Is God Real?

Thursday, 20 September 2012

Is Creation a Myth?

God stretches the northern sky over empty space and hangs the earth on nothing. –Job 26: 7

Evolution is a widely accepted theory that claims that all higher forms of life such as human beings have evolved from primitive and lower forms of life such as unicellular bacteria. A key process in evolution is speciation, in which a single ancestral species splits and diversifies into multiple new species. There are several modes through which this occurs. Ultimately, all living (and extinct) species are descended from a common ancestor via a long series of speciation events. These events stretch back in a diverse "tree of life" which has grown over the 3.5 billion years during which life has existed on Earth. This is visible in anatomical, genetic and other similarities between groups of organisms, geographical distribution of related species, the fossil record and the recorded genetic changes in living organisms over many generations.

Regarding the origin of life the evolutionists believe that since most amino acids, often called "the building blocks of life", can form via natural chemical reactions unrelated to life (as demonstrated in experiments which involved simulating some of the conditions of the early Earth) in a scientific laboratory, these amino acids were formed on their own by various chemical reactions in the primitive earth. These amino acids were organized in to proteins and nucleic acids which in turn formed the first living things on earth the protobionts (organic molecules surrounded by a membrane-like structure) which later evolved into single cell prokaryotes (which lack a cell nucleus). Many models and explanations have been suggested to prove various theories of chemical evolution but the problem with every explanation is that as of 2010, no one has yet synthesized a "protocell" using basic components which would have the necessary properties of life. Without such a proof-of-principle, explanations have tended to be short on specifics.

Evolutionists also believe in the Big-bang origin of the universe which suggests the sudden appearance of everything from nothing. The premise of the Big Bang is that the entire universe was compacted into a teeny tiny little ball, which, after randomly coming into existence for no apparent reason in the first place, exploded into all space, time, matter and energy in an instant. This theory suggests that nothing existed before the explosion. Time and space came into existence as a result of this explosion or bang.

Just because of anatomical, genetic and other similarities between groups of organisms, geographical distribution of related species, the fossil record and the recorded genetic changes in living organisms over many generations one cannot assume that every creature evolved from a basic creature. E.g. I have many books in my book shelf. All of them look alike and are made of similar quality of paper. All are arranged in alphabetical order, each one was made in different time period and the quality of paper used for each book has been improving with every generation but this does not necessarily mean that each book came out of another book.

Isn’t it possible that every creature was created by God one after another, in a simple to complex order using similar organic material, the amino acids? Isn’t it possible that God created living things in their basic form as particular species of microbes, plants, fish, amphibians, reptiles and mammals, and then directed the processes of natural selection and genetic mutation to determine the course of things according to his plan?

The creation account in the book of genesis clearly states that God created every living thing on the earth. Therefore the source and the material for all living things is the same, it could be the amino acids that are formed from basic elements found in the earth. This accounts for the anatomical, genetic and other similarities between groups of organisms as well as the geographical distribution of related species. God did not create all the organisms in a single day. Elsewhere in the Bible we can see that a day of God can be longer than 1000 lunar years. This in fact is a simile, as we all know, and this would mean that God’s year can be longer than what we think and hence can account for the fossil record which suggests that there was a huge time gap in between the creation of different kinds of species. Further, the bible does not say that there cannot be genetic changes in living organisms that God has created; in fact the Bible identifies different species of giants that were produced as a result of union between human beings and angels. So the Bible does not rule out the possibility of genetic changes in living organisms over many generations. Regarding the origin of life and the universe there is no room for confusion in the Genesis account because it clearly states that God created the universe (heavens and the earth) and all forms of life.

Imagine a potter designing pots out of clay. He chooses to make small pots before the larger ones and arranges the pots according to the time of production from first to last. An evolutionist who sees the clay, the pots and their arrangement without seeing the potter would say, “Since all the pots look alike, are made of the same material, are arranged according to their different sizes and since the smaller pots came before the larger ones we can easily conclude that the larger pots came out of the smaller ones in due course of time.” If you show him the changes taking place in the pots due to environmental factors like heat and stress he would say that it is an adaptation due to genetic mutation and if he sees some pots broken he will call it natural selection. If someone asked the evolutionist about the clay he would say, “There was a big bang; no- where, at no point of time and the clay somehow came into existence.” Or else he would say, “The smaller pots have an alien origin”. If you suggest the possibility of a potter he would say, “Since we have no evidence of the existence of a potter and because we cannot know who created the potter we should conclude that there is no potter and that everything that we see here, the clay and the pots are a result of a big explosion, no-where, at no point of time.”

For evolution to have some significance the scientists who propose this theory should create a human being out of a virus or at least out of a mango seed, a living cell out of non-living substances and something out of nothing. Even if scientists successfully create a human being out of a virus, a living cell out of non-living substances and something out of nothing it cannot be counted as an automatic process like evolution because it would need the work of human intelligence which would act as a designer, a guide and a creator. Even if man creates everything out of nothing it cannot be a conclusive evidence of evolution because human intelligence that directs this process will then become a starting point, a something!

Since God created man in His own image, with similar intelligence and ability it is very likely that man may create a "protocell" using basic components in the near future. Even if man creates a protocell, it need not necessarily be the only way it could have taken place in the beginning. It will only be one of the ways in which a protocell can be synthesized out of inorganic substances. Even this data won’t be sufficient to prove that life began through chemical evolution. If God permits, man may even create a universe out of nothing but this would only strengthen the faith in the Genesis account which states that ‘God created man in His own image’. Evolution can come closer to the truth if someday a monkey makes a human being out of a virus.

Written By: Dr. Manoj Kumar Khatore

http://shalomchristianministry.org/

“Where was God before the Beginning?”

“In the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time” –Titus 1: 2

Before the 1920s it was generally assumed that the universe was essentially unchanging in time or eternal, and therefore it had no beginning. If the universe did not have a beginning it would be absurd to believe in a book that starts with the phrase “In the beginning” and it would also be preposterous to believe a God who created everything out of nothing. So most of the reasonable and scientific people at that time rejected the idea of creation by asking the very question that forms the title of this article.

According to some scientists the most important intellectual discoveries of the 20th century, or of any century was the discovery of the expansion of the universe. Edwin Hubble found that stars are not uniformly distributed throughout space, but are gathered together in vast collections called galaxies. By measuring the light from galaxies, Hubble could determine their velocities. He was expecting that as many galaxies would be moving towards us as were moving away. This is what one would have in a universe that was unchanging with time. But to his surprise, Hubble found that nearly all the galaxies were moving away from us. Moreover, the further galaxies were from us, the faster they were distancing away from us. The universe was not unchanging with time as everyone had thought previously. It was expanding. The gap between distant galaxies was increasing with time.

This discovery transformed the debate about whether the universe had a beginning. If galaxies are moving further away now, they must have been closer together in the past. If their swiftness had been constant, they would all have been on top of one another about 15 billion years ago. Was this the beginning of the universe? Many scientists were still dismayed of the fact that the universe had a beginning because it seemed to imply that physics was a failure. However, scientists today have little doubt about the fact that our universe had a beginning!

Fourth-century theologian St. Augustine wrestled with the question, ‘Where was God before the beginning?’ for a long time. His answer was that ‘Time’ was part of God's creation, and there simply was no "before" that a deity could call home. Armed with the best physics of the 20th century, Albert Einstein arrived at a very similar conclusion. In 1915, he introduced his revolutionary General Theory of Relativity. In this, space and time were no longer Absolute, no longer a fixed background to events. Instead, they were dynamical quantities that were shaped by the matter and energy in the universe. They were defined only within the universe, so it made no sense to talk about a time before the universe began. According to Einstein's theory of relativity, time only came into being as the universe expanded toward its current size and shape.

The General Theory of Relativity and the discovery of the expansion of the universe shattered the old picture of an ever existing and everlasting universe. Instead, general relativity predicted that the universe, and time itself, would have a beginning. In fact, this is what the Bible had been saying all along, "Time began with the universe." Time began in the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth. So there was no 'time' before the beginning and therefore the question 'Where was God before the beginning?’ was proved to be absurd. Despite repeated experiments and theorization, all what science could achieve was conclusive evidence to prove that the first phrase of the Bible, 'In the beginning', is true!

The Bible also predicts that there was a time before the beginning of time. Titus 1: 2 and 2 Timothy 1: 9 says that God had a plan of salvation for those who believe in Jesus Christ for eternal life, even before the beginning of time. Very soon the scientists will find evidence for this as well. If the first phrase of the Bible is true the rest of it should also be true. It’s just a matter of time before the scientists will accumulate enough evidence to prove God’s Word right.

Written By: Dr. Manoj Kumar Khatore

http://shalomchristianministry.org/

Is God just an Imagination?

“For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen”.

[Romans 11: 36]

In my childhood days I used to ask people about the existence of God. One of my friends introduced me to Advaita, a popular Hindu belief or philosophy that would help a person to know God in a better way. Advaita means non-dual or "not two." This oneness is a fundamental quality of everything. Everything is a part of and made of one non-dual consciousness. Often the question arises, "If it is all one thing, why don’t I experience it that way?" This is confusing oneness for the appearance of sameness. Things can appear different without being separate. Just look at your hand for a moment. Your fingers are all different from each other, but are they separate? They all arise from the same hand. Similarly, the objects, animals, plants and people in the world are all definitely different in their appearance and functioning. But they are all connected at their source—they come from the same source.

This one Being that is behind all life has an infinite number of different expressions that we experience as different objects. To continue with the hand analogy, your fingers are all made of the same substance. They are made up of similar tissues, cells, atoms, and at the deepest level, subatomic particles. Similarly, when your experience of reality becomes more subtle, you discover that everything is just different expressions of one field of non dual Being.

Most people who believe in Advaita use the expressions of Christ such as, “I and my father are one”, “I am in my father and my father is in me” and “Kingdom of God is within you” as supportive evidences of their theory by claiming that Christ was a person who had this “self realization” and by “I” he meant the realization of the universal consciousness and by saying that “I and my father are one” he meant this non duality.

Advaita seems to be true and looks great on paper as it offers us the unique opportunity for us to become Gods or realize that we are essentially God himself but the fact is that this non dual being referred to as consciousness doesn’t have an active role/ involvement in everything that happens in the universe or in the life of an individual.

Since Advaita believes that this non dual element alone is the reality and everything else is just an illusion all actions of mankind whether good or bad become an illusion and do not have any eternal significance. If we follow this belief, very soon we shall lose the purpose of our existence and life shall become pointless and meaningless, the whole mankind shall become lazy for there is no purpose left for its existence. A series of questions would follow, “If you say that your life is just an illusion then why do you work, live or do good deeds? If these deeds don’t have any eternal significance then what’s the point in living good lives? If both good and evil are illusions then why do good?”

Besides, the key point is that Faith in Advaita means that a seeker should somehow by his own effort remove all the hindrances [through bhakti, meditation, knowledge or nishkama karma] in order to realise that his essential nature is this non-dual consciousness. Though advaita offers a solution to the problem of peace it does not really bring peace. To realise that all that was there was an illusion and the only thing that really ever existed [from the beginning] was ‘The Self’ ends up as an eternal quest, there is no assurance whether you will reach that state and if at all you reach it, when? You may have to take little less than infinite rebirths to accomplish the goal.

People who believe in Advaita think that the creator would become imperfect if he needs a creation....but the point is that the creator has created everything not because he NEEDS something else in order to become perfect but because he WILLS [the faculty of conscious and deliberate choice of action] to create something. Advaita also questions the omnipresence of a creator who has a separate existence from the creation. But the point is that the creator being a spirit can still remain omnipresent because his spiritual nature allows him to pervade the whole creation just like air pervades everything under the sky. The Bible says that nothing is hidden from him because he pervades the whole creation. Besides, the Bible doesn’t project a creator who is outside of the creation. Instead it proposes a creation that is created for, by and within the creator. “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen”. [Romans 11: 36] “For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him” [Colossians 1: 16].

Now, the question we should ask is which belief is more logical, complete and meaningful, the belief in an omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient creator who purposefully designs, maintains and finally absorbs the whole creation within himself and gives purpose and meaning to everything seen and unseen or the belief in a non-dual, simple, self–existent, consciousness that pervades everything and yet has nothing to do with anything, which neither creates nor destroys, which doesn’t influence anything seen or unseen and is least concerned about the condition of mankind in general, let alone the life of an individual? Another question we should ask ourselves is what is easier for us to do, unite with this so-called universal consciousness by our own effort/works or God to choose us to unite with him spiritually by sending His Spirit to abide in us?

From the above discussion it would be clear that faith in a creator who is personally interested in an individual’s life on earth sounds more logical and acceptable than the faith in a certain consciousness whose existence cannot be proven as it does not influence nor is influenced by anything seen or unseen. The Holy Bible leads us to such a faith in a creator who loves his creation [man-kind] unconditionally and wants them to unite with him and become like him. In order to do that he humbles himself and incarnates as a man named –Jesus [the Savior]. He makes atonement for the sins of mankind on a cross, resurrects the third day and ascends to heaven with a promise that he would return to collect those who believe in him, at the end of days. Then He sends a counsellor, the Holy Spirit, who works in the life of the believers to help them attain perfection and finally presents them to the creator at the end of the age to live with Him and in Him forever. Faith in Advaita means that a seeker should somehow, by his own effort remove all the hindrances [through bhakti, meditation, knowledge or nishkama karma] in order to attain perfection but the Christian faith presents a creator who willingly sacrifices his own life to redeem human beings from their sins and reunites with them by sending His own spirit in to them in order to make them perfect, all by His grace and grace alone.

Written by: Dr. Manoj Kumar Khatore

http://shalomchristianministry.org/