[CS-FSLUG] God vs. Science

[David McGlone]

A science professor begins his school year with a lecture to the 
students, "Let me explain the problem science has with religion." The atheist 
professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his new 
students to stand.

"You're a Christian, aren't you, son?"

"Yes sir," the student says.

"So you believe in God?"

"Absolutely."

"Is God good?"

"Sure! God's good."

"Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?"

"Yes."

"Are you good or evil?"

"The Bible says I'm evil."

The professor grins knowingly. "Aha! The Bible!" He considers for a 
moment. "Here's one for you. Let's say there's a sick person over here and 
you can cure him. You can do it. Would you help him? Would you try?"

"Yes sir, I would."

"So you're good...!"

"I wouldn't say that."

"But why not say that? You'd help a sick and maimed person if you could. Most 
of us would if we could. But God doesn't."

The student does not answer, so the professor continues. "He doesn't, does he? 
My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though he prayed to Jesus 
to heal him. How is this Jesus good? Hmmm? Can you answer that one?"

The student remains silent.

"No, you can't, can you?" the professor says. He takes a sip of water from a 
glass on his desk to give the student time to relax.

"Let's start again, young fella. Is God good?"

"Er...yes," the student says.

"Is Satan good?"

The student doesn't hesitate on this one. "No."

"Then where does Satan come from?"

The student falters. "From God"

"That's right. God made Satan, didn't he? Tell me, son. Is there evil in this 
world?"

"Yes, sir."

"Evil's everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything, correct?"

"Yes."

"So who created evil?" The professor continued, "If God created everything, 
then God created evil, since evil exists, and according to the principle that 
our works define who we are, then God is evil."

Again, the student has no answer. "Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? 
Ugliness? All these terrible things, do they exist in this world?"

The student squirms on his feet. "Yes."

"So who created them?"

The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his question. "Who 
created them?" There is still no answer. Suddenly the lecturer breaks away to 
pace in front of the classroom. The class is mesmerized. "Tell me," he 
continues onto another student. "Do you believe in Jesus Christ, son?"

The student's voice betrays him and cracks. "Yes, professor, I do."

The old man stops pacing. "Science says you have five senses you use to 
identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Jesus?"

"No sir. I've never seen Him."

"Then tell us if you've ever heard your Jesus?"

"No, sir, I have not."

"Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelt your Jesus? Have 
you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus Christ, or God for that matter?"

"No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't."

"Yet you still believe in him?"

"Yes."

"According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science 
says your God doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?"

"Nothing," the student replies. "I only have my faith."

"Yes, faith," the professor repeats. "And that is the problem science has with 
God. There is no evidence, only faith."

The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of His 
own. "Professor, is there such thing as heat?"

"Yes," the professor replies. "There's heat."

"And is there such a thing as cold?"

"Yes, son, there's cold too."

"No sir, there isn't."

The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested. The room 
suddenly becomes very quiet. The student begins to explain. "You can have 
lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, unlimited heat, white 
heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don't have anything called 'cold'. We 
can hit up to 458 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can't go any 
further after that. There is no such thing as cold; otherwise we would be 
able to go colder than the lowest -458 degrees."

"Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, 
and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute 
zero (-458 F) is the total absence of heat. You see, sir, cold is only a word 
we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat we can 
measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of 
heat, sir, just the absence of it."

Silence across the room. A pen drops somewhere in the classroom, sounding like 
a hammer.

"What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?"

"Yes," the professor replies without hesitation. "What is night if it isn't 
darkness?"

"You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence of 
something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing 
light, but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it's called 
darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we use to define the word."

"In reality, darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make darkness 
darker, wouldn't you?"

The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him. This will be a 
good semester. "So what point are you making, young man?"

"Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start 
with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed."

The professor's face cannot hide his surprise this time. "Flawed? Can you 
explain how?"

"You are working on the premise of duality," the student explains. "You argue 
that there is life and then there's death; a good God and a bad God. You are 
viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. 
Sir, science can't even explain a thought."

"It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully 
understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be 
ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is 
not the opposite of life, just the absence of it."

"Now tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a 
monkey?"

"If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes, of 
course I do."

"Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?"

The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes where 
the argument is going. A very good semester, indeed.

"Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot 
even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching 
your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?"

The class is in uproar. The student remains silent until the commotion has 
subsided.

"To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, let me 
give you an example of what I mean."

The student looks around the room. "Is there anyone in the class who has ever 
seen the professor's brain?" The class breaks out into laughter.

"Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor's brain, felt the 
professor's brain, touched or smelt the professor's brain? No one appears to 
have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, 
demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, with all due 
respect, sir."

"So if science says you have no brain, how can we trust your lectures, sir?"

Now the room is silent. The professor just stares at the student, his face 
unreadable.

Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man answers. "I guess you'll 
have to take them on faith."

"Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with life," 
the student continues. "Now, sir, is there such a thing as evil?"

Now uncertain, the professor responds, "Of course, there is. We see it 
everyday. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the 
multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations 
are nothing else but evil."

To this the student replied, "Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not 
exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like 
darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of 
God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man 
does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes 
when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light."

The professor sat down.
v
-- 
David M.