DOES GOD EXIST? TODAY

November 15, 2023November 14, 2023

Tragedies Do Not Disprove God

On Saturday, November 11, U. S. soccer star Megan Rapinoe had a career-ending injury. Only six minutes into the National Women’s Soccer League Championship, Rapinoe tore her Achilles tendon, putting her out of the game. She used the occasion to express her lack of belief in God. The truth is that tragedies do not disprove God.

In the post-match press conference, Rapinoe said, “I’m not a religious person or anything, and if there was a god, like, this is proof that there isn’t.” She then went on to express her feelings in profanity. Rapinoe admitted that she was not a believer before the accident. But I would ask, what does this accident have to do with God’s existence? Tragedies do not disprove God.

When we read the book of Job, we see the tendency of people to think that when something terrible happens, it means that person has done something bad and God is punishing them. The opposite of that is believing that if something good happens to us, we must have done something good to deserve it. Both concepts are false, contrary to Biblical teaching, and illogical.

Jesus clearly said that His followers would suffer for doing good. Paul suffered for presenting the gospel message of love and hope to a world that needed to hear it. James said, “Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1:2-4).

When things go wrong, people often blame God. Some turn away from God, and others turn to God. Turning away from God is turning away from hope. Seeking God in times of trouble brings hope and, as James tells us, develops patience. Tragedies do not disprove God. They have nothing to do with God’s existence, and rejecting God because of disasters provides no hope. Placing our faith in God in difficult times gives us a source of hope and comfort.

Rapinoe expressed her confused perspective when she went on to say, “Thank God I have a (expletive deleted) deep well of a sense of humor.” I believe it takes more than a sense of humor to survive the trials of life. It also takes hope. “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God (Romans 5:1-2).”

Reference: Fox News

November 14, 2023November 13, 2023

James Tour Challenge

How did non-living chemicals become living plants and animals? Origin of life research has been the focus of countless hours and vast expenditures by expert scientists for the last 70-plus years. The results have been, well, unremarkable. Chemist Dr. James Tour of Rice University issued a 60-day challenge. The James Tour challenge to the leading origin-of-life researchers called for them to show what progress they have made in 70 years.

Dr. Tour points out that there are five major hurdles that the origin-of-life scientists must clear. They are the fundamental problems that stand in the way of life originating from non-life (abiogenesis). In simplified form, they are:

Linking amino acids into chains
Linking nucleotides into RNA molecules
Linking simple sugars into chains
The origin of biological information
The assembly of all components into a cell

YouTubers are claiming that scientists have completely solved these obstacles to abiogenesis. If that is true, Tour challenged the leading origin-of-life researchers to verify and explain it. The James Tour challenge gave them 60 days to put up their evidence. Dr. Tour said if they could show that they have solved even one of those problems, he would shut up about the issue.

The James Tour 60-day challenge expired at the end of October 2023. Not one scientist could meet his challenge. In other words, in 70 years of research, no progress has been made on any of the major roadblocks to non-living matter becoming a primitive living cell.

If brilliant scientists with the best equipment and modern laboratories ever manage to produce life from basic elements, what will they prove? They will not show that life can originate by unguided accidents. They will have demonstrated that an intelligent being can create life from non-living matter. That is what the Bible has said for thousands of years.

References:

Evolution News report on the James Tour challenge.

James Tour’s Put Up and I’ll Shut Up challenge.

James Tour debates a YouTuber who claims science has solved all origin-of-life problems.

James Tour mentioned in “Scientists and God” in our quarterly publication.

Creating life in the laboratory.

November 13, 2023November 12, 2023

Answering Today’s Challenges

The Church struggles to stay informed and relevant on the issues and answering today’s challenges. In October 2023, the Survey Center on American Life and the Associated Press/NORC released new data revealing the attitudes and beliefs of our friends and neighbors. If the Church is going to lead people to faith in God, we need to know what they believe. Jesus knew the teachings of Judaism and the beliefs of the Romans, and we must follow His example.

Here are some results of the recent surveys:

1) 44% of Americans have “hardly any confidence” in organized religion.

2) 29% of Americans believe evolution is the best explanation for the origin of life on Earth.

3) 38% believe humans and other living things have evolved over time due to processes guided by God or a higher power.

4) 31% believe humans and other living things have evolved over time, and God or a higher power had no role in this process.

5) 12% believe humans and other living things have existed in their present form since the beginning of time.

6) 49% believe scientists generally believe the universe was created in a single, violent event, often called the “Big Bang.”

The problem with surveys is that words like “evolution” are not defined. If “Naturalism” were used instead of “evolution,” the numbers would be different. Confusing “evolution” and “creation” is another source of problems with surveys. Evolution deals with the changes in things already created. It does not attempt to explain the creation of space, time, matter/energy, or anything spiritual.

It is interesting to see surveys like these and compare them to similar ones from past years. You don’t wear a hockey uniform to play baseball, and you can’t reach people today based on what people believed in the 20th century. God’s Word does not change and is a rock-solid guide for life, but young people today are radically different from last century. Answering today’s challenges requires meeting people where they are and not depending on methods that worked in the past.

References: The American Perspectives Survey was conducted between May 16 and 24, 2023. The AP/NORC data was in The Week for October 20, 2023, on page 17.

November 10, 2023November 9, 2023

The Story of Amazing Grace

Believers and nonbelievers know the haunting melody of the song Amazing Grace, written by John Newton. The story of Amazing Grace and its composer has a great message for us all. Newton was born in 1725. His mother died when he was eleven, and his father took the boy to sea with him. On a visit back home, the British Navy impounded and pressed him into service.

Newton escaped, but the Navy again impounded him and turned him over to a slave trader. During his time in the slave business, he rose to the rank of captain but sank into disbelief and gross immorality. Eventually, he was imprisoned and then rescued by a friend of his father.

In 1748, Newton boarded a slave ship named the Greyhound headed for home. The vessel encountered a severe storm and was lost at sea for 27 days before finally sighting land. The experience in the storm shook Newton back to the faith his mother had taught him as a child. Not only did he come back to the faith, but he also became a preacher.

On a previous journey with a hold full of slaves, Newton had heard their African chant. That chant became the tune for Amazing Grace, and it can be played on the black keys of a modern piano. The story of Amazing Grace has special meaning when you understand the life of John Newton, the source of the beautiful melody, and the inspiration for the words attached to it. Newton lived for 82 years, but his song lives on to inspire people today.

November 9, 2023February 13, 2024

Dispensationalism Is a Destructive Doctrine

Dispensationalism is a destructive doctrine for those of us trying to convince people that the Bible is the word of God. Dispensationalism maintains that in the future, God will fulfill to the nation of Israel the promises He made to ethnic Israel in the Old Testament. That includes the restoration of David’s throne with world dominion in Jerusalem.

Dispensationalism developed from the teachings of John Nelson Darby in the 19th century. Since then, various preachers and authors, including D. L. Moody, C. I. Scofield, John Walvoord, and Hal Lindsey, have advocated, advanced, expanded, and modified the doctrine. Jehovah’s Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists, various denominations, and creationist organizations embrace forms of dispensationalism.

We have recently learned about Steve John, a former member, and teacher of the Seventh Day Adventist denomination. He has a blog called “Gospel Reflections,” where he discusses the errors in their teachings. Use the link below to read his article “Challenges in Embracing Dispensational Theology,” where he discusses dispensationalism’s theological problems.

On a very practical level, we need to understand that God’s promises have always been conditional. We see this in Deuteronomy 28, where God tells ancient Israel the blessings that will come to them if they keep His covenant and follow His instructions. In 14 verses, God tells them the good that will come if they obey the covenant. Then, in verses 15 through 68, God tells them of the bad things that will come if Israel does not keep the covenant.

This conditional principle is carried into the New Testament, where Jesus says the temple would cease to exist if they continue to break the covenant. In A.D. 70, the temple was destroyed. In John 4:21-24, Jesus tells the Samaritan woman that the time was coming when worship would not be in Jerusalem or on Mount Gerizim. The concept of God’s kingdom being spiritual and not a physical kingdom on Earth is difficult for many to accept, but a careful study of the Bible clearly shows that it is true.

Dispensationalism is a destructive doctrine that places time restraints on both the past and the future. Supporting the nation of Israel with the expectation of world domination is contradictory to taking the Bible literally. Suggesting that Earth is only 6000 years old is another product of dispensationalism, putting the Bible at odds with common sense and all the scientific evidence. It is sad that so many Christians, including many in the Restoration Movement, have embraced this denominational teaching, which destroys the faith of many young people.

Reference: “Challenges in Embracing Dispensational Theology” by Steve John.

November 8, 2023November 7, 2023

How the Mpemba Effect Works

Yesterday, I warned of the danger of trying to solve an argument using the scientific method when people want to stick to their preconceived ideas. The argument I referred to was between my family members about whether hot or cold water freezes faster. The truth is that the phenomenon where hot water freezes faster is called the Mpemba effect after an African secondary school student who brought it to the attention of a British physicist. Even though it had been observed since Aristotle’s time, most people didn’t believe it, and nobody seriously attempted to explain how the Mpemba effect works.

Perhaps the reason science ignored the Mpemba effect is because it seems illogical and unreasonable. In 2013, Xi Zhang and colleagues at Nanyang Technical University in Singapore presented a possible solution to how the Mpemba effect works. Water molecules contain one atom of oxygen bonded to two atoms of hydrogen (H₂O). The oxygen atom shares an electron with each hydrogen atom in what is known as covalent bonding.

In addition to the covalent bonding within the water molecules, the separate molecules are held together by hydrogen bonds. Water molecules are polarized, and since water is a liquid, the molecules move around. When a hydrogen atom in one molecule is close to the oxygen atom in another molecule, hydrogen bonds loosely hold them together. Hydrogen bonds explain the surface tension of water, its relatively high boiling point, and how the Mpemba effect works.

As water is heated, the molecules move faster, stretching the hydrogen bonds, causing them to store energy, and allowing the covalent bonds to relax and give up some energy. Covalent bonds giving up energy is equivalent to cooling, allowing the heated water to freeze faster. In a 2017 issue of the Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation, Yunwen Tao and co-authors described using vibrational spectroscopy and modeling to show that hydrogen bonds can explain how the Mpemba effect works.

Other factors can be involved in water freezing to counter the Mpemba effect. Dissolved gases or other impurities, convection currents, evaporation, and even the container can influence the time it takes for water to freeze. The relative initial temperatures and consistency of the water samples are also critical factors.

The bottom line is that the design of water is an essential factor that makes life possible. We have said that before: HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE. The fact that hot water can freeze faster than cold is hard to believe, but true. Even harder to believe is that the design of water, the universe, our planet, and life could be accidental, but atheists still argue that those designs all happened by chance. I challenge you to carefully consider where you stand on the existence of a creator God.

References: Gizmodo.com and wikipedia.org

November 7, 2023November 7, 2023

Does Hot or Cold Water Freeze Faster?

As a young boy, I learned not to try to solve family arguments between my elders. My father told my aunt (his sister) that he had heard that hot water freezes faster than cold water. She said that could not be true, and that led to a heated argument between them. I thought this was not something worth arguing about, and I suggested that we test the theory by the scientific method. Does hot or cold water freeze faster?

Thinking I could settle the argument, I suggested we fill one ice-cube tray with hot water and one with cold water, put them both in the freezer and see what happens. This suggestion from a young “whippersnapper” brought down the wrath of both sides. I realized that they didn’t want to know the truth. They just wanted to argue. Perhaps they were both afraid they might be proven wrong. I have since learned that believers and skeptics often fear looking at evidence for that very reason.

So, does hot or cold water freeze faster? The short answer is that it depends. Some famous thinkers, including Aristotle, Francis Bacon, and Rene Descartes, noticed that hot water sometimes froze faster than cold water. But it took a Tanzanian secondary student making ice cream in 1963 to finally bring this question into scientific focus.

Young Eraso Mpemba, along with fellow students at Magamba Secondary School, was making ice cream to earn some money. He was in a hurry, so rather than letting it cool, he put the hot ice cream mix into his freezer. He was surprised that his ice cream froze faster than the colder mix of his fellow students. Mpemba’s teacher and classmates laughed at his claim that the hot mix froze faster.

Later, a noted British physicist named Denis Osborne came to the African school, and Mpemba asked him to explain why hot water freezes faster than cold. Not only did his teacher and classmates think Mpemba’s suggestion was absurd, but the physicist was also skeptical. However, Dr. Osborne was open-minded enough to test it experimentally. (Like I suggested to my father and aunt.) In 1969, when Mpemba was in college, he and Osborne published a paper on the phenomenon, which came to be called the Mpemba effect.

So some people, when asked, “Does hot or cold water freeze faster?” were no longer laughing at the “foolish question.” However, nobody knew how hot water could freeze faster. After all, if the water is already closer to freezing temperature, it should freeze in less time. Shouldn’t it? The truth is that the question does not have a simple answer. In 2013, scientists in Singapore proposed a solution. Tomorrow, we will look at their explanation.

Reference: wikipedia.org

November 6, 2023November 5, 2023

Witch Hazel Howitzer

Plants use an incredible variety of methods to distribute their seeds. Witch hazel shrubs use one of the most impressive methods. Rather than relying on birds, animals, wind, or flowing water, witch hazels shoot their seeds. The system is so well-designed that in half a millisecond, the seeds shoot out of their pod at speeds up to 30 feet per second. This method had been described as a witch hazel howitzer.

The U.S. National Science Foundation supported researchers at Duke University in a study of the incredible method witch hazels use to scatter their seeds. The researchers studied various species of witch hazels, including those that have seeds lighter than a grain of rice and others ten times that weight. Their research shows that all species they studied sent seeds flying at the same velocities regardless of the seed’s mass.

The way this system works is that the woody seed pod dries out and deforms in a way that squeezes the seeds. The pressure builds until it pops, sending the seed flying. The director of the study, Justin Jorge, says it is like squeezing a watermelon seed between your fingers until it shoots out. The force built up by the witch hazel is enough to send seeds over large distances, allowing this plant to reproduce in a forest without the help of wind, birds, or running water.

We see design in the witch hazel’s seed dispersion method, and it reminds us of Romans 1:20, which says we can know there is a God by looking at the things He has made. We see that evidence in the vast variety of ways plants reproduce. We see plant seeds transported by wind. Some plants produce a fruit that birds or land animals eat, but the seeds pass unharmed through the animal’s digestive system. Some plants have seeds that stick to the fur of animals, and some animals intentionally bury seeds. Others attach a small nugget of nourishment for ants. The ants eat the food and discard the seeds far from where they found them. When none of these options are available, God has built plants that propel their seeds over a wide area, like a witch hazel howitzer.

References: The National Science Foundation Research News for October 10, 2023, and Journal of the Royal Society Interface August 23, 2023.

November 3, 2023October 31, 2023

Fighting the Way to Peace

“We live in a world that is trying to hate its way to love, spend its way to prosperity, and fight its way to peace.” – Cecil May, Faulkner University.

Can you relate to the above statement? As the world has veered away from Christianity, it has embraced religions and naturalistic philosophies, and the use of war is the only option that is being considered. Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you: my peace I give you. I do not give it to you as the world does.”

Eugene Peterson writes about what the world tells us through media:
“…they claim to tell us who we are and omit everything about our origin in God and our destiny in God. They talk about the world without telling us that God made it. They tell us about our bodies without telling us that they are the temples of the Holy Spirit. They instruct us in love without telling us about the God who loves us and gave Himself for us.”

Jesus Christ told all humans to love their enemies. The word for love used by Jesus was “agape,” meaning a love that considers all humans to have great worth. That means that no matter who the human is, we must cherish their nature as beings created in the image of God. The wanton killing of humans that fills our newspapers and TV screens is repulsive to any thinking person. Fighting the way to peace will not work. Any religion that advocates killing humans to advance its beliefs is an enemy of peace.

Reference: Power For Today for Thursday, November 7, “Pursuing Peace” by Bruce Green.

November 2, 2023October 31, 2023

The First Month of Human Development

When the sperm meets the egg, a human cell is produced. From this single cell, a human body is built, containing over 30 trillion cells. How does that happen? Science really has no answer to that question. Dr. Jacob Hanna at the Weizmann Institute of Science refers to this stage of human development as a “black box.” Most of the research on embryo development has been done on mice, rabbits, chickens, and frogs. What happens during the first month of human development remains largely unknown.

Understanding what goes on during the first month of human development would help in dealing with miscarriages, congenital birth defects, and the side effects of medications taken during pregnancy. Dr. Hanna and other researchers have built a group of cells that act like an embryo but can’t grow into a fetus. This group contains the cell types that are essential for an embryo’s development, including the placenta, yolk sac, and outer membrane. This is all before any organs are formed, and takes about eight days.

Dr. Hanna does his research without using fertilized eggs or anything derived from aborted babies. Scientists are already using these stem cell models taken from adult skin cells. This work could have addressed some problems of the past, such as the drug thalidomide, which was used as a treatment for morning sickness and was found to cause birth defects.

The complexity of the changes taking place during the first month of human development speaks of the wisdom and design that has produced all humans. We are very different from the animals that make up the world around us. The difference becomes evident as we study the development of a fetus from the single cell that started the process.

Many years ago, the writer of Psalms 139:13-14 reflected on this as he said, “For you created my inmost being: you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

Reference: CNN Wonder Theory Science Newsletter for October 26, 2023, by Katie Hunt.