Questions on Christianity

As we have determined in the last blog, science drives us to question the nature of God’s involvement in our natural world.  Mortimer J. Adler, in his book in which he asserts he proves the existence of God, contends that the individual components of the cosmos do not need a supernatural cause of their continued existence because natural causes and the law of inertia are sufficient to explain their existence. [1]  Science has had great success explaining even the non material elements of our world, such as our mental processes, by physical processes that are observable. [2]  In fact, materialism (the material world is all that exists) is the predominate view of science.  The scientist Laplace when so far as to note that God was a superfluous hypothesis in regards to what happens in the natural world. [3]

Religious people have a tendency to attribute anything beyond our knowledge or control to God.  This view is called the “God of the gaps”.  Any gap in our knowledge is automatically attributed to God.  However, the history of science teaches this tendency is not always accurate.  As we become more knowledgeable about our world, natural phenomena such as earthquakes, storms, and volcanoes, which were once thought to be “acts of God”, are now known to have natural causes and our former belief of God’s involvement was in error.  If history is any guide, science will, in the future, demonstrate what we now attribute to God has some natural cause.

The only way we can say God is involved in our natural world is that God created our world together with the laws that govern its continued existence and operation.  Because God is the ultimate cause, the Bible, as Rabbi Schulweis explains, attributes certain acts to God and omits mediating natural causes. [4]  We do the same in our lives.  As a businessperson I say I achieved a particular goal but more than likely someone who works for me followed my directions and did the actual work to make it happen.

Yes, there are times when God can intervene in nature.  Those incidents we call miracles.  However, we must take miracles on faith because as C. S. Lewis states our senses and history cannot prove a miracle occurred. [5]  The human condition tells us that our senses are easily fooled and our knowledge of history is limited.  So miracles are of limited use in teaching us about God’s involvement in this world.  What miracles do teach is us that since God makes rare use of them, he is mainly working through the existing structure of our world (the natural world) to accomplish his purposes.

What kind of world would we live in if it was not governed by natural laws?  Would not such a world where God intervened miraculously on a regular basis appear to us to be arbitrary and very irrational?  How could we hope to comprehend such a world?  We prefer good scientific explanations over good supernatural explanations because of our desire for regularity, repeatability, and sound expectation. [6]  If the universe was not deterministic, would our science have ever advanced?  Would we have ever developed our rational abilities?

The Bible says God is involved in the natural world but as we learn more about our world, we discover that natural laws govern the universe and God appears to have nothing to do with it.  God teaches us many lessons through the physical world.  The best example is Job.  God asks Job a series of questions about the natural world to demonstrate to him his lack of knowledge.  Then God uses that lesson to teach Job about spiritual matters.  If we were wrong in attributing natural phenomena to God, might not our belief that God causes certain events in our personal life have some other natural explanation?  Could it be true that God’s direct intervention in our lives is very rare?

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[1]   Mortimer J. Adler, How To Think About God (New York:  Bantam Books, 1982), pp. 123-125.

[2]   Alburey Castell and Donald M. Borchert, An Introduction to Modern Philosophy:  Examining the Human Condition (New York:  Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc., 1983), p. 47.

[3]   Joe Jackson, A World on Fire (New York:  Viking, 2005), p. 153.

[4]   Harold M. Schulweis,  For Those Who Can’t Believe (New York:  HarperPerennial, 1994), pp. 74-75.

[5]   C. S. Lewis, Miracles:  A Preliminary Study (New York:  HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 1947), pp. 1-3.

[6]   Roy Weatherford, The Implications of Determinism (New York:  Routledge, 1991), p. 237.

In the past few blogs, we have raised questions about how God is involved in our personal lives and in our world.  One way to resolve our questions is to examine what the Bible and science teaches us about God’s involvement in our natural world.  For example, the Bible tells us God feeds the birds (Matthew 6:26).  The problem is that everyone knows God does not literally feed the birds.  If he did, there would be no debate about his existence because we would see him at that task.  The Bible says God is involved when a sparrow falls to the ground (Matthew 10:29).  Does that mean God personally gave that sparrow a disease or caused a hawk to kill it?  The Bible tells us that God causes the sun to rise (Matthew 5:45).  However, we know the law of gravitation and the fact the earth is in orbit around the sun produces that effect.  In the same verse in Matthew, the Bible tells us God causes rain.  However, we know atmospheric laws govern when it rains and when it does not.  So if God is not the direct cause of these natural events, how is God involved and why does the Bible tell us God is the cause?

Natural Disasters

The first reaction of most people when faced with a natural disaster, such as an earthquake, flood, tornado, hurricane, or volcano, is to question why God allowed it to occur.  The unspoken assumption is that God controls all the natural processes on our world and these processes produce the disasters we regularly experience.  Since God controls these processes, he is responsible for the effect that is produced.  The fallacy of blaming God for natural disasters is illustrated by the fact that we do not blame God when someone is injured or killed because of gravitation as when someone falls from a height.  Why do we blame God for one tragedy but not the other?  Part of the reason is that the law of gravitation is constant whereas the occurrences of natural disasters such as tornadoes and earthquakes are highly variable.  The seemingly arbitrary nature of weather and earthquakes lead us to believe they are caused by an intelligent agent but that belief, as science has taught us, is incorrect.  It simply does not make sense logically that God should be blamed for injury or death produced by a tornado and not for injury or death as a result of gravitation.  Gravitation, earthquakes, and storms are all natural phenomena and any suffering caused by these events is simply a consequence of a material existence.

Like natural disasters, diseases are a function of our material existence.  Science has shown us biological systems are controlled by natural processes just like storms and earthquakes.  We know how germs spread and we know how germs affect the human body.  We have evidence that God does not interfere with these processes on a regular basis because they consistently follow known laws of science.  Now some will claim God can impact biological systems and they point to people who have been cured of a disease and medical science has no explanation for it.  It is possible that God is involved in these situations but it is also true our knowledge of biology is incomplete and in the future we very well might have a natural explanation for these seemingly miraculous cures.

So how is God involved in our world?  We will start to answer that question in the next blog.

If God controls all events in our world and in our lives that makes him responsible for everything that happens to our world and to us.  And everything includes all the evil and suffering we experience.  Mark Twain explains the problem as follows.

. . .nothing can happen without his knowledge beforehand that it is going to happen; nothing happens without his permission; nothing can happen that he chooses to prevent. . .[This] makes the Creator distinctly responsible for everything that happens. . .[It makes] the Creator responsible for all those pains, diseases, and miseries. . . [1]

The evil and suffering that exists in our world on a daily basis is beyond human comprehension.  All the crime, war, atrocities committed by governments, religious persecution, and natural disasters contribute to make this world a hell on earth.  It is doubtful anyone could perceive all the suffering that occurs in our world in a single day and remain sane.  When one considers all the injustice and suffering in this world, one must come to the conclusion that if God does control all events on our world, he is the most sadistic individual in the universe.

Now Christian will say that God did not cause all the evil and suffering in our world; it is the result of sin.  So who is in control—God or Satan?  Give us a straight answer!!  Do not tell us God controls all events on earth and than when pressed by questions of evil in this world respond by saying it is the fault of sin or Satan!  That is just another way of saying God does not control everything.  God allowing something to happen means he gives over control of what happens to someone or something else.  A simple rule of management is that one can delegate authority but one can never delegate responsibility.  So even if God allows something to happen, he is still responsible for that event.

The evil that exists in our world raised major questions about God’s existence or how he operates in our world.  Dr. James Sennett says he tells his philosophy of religion students that, if they are Christians and the problem of evil does not keep them up at night, then they don’t understand it. [2]  Weatherford notes that our experience of evil “is the most philosophically important evidence against the existence of an all-powerful, all-good divinity.” [3]  Ivan Karzmozov expresses a view most of us can share:  “If God could only create the world He desired at the expense of the suffering of millions of innocent children, then I would rebel and refuse to serve Him.” [4]

All the questions we have asked in the past few blogs tell us either God is not the person he represents himself to be or we are in error in our belief of how God involves himself in our world and lives.  Given human nature, I place my bets on the latter.  In the next blog, we will look at what the Bible says about this subject.

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[1]   Mark Twain, Letters from the Earth (Greenwich, Conn.:  Fawcett Publications, 1962), p. 33.

[2]   James F. Sennett,  The Reluctant Disciple:  A Postmodern Apologetic.  Unpublished book, chapter 2, page 20.

[3]   Ray Weatherford, The Implications of Determinism (New York:  Routledge, 1991), p. 10.

[4]   Weatherford, p. 179.

Christians claim that answered prayer shows God controls events in our world and in our lives.  Some time ago, I read about a group of religious leaders who were trying to convince a philosopher (I think it was Voltaire or Rousseau but I’m not sure) that God is supernaturally involved in our world and answers prayer.  They showed him statutes in a church that were given by fishermen who were in peril from a storm at sea, prayed to God, and made it to safety.  The philosopher asked:  Where are the statutes of the fishermen who were in peril in a storm at sea, prayed to God, and drowned?

Concluding God answers prayer from a few examples such as the above fishermen is committing the logical fallacy known as “hasty generalization”.  We take a few examples out of a much larger population and use them to reach a conclusion.  In this case, only the fishermen who survived were present to make their case.  The ones who drowned could not contribute to the conversation.  Also, those fishermen who did not pray but made it to safety are also excluded.  Is this how we validate our theology?  Do we only look at successes and totally ignore the failures?

If our prayers are not answered, it is likely we will say the failure to receive that for which we asked was God’s will.  How do we know it was God’s will?  That is something we must take on faith which leaves us with no rational basis for determining if God answers our prayer at all.

When I worked for the railroad, I met an individual who had converted to Buddhism.  He told me he had been chanting for certain things he wanted (a better relationship with his wife, several material things such as a house and horses) and he had started to receive those things.  There are non Christians who receive that for which they chant or pray.  Does this prove their religion is the correct religion, that their God is the one true God?

If we are intellectually honest, we must admit we cannot prove God answers prayers and therefore we cannot use answered prayer as proof that God controls events in our world and in our lives.  Next week, we will look at a more difficult problem with God’s sovereignty—the problem of evil.

We are exploring what God’s providence means.  In the last bog, we began to notice that God’s providence seems to be rather arbitrary—Christians claim God manipulates events on this world to help improve their lives but we have seen God does not always help those in need.  Why?

Richard Fletcher in his book The Barbarian Conversion notes that the early Church had to contend with the pagan cult’s belief of what is called empirical religiosity which is the idea that proper religion “brings tangible rewards in this present world . . . such as health, prosperity, success, or fame”. [1]  However, the Church had similar beliefs as is evidenced by Bishop Nicetius in his 565 AD letter to the granddaughter of the king Clovis in which he attributes Clovis’ military victories to his conversion to Christianity. [2]

Christians in the present day have the same belief.  They use all the good things they enjoy as evidence that God cares for them.  If God cares for everyone in the entire world, why does he give a minority of the world’s population a majority of the world’s goods?  What about Christians in concentration camps in North Korea or imprisoned in China?  Does God think the need for the luxuries we enjoy is greater than the need of food and medical attention of those Christians who are starving to death or who are being tortured?    If God is able to provide luxuries for certain Christians, why cannot he provide the essential requirements of life to other Christians?

Christians base their belief of God’s involvement in our lives on certain passages of the Bible which seem to indicate God has promised to provide for our material needs.  For example, in Matthew 6:25-34 Jesus instructs us not to worry about clothes or food because God provides for the animals and plant life on this world.  Philippians 4:19 tells us God will supply all our needs.  Has God committed himself to always provide the necessities of life for us?  In 1850, Allen Gardiner and six companions started a Christian mission on the island of Tierra del Fuego.   Their provision ship failed to arrive and all seven died of starvation.  A diary left by Gardiner gave evidence he continued to praise God throughout this whole ordeal. [3]  How do we reconcile the experience of these seven individuals with the passages in Matthew and Philippians?  God could have multiplied their food like he did for the widow who fed Elijah (I Kings 17) or like Jesus who made a few loaves and fishes feed thousands.  Or God could have arranged for the supply ship to arrive on time.  Why did not God do so?

Christians give God the credit for the good that comes into their lives.  The problem with attributing the good to God is that God then becomes responsible for the evil that happens to us as well.  Rev. Franklin Loeher supported World War II and was criticized for it by his pacifist fellow pastors.  During this time, he was injured in a plane crash.  One of his fellow pastors stated it was proof God disapproved of his non-pacifist ways and was punishing him for it. [4]  If God controls events in our world, he obviously brought this plane crash into Rev. Loeher’s life.  How do we know God was not punishing Rev. Loeher for his views?

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[1]   Richard Fletcher, The Barbarian Conversion (New York:  Henry Holt and Company, 1997, p. 6.

[2]  Ibid., pp. 105-106.

[3]   Stephen Neill, A History of Christian Missions (New York:  Penguin Books, 1964), pp. 320-321.

[4]   Rev. Franklin Loehr, The Power of Prayer on Plants (New York:  Signet Books, 1959), p. 29.

We are starting a discussion about whom or what controls the events in our personal lives.  Christians often talk about God’s providence and how God has arranged things in their lives to make their life better—getting them a new job, enabling them to buy a house they wanted.  For example, a businessman and his wife had saved $30,000 to move into their dream house.  However, they gave up that dream house to provide for a missionary with a need for $30,000 to purchase an airplane for use in his ministry in Africa.  Six months later, the businessman and his wife were driving by their dream house and noticed it was still for sale.  A call to the real estate agent revealed the price had been reduced $30,000 and they were able to obtain their dream house. [1]  Was God rewarding this businessman and his wife for giving up their dream to help someone in need?  What about the people who sold the house?  They received $30,000 less than what they wanted.  Had they never helped someone in need?  Were they greedy and this was God’s way of punishing them?  There are two sides to every story and we Christians tend to only look at the side that supports our beliefs.

However, if God can arrange our lives so we enjoy the good aspects of life, why does not God arrange things so bad things do not happen?  For example, there have been several instances where a parent strapped their young child into a car seat intending to take the child to day care.  Once the parent started driving, they went to work and forgot to take the child to day care.  So here we have a young child strapped into a hot car and it is getting hotter.  The young child is screaming its lungs out because of the heat and God’s providence is no where to be found.  Why did not God somehow bring it to the parent’s attention that the child was still in the car?  Why did not God cause the car window glass to break?  Why did not God cause someone to walk by the car and notice the child?

Why would God care about getting us a job or a house while totally ignoring the screams of a helpless young child who is trapped in a hot car?  Jesus had a special relationship with children (Matthew 19:13-15).  Why would he not help children in need if he helps us adults when we have a need?

In the next few blog, we will explore more contradictions within the belief that God controls all events on this earth.

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[1]  Kirk Gormley, “The Glastar and the Missionary”, EAA Sport Aviation, March 2005, Vol. 54, No. 3, p. 42.

Amir Aczel notes in his book on chance and probability that people have for centuries refused to believe their world was arbitrary. [1]  They want to believe that something more than mere chance governs the events of their lives.

Most of us need to believe there is a reason for our existence, that there is a purpose for our lives, that this universe is not random.  This is just another way of saying people want their lives to have meaning.  Just how deeply this idea is embedded within the human soul is demonstrated by Nietzsche’s statement:  “He who has a why to live can bear with almost any how” [2] and by Viktor E. Frankl who recounts his experience in Hitler’s death camps.  Frankl noted that people with a less hardy physical makeup often survived while those with a more robust physical makeup died.  His explanation for this phenomenon is those who could find meaning in the suffering of the death camps were the ones who survived and their physical makeup was of secondary importance.  He states:  “this striving to find a meaning in one’s life is the primary motivational force in man” [3]

This effort to find meaning in our lives is one reason why people believe in a God who controls events on our earth, in a God who is involved in our lives.  Bettelheim says we need a God who protects and controls because that gives us a sense of security which frees our curiosity which gives us the ability to explore. [4]  However, Ecclesiastes 9:11 tells us:

Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all.

Does God control all the events in the universe and in our world or does chance?  Is our belief in a God who is involved in our personal lives valid?  These are the issues we will explore in the coming blogs.

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[1]   Amir D. Aczel, Chance (New York:  Thunder’s Mouth Press, 2004), p. viii.

[2]   As quoted in Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning (New York:  Simon & Schuster, 1984), p. 9.

[3]   Ibid., p. 104.

[4]   Bruno Bettelheim, The Uses of Enchantment (New York:  Vintage Books, 1977), pp. 49-50.