Evidence for God in the Bible Archives

February 1, 2024January 30, 2024

What Makes an Atheist?

Yesterday, we pondered statistics about atheism from the Pew Research Center. We considered what an atheist is. We saw that atheists are more highly educated, with 43% having college degrees compared to 27% of the American general public. They also are politically more affiliated with the Democrat party and lean more toward political liberalism. They do have spiritual thoughts and find meaning in family. However, atheists also find much more meaning in money, hobbies, and travel than do Christians or the general population. What makes an atheist? Why do people turn to atheism?

We often blame the fact that young people turn to atheism in college on the influence of American higher education. Educational institutions have become more liberal and atheistic, but perhaps the churches are partially to blame. We learn about God from two sources. In addition to the Bible, the world around us is filled with the life and wonder of God’s creation. “For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature. So, they have no excuse for not knowing God. (Romans 1:20 NLT).

Many young people who grow up in the church are taught Bible stories along with a distorted scientific perspective of creation. When they get to college, they face new freedoms and challenges to the scientific “facts” they learned in church. The earth and sky seem to be showing something that can’t fit into the human-made interpretations of Bible chronology they have learned. They face a conflict that they must resolve. Too often, they resolve it by throwing out the truth of the Bible along with the scientific errors that have been falsely attached to it.

The bottom line is that the Bible does not tell us the age of the universe or planet Earth. Everything the Bible does tell us agrees with scientific facts. As we have said many times before, science and faith are friends. If there are apparent conflicts, it is because we have bad science or bad theology. The fact that there has been too much of both often turns our college students into atheists.

One more fact from the Pew Research Center is that in a religious knowledge survey, atheists ranked ahead of U.S. adults overall in answering fact-based questions about religion. That indicates that what makes an atheist involves more than a lack of religious knowledge. We will continue with that thought tomorrow.

Reference: Pew Research Center

January 19, 2024January 16, 2024

Sow Seeds or Pull Weeds

We constantly get solicitations from people who want us to join them in fighting some national problem. Some of them say it is our duty as Christians to be part of their organization, party, or action. It is not my intention to tell anyone what they personally wish to do is wrong, but Christ’s message is not to involve His Church in partisan protests. In “Power For Today,” Gene Shelburne said it well: “Our primary duty is to sow seeds, not to pull weeds. We must remember that it is not our role to administer punishment. Weed pulling is God’s Job.”

That agrees with what Jesus taught in Matthew 13:24-30. His parable tells of a farmer’s attempt to sow seeds in his field where an enemy comes at night and sows destructive weeds. When the seeds germinate, it is evident that someone added weeds to the crop. The workers come to the farmer and ask if they should pull weeds. The farmer replies not to pull weeds because they will uproot the good seeds with them. He says that they should remove and burn the weeds when the harvest comes.

There is much that is wrong with our world. A military response is not the answer. Bombing an abortion clinic, setting fire to a liquor store, or shooting a person promoting prostitution is not the answer. The Church needs to sow seeds by teaching and showing that God’s plan is superior and that the help of the Holy Spirit will make a difference.

When Peter wanted to fight those seizing Christ, Jesus told him to put his sword away (Matthew 26:51-52). The Church must not get involved in politics or military-like actions. By training our young people and teaching all people by every means possible, we sow seeds that can change our country’s direction and impact the world. The forces of evil in the world will try to prevent us from sowing seeds, but the fruit of those forces will be bitter and destructive. History has repeatedly shown that God will take care of human evil in His time.

Reference: Gene Shelburne writing in the February 22, 2024, issue of “Power For Today”

January 17, 2024January 16, 2024

Suggestions for Expressing Gratitude

The Bible repeatedly urges Christians to have an attitude of gratitude, repeating the instruction to give thanks to God and to those who serve in the Church. There is a great deal of evidence that expressing gratitude benefits our physical and mental health. An atheistic view denies gratitude. Looking after # 1 does not move a person towards being thankful, isolating and affecting how the atheist lives. We recommend an article in The Saturday Evening Post titled “The Gratitude Resolution.” It has these suggestions for expressing gratitude:

“Multiple studies have shown that expressing gratitude is associated with a host of mental and physical benefits. Being consciously thankful can enhance empathy and self-esteem, reduce aggression, counteract negative emotions and improve sleep, mood and immunity. So make a resolution this year to be more grateful.”

The article goes on to suggest keeping a daily gratitude journal, complimenting those who serve or help you, and sending “thank you” notes to people who have helped you in some way. Can you imagine what effect it would have on the world if everyone followed those suggestions for expressing gratitude? Christians need to set an example that will encourage others to follow.

Reference: “The Gratitude Resolution” in The Saturday Evening Post for January/February 2024, page 21.

January 15, 2024January 14, 2024

You Are Hopeless

Has anyone ever told you that you are hopeless? I remember the feeling when I was told that my ability to communicate with others in a classroom setting was hopeless. This happened when I was a junior in college and was planning to become a science teacher as a career.

Part of my preparation for teaching was an analysis by the university’s speech department. They evaluated my ability to speak in a way that others could understand. The person testing me pulled up in his chair and said, “The speech problem you have cannot be corrected. You are hopeless and need to change your major because you could never speak in a classroom setting.”

As I held the hand of a loved one with cancer, medical personnel said, “It is hopeless. There is nothing that can be done to stop the cancer.” That diagnosis was unexpected, and my loved one turned and looked at me with frightened eyes and repeated the diagnosis – “I am hopeless.”

In both of these cases, the pronouncement of hopelessness was premature. My loved one lived for more than five years – a time filled with great joy and thanksgiving. When the woman I was eventually to marry heard that I had been told I was “hopeless,” she had something to say. She said, “You may be hopeless in the speech department, but you want to teach science in high school, and those kids will be able to understand what you say.” She was right. I taught in South Bend, Indiana’s public schools for 41 years and was selected as “teacher of the year” on one occasion.

These are trivial cases compared to the challenges facing teenagers today. Atheist and agnostic teaching tells them, “You are hopeless.” If you don’t see a purpose in being alive, when life gets hard and dreams crash, it is easy to decide to end life. The suicide rate at all levels is at an all-time high in our culture today, mainly because when we discard God, there is no hope.

The Bible repeatedly tells us there is a reason for hope. Psalms 42:5 and 62:5 urge us to put our faith in God. Romans 15:13 speaks of God giving us hope through the action of the Holy Spirit. Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as a function of hope and not just the hope of heaven. As Christians, we are part of the war between good and evil. With the hope of an eternal existence with God and knowing our life has a purpose here and now, Christians have a reason for hope.

January 8, 2024January 7, 2024

Accomplishments of Older People

I debated with an atheist on a radio program on the topic of evidence for the existence of God. The radio host mentioned that I was retired from public school teaching after 41 years in the classroom. The atheist began a lecture about how people invent a god when they get old because they want to have someplace to go that allows their existence to continue. My atheist friend said, “It’s only old people who are about to die who believe in God because they can’t make any real contribution to humanity, and life is hard when you get close to death.” I countered with some accomplishments of older people.

For example, poet Maya Angelou received the Presidential Medal of Freedom at age 82. Julia Child wrote a cookbook at 87, and Frank Loyd Wright designed several of his best houses at 91. Astronaut John Glenn was a medical guinea pig going back into space at age 77 to allow doctors to study the effects of space on an older person.

After I had given several illustrations of the accomplishments of older people, my atheist friend said, “But you are obviously old, and that is why you invented God to deal with your impending death.” I responded by pointing out that our ministry has been showing evidence for the existence of God since 1968, so our work did not start in my old age.

It is true that sometimes people don’t stay up to date with new data and techniques as they get older. That is why we subscribe to nearly 100 periodicals, including atheist publications, so we can “be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15). The debate over whether the qualifications of a politician or teacher can be diminished because of age depends on the individual. We may not know the answer to every question people may ask, but neither does anyone else.

As for the accomplishments of older people, age and experience frequently offer a better answer than modern philosophy. Let us deal with the evidence for the existence of God and not rely on human theories and youthful atheist philosophies.

Reference: The Mayo Clinic Health Letter for December 2023

January 5, 2024January 2, 2024

The Role of Religion in a Democracy

People are waging a war of words concerning the role of religion in a democracy and whether the Christian faith should have any role in America’s future. An organization titled Americans United for the Separation of Church and State has sent out a plea for donations to fight what they call “Christian Nationalism.” They maintain that the government cannot support Christian values. With that goal in mind, they are engaged in several lawsuits against prayers at public gatherings and government support of schools with religious connections.

The opposing view comes from groups like the Association of Mature American Citizens, publishers of AMAC Magazine. They maintain that a “moral society flows from a focus on freely held faith” (James Madison). They also quote John Adams: “Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.” AMAC also heavily quotes Jefferson and Washington in the view that America was founded by men who saw Christianity as the basis of human rights. What is the role of religion in a democracy?

There is a difference between maintaining that faith has no role in determining the rights of people and believing that there is only one faith that calls for certain moral rules to be law. Jesus made it clear that there is a separation between what we give to the government and what we give to the work of God. Matthew 22:21 says clearly, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

Thomas Jefferson said, “Neither Pagan nor Muslim nor Jew ought to be excluded from the civil rights of the commonwealth because of his religion.” That teaching is biblically sound, but the government must have a moral standard to govern by. In Romans 13:1-6, Paul tells Christians to support those who govern, “For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad” (verse 3). The question is, “How does a government decide what is right and what is wrong?”

There are experts like Peter Singer, the DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University, who maintain that the government should put to death anyone who is mentally ill, of great age, or in the late stages of a terminal disease. This flies in the face of Christian teachings, but some states are already implementing it in various ways, such as government support for the destruction of human life. If a politician holds to a religion that teaches that those who reach the age of 50 should be killed, how will that influence the practice of the government?

Madison talks about a “moral society,” and Adams speaks of the Constitution being made for a “moral and religious people.” So, what is the role of religion in a democracy? Christians support the separation of church and state, but the moral teachings of what is right and wrong cannot come from scholars, politicians, or some religions. The future of our children and grandchildren depends on getting people to understand that right and wrong do exist, and not all religions and political belief systems understand that.

January 2, 2024January 1, 2024

Loneliness Crisis Is Deadly

A recent USA Today article gathered data from the University of Michigan and Harvard University, showing that loneliness has increased dramatically in the United States. According to the article, 61% of adults ages 18 to 25 feel profound loneliness. Harvard professor Jeremy Nobel has established an initiative called “Project Unlonely” to address this loneliness crisis.

Professor Nobel classifies three types of loneliness:
(1) Psychological loneliness – not having anyone to trust or confide in
(2) Societal loneliness – feeling systemically excluded because of such things as gender, race, or disability
(3) Spiritual loneliness – feeling disconnected from oneself.

The U.S. Surgeon General’s advisory report says that loneliness increases the risk of premature death by 26%, equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. The American Heart Association says that feeling lonely increases a person’s risk of heart disease by 29% and stroke by 32%, indicating that the loneliness crisis is deadly.

The U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy says that the solution to loneliness is to take 15 minutes a day to reach out to someone you care about or look for ways to serve others. He says that when we are with someone else, we must give them our full attention and put away our devices. He further states that schools, companies, and healthcare facilities must adopt strategies to reduce loneliness.

Nowhere in the USA Today article is the Church mentioned. The fact is that the teachings of Christ offer a real solution to loneliness. Read Acts 2:41-47, and you will see an excellent cure for loneliness. Read Matthew 25:31-40 and see what Jesus considers essential in how we live our lives. Christians can avoid the loneliness crisis by becoming active in building relationships and serving others.

Having a relationship with Christ gives us an understanding of our purpose for existing. Loneliness results from a world dominated by “survival of the fittest” and “looking after # 1.” The loneliness crisis in America has become an epidemic and is just part of the collateral damage that comes from rejecting God.

Reference: “Americans are lonely, and it’s killing them” by Adrianna Rodriques in USA Today 12/27/23

December 29, 2023December 30, 2023

A Mindful Ultimate Cause for Our Existence

Yesterday, we said that all major polls from Gallup and Pew agree that faith in God is declining in America. We pointed out that the majority of atheists and agnostics agree with the statement: “The findings of science make the existence of God less probable.” That is true even though recent scientific discoveries point to the existence of a mindful ultimate Cause for our existence.

In the past, a significant factor that caused people to reject faith in God was the problem of pain and suffering. Why would a loving and all-powerful God would allow pain and suffering? That question has led many people to reject God in the past, but another factor for rejecting God has exceeded that one.

According to the Discovery Institute, research shows that 50% of people who reject God do so because of suffering, disease, and death. However, 65% of those who reject belief in God today do so because of: “Scientific theories about the unguided evolution of life.” That means science has become a more significant factor in rejecting God than the pain and suffering problem.

What are the implications for humans if we evolved by unguided evolution? Suppose humans have evolved from the lower animals by a mindless, undirected process. In that case, it means that humans have no intrinsic value, no ultimate purpose, no objective morality, and death is the end of our existence as our bodies decay. When people believe that, what can keep them from being filled with despair and choosing suicide and murder? If we fail to find happiness in life, why not bring it to an end?

Before society is destroyed by complete despair, we have a message of hope. We want to tell you that there is a mindful ultimate Cause for our existence. Even scientific evidence points to the existence of God. The Bible and Jesus Christ show us that God loves us and has a plan for our lives. There is purpose and hope and a reason to live. As we enter a new year, the Does God Exist? ministry will continue to share that good news with everyone willing to open their hearts and minds to listen.

Reference: Stephen C. Meyer on “Has Humanity Forgotten God” on YouTube

December 26, 2023December 19, 2023

Are You Content with Your Life?

Recent studies of the mental state of college students show that 45% of them are too depressed to function well, and 10% of those have tried or are contemplating suicide. The use of chemical drugs to bring contentment has grown at an incredible rate. The number of psychological descriptions of mental discontent has grown so large that psychologists now have labels for almost everything imaginable. Are you content with your life?

Jesus Christ lived with twelve dysfunctional, ordinary men. The followers of Christ were not highly educated or leaders in their communities. In some cases, they abruptly left their regular station in life to follow Jesus. In Luke 14:16-24, Jesus tells a parable about a man preparing a great dinner and inviting people to come. The invited people made excuses for not coming, ranging from needing to look at a recently purchased property to a guy who just got married. The twelve men who followed Jesus didn’t procrastinate and give excuses about why they couldn’t follow Him. However, they still struggled with contentment:

*The brothers James and John had their mother appeal to Jesus to give them the choice positions in His kingdom (Matthew 20:20-23).
*Peter was boisterous and competitive (John 21:20-22).
*Thomas struggled with his faith (John 20:24-28).
*Philip and Andrew were skeptical about what Jesus could do (John 6:7-9).

In Philippians 4:12, Paul stated that he had LEARNED to be content. When you read the teachings of Jesus in Matthew 5-7, you see that many of His words were designed to enable His followers to find contentment. Learning not to be angry with others (Matthew 5:22-25) brings contentment. Avoiding pornographic activity (Matthew 5:27-28) and not wanting revenge but caring about others (Matthew 5:38-44) can do wonders for our mental attitude. Making prayer personal in a quiet time with God and practicing forgiveness can relieve stress (Matthew 6:6-15). Not being obsessed with making money can bring huge rewards (Matthew 6:19-21 and 25-34).

When you read about the first century Church in Acts 2:42-45, you learn that their activity led to contentment for everyone – even those who were not part of the congregation. Ephesians 3:14-21 gives a picture of contentment. God is a relational God who does not want us to be stressed. Spend some time learning to comprehend what Paul had learned. Christians should be the most contented people in the world. With the stress of life today, being content is critically important. Are you content with your life?

December 22, 2023December 19, 2023

Misconceptions About Christmas

Skeptics and atheists frequently attack Christianity by saying that much of what people celebrate at Christmas is either impossible or inaccurate. God coming to Earth would seem impossible if you don’t believe in God or miracles. However, much of the weakness of the skeptic’s arguments is that they attack misconceptions about Christmas.

For example, they criticize the “star of Bethlehem” as impossible. That “star” cannot be a celestial object since the closest star to Earth is Alpha Centauri A, which is 4.3 light years away. Like all celestial stars, it is too far away to stand over a Bethlehem stable. Herod didn’t see the star, and Luke 2:8-15 tells us that angels visited the shepherds but doesn’t mention the star. It had to be an extraordinary miracle of God.

The “wise men” described in Matthew 2:1-2 were “magi from the east,” not kings, and the Bible doesn’t say how many. When they arrived, the Christ child was not in a stable but in a “house” (Matthew 2:11). Atheists and skeptics often challenge misconceptions about Christmas that they see on greeting cards and pictures of the Christmas season rather than what the Bible actually says.

Skeptics also criticize the idea that shepherds were in the fields in late December. The Bible does not record the date of Jesus’ birth, and December is not the time shepherds would have been there. Christmas cards often depict angels with wings and golden harps, but neither of those references is biblical. Christmas songs may also create misconceptions about Christmas. There is no “little drummer boy” in the Bible. While we can enjoy the beauty of Christmas songs, go to the Bible for the facts of Christ’s birth.

December 25 is a great day to enjoy family and declare a rest at the end of the year. However, celebrating Christmas on that day is a human tradition, not a commandment of God. We should honor the incarnation of Christ every day as we look forward to His return.