God the Father: Why Would a Reasonable Person Believe in God?
Gettysburg Presbyterian Church
David C. Wright
Gen. 1:1; Ps. 19:1-6; Ps. 14:1a
February 21, 2010
This morning
we begin a sermon series based on the Apostles Creed. I hope
the series will remind us of some of the most basic and important
beliefs that we share as Christians and how those beliefs can make
a difference in the way we live. So, let’s jump right
in. The creed begins with our most basic confession: “I
believe in God the Father Almighty.” But why? Why
would a reasonable person believe in God? Belief in God has
been called into serious question in popular books like Richard
Dawkins’ The God Delusion. Christopher
Hitchens’ book, God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons
Everything, was a 2007 bestseller, and he now writes a weekly
column for Newsweek.
On a lighter note, a Calvin & Hobbes
comic strip raises the question of God’s existence like this:
Standing next to a Christmas tree, six year old Calvin says:
“This whole Santa Claus thing just doesn't make sense. Why all the
secrecy? Why all the mystery? If the guy exists, why doesn't he ever
show himself and prove it? And if he doesn't exist, what's the meaning
of all this Christmas stuff?”
Hobbes (His stuffed tiger toy) replies: I dunno. Isn't this
a religious holiday?
Calvin answers: Yeah, but actually, I've got the same questions
about God.
“If the guy exists, why doesn't he ever show himself & prove it?" Indeed!
Given the questions running
around popular culture as well as the doubts expressed by some significant thinkers,
it should not surprise us that there are some of us here this morning with questions
about the existence of God. In fact, most of us doubt God’s existence at
one time or other.
So we’re back to
our original question: “Why would a reasonable person believe in God?” Ironically,
the Bible doesn't offer very much help. The Bible simply assumes God. The
very first verse of the Bible says, "In the beginning God created the
heavens & the earth." (Genesis 1:1), simply assuming that God the
Creator exists. But Christian thinkers, informed by the teaching of the
Bible, have developed a number of arguments for the existence of God over the
years. We’re going to look at a couple of those arguments in a simplified
form this morning.
The first argument states
that the existence of the universe is not self-explanatory. This is called
the cosmological argument. It asks, “Why does the universe exist
instead of nothing?” There are two possible explanations for the origin
of the universe.
Atheists propose a naturalistic
explanation such as the “Big Bang” theory. The basic problem
with naturalistic explanations is that when you boil them all down, these theories
all say that the universe arose out of nothing by nothing.
But common sense tells
you that need a first cause even to set some kind of chain reaction in motion. What
triggered the big bang? And where did those first molecules come from? Where
did the energy come from? It seems to me that it requires a great deal of faith
to believe that something came from nothing with no cause. There is absolutely
no scientific precedent for this happening at any other time in the history of
the universe!
On the other hand, Christians
believe that it is far more likely that the universe exists because there is
a Creator. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Bang! Whether
you take Genesis 1 and 2 literally or poetically, Christians agree that God is
the first cause, the Creator. God might have used a Big bang. At
its essence this theory says that the universe suddenly emerged from virtually
nothing to physical space & time as we know it about 15 billion years ago. The
fact that the universe exists instead of nothing is evidence of a creator God.
The second argument for
the existence of God is the teleological argument. It states that the existence
of order & balance & majesty & beauty & diversity in the universe
is evidence of a creator- that there must be some intelligence behind all this- that
it is unreasonable to believe that the complexity and balance in the vastness
of the universe could have emerged by chance.
We observe this order & purpose
even in the small matters of creation. Every Spring hummingbirds would
come to our Virginia home, hovering outside our kitchen window, as if to say, “Well,
where’s our food?” They came a great distance to our home each
year, having spent the winter in Mexico. How did we know that they came
all the way from Mexico? Well, they were wearing those little sombreros
and holding those tiny bottles of tequila! No, ornithologists tell us that
somehow these tiny birds make a roundtrip flight to and from Mexico each year. How
the same birds navigate their way back to our house with those tiny little brains
is simply remarkable. The universe displays order and complexity that defies
an explanation of simple chance.
Bill Bryson applies this
way of thinking to the human body in his book, A Short History of Nearly Everything. He
writes, “No one really knows, but there may be as many as a million types
of protein in the human body and each one is a little miracle. By all the
laws of probability proteins shouldn’t exist. To make a protein you
need to assemble amino acids...in a particular order, in much the same way that
you assemble letters in a particular order to spell a word.” For
example, an average protein needs about 200 amino acids. The chances of
a 200-sequence molecule of protein spontaneously self-assembling are, frankly
nil. To grasp what a long shot this is, visualize a standard Las Vegas
slot machine, but broadened greatly, to accommodate 200 spinning wheels instead
of the usual three or four, and with twenty symbols on each wheel (one for each
amino acid). How long would you have to pull the lever before all 200 symbols
came up in the right order? Effectively forever. “The odds
against all two hundred coming up in a prescribed sequence are 1 in 10 to the
260th power- that is one followed by 260 zeroes. That in itself is a larger
number than all the atoms in the universe. And we’re talking about
(the creation of) several hundred thousand (different) types of protein, perhaps
a million, each unique and each, as far as we know, vital to the maintenance
of a sound and happy you!” Chance is not a good explanation for the
existence of the universe and complex life as we know it!
Further, it is a law of
science that if left alone, things naturally move from order to chaos. That’s
the natural progression of things. How can we believe that in this one
instance- the creation of the world- that things operated in the opposite way-
that chaos became ordered on its own?
Summing up the first two
arguments, Cosmologist Allan R. Sandage says: "Science cannot answer
the deepest questions. As soon as you ask why there is something instead
of nothing, you have gone beyond science. I find it quite improbable that
such order came out of chaos. There has to be some organizing principle. God
to me is the explanation for the miracle of existence- why there is something
instead of nothing."
Or in the words of the
Psalmist: “The heavens are telling the glory of God and the firmament
displays his handiwork.”
The final argument for
the existence of God I would like us to consider this morning is the moral argument,
which was proposed by Immanuel Kant. It is the argument which persuaded
avowed atheist, C.S. Lewis, to believe in God. It states that the existence
of a moral sense in the world is not self-explanatory
Here are the facts: a) In
all cultures people have a sense of right & wrong behavior. The specifics
vary, but the existence of a moral sense is universal. Some common moral beliefs
include fair play, justice, and unselfishness. Certain things are right;
certain things are wrong. And we possess an inner sense that rebels at
transgressing these standards.
b) The second fact is
that although all societies have some sort of moral code, no society follows
these moral codes very well.
How do we explain these
facts? Why does this moral sense exist if we are unable to follow it in
our behavior? Where does it come from? What purpose could it possibly
serve?
Atheists suggest that
these moral codes are biologically- driven. They say these moral values are based
on our need to reproduce and sustain life. In other words, pure self-interest
underlies these moral codes. But this explanation doesn't hold up under
closer scrutiny. In fact, our moral sense is often not in our self-interest. For
example, being honest, keeping hard promises, refraining from illicit sexual
behavior, refraining from stealing- these rules often keep us from getting what
we desire and need. Further, most cultures believe it is good to repress
the fear instinct in order to risk your life to save someone else in danger. That
is clearly not in your self interest!
If self-interest is an
inadequate explanation for the existence of a universal moral sense, then what
is the explanation? Christians say that we are created or designed by God
to function best in certain ways. That’s why some sense of how we ought
to behave is imprinted into us by the Creator. We have a moral sense because
we are created as moral beings. No other explanation is satisfactory.
We’ve looked at
the cosmological argument, the teleological argument, and the moral argument. And
some of you are still awake! However, in spite of this evidence, we must admit
that ultimately, we have no absolute proof that God exists. Although it
is a reasonable belief, trust in God is still a matter.
If you are struggling
to believe in God, I invite you to consider this question, "When did you
stop believing?" It is rare for a child to not believe in God, so
when did you stop believing in God?
Maybe someone asked you
some questions about your faith which you couldn't answer, and that caused you
to doubt your faith in God. You may have been intellectually overmatched by a
teacher or professor or an author. But what about now? Why not look
at the evidence again? You could take a look at the books listed in your
bulletin as a starting point.
Or, maybe it was a personal
tragedy that caused you to stop believing- a war experience, the loss of parent,
spouse, or child, a devastating divorce. You wondered how a good God could
allow this. The injustice of it. The unbearable suffering. Maybe a personal tragedy
led you to doubt the existence of God.
For others there are lifestyle
issues which lead to a lack of faith in God. This one is more common than you
might think, though it probably operates on an unconscious level. We believe
that something in our lifestyle would be unacceptable to God- that if we believed
in God we would have to give up something we've grown to love & depend on. So
it's easier to just stop believing in God!
You see, it’s often
these personal tragedies or lifestyle issues that give rise to our intellectual
objections. Our objections seem rational, but in fact are rooted
in gut-level issues that are not rational at all. So, take some time to
remember: When did you stop believing?
Then, if you've got honest
questions, look into them. Read and study. Listen to what the great
Christian thinkers have said about these things. Talk with a pastor or Christian
friend.
If you're still hurting
from a personal tragedy, get some help to heal. It's OK to pour out your
anger and hurt to God. If you read the Psalms, you’ll notice that
the Psalmist did this frequently! Then tell the Lord, “I want to
believe, but I need help. If you are real, reveal yourself to me." Be
open! God is not waiting to clobber you with your doubts. The Bible
says, "Draw near to God & God will draw near to you."
The decision
to believe in God is a risky one. It will certainly unsettle
your life. But there is good evidence that God exists. And
the Apostle Paul reminds us in Acts 17 that "God desires
that people search for him ... and find him, for he is not far from
each one of us." (Acts 17:27)
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