Critical Analysis
By: Navin (January 2nd, 2010)
Dear Professor,
Your lecture yesterday on the evolutionary theory, well articulated and decorated with witful takes on God and religion has left many questions in my mind. You said that scientific evidence to prove the origin of the universe and the evolution of the species has proved beyond doubt that there is no God. And you were quick to add that such a view did not support a nihilistic approach to erase values and principles on which the society stands, although your hastiness to add this disclaimer seemed like the inevitability of the same. And that made we wonder about the viability of this whole theory.
Because if there is no God, then that means there is no absolute standard to judge good and evil. Then who decides what is good and evil? The government? The society in general? The individual? Who? And if the government is going to decide what is good and evil then what if we have regimes like those of Hitler’s , Stalin’s, Mao’s and the Pol Pots? You just drew for me a very scary picture full of killings, murder and strife. Who will protect me from the impending Holocausts, genocides and the slavery of body and mind? In God at least I had a hope but what about these regimes from which such things flow? Can you imagine the impact of such sadistic thoughts and ideas which have already caused the killing of millions around the world? And if you say that every man decides for himself what is good and evil, then the chaos that is going to follow would be of unimaginable proportions. If there is no God then I am not answerable to any transcendent authority but to myself! Then why should I love my neighbour? Why should I care for the poor and needy? Why should I show acts of charity and bravery? Am I foolish to do such noble acts when there is nobody to judge my actions, I would rather fulfill the desires of by wicked heart! Aha, now I can do what I wish to do! Isn’t that great, professor?
You also said that even moral values evolve in the society and you pointed how man has got more civilized and nations have flourished bringing in wealth, health and prosperity for all! You took the example of how a communist and Godless China has prospered and developed. But I want to ask you if wealth, health and prosperity are the only measures for God’s existence? What about the widespread abuse of human rights? What about the Tiananmen Square? What about the forced one-child policy and large scale killing through capital punishment? What about killings in the name of religion? Tibet issue? Discrimination against ethnic minorities? Is this any better than any tyrannical regime of the past? Then how do you propose evolving of better values and society without a God? You were concerned that so much terror is perpetrated in the name of religion and that religion is an evil and it needs to be purged from the society. You argued that because religious people commit these acts of terror therefore faith in God is evil. Even the most simplest of men cannot understand the logic behind the argument. It’s like saying that scientists invented the atom bomb and because atom bomb killed so many, science is evil. Why don’t we blame those great inventions of science that have caused the killing of many and ask for the eradication of science and knowledge?
And you closed with a view that you won’t be surprised if one day scientists will come out with chemical equations that will send the creation theory out of the window. But I guess even then the problem is not solved because then the next question would be to prove the origin of those chemicals. It will keep going in to an infinite regress till you accept the existence of an uncaused and infinite God who caused all the finite things that we see around us. Science has only invented what was already there because creation belongs to God. Man has just managed to scratch the surface of what we call ‘knowledge’.
Yours sincerely,
Isaac.
January 5th, 2010 at 2:07 am
I’m not one of those “God created the world in seven days because the Bible said so!” people. Although to predict that science will prove that there is no God negates the entire definition of faith…that faith, of course, is belief without proof. The idea that God can fit into a scientific equation is insane. Of course He can’t. Although the idea of what is wrong and right has changed over the decades (for instance, it was thought a sin to marry outside your race), what is fundamentally Good and Evil has not.
January 5th, 2010 at 9:43 pm
Dear Friend, when it comes to Christian faith, that faith is not without proof. A true disciple of Christ will examine his faith before putting his faith. Also I’ll suggest you to read “A case for CHrist” by lee strobbel to understand the authenticity of the bible that its truly God inspired word and then probably you’ll beleive the first statement of your comment.