Continuation of my letter to Jerry…
Jerry, I know that you are a smart person, and I know that if you will just weigh the evidence, you will see that there is more evidence to support the existence of an all-powerful, all-knowing, all-good God. My faith in this is so strong that for the continuation of this letter, I will attempt to prove the existence of God without any recourse to religion or religious books.
If we were to call out to God and say, “Please talk to us, we want to know for sure that you exist,” He wouldn’t. He doesn’t need to. You see, God has given each of us a brain to reason with (utilizing those critical thinking skills that we possess). All we need do is look at the evidence that proves His existence.
Let us examine briefly the scientific method and we’ll see if science has any way to prove or disprove God. In the scientific method, scientists must observe a phenomenon and form a theory about how it operates. This theory must predict the outcome of that experiment or observation. Then the scientist repeats the experiment or observation as many times as he can. If the experiment or observation fails, his theory is proven false and he must go back and formulate a new theory. The new theory must take into account the actual results of the previous observations and experiments, and then the scientist tries again. No scientific theory is worth anything if it doesn’t contain predictions that might prove it false. Now, if the prediction is true, that doesn’t prove that the theory is true it just proves that the theory is more useful than the previous theory. The new theory must make new predictions that can be proven true or false by experiment and observation. Numerous scientific theories have succeeded time and time again, only to be disproved in the end. Science has come to the conclusion that theories are not true or false, but rather, they are more useful or less useful.
Take for example the theory of gravitation. It’s proven constantly everywhere around the world and throughout our universe. We know most certainly that gravity exists. Every time we drop our car keys, every time we don’t float out of our chairs, we prove gravity’s existence, but the theory of gravitation seeks to describe the WAY gravity works. Sir Isaac Newton was the first to ‘correctly’ describe the rules of gravity (we still don’t actually know how it works). Newton’s descriptions of the laws of gravity and motion are one of the greatest feats of the human mind. After many, many years of being ‘proven’ correct, a young scientist named Albert Einstein proved his laws false. Einstein proved Newton’s laws only a little false, and under special conditions, but none the less, it was enough to revolutionize science forever. Newton’s laws however still hold for the vast majority in all practical circumstances, and to prove it, all you need to do is drop something.
Now Jerry, I know that you’re probably saying right now, “I don’t need a refresher course in high school science,” but I said all of these things so that I might set the stage for explaining to you that there are simple demonstrations available to prove by observation that God exists, in fact there are many.
The demonstration of the existence of gravity is one. The fact that something exists that can be dropped. Then there is the existence of someplace to drop an object and the existence of the one dropping the object as well as the existence of the mind that is observing and interpreting the dropping. Just the observation that things exist, that there is a creation, is proof of God. You cannot have a creation without a creator. Science has proven irrefutably that nothing can come into existence spontaneously.
There are only four possible explanations for why this universe exists. First, is that this universe is only an illusion. This notion is preposterous especially in an age of scientific enlightenment.
Second, is that the universe came into being by itself, from nothing. We’ve already dealt with this one slightly. This explanation flies in the face of science as it violates both the laws of cause and effect and the law of energy conservation. If you remember back in 1988 Billy Preston had a hit song; “Nothing from nothing leaves nothing…” well, he was absolutely correct, there simply are no free lunches. All of the conditions that are true in this universe make it absolutely impossible for matter to spring into existence from nothing.
Third, says that this universe has always existed, eternally. This hypothesis is devastated by the scientific law of entropy, which states that if this universe had eternally existed, it would have died an “eternity ago” of heat loss.
Finally, the last most credulous possibility is that God created our world. The whole universe and all that is in it is a great testimony to the existence of God. In an age of empirical science, nothing could be more certain clear or correct.
You see Jerry, creation is ordered and predictable. Things don’t just suddenly appear or disappear. Gravity doesn’t suddenly turn itself off at unexpected times. A ton of iron doesn’t become half a ton one day and two tons the next. Everything works perfectly and in total harmony. No matter how wild, violent or strange things may seem here on earth and out there in our universe, everything follows a set of universal laws. The world turns, we experience night and day, the earth orbits the sun and we have different seasons. We don’t have to worry about the sun not coming up tomorrow or winter lasting for five years. Isn’t it nice that everything that God has created always works? Wouldn’t it be nice if everything we humans created would always work? (Well maybe not everything!) It is inconceivable to me how any honest thinking, rational person could believe that such a universe arose by chance. Especially when we know, scientifically it is impossible for anything at all to arise by chance. All the perfection and consistency demonstrated throughout our universe could only be the product of the infinitely intelligent mind. If there is an intelligent design there must be an intelligent designer. This is further proof of the existence of a perfect and consistent Creator God.
Our astronomers have observed regions of the universe that are hundreds of millions of light years away, and they have never found any difference in the behavior of matter and energy anywhere, nor do they expect to. Things work consistently here where we are, and they work consistently everywhere else. As far as can be determined, they’ve worked that way from the beginning and they always will.
Cosmologists say that all matter and energy suddenly appeared at some point in the past. They call that occurrence ‘The Big Bang’. Other theories have even been proposed but so far none of them could withstand the tests of science. According to the Big Bang theory, the whole universe began as a tiny unimaginably compressed ball of matter and energy. It exploded and is still expanding after hundreds of thousands of millions of years. If this is true, where did this tiny ball of matter and energy come from.
Professor Albert Einstein showed that matter and energy are interchangeable. He described their relationship in what is probably the most famous equation in the world; E=MC2. Considered the first law of Thermodynamics, it states that matter and energy cannot be either created or destroyed. Matter can change from one kind to another and so can energy. But in no case is there ever a loss or gain in the total amount, and this law that is so foundational to science has never been contradicted anywhere in observable nature. The paradox of this law which says matter and energy cannot be created and the scientific observations that prove that there has been no past eternity of matter and energy point inexorably to a great Creator God.
These proofs as well as others of God’s existence are enough to satisfy most honest thinkers, but many scientists have hypothetical explanations that don’t require God’s hand. But fact of the matter is that science has never produced life in the laboratory. Science can’t produce a simple single celled organism, let alone synthesize a spermatozoon (male reproductive cell) or an ovum (female reproductive cell). Not only can they not produce life of any kind, but they’ve never seen it spontaneously appear either. Scientists believe with a great leap of blind faith that given the proper circumstances and enough time, life must appear. They say that the reason the universe is so perfectly formed and balanced is because if it were not, we wouldn’t be here to observe and speculate on it. Does that make sense to you Jerry? All the laws of this universe, all of the order and all of the exacting conditions in this universe that make it possibly for life to exist have come into being from nothing simply so that we can observe them. Does that sound like rational intelligent critical thinking? Jerry, these aren’t answers, they’re just desperate attempts to explain the unexplainable.
The greatest proof for the existence of God; one which no one can dispute is the existence of these universal physical laws. Gravity follows law, the law that was observed and described by Sir Isaac Newton and later modified by Einstein. Mankind with his finite intelligence may not have yet perfectly described that law, but it undeniably exists, and it never changes. The whole universe follows the law of gravitation as well as a myriad of other laws such as the law of cause and effect, energy conservation and the law of entropy among others. From the smallest subatomic particle to the largest galaxy in our universe, these laws are followed perfectly and for all time.
Living things also follow certain laws; from the laws of chemistry inside of all living cells to the laws of inter-species interactions within a large ecosystem. None of these laws has ever changed or wavered, and no scientist has ever created or destroyed or even manipulated or modified the actual operation of a physical law. Scientists wouldn’t even know how to go about changing one of these laws. These laws have never conflicted, contended or counteracted another; the laws of our universe are all in perfect balance and harmony with each other operating in perfect unity for our benefit. Since we know beyond the shadow of a doubt that these universal laws do exist, then we must intelligently reason that there must be a universal Lawgiver. Now that makes perfect sense doesn’t it Jerry?
To reject the existence of an intelligent, all-knowing, all-powerful, all-good, universal lawgiving creator God is to actually accept a myriad of nonsensical fables that can be proven false by our logical and critically thinking empirical science.
Jerry, maybe you won’t accept these things as indisputable evidence for God’s existence, and that’s okay, because you’re entitled to your opinion. However, since you cannot prove he doesn’t exist, and that science actually provides more evidence for the existence of God than not, don’t you think it would make more sense to err on the side of caution and give God a chance to prove Himself to you? After all if He is real and He is your Creator, then you are answerable to Him. Furthermore, if He’s real, then He has created a place of eternal torment called hell which is reserved for unbelievers. Jerry, God is interested in you. He doesn’t want you to end up in hell; He loves you and has a plan for your life. He has promised in His bible that if you call on Him, He will in no way cast you out. God bless you Jerry, I hope this helps you. If you have any further questions I will be glad to answer them to the best of my abilities.
Your friend,
Ernest
God’s blessings to you all beloved!
Fr. Ernest
Jerry, I know that you are a smart person, and I know that if you will just weigh the evidence, you will see that there is more evidence to support the existence of an all-powerful, all-knowing, all-good God. My faith in this is so strong that for the continuation of this letter, I will attempt to prove the existence of God without any recourse to religion or religious books.
If we were to call out to God and say, “Please talk to us, we want to know for sure that you exist,” He wouldn’t. He doesn’t need to. You see, God has given each of us a brain to reason with (utilizing those critical thinking skills that we possess). All we need do is look at the evidence that proves His existence.
Let us examine briefly the scientific method and we’ll see if science has any way to prove or disprove God. In the scientific method, scientists must observe a phenomenon and form a theory about how it operates. This theory must predict the outcome of that experiment or observation. Then the scientist repeats the experiment or observation as many times as he can. If the experiment or observation fails, his theory is proven false and he must go back and formulate a new theory. The new theory must take into account the actual results of the previous observations and experiments, and then the scientist tries again. No scientific theory is worth anything if it doesn’t contain predictions that might prove it false. Now, if the prediction is true, that doesn’t prove that the theory is true it just proves that the theory is more useful than the previous theory. The new theory must make new predictions that can be proven true or false by experiment and observation. Numerous scientific theories have succeeded time and time again, only to be disproved in the end. Science has come to the conclusion that theories are not true or false, but rather, they are more useful or less useful.
Take for example the theory of gravitation. It’s proven constantly everywhere around the world and throughout our universe. We know most certainly that gravity exists. Every time we drop our car keys, every time we don’t float out of our chairs, we prove gravity’s existence, but the theory of gravitation seeks to describe the WAY gravity works. Sir Isaac Newton was the first to ‘correctly’ describe the rules of gravity (we still don’t actually know how it works). Newton’s descriptions of the laws of gravity and motion are one of the greatest feats of the human mind. After many, many years of being ‘proven’ correct, a young scientist named Albert Einstein proved his laws false. Einstein proved Newton’s laws only a little false, and under special conditions, but none the less, it was enough to revolutionize science forever. Newton’s laws however still hold for the vast majority in all practical circumstances, and to prove it, all you need to do is drop something.
Now Jerry, I know that you’re probably saying right now, “I don’t need a refresher course in high school science,” but I said all of these things so that I might set the stage for explaining to you that there are simple demonstrations available to prove by observation that God exists, in fact there are many.
The demonstration of the existence of gravity is one. The fact that something exists that can be dropped. Then there is the existence of someplace to drop an object and the existence of the one dropping the object as well as the existence of the mind that is observing and interpreting the dropping. Just the observation that things exist, that there is a creation, is proof of God. You cannot have a creation without a creator. Science has proven irrefutably that nothing can come into existence spontaneously.
There are only four possible explanations for why this universe exists. First, is that this universe is only an illusion. This notion is preposterous especially in an age of scientific enlightenment.
Second, is that the universe came into being by itself, from nothing. We’ve already dealt with this one slightly. This explanation flies in the face of science as it violates both the laws of cause and effect and the law of energy conservation. If you remember back in 1988 Billy Preston had a hit song; “Nothing from nothing leaves nothing…” well, he was absolutely correct, there simply are no free lunches. All of the conditions that are true in this universe make it absolutely impossible for matter to spring into existence from nothing.
Third, says that this universe has always existed, eternally. This hypothesis is devastated by the scientific law of entropy, which states that if this universe had eternally existed, it would have died an “eternity ago” of heat loss.
Finally, the last most credulous possibility is that God created our world. The whole universe and all that is in it is a great testimony to the existence of God. In an age of empirical science, nothing could be more certain clear or correct.
You see Jerry, creation is ordered and predictable. Things don’t just suddenly appear or disappear. Gravity doesn’t suddenly turn itself off at unexpected times. A ton of iron doesn’t become half a ton one day and two tons the next. Everything works perfectly and in total harmony. No matter how wild, violent or strange things may seem here on earth and out there in our universe, everything follows a set of universal laws. The world turns, we experience night and day, the earth orbits the sun and we have different seasons. We don’t have to worry about the sun not coming up tomorrow or winter lasting for five years. Isn’t it nice that everything that God has created always works? Wouldn’t it be nice if everything we humans created would always work? (Well maybe not everything!) It is inconceivable to me how any honest thinking, rational person could believe that such a universe arose by chance. Especially when we know, scientifically it is impossible for anything at all to arise by chance. All the perfection and consistency demonstrated throughout our universe could only be the product of the infinitely intelligent mind. If there is an intelligent design there must be an intelligent designer. This is further proof of the existence of a perfect and consistent Creator God.
Our astronomers have observed regions of the universe that are hundreds of millions of light years away, and they have never found any difference in the behavior of matter and energy anywhere, nor do they expect to. Things work consistently here where we are, and they work consistently everywhere else. As far as can be determined, they’ve worked that way from the beginning and they always will.
Cosmologists say that all matter and energy suddenly appeared at some point in the past. They call that occurrence ‘The Big Bang’. Other theories have even been proposed but so far none of them could withstand the tests of science. According to the Big Bang theory, the whole universe began as a tiny unimaginably compressed ball of matter and energy. It exploded and is still expanding after hundreds of thousands of millions of years. If this is true, where did this tiny ball of matter and energy come from.
Professor Albert Einstein showed that matter and energy are interchangeable. He described their relationship in what is probably the most famous equation in the world; E=MC2. Considered the first law of Thermodynamics, it states that matter and energy cannot be either created or destroyed. Matter can change from one kind to another and so can energy. But in no case is there ever a loss or gain in the total amount, and this law that is so foundational to science has never been contradicted anywhere in observable nature. The paradox of this law which says matter and energy cannot be created and the scientific observations that prove that there has been no past eternity of matter and energy point inexorably to a great Creator God.
These proofs as well as others of God’s existence are enough to satisfy most honest thinkers, but many scientists have hypothetical explanations that don’t require God’s hand. But fact of the matter is that science has never produced life in the laboratory. Science can’t produce a simple single celled organism, let alone synthesize a spermatozoon (male reproductive cell) or an ovum (female reproductive cell). Not only can they not produce life of any kind, but they’ve never seen it spontaneously appear either. Scientists believe with a great leap of blind faith that given the proper circumstances and enough time, life must appear. They say that the reason the universe is so perfectly formed and balanced is because if it were not, we wouldn’t be here to observe and speculate on it. Does that make sense to you Jerry? All the laws of this universe, all of the order and all of the exacting conditions in this universe that make it possibly for life to exist have come into being from nothing simply so that we can observe them. Does that sound like rational intelligent critical thinking? Jerry, these aren’t answers, they’re just desperate attempts to explain the unexplainable.
The greatest proof for the existence of God; one which no one can dispute is the existence of these universal physical laws. Gravity follows law, the law that was observed and described by Sir Isaac Newton and later modified by Einstein. Mankind with his finite intelligence may not have yet perfectly described that law, but it undeniably exists, and it never changes. The whole universe follows the law of gravitation as well as a myriad of other laws such as the law of cause and effect, energy conservation and the law of entropy among others. From the smallest subatomic particle to the largest galaxy in our universe, these laws are followed perfectly and for all time.
Living things also follow certain laws; from the laws of chemistry inside of all living cells to the laws of inter-species interactions within a large ecosystem. None of these laws has ever changed or wavered, and no scientist has ever created or destroyed or even manipulated or modified the actual operation of a physical law. Scientists wouldn’t even know how to go about changing one of these laws. These laws have never conflicted, contended or counteracted another; the laws of our universe are all in perfect balance and harmony with each other operating in perfect unity for our benefit. Since we know beyond the shadow of a doubt that these universal laws do exist, then we must intelligently reason that there must be a universal Lawgiver. Now that makes perfect sense doesn’t it Jerry?
To reject the existence of an intelligent, all-knowing, all-powerful, all-good, universal lawgiving creator God is to actually accept a myriad of nonsensical fables that can be proven false by our logical and critically thinking empirical science.
Jerry, maybe you won’t accept these things as indisputable evidence for God’s existence, and that’s okay, because you’re entitled to your opinion. However, since you cannot prove he doesn’t exist, and that science actually provides more evidence for the existence of God than not, don’t you think it would make more sense to err on the side of caution and give God a chance to prove Himself to you? After all if He is real and He is your Creator, then you are answerable to Him. Furthermore, if He’s real, then He has created a place of eternal torment called hell which is reserved for unbelievers. Jerry, God is interested in you. He doesn’t want you to end up in hell; He loves you and has a plan for your life. He has promised in His bible that if you call on Him, He will in no way cast you out. God bless you Jerry, I hope this helps you. If you have any further questions I will be glad to answer them to the best of my abilities.
Your friend,
Ernest
God’s blessings to you all beloved!
Fr. Ernest
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