We live an era that seeks to separate religion and science into separate spheres. Is that truly possible? I use to think so. As I have grown older, I realize that I have no choice except to fall back on religion for answers. Why? Consider the way a tree grows. Then imagine an ant marching up the trunk. Eventually that ant would encounter a branch. That branch would keep branching until the ant encountered one of the leaves of the tree. Would that be the end of it? No. Trees grow. With the passage of time, the ant would find more to explore.
Like the leaves of a tree, we seek the light, the light of understanding. As we learn more, as we gain more answers, our tree grows. Our knowledge grows more branches — more questions. And so the more we learn, the more questions we have. Always, it seems, we find the natural world more complex and puzzling than we imagined.
So why do we seek answers? The trunk of the tree provides the answer to that question. We have faith that God made an orderly universe. Studying His creation is an act of worship. With each answer to each question, the more we understand that His care and concern are endless.
Perhaps that is why I became engineer instead of scientist. I once lost the faith that God exists. Instead of finding reassurance in infinity, I found it frightening. I crawled the tree of knowledge hidden in its branches, forgetting that it is rooted in His Creation, not appreciating the One who waters and feeds the tree.
What is God?
One of the more intimidating duties of a Christian is witnessing to others. When I was young, I was a particularly shy and introverted soul. Because I did not want to do it, I never gave much thought as to how one witnesses. By the time I was a teenager, I had drifted away from the faith. So I no longer had to worry about this “problem.” When I look back, I know I felt relieved.
Is that why I drifted away? Was it just because I fear the duties that come with being a Christian? Not entirely. From the viewpoint of some, the existence of God is self evident. With the great wisdom of the young, however, I began to think these people guilty of wishful thinking. For all its self evidence, I could see no evidence for the existence of God. If there is evidence for the existence of God, how could one miss seeing it? I was smart. I had good vision. How could I miss seeing someone as big and important as God?
Having all the patience one expects of a young man, I stopped looking. I got on with my life. Yet there was still more to this delusion. What we see is too often based upon our need to see what we want to see. I did not want to see any evidence of God.
From science we learn the relationship between cause and effect? For everything, it seems, there is a cause. With science, we can model the relationship between some causes and some effects, and we can gain some control.
Each of us is an effect. What caused us? Our parents gave birth to us, their parents gave birth to them, and so on to the beginning of life on earth. But what caused the earth? The galaxies? The universe? Is God the Ultimate Cause?
Fear
We can speculate that causes span into infinity, but how did this endless chain of cause and effect come to be? Is creation pointless? Why would one want believe such a thing? Do we fear to know? If there is an Ultimate Cause, the Creator of all, then that Creator is God, and His power we do not understand and cannot understand. What we do not understand we fear. Did I fear to know God? Of course I did.
How could I not fear God? He created all things and knows all things. He sees into each soul. He knows each and every sin. How I wanted to avoid that fear! I disbelieved, but still the fear remained. Because I could not deny that fear, I began to know God.
Proverbs 9:10
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Pride
But is fear also enough to sustain disbelief?
When we probe out into space, we see that the ends of creation go far beyond our vision. We look into atoms and find ever more unexpected and minute details. In every direction we look, we find order, cause, and effect. And the more we understand, the more we can control — and so I became proud.
I sought an education, earned degrees, got a good job, married an attractive lady and we had attractive children. I became confirmed in my pride.
Having discovered creation, do we now own creation? If there is no God, then we do own ourselves? Can we run our lives as we wish? Are we the inheritors of the universe? Are we gods?
Was it Pride, the desire to be god, that sustained my disbelief? Maybe. I remember feeling like god, albeit only a little demigod. So acknowledging God would have created a problem. If God exists, how could I be in charge of me? I would be His creation and not my own.
I did not want the knowledge I am insignificant in comparison with the Being who made me. So I did the only thing I could do. In my Pride, I ignored Him.
Proverbs 16:18
Pride goes before destruction,
a haughty spirit before a fall.
Humility
To accept the fact I could not ignore God, I had to be humbled, to suffer the knowledge of my limits, to admit that I was created for purpose that is not of my own making. So as I aged, I experienced my share of disasters: prolonged unemployment, failing health, the sickness of a child…….
When I had learned some Humility, only then would I hear of God’s purpose.
Humility is said to be the foundation of the spiritual edifice and inferior only to faith. However, humility is considered the first virtue inasmuch as it removes the obstacles to faith. It removes pride and makes a man subject to and a fit recipient of grace; according to the words of St. James, “God resisteth the proud, and giveth his grace to the humble” (James 4:6). (from here)
Is the need for Humility the reason why so many us cannot bring ourselves to acknowledge God’s existence? To become humble, must some be humbled? Must we experience suffering? I can only speak for myself. God allowed me, at least, to be stripped of a portion of my Pride. Only then could I accept the fact I am not in control. When I had no other hope and no one else to turn to, then God could remove the blinders of my Pride. Then and only then did His existence for me become too obvious to ignore.
When pride comes, then comes disgrace,
but with humility comes wisdom.
A measure of humility allowed me to listen to God and to seek wisdom in his Word. What did I learn? That is Part II (WHY IS IT SO DIFFICULT TO BELIEVE IN GOD? PART II).
Religion is one thing. God is another.
All science is under God, because all knowledge is under an omniscient God. There is no conflict between knowledge that is truth and other knowledge that is truth.
Moises Maimodes did a good job explaining Aristotlian rationalism and Hebrew mysticism together – back in the 1100s.
The first challenge is to find the full truth about God. I believe that God is revealed to man in the Christian Holy Bible and Jesus. That is one truth.
The second challenge is to find the truth in science. Science is an expanding body of knowledge that moves forward as title of Karl Popper’s great book on epistemology – “Conjectures and Refutations”. For almost 2000 years all learned persons knew that all things were made from earth, water, fire and air in different combinations. Anything else was witchcraft or insanity. That theory was refuted and a new knowledge was conjectured.
So, there is much for science to learn in unraveling the Creator’s creations.
The real harmony between Christianity and knowledge is compelling.
James — Thanks for your comment.
Although I doubt I am as knowledgable on this subject as you, I have learned enough to agree about the harmony between Christianity and science.
We live in an era where the blind lead the blind. Too many study science and remain almost wholly ignorant of their religious heritage. Such tend to rely for their religious knowledge upon the popular journalists of our thrill-seeking main stream media. Sadly, these journalists are no more informed than those they purport to be informing.
PS -
Here are Wikipedia links to Moses Maimonides and Karl Popper.
“All science is under God, because all knowledge is under an omniscient God”
This is fundmentalist clap-trap.
“I believe that God is revealed to man in the Christian Holy Bible and Jesus. That is one truth.”
See above comment.
hoobie – What James believes is not claptrap. I also doubt James is a Fundamentalist, but he can explain his own beliefs.
I just have some questions. Doesn’t James have the right to believe what he believes? Why do his beliefs offend you? How are you harmed by James’ beliefs?
Doesn’t bullshit offend you?
hoobie — When I was younger, I suppose what I regarded as “bullshit” offended me. And I am still proud enough feel somewhat offended. No one changes their character easily. Nonetheless, I have come to understand that we each are our own worse enemy. What we can each deny ourselves hurts far worse than anything anyone can keep from us.
There is no use in worrying about “bullshit.” Worrying about problems just keeps us from thinking about solutions. So when I see someone who believes something I think is wrong or in error, I try to remember my own mistakes. Then I can wonder what I might learn from them, and they might learn from me.
CT: The Hoobies of the world can’t contend with Paul on Mars Hill, so they call names. Also, they don’t understand what is spiritual, so speaking to them in the Spirit is pointless – as Paul writes.
Just keep exercising our right of free speech. Those who have ears will listen. Those who have open minds will understand. Those who hate will speak from the overflow of their hearts.
Jews who agree with the teachings, Biblical interpretations of Moises Mamoides, know that all things – including all knowledge – were created by a Creator. They, nor we, may know how, but they follow the logic – like any good Greek rational scholar. Were, and are, these believing Jews “Fundamentalists”?
James – Before you use the expression “Hoobies of the world” again, you might want to look it up in a slang dictionary.
Hoobie has multiple meanings.
Anyway, Hoobie comments regularly. So I guess he reads this blog regularly. It may just be the hope of my foolish pride, but I suspect he may eventually see the light. I did. But God only knows.
“No, I don’t know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered as patriots. This is one nation under God.”
When a US President believes this, I care what people believe. I am harmed by these beliefs.
hoobie – Do you have a reputable source for this?
http://www.conservatipedia.com/2008/01/should-atheism-be-illegal.html
No.
hoobie — President George W. Bush never said any such thing. What often happens these days is some rascal starts some silly rumor. If the rumor fits in with what people expect or want to be true, they repeat it. Check it out. If the most reputable source you can find is a blog that does not cite a source, then there is nothing to it.
It was Bush’s dad, when he was VP, to a reporter named Rob Sherman. You are correct in that the quote is disputed, however, Bush’s counsel never denied that he said it when given the chance.
hoobie — Bush’s counsel did not affirm the quote. Whichever Bush supposedly made this statement, neither agrees with or wants to be associated with the sentiment it expresses.
That’s what usually happens when one sticks their foot in their mouth. You express an unpalatable sentiment and then run like hell away from it.
Why wouldn’t Bush’s lawyer deny the quote when given the chance? If someone misquoted or attributed a false quote to me I would certainly set the record straight.
hoobie — Are you familiar with the phrase, “making a mountain out of a molehill”?