God vs. Science

'Let me explain the problem science has with religion.' The atheist professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his new students to stand.

'You're a Christian, aren't you, son?'

'Yes sir,' the student says

'So you believe in God?'

                              

 'Absolutely.’

                              

 ‘Is God good?'

                               

'Sure! God's good.'

                               

'Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?'

'Yes'

                               

'Are you good or evil?'

'The Bible says I'm evil.'

    

The professor grins knowingly. 'Aha! The Bible!’ He considers for a moment. 'Here's one for you. Let's say there's a sick person over here and you can cure him. You can do it. Would you help him? Would you try?'

                              

'Yes sir, I would.'

'So you're good...!'

'I wouldn't say that.'

                              

'But why not say that? You'd help a sick and maimed person if you could. Most of us would if we could. But God doesn't.'

The student does not answer, so the professor continues. 'He doesn't, does he? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though he prayed to Jesus to heal him.. How is this Jesus good? Can you answer that one?'

The student remains silent.

'No, you can't, can you?' the professor says. He takes a sip of water from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax. 'Let's start again, young fella. Is God good?'

                              

'Er..yes,' the student says.

'Is Satan good?'

                              

The student doesn't hesitate on this one. 'No.'

                              

'Then where does Satan come from?'

                               

The student falters. 'From God'

'That's right. God made Satan, didn't he? Tell me, son. Is there evil in this world?'

'Yes, sir..'

'Evil's everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything, correct?'

                              

'Yes'

'So who created evil?' The professor continued, 'If God created everything, then God created evil, since evil exists, and according to the principle that our works define who we are, then God is evil.'

Again, the student has no answer. 'Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things, do they exist in this world?'

The student squirms on his feet. 'Yes.'

'So who created them?'

                              

The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his question. 'Who created them?'

There is still no answer. Suddenly the lecturer breaks away to pace in front of the classroom. The class is mesmerized.

'Tell me,' he continues onto another student. 'Do you believe in Jesus Christ, son?'

The student's voice betrays him and cracks. 'Yes, professor, I do.'

The old man stops pacing. 'Science says you have five senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Jesus?'

'No sir. I've never seen Him.'

                              

'Then tell us if you've ever heard your Jesus?'

                              

'No, sir, I have not..'

'Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelt your Jesus? Have you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus Christ, or God for that matter?'

'No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't.'

                              

'Yet you still believe in him?'

                              

'Yes'

                               

'According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science your God doesn't exist... What do you say to that, son?'

'Nothing,' the student replies.. 'I only have my faith.'

'Yes, faith,' the professor repeats. 'And that is the problem science has with God. There is no evidence, only faith.'

The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of his own. 'Professor, is there such thing as heat?'

'Yes. ’

                              

'And is there such a thing as cold?'

                               

'Yes, son, there's cold too.'

                               

'No sir, there isn't.'

The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested. The room suddenly becomes very quiet. The student begins to explain. 'You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, unlimited heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don't have anything called 'cold'. We can hit down to 458 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold; otherwise we would be able to go colder than the lowest -458 degrees. Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-458 F) is the total absence of heat. You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.'

Silence across the room. A pen drops somewhere in the classroom, sounding like a hammer.

                              

'What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?'

                               

'Yes,' the professor replies without hesitation.. 'What is night if it isn't darkness?'

'You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light, but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we use to define the word. In reality, darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?'

The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him. This will be a good semester. 'So what point are you making, young man?'

'Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed.'

The professor's face cannot hide his surprise this time. 'Flawed? Can you explain how?'

'You are working on the premise of duality,' the student explains. 'You argue that there is life and then there's death; a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought.... It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it. Now tell me, professor.. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?'

'If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes, of course I do.'

'Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?'

The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes where the argument is going. A very good semester, indeed.

'Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?'

The class is in uproar. The student remains silent until the commotion has subsided. 'To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, let me give you an example of what I mean.' The student looks around the room. 'Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the professor's brain?'

The class breaks out into laughter.

'Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor's brain, felt the professor's brain, touched or smelt the professor's brain? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, with all due respect, sir. So if science says you have no brain, how can we trust your lectures, sir?'

                              

Now the room is silent. The professor just stares at the student, his face unreadable. Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man answers. 'I guess you'll have to take them on faith.'

'Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with life,' the student continues. 'Now, sir, is there such a thing as evil?'

Now uncertain, the professor responds, 'Of course, there is. We see it every day. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil.'

To this the student replied, 'Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light.'

                              

The professor sat down.

                               

If you read it all the way through and had a smile on your face when you finished, mail to your friends and family with the title 'God vs. Science'

                                PS: the student was Albert Einstein.

                                Albert Einstein wrote a book titled God vs. Science in 1921...

While this claims the student was Albert Einstein, Snopes.com claims this is false. Whether it is or not, the logical argument used by the 'smart' student remains valid.

Wait... And Listen For God To Speak To You

Wait... And Listen For God To Speak To You

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“The voice of the Lord is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth.” Psalm 29:3

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Some people think it’s a waste of time to simply sit at God’s feet and listen. It is not a waste of time to wait on God any more than a woodsman is wasting time when he sharpens his axe.

In his booklet “Tyranny of the Urgent,” Charles Hummel wrote, “When we fail to wait prayerfully for God’s guidance and strength, we are saying, with our actions if not our lips, that we do not need Him….Prayerful waiting on God is indispensable to effective service. Like the time-out in a football game, it enables us to catch our breath and fix new strategy….The need is not the call. The call must come from the Lord, Who knows our limitations.”

ACTION POINT:

Read Psalm 29. Count how many times the phrase “voice of the Lord” is repeated. Spend at least that many minutes listening for His voice and trusting He will speak His will to you.

           

 Devotions taken from the messages of Adrian Rogers.

© 2011 Love Worth Finding Ministries | PO Box 38300 - Memphis, TN 38183-0300

Equal Parts Of Difficulty And Grace

 BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.” Matthew 6:34

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

In the crucible of His wisdom and the ecology of His grace, God has ordered some trouble for you today. And every day of your life.

We’ve been blessed with difficulties. Yes, you read right—blessed! The worst thing that could happen to us would be not to have any difficulties. If that were the case, we’d never know our need of the Lord. So God in essence says, “I’m going to give you sufficient difficulty for the day.”

God gives you enough difficulty to draw you close to Him, but then God gives you enough grace to meet those difficulties every day.

ACTION POINT:

Is there a difficult circumstance in your life? If so, thank God for sending it your way to make you more like Jesus. Now ask for His grace to be victorious through it!    

 Devotions taken from the messages of Adrian Rogers.

© 2011 Love Worth Finding Ministries | PO Box 38300 - Memphis, TN 38183-0300

Matthew 5:15

Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

There are readers of "Positive, Encouraging & Inspirational Messages" who are believing God for the salvation of loved ones, (for some it is a spouse, for others it is their children, grandchildren or in-laws). Let this scripture be an encouragement to you. Your life brings light to your house-hold! Perhaps your light will be what leads them to the Lord!

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus by Alan Jackson

Church Life

Theme: Church Life

As the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing– Ephesians 5:24

Although doubtless the instruction that immediately captures our attention (and gets all the press) is the command for wives to be subject to their husbands, this is not actually the main thrust of Paul’s message here. Reiterating his primary focus, in verse 32, Paul says, “I speak concerning Christ and the church.”

The primary point that Paul would have us take to heart—which will, it is true, have inevitable implications for marital relations—is that marriage is a picture of Christ’s communion with His church. The husband’s selfless, sacrificial love for his wife is only a shadow of Christ’s love for His church. No husband will ever love, or sanctify, or edify his wife as perfectly as Christ loves and sanctifies and edifies His church. What a beautiful reminder!

And, yet, that is not the only implication that flows out of Paul’s instruction. What is to be our attitude toward our beloved Savior? Not just reciprocal love, not only warm appreciation — but also submission. As members in the body of Christ, we are to recognize that Christ is our head, that He has authority over us.

This means that whatever He requires of us, whatever He speaks to us from His Word, we must be willing to do. Loving one another (John 13:35), forgiving and forbearing one another (Ephesians 4:32), visiting and caring for one another (James 1:27) — these must flow, ultimately, out of our joyful submission to our perfect head Jesus Christ. Is there someone you have refused to forgive? Are there needy in your church that have not been cared for? Are there some personalities in your congregation that rub you the wrong way?

Paul’s simple reply is “the church is subject to Christ.” That is all we need know. For Christ’s sake—in submission to Christ’s authority—we must forgive, and love, and minister to our brothers and sisters in the church.

Taken from A Good Thing, Daily Devotions

http://baptistbiblehour.org/

Theme: Death and Dying

Theme: Death and Dying
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain– Philippians 1:21

We read about heaven, we hear sermons about heaven, we sing about heaven; but still we are apprehensive about death. God has built into us a desire to live, and it should be our goal to be able to say with the Apostle, “to live is Christ.” Even with the remarkable experiences Paul had with the Lord he was still pressing toward the mark and desired to know Christ more intimately. May we each day in our fellowship with our Savior become more like Him in our walk and more dedicated in His service.

But as Paul continued to labor zealously in the kingdom of God, he thought and wrote a lot about heaven. He wrote that our present sufferings are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to come. He informs us that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord and that we shall forever be with Him. No wonder, then, he would write, “to die is gain.”

It meant to gain freedom from the weaknesses of the flesh so that he would never again have to say, “O wretched man that I am!” He would gain the joy of living with Christ forever; he would gain the benefits of the inheritance which is reserved for all the saints.

He felt, though, a conflict. He had a desire to depart and to be with Christ but also saw it was needful to remain and minister to the churches. Surely, as God’s children, we should long to be with the Lord, but see there is work to be done here and want to labor faithfully until we are called home.

Taken from A Good Thing, Daily Devotions

http://baptistbiblehour.org/