Mickey Mouse or Superman. We reject them as fantasy because we have no evidence pointing to their reality. If someone denied the existence of Socrates, we would expect them to make their case for unbelief, whereas if someone denied the existence of Superman we would not demand a case be made.

At the same time, we accept other invisible, non-scientifically verifiable realities. For example, how can I scientifically prove that I love my children or my spouse? Yet I know without question that I do. Am I willing to label that knowledge as specious?

We cannot see wind, yet we know it is real based on how it affects the things around it. We cannot see odor or sound, but their reality is evident to all who can see, smell, and hear. Within our universe, reality is not demonstrated merely by visibility and provability, but also by affect, historical reliability, and plausibility.

So Is God Real?

Christian thinkers would answer yes, but we must be careful to define what is meant by “real.” Christians speak of God’s nature as being spiritual rather than physical.

Among the implications of this claim is the idea that God is neither bound nor described by the physical laws of this universe. God does not consist of matter.

Christians believe that God is present equally and fully in all the universe, and yet is also distinct from and lord over it.⁵ No place exists where God is absent; the entire universe reveals his presence and power.⁶

Dallas Willard, a philosophy professor at the University of Southern California, describes humans as “spiritual beings” with physical bodies. He observes, “You cannot find me or any of my thoughts, feelings, or character traits in any part of my body. Even I cannot. If you wish to find me, the last thing you should do is open my body to take a look.”⁷

In an analogous way (and all analogies break down), he says that God relates to space as we do to our bodies. God “occupies and overflows it but cannot be localized in it.”⁸ In short, God is everywhere, fully and completely.

The ancient Hebrew poet understood this of God and spoke of it in the psalms: “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.”⁹

If God is real, then we are faced with a more personal question. Can we know this invisible God? If the nature of spiritual things is that they cannot be perceived by the five senses—that they are non-physical realities—how does one find God?

The testimony of men and women who have staked a claim on the reality of God over the centuries is summed up in the words of the ancient Hebrew prophet named Jeremiah: “‘You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’” declares the Lord.”¹⁰

Christian thinkers have understood that human beings have a capacity for relationship with the God who created us. We, too, seem to have a spiritual dimension, a way of being that is more than the five senses. Perhaps it is the quest to know God that best puts one in a position to answer the question, “Is God real?”

www.RidgeFellowship.com

www.ExploreGod.com

1. Bertrand Russell, “Am I an Atheist or an Agnostic? A Plea for Tolerance,” The Literary and Rationalist Review 64, no 7 (1949): 115-16. In this article, Russell describes himself as an atheist and agnostic.
2. Bertrand Russell, “Is There a God?” (1952), The Collected Papers of Bertrand Russell 11: Last Philosophical Testament (1943–68), ed. John G. Slater and Peter Köllner (London: Routledge, 1997), 543–48.
3. Bobby Henderson, The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (New York: Random House, 2006).
4. For the Christian perspective, see The Holy Bible, New International Version © 2011, John 4:24.
5. The Holy Bible, New International Version © 2011, Psalm 139:7–12. “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.”
6. Ibid, Romans 1:20. “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.”
7. Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God, (New York: HarperOne, 1998), 76.
8. Ibid.
9. The Holy Bible, Psalm 139:7–8.
10. Ibid, Jeremiah 29:13–14.
11. Photo Credit: mtr / Shutterstock.com.

 Written by:  R. Robert Creech, Ph.D.

This Sunday we begin our new series, Explore God!  Each campus will explore the topic, “Is there a God?”  Leander on  9/8/13, Jarrell & Taylor 9/15/13.  Hope you can join us!  Below is an article from www.ExploreGod.com to get us thinking on the topic.

Biologist Richard Dawkins has devoted his life to science and the spreading of his conviction that science makes faith irrelevant. The general assumption that drives Dawkins and those like him is that science and faith are fundamentally opposed to each other. Science deals with objective public truth; faith deals with subjective personal belief.

However, an examination of the definitions of the two demonstrates that Dawkins may be mistaken.

What Is Science?

Science is more difficult to define than we might think. There simply is no single agreed-upon definition of science or scientific method.

Science is generally considered a way of knowing and investigating the natural world; it largely has to do with what is observable and repeatable. For example, the vast majority of American state departments of education define science as the process that “investigates the natural world through the use of observation, experimentation, and logical argument.”¹

The Redefinition of Faith

Critics of faith generally consider it to deal solely with personal, subjective belief. Faith can be “true for you but not for me,” as the saying goes. And since science has the natural world covered, faith and religion must deal with something entirely different, something that cannot be verified by “observation, experimentation, and logical argument.”²

Dawkins elsewhere defines faith as “belief that isn’t based on evidence.”³ This is then contrasted with science, which deals exclusively with the observable, natural world—evidence that anyone can check.

The patient typically finds himself impelled by some deep, inner conviction that something is true, or right, or virtuous: a conviction that doesn’t seem to owe anything to evidence or reason, but which, nevertheless, he feels as totally compelling and convincing. We doctors refer to such a belief as ‘faith’. Richard Dawkins, A Devil’s Chaplain

Put this way, who wouldn’t prefer science over faith? I know I would. After all, there is authentic proof for science but faith is just blind belief without evidence—or worse yet, belief that runs counter to the evidence.

Faith in the Bible

Much of the supposed conflict between science and religion arises out of this basic misunderstanding of faith. The biblical picture of faith has nothing in common with Dawkins’s definition. In fact, is the exact opposite.

In biblical terms, faith means simply “trust” or “belief.”⁴ To have faith in God means to trust God. Why? Because he has given evidence that demonstrates he is worthy of receiving that trust.

The Apostle John explained that he wrote his Gospel (also known as the book of John) so “that you may believe.”⁵ That is, John made a record of Jesus’s words and deeds so that others could examine them and choose whether or not to believe in Jesus. John does not ask for blind belief but a choice based on an examination of the evidence of Jesus.

Likewise, while discussing the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, the biblical writer Paul does not say, “Just believe it!” In 1 Corinthians 15:6 he states that the Christian faith depends upon the fact that Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to over 500 people, most of whom were still living at the time of Paul’s writing. He encourages his readers to check the evidence, to ask the witnesses who actually saw and talked with Jesus.

There are a number of similar examples.⁶ God does not ask for blind belief. He asks men and women to examine the evidence and make an educated decision. Faith is not belief without proof. It is trusting in a God who has proved himself trustworthy.

Science’s Origin in Faith

Not only are science and faith not enemies, but as it turns out, the birth of modern science was actually made possible by the Christian faith. Modern science arose in areas directly under the influence of Christianity.

Sociologist Rodney Stark writes, “Theological assumptions unique to Christianity explain why science was born only in Christian Europe. Contrary to the received wisdom, religion and science not only were compatible; they were inseparable.”⁷

Modern science depends on some key assumptions derived from Christianity:

• Belief in the rationality of the universe. Scientists believed the universe was orderly and uniform because it was created by a God who was rational and ordered.
• Belief that mankind was created in the image of God. Since God is rational, man is rational and able to reason. Since man exists in an orderly universe, he is able to trust his senses, employ his reason, and understand the world.

Science begins with the conviction that the universe is knowable, that it is ordered, that sensory perceptions can be trusted, and that reason and rationality correspond to reality.

The Real Question

According to its own general definition, science cannot address the major, more nebulous questions that we all struggle with: Why am I here? What is the meaning of life? What is my purpose?

Science cannot answer these critical, fundamental questions. Answers to these deeper, more abiding questions are most often found through faith and religion.

Properly understood, science is not opposed to faith. It is not one or the other. They are both legitimate sources of truth and knowledge. Science needs faith and faith needs science.

The important question is not what you personally believe. The real question is: Which worldview is the most reasonable and has the most evidence to support it?

What do you think?

www.RidgeFellowship.com

www.ExploreGod.com

 Footnotes

1. Jonathan Wells, “Definitions of Science in State Standards,” Discovery Institute, November 10, 2005: http://www.discovery.org/a/2573.
2. Ibid.
3. Richard Dawkins, “Is Science a Religion?” The Humanist, Jan/Feb 1997, 26-39.
4. See The Holy Bible, New International Version © 2011, Romans 4:5, 20 for a clear link between faith and trust/belief.
5. The Holy Bible, New International Version © 2011, John 20:31
6. Ibid., John 10:37-38. Jesus says, “Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” Jesus is offering up proof of his identity and telling his listeners to look at his works and decide— based on the evidence—if they believe.
7. Rodney Stark, For the Glory of God: How Monotheism Led to Reformations, Science, Witch-Hunts, and the End of Slavery (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2003), 3.

Written by  Matt Shores