DOES GOD EXIST? TODAY - Page 36 of 258 - Evidence for God In the Things He Has Made

July 12, 2023July 11, 2023

Searching for Signs of Alien Life

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is searching for signs of alien life in the universe. NASA’s astrobiology program is renewing efforts to answer the question, “Does life exist elsewhere in the universe?” We find life all over this planet. Life is everywhere on Earth, from frigid climates to arid deserts and ocean depths to mountaintops. But does it exist anywhere else?

Currently, NASA is searching for microbial life on Mars with two robotic rovers, Curiosity and Perseverance. Those rovers are exploring rocks in fossilized waterways on the planet, seeking any indication that microbes once lived there. NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) are working to develop a Mars sample return mission to bring rocks back to Earth for closer examination.

In December of 2018, NASA spacecraft “Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer” (OSIRIS-REx) arrived at the asteroid Bennu after traveling for two years. It orbited Bennu to map the surface and find a good landing spot to obtain samples. In October 2020, OSIRIS-REx touched down on the asteroid, procured a sample, and prepared it for delivery to Earth. In May 2021, the spacecraft departed from Bennu and is expected to arrive back home in September 2023. Scientists will then study this very expensive rock sample, searching for signs of alien life.

Astrobiologists are hopeful that Enceladus and Europa, moons of Saturn and Jupiter respectively, might support some form of life now or in the past. The new James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is also involved in the search for alien life. It can detect “biosignatures” around exoplanets, planets outside of our solar system. In all these ways, NASA is searching for signs of alien life in the universe.

Heather Graham, a NASA astrobiologist at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, says, “We don’t actually know yet how life on this planet began….” Of course, NASA is looking for some natural explanation of how life began. Graham further said that we must “roll back that clock to see how life began.” Why not roll back the clock all the way to the beginning? Science can’t explain how the universe began. Not very long ago, scientists thought the universe was eternal, and they made fun of the idea that the universe had a beginning. However, they reluctantly had to admit that the evidence shows there was a beginning, as Genesis has said for thousands of years.

Perhaps some are motivated to search for signs of alien life to show that God is unnecessary. Will science someday find that there is life, even microbial life, elsewhere in the universe? Perhaps, but if there is, God created it since He created the universe.

Reference: “Is There Life Beyond Earth?” on YouTube

July 11, 2023July 9, 2023

The Process of Dying

Today’s advances in medicine have made the process of dying much more complicated. Proverbs 31:6-7 told the people of ancient times, “Give strong drink to the one who is perishing … let them drink and remember .. their misery no more.” Death is a natural part of life, and for most of us, it is the pain associated with dying that we fear, not so much death itself. Ten million adults age 75 and older visit emergency rooms yearly, and 50% of older adults will be there in the last month of their lives. Adults 65 and older have the highest ER utilization of any age group. The real issue for most of us is quality of life.

Many of us have had a loved one suffering with no hope of ever having a quality of life again and just wanting to go and be with Jesus and not have any more pain. Your author has had to deal with a child in that situation. My son Tim was a victim of COVID. Medical practice was to give him treatment that would keep him alive – including a respirator and a drug package. He survived COVID, but it left horrendous residual damage. Tim could not sit up, take care of his toilet needs, feed himself, walk, or even push a call button when he needed help. I could understand about half of what he said, but no one else could.

Because of Tim’s blindness and mental challenges, he lost the few things he could enjoy. He spent his last months in a nursing home that could meet his basic needs, and gradually his body weakened to the point that he finally passed away. What is wrong with this picture which is repeated over and over in America today? The nursing home Tim was in had some 50 people in similar situations, and the nurses told me I was the only family that visited regularly. People were left in the process of dying, abandoned by loved ones who couldn’t emotionally deal with the situation.

When Tim was admitted to the hospital with COVID, I asked the doctors to allow him to die pain-free and nothing more. They told me they were obligated to do as much as possible to keep him alive and reprimanded me for suggesting they should do nothing but make him comfortable. A national movement called “Assistance in Dying” is working to allow doctors to provide palliative care while allowing a person to die if they choose.

God designed the human body to end its existence without endless suffering, but those who reject faith in God want life to continue at all costs, financially and psychologically. We need to allow God’s will to determine the process of dying and how life ends.

Reference: CompassionAndChoices.org

July 10, 2023July 9, 2023

Artistic Freedom and Personal Beliefs

A question of concern to Americans who believe in God is whether someone specializing in artistic creativity can be forced to create artwork that they find offensive. Recent cases involve artistic freedom and personal beliefs. The question becomes, can the government force custom art creators to create and display artwork that violates their personal religious beliefs?

Recent examples involve:
1- Cake artists forced to create a cake that celebrates a relationship that goes against the artist’s sincerely held religious beliefs.
2- Flourists required to create floral arrangements celebrating an event they find religiously offensive.
3- Website designers forced to create a website promoting something religiously offensive to the designer.
4- Wedding photographers required to photograph weddings that violate their religious beliefs.
5- Printers of custom T-shirts required to produce religiously offensive shirts.
(We have mentioned these in previous posts.)

In the past, the government has not punished artists who refused to produce art that the artist found offensive. However, recently that has changed. When the government forces an artist to create something that violates the artist’s personal beliefs, we have a real test of freedom of speech and religious freedom. Using our talents to express our beliefs is a fundamental right. Being forced by the government to use our gifts to express something that violates our beliefs and religious convictions violates freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

In Acts 4:16-20, we see political leaders threatening harm to Peter and John if they spoke anything in support of Christ. They responded, “Whether it be right to listen to you or to God, you decide, for we can not give up speaking about the things we have seen and heard.” Historically, authorities have tried to force Christians to deny their faith. America is at a crossroads in the area of artistic freedom and personal beliefs. We should not be forced to deny our faith or express something contrary to our religious beliefs.

Reference: ADFlegal.org/

July 7, 2023July 8, 2023

Teenage Mental Health Challenges

A government report for March of 2023 gave data showing that teenage mental health challenges have increased dramatically from 2011 to 2021. The data shows a massive increase for boys, but the numbers are not as severe as for girls. In 2021, 57% of teenage girls surveyed persistently felt sad or hopeless, up from 36% in 2011. Teenage boys with the same feelings increased from 17% to 29%. One-third of the girls in the CDC study seriously considered attempting suicide, a 60% increase from 2011.

The government solution for teenage mental health challenges is school prevention programs. Debra Houry, the chief medical officer for the CDC, says, “These data show our kids need far more support to cope, hope, and thrive.” However, all the programs and school efforts cannot substitute for stable home situations. This is one more evidence for the wisdom of God’s plan for the family.

As a public high school teacher, I saw what modern teens have to deal with. Many of my students got up and fixed their own breakfast, went to school alone, spent the day at school with other kids from dysfunctional families, and came home to an empty house. Mother was there but absorbed in her own world, and father was nonexistent. There was no spiritual leadership in the home.

I used to have after-school tutoring sessions in my classroom for students who needed help with their homework. Many times the kids just wanted to talk. I still receive calls from former students who remember our talks. Now teachers are not allowed to have that kind of interaction with their students, and school programs are run by people who don’t understand kids’ emotional needs.

It is no mystery why teenage mental health challenges are increasing. This situation will worsen as our society moves deeper into secularism and psychological principles based on animal behavior. The Church needs to offer what the world cannot. Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). The word translated “love” is the Greek word “agape,” which means to consider of incredible wealth and value. Kids need to hear that message, and for many of them, the Church is the only place they can hear it.

Reference: NEA Today magazine for June 2023, page 15.

July 6, 2023July 5, 2023

Sexual Identity and God’s Creation

Sexual identity has become a major issue in American society. Increasing numbers of young people are pushing to have their gender changed while guidance counselors attempt to use gender change to solve emotional problems. Meanwhile, doctors are encouraged to prescribe hormones and irreversible surgeries to facilitate changing a young person’s gender.

Like many issues today, many people attack Christians and use the gender issue to denigrate God. Genesis 1:27 indicates that God created male and female as separate entities. Genesis 3:16-20 spells out the roles of males and females, suggesting that their biology defines their roles in life. It is essential to understand that the scientific evidence supports this point.

Sexual identity goes beyond gametes and sexual organs. Numerous biological differences between males and females are not just arbitrary or psychological. Males have more hair on their faces than females. Females have larger breasts than males. Males generally have more upper body strength than females. Men are, on average, about six inches taller than women. The mean height for American women is 5 feet three inches, and for men, it is 5 feet nine inches.

Studies show that men tend to have greater ability in physical areas involving speed and spatial relations tasks, while women have greater ability in verbal matters and social cognition. Men score higher on tests involving assertiveness, which is seen in boy babies, not just adults. Women tend to be more extroverted, trusting, and nurturing. Biological factors give women greater flexibility in gymnastics and ability in small-bore rifle competitions, while men do better in most competitive sports.

There is solid factual scientific evidence that being male or female is not just a choice but a biological fact. We empathize with those who, for reasons still not understood, feel trapped in the wrong body, but forcing change on that body by chemicals and surgery is destructive in the long run. We must provide help and solutions for individuals dealing with sexual identity problems or other mental and emotional struggles. However, making major changes in God’s design will eventually produce more problems for the individuals and for society.

References: Skeptic Magazine Volume 28 # 1 2023, pages 69-73.

July 5, 2023July 4, 2023

Asteroid Strike from Space

As our view of space and our solar system improves, astronomers have realized that space is a dangerous place. Space travel requires considering the many ways astronauts can be harmed when they leave Earth’s protection. It isn’t just cold and radiation and the damaging effects of weightlessness, but our solar system is full of rock material left over from the creation process. NASA must keep in mind the possibility of an asteroid strike from space.

NASA has plotted 1000 known “Potentially Hazardous Asteroids” (PHAs). These are documented boulders of rock and ice over 140 meters across that will pass within 7.5 million kilometers of Earth (about 20 times the distance to the Moon). Were a giant asteroid to strike Earth, the result would be catastrophic. There is evidence that this has happened in the past, probably causing mass extinctions on our planet.

NASA used the DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) mission in 2022 to explore the possibility of redirecting an asteroid away from the Earth. We are talking about a large object, not the small pieces of rock and dust that strike the Earth every day, producing meteor displays and fireballs. NASA designed DART to find a way to prevent a catastrophic asteroid strike from space.

NASA has concluded that none of the asteroids known to astronomers will strike the Earth for at least the next 100 years. God created our planet in such a way that we are protected from destructive agents from outer space. The more we learn about space, the more we see the design and planning involved in creation.

The threat to humanity is what we do to ourselves, not any failure in the design of our planet. God has also given us a way to protect ourselves from each other, and we see that in the teachings of Jesus Christ. Read Matthew chapters 5-7, and you will see what Jesus told us. The selfishness and greed of humans threaten our existence individually and collectively. Human self-destruction is far more likely than a catastrophic asteroid strike from space.

Reference: NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day for June 30, 2023

July 4, 2023July 3, 2023

The Preamble to the Declaration of Independence

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Those words are from the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence.

“You are all sons of God through faith in Jesus Christ, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourself with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26-28).

In 1938, the Fourth of July was declared a national holiday, even though only John Hancock and Charles Thompson signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776. Most of the others signed it on August 2nd of that year. However, independence from King George III and Britain required eight years of war. One has to wonder what the signers would think if they saw America today.

The two quotes at the head of this article do not contradict each other. They both state an ideal that has yet to be achieved. Denying the Creator and viewing humans as only animals existing by the survival of the fittest has generated conflict threatening the standard stated in the Preamble. Racism and misogyny violate both the Declaration and the Bible. The question is, what should be the role of Christians in a country that has veered away from the beliefs of the founding fathers?

The ancient Roman government was corrupt, immoral, violent, racist, and misogynistic. Both Rome and the Jewish establishment fought the teachings of Jesus that defied all of those violations of God’s will. The government allowed babies to be killed by just throwing them into the street and the government sanctioned prostitution. In Romans 13, the apostle Paul advises Christians living under that corrupt government to “submit to the governing authorities” (Verse 1). Paul also told Christians to pay taxes, give revenue, and give honor to governing authorities (Verses 6-7).

Now in 2023, we are facing similar problems, and Christians must not respond with violence or rebellion. We can vote and let others know of our convictions about equality for all. We can still endorse the statements of the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence. This July 4th, Independence Day, is an excellent time to reflect on past lessons from God and from our national history.

Reference: The Old Farmer’s Almanac, almanac.com

July 3, 2023July 1, 2023

Human Actions Lead to Wildfires

In our part of the country, people will remember the summer of 2023 as the “summer of smoke.” Canadian wildfires combined with wind directions have brought heavy smoke into our area. The smoke has been so dense that a friend living in Chicago told me he could not see across the street – a distance of about 20 yards. In the past, we personally experienced California wildfires and saw their massive damage. The message we need to understand is that human actions lead to wildfires.

God designed the natural world to prevent massive fires from developing. When we allow brush to accumulate, lightning, human carelessness, or arson starts a fire, it will explode into a conflagration of massive proportions. The role of grazing animals is one way the natural world has been designed to prevent these huge fires.

Ireland is a rainy country, but in 2021, wildfires burned near Dublin for six weeks. The fuel for those explosive fires is a flowering plant called gorse. It grows in dense thickets and is highly flammable when it dries in late summer. The removal of an indigenous goat breed known as old Irish goats allowed the heathland to become overgrown. The result was annual fire outbreaks.

By introducing the old Irish goats back to the area where the gorse grows, the plant biomass is no longer a fuel source for the fires. An organization called the “Old Irish Goat Society” (OIGS) has been involved in a three-year project to reintroduce the endangered goat breed into areas suffering the threat of wildfires. One obvious risk in today’s world is that the goats will also eat desirable plants. In the past, carnivores prevented that from happening by limiting goat populations. The OIGS prevents that problem by equipping the goats with GPS colors that set off an alarm when the goats wander too far.

God built into the creation a variety of means of preventing wildfires. Once again, human actions lead to wildfires by altering the original system, which included grazing animals. Yellowstone National Park has similar results with elk herds. We must learn to allow the controlling agents that God built into the original system.

Reference: “Meet the Firefighting Goats of Dublin” in Discover magazine for July/August 2023, pages 10-11.

June 30, 2023June 30, 2023

A Lesson About Judging

The following poem was in the Niles, Michigan, bulletin. The author was not identified, but it has a lesson about judging for us all to think about. Read, enjoy, laugh, and think.

I was shocked, confused, bewildered
As I entered Heaven’s door,
Not by the beauty of it all,
Nor the lights of its décor.
But it was the folks in Heaven
Who made me sputter and gasp –
The thieves, the liars, the sinners
The druggies and other trash.
There stood the kid from 7th grade,
Who swiped my lunch money! Twice!
Next to him was my old neighbor
Who never said anything nice.
Herb, who I always thought
Was rotting away in hell,
Was sitting pretty on cloud nine,
Looking incredibly well.
I nudged Jesus, “What’s the deal?”
Would love to hear Your take.
How’d all these sinners get up here?
God must’ve made a mistake.”
And why’s everyone so quiet,
So somber – give me a clue.”
“Hush, child,” He said, “they’re all in shock.
No one thought they’d be seeing you.”

Where we will end up does not depend on our good works, but on Christ’s saving grace. This poem may not be theologically correct, but it has a lesson about judging for us to think about.

— John N. Clayton

June 29, 2023June 27, 2023

Denigrating Women Is Not God’s Plan

Some have attempted to use the Bible’s teachings to justify denigrating women. This ignorance was an issue in the time of Jesus, and it continues today, not just in undeveloped countries but even in America.

The problem of not carefully studying the biblical concept of women’s role goes back to Genesis 2:18-24. God created Adam as a living being with a spiritual dimension. Adam observes and names the animals, but he is still unable to live as God intended. Verse 20 says, “There was not a helper fit for him.” The Hebrew word for helper is “ezer,” which is “one who provides strength in the area where the helped one is lacking” (New World Bible Dictionary). Eve is not inferior to Adam. Adam joyfully proclaims, “This, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.”

In Matthew 19:8, Jesus refers back to Genesis 2 as He denies men the right to treat their wives as objects saying, “Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning, it was not so.” The passage in Genesis 2 refers to wife (singular), not wives plural. It is in Genesis 4:19 that man first violates God’s plan with Lamech having two wives. Lamech’s actions and denigrating women eventually led to the immorality that produced the flood of chapter 6.

The rejection of God’s plan has caused terrible treatment of women through the ages. Jesus included women in his ministry, and Luke 8:1-3 reveals they played a major role. In John 4, Jesus deals with the Samaritan woman at the well, and in verse 27, even His disciples were amazed at his treatment of this woman. Ephesians 5:25-33 tells Christian men to love their wives as their own bodies (verse 28). Galatians 3:28 tells us that in the Church, there is no male nor female, for we are all one. That was the message of Genesis 2, which is repeated in Christianity today.

Today’s world has turned away from God’s teachings, denigrating women and using them as sex objects. Men have used survival of the fittest to persecute women and keep them under economic control. Men and women each have specific roles. Only women can give birth to babies, but today many choose to abort. Men have the role of spiritual leadership, but most of them fail at that. Christ’s teachings and the Apostles’ instructions uniquely elevate women and challenge men to be what God calls them to be. As society rejects God’s teachings, women suffer the most.