One of my friends that I’ve talked with before about religion sent me an essay that she had to read, and asked me what my thoughts were on it. Basically, the essay is about not believing in God. I think it has some really great arguments and points. So, this is my response to it. Feel free to skim read it if you’re bored :P. Unfortunately, once I started writing I couldn’t stop. So this goes on for a little while, but I added pictures and tried to make it more fun. If you want to read the original essay (which I recommend) here’s the link: http://thisibelieve.org/essay/34/. But I tried to include some quotes so you’re not lost if you don’t read it. That’s part of why it’s so long. Enjoy, and try not to get bored.
This guy says that “anyone with a love for truth outside of herself has to start with no belief in God and then look for evidence of God”. A lot of people bring this up: there is no evidence for God. How can you believe in something that you can’t see is there? But that’s the thing, you CAN see He’s there, if you look. I don’t understand how someone can believe that the Alps and other incredibly gorgeous sites just came about by accident. Honestly, how is the magma in the earth just the right temperature that it causes convection currents which move the plates in the earth in the right directions that they collide together, push up and form the highest (and most beautiful) points on earth simply by an accident of temperature? I mean, here's a picture of the Alps. How is this an accident?
I love the quote my Biology teacher always brings up when we’re talking about DNA “DNA is the best proof for the existence of God” (or something to that effect, and no, I can’t remember who said it first). But think about it, how do phosphorus atoms alternate with a sugar by lining up with the third and the fifth carbon atoms on the sugar? And the sugar isn’t just any sugar, it’s deoxy-ribose, which means that it has one less oxygen atom than ribose, which has one less carbon than glucose. If this combination was not exactly right, life on earth could not exist. How is it possible that phosphorus atoms aligned just right with deoxyribose to form life (or at least DNA…)? It is so intricate, so specific, that I just cannot accept that it is a total accident. To me, that is fantastic proof.
As my Biology teacher also says “people say that if the World exists because of Intelligent Design, there should be a plan or blueprint for life. DNA is that blueprint.” If all of this DNA stuff sounds like a bunch of nonsense to you because you haven’t done IB Higher Level biochemistry, there’s a diagram of the structure of DNA strands below :). To me, there really couldn’t be better proof.
A lot of people want hard evidence, something that says “GOD EXISTS, PEOPLE!!!!!”. But one of my favorite characteristics of God is that He gives us free will. Basically, in very simple terms, this means that we can choose if we want to believe in him or not, and we can choose if we want to obey him or not. I’ve always thought that this is really because God wants us to be in a faithful, close relationship with him that we choose. We have to choose it. If evidence is thrown in our face, then there is no room to choose faith. And then we’re just mindless droids and slaves. I think that would really suck. I mean, does anyone really enjoy doing a chore that they have no choice about? I don’t. And God wants us to enjoy what He’s given us.
So, while I’m droning on about freewill… this writer says that “Believing there is no God means the suffering I’ve seen in my family, and indeed all the suffering in the world, isn’t caused by an omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent force that isn’t bothered to help or is just testing us, but rather something we all may be able to help others with in the future. No God means the possibility of less suffering in the future.” First of all, I don’t believe that God causes suffering. I believe that He allows us to go through it so that we can become stronger and better people. This is, honestly, the one area I’ve struggled with the most, especially living in Uganda.
How can God have allowed some of the atrocities committed by the LRA? How is it possible that someone dies ever 4.5 minutes from Malaria, just in Uganda? This is why this guy says refers to a “force that isn’t bothered to help us”. Why doesn’t God just wipe out suffering? But, I also think that suffering causes us to see God where we normally wouldn’t, to form a relationship with him through everything. Plus, if we haven’t gone through suffering, how can we help others with it, as he claims is the outcome of having no God?
Honestly, I don’t believe that if God wiped out suffering we would really have free will. Once again, if people didn’t choose to inflict suffering on others, or if they didn’t have to overcome suffering, we would just be mindless droids. We wouldn’t have to look for God; we would see him all the time. Again, there’s no free will. I think the point is that we form a stronger relationship to God through our suffering, and that the point is for me to learn to rely on him to get me through it. If the world was a happy place full of pretty flowers (which it kind of is) and we could skip along singing all day then why would we need or even want God? And He wants us to want Him and need Him.
This author claims to be happy with everything in the world. But the truth is, what if he only knows a tiny fraction of it? What about trusting that God is looking out for you and can guide and advise you? What about knowing that there is something more? What about knowing that, in the midst of any suffering or pain, there’s something more than that? Why would you not want that? Honestly, he believes that that is everything in the world. I believe there is more. I believe that everything he lists as being “everything in the world” is a little superficial. And besides, as I mentioned at the beginning of this ridiculously long thing, where does he think all of these good things come from? How do the chemicals in the brain create romantic love?
He brings up the idea of forgiveness, and that there really is none accept for kindness and faulty memories. He says that it makes him more thoughtful and nicer to people the first time round. Honestly, does he not realize that he’s human? Humans make mistakes. And even if others forgive us, can we always forgive ourselves? God offers us complete and total forgiveness if we come to Him. I would certainly not want to live knowing that there was no way to really wipe out all of my mistakes, especially if they were big ones. Even with little mistakes, who wants to always be forced to remember them, and to know they cannot be forgiven? I don’t know who could die in peace that way, with a whole long list of wrongdoings and condemnations in the back of their mind. Personally, I prefer the idea of dying in peace, knowing that God has thrown my sins, and mistakes, “as far as the East is from the West”.
Okay. I have to say I agree with him about communication. Honestly, talking with people who don’t agree with you is the best way to challenge your own beliefs, and to strengthen and refine them. If I didn’t agree with that then I wouldn’t be writing this right now… Honestly, I don’t really respect people who say “I have faith, I believe this in my heart and nothing you can say or do can shake my faith.” (as this writer says people say). Faith is meant to be shaken and tested and worked on. And honestly, the other quote he brings up is pretty bad too: “How I was brought up and my imaginary friend means more to me than anything you can ever say or do.” Ouch. I think a lot of Christians say that, just in more kind words.
All I can say to this last point is that the judgmental, over-bearing kind of Christian who has no problem pointing out that what someone else things is absolutely WRONG is not the kind of person I like to be around either, and the kind of Christian I hope to never be. Jesus ate with prostitutes, and loved them for who they were. Honestly, if I cannot listen to someone else’s view and have an intelligent conversation with them, than I wouldn’t care very much for myself.
So, that said, I wasn’t meaning to shut down his beliefs. I think these are some really great points about not believing in God. I didn’t want to shut down the arguments. I’m just responding to his beliefs with mine, not intending to be judgmental or condescending. I don’t know enough about the world to do that, and I don’t think anyone really does. I would love to hear what anyone else has to say about this :)
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