CVI. The Great Debate

On February 4, 2014 the debate of our times took place in Petersburg, Kentucky.  A modern version of the Scopes Trial, if you will took, place between Bill Nye, an American student of science and educator and television personality and Ken Ham, an Australian student of science and founder of Answers in Genesis and the Creation Museum.  It was cordial with both sides addressing each other with respect and allowed each side to completely have their own time.  The debate was of course between evolution and creation and focused on the topic of "can creationism be considered viable science?".  That calls to mind the poll that was taken here a few months ago and that basically describes what the actual underlying topic was about.  Can God be proven?  Here are the results:

• 50% said Yes. But faith is also needed with science.  This is the correct answer.  Faith and science can go hand in hand.  They were never meant to be opposite of each other.  But the problem is in today's world as Ken Ham stated in the debate the world has drawn a wedge between them and makes it look like they can not coexist (paraphrased).  Science was created by God, i.e., He set laws in motion.  Gravity, speed of light, elements, and life forms were all from Him.  Our faith tells us more though.  Science we use to prove things.  Faith we use beyond what we can prove.
• 12% said Faith is all you need to prove God.  This being a Christian site and many of the followers are Christian makes it simple to understand many would pick this option.  But this is a biased opinion and in not viable to "prove" God.  Faith is all you need to see God but not to prove the physical existence of Him, especially since He is spirit.
• 6% said Yes. He left scientific evidence for us.  If this was the case then all would believe.  Yes, there is a lot of evidence that points to a Creator (more later for that point) but some things it takes the spirit of God to understand.
• 0% said No. Science refutes God.  Absolutely not.  The only ones who would say this are those who have been blinded by their own humanism thinking they have enough intelligence for the whole world, while not admitting it.  Those who would have chosen this option try to make believing in God a matter of rationality.  As in if you believe in God then you are not a reasonable person.
• 0% said Doesn't matter.  Then why the debate? Why is faith and science always clashing.  Why do people get so offended and uptight when discussing these two topics at the same time?  If anyone picked this one it's because they do not care about anything.  If you do not care about where you came from then you would not care about what you are doing or where you are going.
• 12% said Not sure. Understood.  This topic for those who are neither strong in their faith nor rely upon scientific fact will look at both sides and struggle with it.
• 18% said Other.  These people are crazy.  What would be a 3rd option?  They won't be back to read this anyway.

Bill Nye and many others have a hard time with the faith part.  This biggest obstacle it seems is finding evidence without the Bible or using any faith.  One of his major points that he kept coming back to was how he "as a reasonable" man can see how creation is a viable theory to how we got here.  What people like him do not understand is that when they try and use reason they they themselves are using their own personal faith.  All they do is replace creationism with humanism.  They rely upon man's fallibility to explain an infinite universe.  In the debate he brought up how the universe shows signs of being older than the what a literal interpretation of Genesis says.  For example:  How could  light from a planet that is 13 light years away be seen by human eyes if we have only been in existence for 6000 years?  Here is where faith comes.  But, it will be foolish to those who try to disprove God.  When God created Adam, He created him fully developed, not as a child.  Adam was a man with a fully developed body, brain, and could take care of himself.  If there was a doctor and would have been able to do an operation on him he would have found that Adam would have appeared to be a man of maturity even though he was only 1 day old.  The same it was with the universe.  God created the universe with all the laws of science in place.  The first words were "Let there be LIGHT".  And light was everywhere throughout the universe, in place, spread out farther than we will ever know, even perhaps passed the 13.4 billion light years we assume.  Was there a big bang?  Sure.  Out of nothing, in one split second all that we know and beyond came into being already in place and fully developed.  This was one of the main points Bill Nye could not answer when questioned.  What was it before the big bang.  He said, he did not know.  There is the most compelling evidence for a Creator.  Something had to start the big bang.  There had to be something before there was all of this.

 

The one thing that Bill Nye could not do during the debate was refute the existence of God.  And no scientific study nor any scientists will ever be able to do that.  At one point in the debate he argues the Bible and its authority calling it an ancient book.  Funny how he and his like rely on other old things but not this one.  Arguing against God may not have been the topic but rest assuredly it was one of his goals:

http://www.glennbeck.com/2013/09/16/bill-nye-religion-is-the-enemy-of-science.

 

This is not to say that Ken Ham is correct on everything.  However, since he does not deny the existence of a Creator then his starting place in finding all the right answers has more authenticity.  It is when he adds his own personal feelings and ideas that it becomes no better than the secular sceince field.

Science should be embraced.  The scientific method can and should be used when all possible.  But when there are no answers that science has to offer and an ancient book has aldready been written years before any scientific discovery had been made explains it all then that is where faith comes in.
 

For more about evolution and a more accurate understanding of creationism, read the following Thoughts:

http://ideasoftimreligion.blogspot.com/search/label/Evolution
http://ideasoftimreligion.blogspot.com/search/label/Creation

CV. Timing is Everything

After Jesus had stayed with the woman and the Samaritans while He was on his way back to Galilee, He went to Cana.  This was the place where He had turned water into wine and was considered His first miracle.  As He got to the city an official had gone to him and begged for Jesus to come back to Capernaum to heal his son, who was close to death.  At first when we read His response it almost sounds like Jesus was unwilling or even quite sarcastic in His answer when He says, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will never believe".  But it was not because He was unwilling for we later read He healed the young boy, but it was because He did not want to only be known as a miracle worker.  The story though seems to have a deeper meaning as all things of the Spirit does.

 

To the man whose son was "close to death" the world was about to end.  If his son died there would be no doubt that the man would have mourned and might have never came back from the sorrow that many people go through after loved ones have passed away.  But this is not the point.  To the nobleman it was the proverbial 11th hour.  Time to him was almost at the end.  He was ready to quit and give up because all that he knew was about to end.  But as we read Jesus said, "Go, your son lives."  And when the man got back home he found his son alive and well.  Again this is not the point.  When he asked the people around when it happened they answered him, "At one in the afternoon."  In Hebrew that would mean the 7th hour.

 

Many people believe that the Bible is full of numerology and perhaps there is something there to make a connection.  But what is there is unmistakeably a spiritual symbolic meaning of numbers.  The difference between the two is that numbers do not bring spirituality like numerology suggests.  Jesus uses numbers to show He is in control.  The number seven is huge, a sign of God's perfection.  And in the case of the young boy being healed, Jesus had a plan.  To the nobleman, the 11th hour was at hand.  Death, destruction, despair was all around.  All was lost.  But when he found Jesus, Jesus made it the 7th hour.  He gave hope, He restores, He gave life.  Because He works in His time.

 

Sometimes in our lives we try to tell God what to do and if we don't get what we want then God either hates us, is not a fair and just God, or He must not be real.  It is during those times we feel desperate, stressed, insecure, and worried about life.  But we don't realize this is His world.  It's His plan.  And sometimes we just have to wait for His timing.  This doesn't mean that bad things will not happen.  Death will still occur.  Trials and tribulations will enter our lives.  But if we hold onto faith then it never has to be teh 11th hour.  God has the final say.  With God it is always the 7th hour.

 

In times when the 11th hour is upon us, pray to God to show you the 7th hour and His peace will come upon you and replace all your burdens, if you let Him.