November 14, 2008
Proof?
The
argument is so common as to be trite and cliché. There is so much evil in the
world that there cannot be a loving God. Yet, it is the "proof" used
by many to explain why they do not believe there is a "god".
Alternatively it is also used as a "proof" that if there is a
"god" he is powerless or uncaring.
I
understand this thought process, in fact I once believed it myself. Yet, it is
"proof" of absolutely nothing. If anything it is a greater affirmation
for the existence of a loving powerful God than a denial of his existence.
Wait
a minute ... the existence of evil in the world shows that there is a god? How
is that even possible or logical?
Okay,
we can neither prove or disprove God. We can examine the evidence of His
existence and then come to a reasoned conclusion based on our interpretation of
that evidence but that isn't the same as "proof". Having said that
lets look at a couple of situations where there is no "proof" but the
very existence of a situation is a reasonable conclusion that something else
exists.
Have
you ever been hungry? Hunger is not proof that food exists but it does strongly
and reasonable suggest that something must exist to fill that hunger. Hunger
does not prove that food doesn't exist, in fact the opposite is true, and it
leads us to food.
The
fact that sometimes we are thirsty is not "proof" of water, nor does
it "disprove" that water exists. The existence of thirst suggests the
possibility that something out there can remedy that thirst.
Anxiety
suggests the possibility of peace. Hatred suggests the possibility of love. Dark
suggests the possibility of light. Injustice suggests justice. The list of
comparisons is virtually endless.
The
very fact that we are able to recognize that evil and suffering exist tells us
that we recognize that there is an alternative, a remedy. We have some kind of
standard to suggest that evil and suffering are neither right nor appropriate.
We may not understand or agree on what that standard is or the source of that
standard, but there is something that tells us that evil and suffering are bad
things.
A
standard suggests something that can be measured against. That something might
be peace and goodness. If there is peace and goodness there must be a source.
While the thought of peace and goodness does not prove beyond all doubt that
"god" exists, one must reasonably infer some source for the standard
and the existence of the alternatives to evil and injustice.
The
existence of evil and our ability to perceive it as evil suggests that there
must be an alternative "good". The existence or evil does not
"prove" that a "god" does not exist or is powerless. To be
honest though if we are willing to admit that evil is in fact evil we must also
be willing to acknowledge the possibility of a "god" even if we cannot
agree on who or what he/she/ it is.
My
own search has led me to the inescapable conclusion that the ultimate source of
all that is good is the God described in the Bible. He is the one about whom it
is said that:
Genesis
1:1, 1:31-2:3 NIV
In the
beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ... God saw all that he had
made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning - the
sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast
array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the
seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and
made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had
done.
Rationalize
all you will and use the existence of evil as part of your rationalization if
you must, but do not do so under the pretext that it precludes the existence of
a "god". The very existence of evil is a much better indicator for the
existence of "god" than "proof" that he doesn't exist.
When
you see and recognize evil, injustice, suffering and oppression in this world
use it as a point to begin your search to find the alternatives that the
existence of these things suggests.
Until
next time, may God bless you in your quest for the truth any and all quests for
the truth will always lead you back to Him.
He
is the way, the truth and the life!
Darrel
Mason