Namely, that you do NOT NEED A REASON To BELIEVE IN GOD! God planted in all of us a seed of belief. Children are born knowing that there’s more to who they are than just what they are made of. We are born with an ability to love, to discern beauty, to seek truth, to understand that there is a difference between good and evil. We understand perfection, we long for the eternal – it’s just how we are. We seek an eternal destiny; it’s the true essence of what we are. That’s why people all around the world and throughout all time have had some sort of belief in God (or Gods).

It seems silly to me to think that we would have just made up God to explain the unknown. Sure we’re curious creatures. We love to know how things work. We like to understand stuff. Yes, we desired to avoid calamity – drought, plagues etc. But why would we just jump to the creation of an all-powerful, invisible manipulator (or manipulators)? if we really are just an accidental blob of physical material, would we really hasten to sacrifice to a non-physical overlord? Seems like a stretch to me. No; I think our natural desire to connect with the transcendent creator is more about how God created us, rather than how we created Him.

So don’t worry if you can’t verbalize an elaborate defense for your belief. You don’t need to explain your desire for God any more than you need to explain your desire for food. You are who you are. As St. Augustine said, “You made us for yourself oh Lord and our hearts are restless until they rest with thee.” Don’t resist your nature – trust in it and make the most of it.

Why do I do my website then? I do so because while you don’t need to win the verbal battle, you need to win the spiritual one. Knowledge can help you there. Today’s western culture seeks to deny you of your amazing nature and it will use any means to do so. Don’t let them. It is indeed quite reasonable to believe in God…

If God made us, that is our physical selves, then why would we expect through our physical means to be able to prove the existence of God. Unless God gives us the knowledge of His nature directly, why should we expect by way of our own finite abilities, to be able to identify the creator? Would you expect a painting to be able to describe the painter, or a sculpture to describe the sculptor?

I can’t “prove” the existence of God to you in a mathematical sense any more than you can prove my existence to someone that has never met me. (again, I’m talking mathematically). If you could model me completely, in a mathematical sense, then you might have a shot at proving my existence…in a mathematical sense. Good luck with that (presenting a mathematical model for me). If you can’t assign a mathematical model to me, then how in the world would you expect to assign a mathematical model to God, the infinite creator of all things? That’s obviously not a possibility.

But you can certainly develop a great case in defense of God. Many have taken this approach and I like it. That is, the court of law approach. We as “civilized” people can convict or exonerate a person in a court of law. The consequence of this judgement could be life or death. With this in mind, isn’t it reasonable to treat the argument of God’s existence in the same way? I mean after all, the Atheist is trying to sentence God to death…removing Him from your heart and mind. But the real defendant in this trial is not God, but the soul who considers him. Given the consequences, this conviction should require overwhelming evidence.

Of course, that places the burden of proof on the Atheist if he is to strip the Love of God from your heart. But the Atheist will say…”why should the burden of disproving ‘nonsense’ be on me? That’s an unfair burden.”

I would not relent…I would say that the onus is indeed on the disbeliever because the cost to me for surrendering my faith is enormous. And then on top of that, belief in God is the de facto standard. people from all over the world and throughout all time have had faith. It’s natural for us…it’s “common sense”. If we are to give up what is natural, there had better be an amazing reason to do so.

But on the other hand, in our own minds we struggle with the infinite nature of God. The reasoned soul often struggles with belief. So, evidence in favor of God helps us to open up to God’s love. Reason can’t give you faith. Faith is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. But having the understanding that God is a very, very…VERY likely reality can help to open, or keep open, your heart to the reception of God’s grace…God’s Love.

Why is belief important?

Faith in God is important because you are important. You have great value, you have great dignity, you have great purpose and best of all, you have the potential for a great destiny. You feel it don’t you? If not, you should.

Of course, the atheist might agree with the notion of an individual’s value, dignity, maybe even purpose – but in truth he can offer you no reason for this. If we are only material things created by random luck, then how is it that we should have any intrinsic value?

But things created by intent have both value and purpose. And the better the craftsman, the better the craft. The better the mechanic, the better machine. What car enthusiast wouldn’t want to drive a Lamborghini?

You are made by the finest artist. You are made with intrinsic beauty. You are made by the sharpest designer, by the best planner. Come to believe in your creation, and come to believe in your potential. No matter how bad things get, the future is bright for the one that trusts in God. Faith is important indeed.

In fact, faith in God is important because a relationship with God is the very reason for your existence. That’s why we find true fulfillment only when we touch on that which is most related to God. When we experience beauty we get closer to God. When we grow in our relationships we get closer to God. The most fulfilling of all human pleasures is Love…just ask a parent – come to know love; come to know God.

A bit more…

Faith and happiness and definitely related. Many Atheists even acknowledge this. It’s hard to refute and there are many studies to back this (Faith and Happiness).
In fact, you are far less likely to commit suicide if you believe, and better yet, practice your faith.
- Harvard Study of more than 85,000 nurses over 14 year period…those attending weekly church services are more than 5x less likely to commit suicide compared to those that don’t. http://www.foxnews.com/health/2016/07/06/regular-religious-services-tied-to-lowered-suicide-risk.html
Possibility of Heaven…and Hell. Those aren’t just words, they are REAL states of being. Not places of physical dimension per se, but states of existence. If you don’t get your soul to a certain place here on Earth, you will suffer; literally forever. Think of that. Think of that seriously for a moment. Many Near Death Experiences, complete with remarkable circumstances of those whom have “passed on” to the other phase of our existence – folks that have experienced the true darkness…OR true light. The good news is that far greater NDE survivors experience the latter rather than the former. So we have great reason for hope. More on this later.

Unclaimed Winning Lottery Tickets

According to a 12 Jan 2016 CNN Money article, roughly $2 billion worth of lottery winnings go unclaimed across the U.S every year – $2 BILLION! In 2015, there were 114 unclaimed lottery tickets worth 1 million or more. Financially speaking, these are life changing tickets.
Why buy a ticket and chuck it? That’s simple – the purchasers have lost faith in the possible value of their ticket.
You own a ticket in the sweepstakes of life. This amazing ticket, which you hold today has as its prize eternal happiness, eternal peace. This is FAR more valuable than any amount of money you could win.
The beauty of this ticket is that it also rewards you on Earth. All that you need to claim your earthly reward is the recognition that it is yours.
You didn’t even have to buy this ticket. We’re all very lucky for that, because none of us could have afforded the price.
Why would you ever give that ticket up? There is NO good reason to ever surrender your belief in God.

Education – Belief – Faith

Faith is a gift from the Holy Spirit and we can ask the Holy Spirit for Faith
Education into the evidence for God and…knowing the refutations to the methods of the Atheist, keeps the Door OPEN to God.
Keeping the door OPEN allows for belief
Belief keeps the door open to faith

So let’s look at some arguments for and against the existence of God. We will first address the primary arguments (really techniques) that the atheist uses today. Then we will go over a number of the many rational reasons to believe in God. There are many angles that we can take to demonstrate the reality of God. Some folks will resonate with evidence of one type while others will find other types of evidence more compelling. That’s why so many different types of evidence will be brought to bear.

With limited time, we can only touch on each topic and hit the highlights. we really can’t go into as much detail as would be necessary to provide a serious treatment of any topic. But what we can do where possible is provide the names of the smart folks that have been found useful in the quest for knowledge.

Sufficient Vs. Absolute Proof

(see Warner Wallace)

Do you need evidence of God from all angles?

Again, I would compare this this to a court case. Do you need every kind of evidence to convict a murderer? Would you need an eye witness if you had the killer’s DNA on the murder weapon? Of course not. So, the absence of one type of evidence (a source of doubt) should in no way be sufficient to abandon the pursuit of truth. The balance required for some will not be sufficient for all. And then there are those whom will never give the nod to the truth regardless of the amount of evidence…”for some no amount of proof is necessary, for others, no amount is possible”…and most of us fall somewhere in the middle.

I would think it wise, based upon what’s at stake, to lean towards trust. Pursue the resolution to any source of doubt but don’t be quick to abandon the case just because there is a temporary loose end. Throughout the many years that I have been looking at the “God” question, I have always been able to reconcile any doubt that has come my way…either in the form of an “answer” or in the acceptance of my human intellectual limitations (we as finite beings cannot grasp the entirety of something infinite).

Know Your Foe

(see my Dad…and many others)

You can’t categorize any group with 100% accuracy. But in my opinion there are two distinct types of Atheists; those currently sealed off by doubt but have an ear to listen, and those that are closed minded and militantly opposed to the notion of God. The latter group I like to call the militant atheists.

Again, there are some very decent people out there who in all honesty are just not convinced that it’s possible for God to exist. There are reasons for this and we’ll get into some possible reasons for this disbelief later. But the attack in your future will come from the aggressive militant type of atheist. This latter group tends to be close minded and arrogant. In fact, the former group often owes its doubt to the latter group.

The virtue of charity is in short supply amongst the militant and vocal Atheists, especially when shielded by the anonymity of an internet message board. These militant atheists can pose a very real threat to those who are not well versed in evidence that supports belief.

“Arguments? We don’t need no stinking arguments!”

Atheists have very few, if any reasonable arguments. The Atheist employs a variety of methods mind you, but arguments?…Not so much. But boy can they be motivated. This is my opinion of course…but I think that you’ll see this borne out as you come in contact with the atheist culture.

The methods are this: condescension and antagonism. I would conservatively estimate that 90 percent of all of the atheist “arguments” are really just an attempt to make the believer look foolish. They’ll say things like, “Sky Fairy” (Bishop Barron’s favorite), Spaghetti Monster and the like. You can and should point out the antagonism. I’d recommend asking some simple questions…“Were people willing to be eating alive by Lions because they refused to surrender their allegiance to the Spaghetti Monster? Were thousands of copies of the, ”Word of the Spaghetti Monster” written in the first several centuries AD (at great expense)? Did belief in the Spaghetti Monster explode peacefully and in the midst of persecution?

Or you’ll hear things like, “I’m too smart to believe in God.” or “I’m not gullible enough to believe in God”…statement loaded with arrogance, but lacking argument.

Let’s talk about gullibility and the difference between gullibility and faith.. Gullibility is the unreasonable acceptance of fact. Faith is the reasonable acceptance of fact based upon credibility. Chesterton says some good stuff here. Just about everything you know, you take on faith. How many of you believe in atoms?…How many have seen an atom? You didn’t learn this on your own, someone that you trusted told you about it. Are you gullible to believe in atoms?

So from this day on I want you to always pay attention to content rather than presentation. Now I know in your mind you probably are thinking… I already do that and you probably do. But I want to emphasize it because it is so important. You need to be able to determine the difference between an argument based on reason and an attack based on prejudice.

The entertainer and scientist Neil deGrasse has a quote that I find interesting. It goes something like this, “Religion is an ever shrinking pocket of scientific ignorance.”

Neil deGrasse is entertaining on camera and he has a PhD in Physics. But make no mistake. Despite the PhD, he is an entertainer first, scientist second (in my opinion). A good quantity of the people that watch his kind of a show are pure materialists, and he knows it. He’s pandering to his audience. The more anti-faith he gets the larger his audience grows. I could be wrong, that’s just my opinion.

Now I’m an electrical engineer, somebody educated in science, and I’m a believer. I’ve taken gobs of math; calculus, advanced calculus, differential equations, complex variables etc. I’ve taken gobs of science classes; physics, chemistry, magnetics, circuits, signal processing and on and on. So please don’t tell me that I’m ignorant to science because I believe in God.

How about Doctors? Are they ignorant to science? Have you ever looked at the skeletal and muscular structure of the human body? How about the nervous system and the intricacies there? Doctors are masters of the biological sciences. Plenty of doctors believe in God.

Besides, most of the scientists over the years that have been devout believers; like Isaac Newton, Gottfried Leibniz, Blaise Pascal, Louis Pasteur, James Clerk Maxwell…and many, many more. And Galileo?…oh yeah…a devout Christian to the end of his days.

The Scientific method was developed by the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church, and the belief in God in general is certainly not contrary to science. Science points to God, not away from Him.

Neil deGrasse’s comment, although inflammatory, is not based on reason.

We would all do well to recognize that we cannot prove or disprove God by way of science. God and the eternal – that is a philosophical and theological question, not a scientific one. Science is the study of the material word. God is not definable in a material sense. Science, that is the scientific method, is no better at resolving the “God” question than it is at resolving any moral question. How about beauty? Can science prove or disprove the beauty of a sunset or the beauty of a song? Don’t get me wrong, I love science. I owe my paycheck to science. But I also recognize that science does have its limits.

Argument vs Judgement

I often read atheists who render verdicts as a substitution for arguments. Be quick to identify this, and always question by whose authority do they render verdict. I see over and over again the assumption of a decision that is really just a matter of opinion. Watch out for that. I find it quite frequently.

Common Atheist Complaints

I Can’t Believe in a God That Allows Suffering

How could God allow a child to die of cancer? God seems awfully cold to allow such a thing, that’s for sure. If God could save a sick child then why doesn’t he? Either He doesn’t exist or he’s evil; in either case, I have no interest in this “God” of yours.

My response has two parts:

First, to the parent who lost a child who lost a child, allow me to say I’m sorry. I am under no delusions here; while I truly regret your suffering, I in no way think that I understand it. You no doubt have suffered more than I could ever imagine. I am truly, truly sorry for your loss.

I have prayed a number of times for children (and grown-ups) battling sickness or tragedy. On a few occasions there came an unlikely healing. But more often, there was no recovery. I just can’t imagine the pain. When I found out I just sat there, hoping and praying that God peace would comfort those poor souls left behind.

But I do not grieve for those that have left us. I take great comfort in the promises of Christ. I am strengthened by my knowledge of those children that have come back from the dead and who bear witness to the peace and pleasure that await those that have passed on. Such surviving children do not fear death anymore. Their stories, often complete with verifiable evidence, can give great comfort to the living.

I am certain that the departed rest in great comfort – immersed in a bath of peace that the “living” can only imagine.

I hope and pray that someday, all those that grieve would find comfort in God’s love for us – in God’s promises to us. I pray that suffering parents would come to confidently understand that their child is in great comfort. That their child is immersed in great love. There is no homework to finish, no chores, and no spinach. There is only on peace. There is only love.

Secondly, I now need to shift gears and offer an objective response to those that would reject God on the basis of Earthy suffering…

Please understand that the underlying premise to the suffering argument is the presupposition that our Earthly existence is our only existence. This is not a substantiated premise. Talk to one of the numerous survivors of the many well documented near death experiences – those folks will guarantee you that there is a world awaiting us after this one.

God is not a Circus Performer

Miracles definitely do occur but on God’s timeline and for the purpose of salvation. Complaining about the God who doesn’t save every sick person with a miracle is no proof that God doesn’t exist or that God is an uncaring God.

If heaven exists, then how long we live here on Earth is irrelevant. I would contend that the only reason that miracles would ever be granted us is for the reason of salvation. God is doing all that he can to perfect our souls…miracles must be part of the process. Of course that’s just my opinion.

I see it this way…say that a child in line at the store asks for a candy bar and the parent of that child refuses. Does that mean that the parent doesn’t exist or is evil? Of course not. It means that the parent is trying to raise their child in the correct way and giving a child everything that they ask for is not necessarily the best move. Is candy always a good idea? The child would think so. But the parent acting in the best interest of the child (and with far greater wisdom) may think not. The most loving thing sometimes is to say no.

More of suffering

To understand suffering, learn to understand the redemptive power of the Cross. Talk to the theologian. Understand that we have eternal natures and that suffering on Earth is part of our development and the development of others. The atheists’ ruling against the nature of God is built on the presupposition that since God doesn’t exist, neither does heaven. So suffering on Earth can’t have a positive benefit since death is final.

So obviously, the ruling against God’s nature stems from the denial of His existence in the first place.

But the believer understands that the goal for us is not a long and enjoyable Earthly life. Rather, the goal of the Christian is to come to know and love God. Why…so that we can spend an eternity of happiness with God. So the child that dies…absolutely heartbreaking. But what if the death of that child helps to win eternal joy and peace for 50 souls…or even just one soul. We’re talking about an eternity here. So even one win for all eternity is an infinite win. The child has his or her life cut short, but their suffering ends and their eternal happiness begins. And soon that child may be joined by several others helped into heaven by that brave child. There is beauty to be found here.

Sound Too Convenient?

The Atheist might call this whole suffering argument just a convenient copout. Oh sure, don’t worry about it…there’s this Heaven place to look forward to.

A couple of responses to an objection based upon convenience.

First of all, just because we benefit from something doesn’t make it untrue. It sure is nice that the Sun rises every day. It sure is nice that the Earth recycles water the way that it does. Get the point? Yes, we are beneficiaries of many things…many real things.

Secondly, consider why we care in the first place. That is, why do we care about living? A rock doesn’t care if you smash it, and a river doesn’t care it dries up.

But we living things care a lot about staying alive. Not just us humans – all living things struggle to maintain life. Have you ever wondered why?

Pain; right? Living things don’t like pain. That’s certainly true, we don’t like pain. Death can be really painful.

But think about pain. What causes pain? Nerves. Nerves cause pain. The nervous system, especially in humans is a thing of wonder. Have you ever been at the doctor’s office and seen a chart of the human nervous system? It’s a thing of wonder. It’s an intricate alarm system all over our body. This is too hot; move away! This bone is broke; it hurts like heck to move it! Don’t move it for a while and it will heal. We are made to avoid pain, to avoid damaging our body. It sure is beneficial to have such a built in alarm system!

But take pain away. We can die without pain today. Even so, few would want to. Why is that? After all, life isn’t always fun. Life is loaded with difficulty, with struggle, with pain.

What about each other? We certainly care that others around us stay alive? Why is that?

I think that we care about life because we care about love. Love, this powerful emotion that brings a level of joy not found in other emotions. Look at the mom that holds her baby for the first time. Look at the dad that lifts his child over his head as he is greeted at the door. Love is in us. Perhaps as a seed at first that blossoms over time. But it’s in us for sure.

The Christian understands that God is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent. Yes, these are attributes of God. But they aren’t what God “is”. God is love.

Therefore, that greatest of all emotions is what makes us most like God. We want it. We’re made to want love.

That’s why we want life.

We Don’t need God Anymore.

“We don’t need God to explain how and why our world is as it is.”

“We don’t need to pray to God to help us along in this world”

Really, the argument is quite Juvenile. Saying that I don’t need God because I don’t see Him physically is like the rose saying that it doesn’t need the Sun because it doesn’t realize it’s there. The rose may not understand that it needs the Sun. But it still needs the Sun.

Simply not acknowledging your benefactor doesn’t mean that you don’t have one. Look at any number of overly entitled kids in America these days. “I can make it on my own.” Yeah, sure you can kid.

Yes, we have made a great developments which have helped us to survive in this world in ours. Yes, we understand how the world works far better today than we did 1000, or even 25 years ago.

Knowing how to survive in the world doesn’t alleviate the need for a creator. Understanding the mechanisms behind the functions of our world does not mean that it wasn’t created. To the contrary, ordered mechanisms point to a creator, not away from one. More on this later.

Why would God care about us?

This is really just a source of doubt more than an argument. I was recently asked this very question. Why does God care about us…my first response is, “Ask God.” But I would also say that it is not ridiculous for a being of much greater ability and intelligence to care about and to love a being of far lesser status.

People can have great affection for pets. Why? I don’t know, we just do. I can’t explain the nature of love, but it does exist, and that love can exist between beings of asymmetric status (if you will).

Of course, far more intense is a parents’ love for their newborns…and newborns are utterly useless. Not only that, but they are a pain in the rear end to boot (trust me, I’m a Dad). But the love is there, it’s intense, and it comes to the parent the moment that they know that the little miracle resides inside of its Mother’s womb. In the purely physical sense, a newborn also has potential…it will someday be a grown up person. We parents know that though that’s hardly the reason that we love him or her.

But humans themselves also have a virtually limitless potential if one considers the fact that our souls are infinite (which the believer understands to be the case). God sees the potential in us. God knows our potential…for Love and for good things.

The old teaching was:

Why did God make us?

The answer was, To know and to love God.

Why?…so that we can live forever with God in eternal bliss.

I look at it like this. The Earth is a soul factory. I think that we are only here to perfect our souls enough to move on the next stage of soul development (should that be necessary). We are called to greatness…to become one with God. In a way, to become god-like ourselves. Our physical existence is part of the process. Why?…I don’t know. I don’t know what it takes to make the perfect soul. Again, ask God.

The Complaint against the nature of believers.

True, many believers have stunk it up.

Now I can only speak for Christ’s teaching here…Christ’s message was one of peace. Often the cynic will bring up the violence of the Old Testament. We can’t go over all of that now. Plenty of good folks to read or listen to here (see Bishop Barron).

Religion has brought much good…far more good than the bad. 2000 years of primarily good…but the cynics bring up small segments in history.

Galileo

Inquisition

Crusades

…all of which have a true history that varies wildly from what you will hear about on the History Channel. Many good Catholic sources here.

But compare the injustices committed by Atheist in power. And Atheists have only had power over a nationality a few times and it was all in the recent past (20th century).

Nazi Germany

Stalin’s USSR

Mao’s China

Khmer Rouge

You’re talking about 100 million innocent lives lost…the numbers swamp out any injustice perpetrated by Christian Regimes. Take God, and the person of Jesus out of the equation and you may end up with disaster. Why? Because there is no ultimate understanding of morals, of right and wrong. Without God, you can’t say that any behavior or action is really wrong. Just ask Friedrich Nietzsche.

Let the Atheist Choose…

Say that you are thrown into jail. You are walked down to your cell and on the top bunk lying asleep is the biggest toughest looking man you’ve ever seen. 6-6 280lbs. The upper bunk is sagging under his immense weight. And he’s not flabby, no sir. He’s chiseled out of stone complete with tattoos everywhere – he’s been around.

There’s a sign above his bed; you choose what you want that sign to read…

I’m an atheist, and I make the law.

I love Jesus.

Come on now you atheists out there… What do you want the sign to read? Let’s be honest folks I think all of us would choose the latter.

Authentic love for Jesus leads to peace. People are silly if they argue to the contrary.

Why does God hide himself from us?

He doesn’t. Look around you. Listen to your conscience. How about your very existence. You are a miracle yourself. Look at the beauty of the world. Did all that you see just happen to come into existence? What do YOU think?

Why doesn’t God make it unmistakable…like a miracle of some kind?…

– Perhaps we must need this life where we must seek Him in order to develop our love for Him. Of course that’s just a guess…I don’t know, I’m not God. We will know the answer when we die. One thing for sure though…don’t expect to understand everything about God’s plan. He gave us what we need to know.

But then on the other hand, God did send His Son for us. His Son died for us. I’d say that’s a bit of reaching out.

Problems with the Bible

(see Fr. Barron, NT Wright, others)

Inevitably, if you listen to Atheist long enough (and I don’t recommend this…I only do it to help others with the arguments of Atheists) you’ll come across two complaints with the Bible: The annihilation of people, the allowance of slavery.

God allowed slavery

To gain some understanding of slavery in the Bible, you need to understand God…as he presents himself in the entire Bible. Not just part of the Bible – the entire Bible.

Like so many stories, aspects of the beginning can only be understood in light of the end.

What do I mean?

Take for example “The Karate Kid”, the popular movie from the 80s. In the story, Mr. Miyagi, an old man and expert in Karate promises to teach Daniel, a boy getting bullied, the art of Karate.

So Daniel goes to Mr. Miyagi’s home. And what does he do? He spends countless hours washing Mr. Miyagi’s cars and painting fences. Walk away from the story there, and you might see Mr. Miyagi as a supreme manipulator. He’s using this boy to do all kinds of work for him, and has he taught the boy karate?…Not at all.

Continue to watch the movie and you understand the genius of Mr. Miyagi. In the process of all that work, Daniel is strengthening his arms and committing certain movements to muscle memory. In the end, Daniel learns that all of his work has given him a foundation upon which he can build his karate skills.

Now let’s go back to the Bible, but this time let us take back to the Old Testament (OT), what we know about God as revealed in the New Testament (NT).

Jesus, we come to learn is God in the flesh. Jesus becomes the supreme sacrifice, a perfect sacrifice, worthy of redeeming the entire world. Worthy of paying the price necessary for the forgiveness of man’s sins (which started with Adam and kept going from there).

With that knowledge, let’s look at the book of Leviticus, where we learn many rules that God tells Moses. As part of these rules, God lays down some rules relating to slavery. The Israelites both took and were taken into slavery. Even after God frees the Jew of their Egyptian bondage, we hear that they themselves can become slaves.

But in our understanding of any part of the Bible, we assume a good and loving God. This is because in our understanding of the entirety of the Bible, we encounter a God that has unlimited love for us. Therefore, we have no choice but to endeavor to see the good in all of God’s actions. If we know that a good end is God’s goal, then we must assume that the evil which God allows at any given time is allowed so that the greater end can be accomplished.

Once again, God didn’t Will things like slavery or any evil in the OT, but because he honors our free will, he allowed man to create such things. Why not outlaw all evil things when the law is given to Moses? I don’t know, ask God when you get to heaven. In the end we know that God does eliminate slavery through his Church. But the timing of this must be done with the grand plan of salvation in mind. In God’s genius, we assume that God can turn any evil around for the cause of salvation. Some concepts are harder to learn than others. In the end, perhaps God used slavery to teach us redemption.

Jesus in his suffering has redeemed us.

At the risk of droning on…let’s consider the economy of salvation. That in the balance, some evil is allowed to some so that that a greater good can be obtained for all. Salvation, the ultimate battle between good and evil, does involve sacrifice. This shouldn’t be surprising to us. In recorded history many evils have been conquered by good people. The conquest of good over evil often required war, and war has always meant sacrifice.

Take WWII for example. How many thousands of soldiers died? Look at the invasion of Normandy. Many innocent men lost their lives (on both sides). We look back and sadly understand the sacrifice because an un-checked Adolf Hitler would have meant misery for as long at the Third Reich existed. Innocent lives lost in bunches during the war? You bet. But many, many more innocent lives preserved in the end.

The battle for salvation will end when God Wills it to. Until then, suffering will continue, throughout the continuum of time…including the times of the OT.

A little more on Slavery…

Why isn’t slavery still allowed? What is the reason that the Atheist makes for the abolition of slavery? Can the Atheist say that slavery is really wrong? Think about right and wrong. For the Atheist, right is merely a state of mind…and is relative. There is no absolute right and wrong.

Think about the abolition of slavery, and where it occurred.

Christians caused the abolition of slavery. So it’s comical when an Atheist holds historic slavery against the believer. Give me a break!…if there were only Atheists in the America, then slavery would still be practiced today.

The complete annihilation of races

See Fr. (now Bishop) Barron’s explanation…

Catholics can read these stories (like the destruction for the Amalekites) as allegories. Catholics don’t have to read all of the Bible literally. Bishop Barron describes these stories as allegories representing the elimination of bad things. God “puts the ban” on evil…and we need to also. Not a partial elimination of the bad…a total elimination of the bad.

We’re free to believe such writings to be allegorical, but we don’t have to. God is God and he can do as he wishes. You may not like what he does, but then again, a complaint against God’s nature is not an argument against his existence.

But as I’ve (painfully for some) explained, we know that God is good and that He Loves us. We know this because we were given the entire Bible to read not just pieces of it. We know that we must always interpret the OT with the NT in mind.

…

A Final Point

Keep in mind that all Earthly suffering is temporary. Then after that suffering, eternal happiness and peace ensues for those souls that can fully accept God’s love. Sounds too good to be true, but true it is.

Eternal salvation is also available for those living before Jesus’ time. How so you ask? Because with death the soul enters into the eternal domain of the afterlife. For God and the perfected souls in Heaven, all moments are now. Heaven exists outside of time and space. So yes, Jesus can save people retroactively, including those born before he came to Earth. We’re getting into a bit of Catholic Theology here; a topic in which I am hardly an expert. I’m only bringing up the concept to put all suffering, including that which is found in the Old Testament of the Bible, into a proper Christian perspective.

How does a soul, never knowing Jesus during their existence on Earth have a chance of salvation?

Catholics are taught the concept of Purgatory – the final process of perfecting all good souls. Of course, some notable non-Catholic Christians have believed in Purgatory too (like C.S. Lewis). With Purgatory in mind, there is no reason why we should think that the souls entering time before Jesus came can’t be saved by Jesus once those souls leave time. Not exactly an easy concept to gather, but we can at least understand the basic concept.

Keep In Mind…the Infinite is beyond our Grasp.

We Christians are not expected to understand everything about God. We call a number of things “mysteries”. The Trinity is a good example. God’s infinite nature is another.

One thing to keep in mind when thinking about the nature of God is that we cannot entirely fit the understanding of an infinite being inside of our finite intellect (you might want to read that twice). We can understand bits about God’s nature from…well nature…but also of course from God’s revelation about himself. But we can’t understand it all.

Sources of Atheism

Belief in God, in one way or another, is the natural human standard. Belief is common to all people…it’s normal. So if someone doesn’t believe in God, then there’s a reason. Don’t get me wrong…there’s a reason why we believe in God too; namely God’s Grace. It’s a gift, a wonderful gift. But God isn’t stingy with His gift of faith, though some reach levels of faith far in excess to others. At least on some level, faith is available to all.

So, if someone maintains an attitude of rejection, there must be a reason.

In my experience I can see five basic reasons why people are atheists.

1) Doubt…Sounds too good to be true. Faith was just made up to make folks feel better despite human suffering. This is common in today’s culture. It’s can be easy to doubt when immersed in such a materially driven society. The media and especially academia are strong sources of doubt. The faithful are more and more viewed as ignorant outsiders holding on to ancient rituals and superstition.

1) Arrogance…God can’t exist because nothing can exist that’s smarter than me. I want to be thought of as smart.

2) Bitterness… God didn’t help me when I needed him the most.

3) Sinfulness…I don’t want someone to restrict my behavior. I like sin.

4) Laziness… Hasn’t investigated (perhaps due to Arrogance). Joe the Atheist has convinced me that the belief in God is silly. Why even bother to look into the possibility of God.

As you meet Atheists, in person, on the television, etc, you’ll most likely find that they have one or more these attributes. Recognize it, and guard against picking up these attributes yourself.

Rules Of Engagement

You keep your rules. Continue to live and argue (if you must) with virtue in mind…regardless of what your opponent does. That doesn’t mean you have to take the attack without a response. You can and should call Bullshit when you hear it. But just do so in as charitable a way as possible. Depending on your temperament, this will not be easy.

Evidence for Belief

What is God?

That’s a good question. Through reason and revelation, we can say a few things about God…

God is Omnipotent (All Powerful)

God is Omnipresent (Everywhere at all times)

God is Omniscient (All Knowing)

These are aspects of God…but they do not fully describe God. They help us to put the nature of God into our perspective. But then it is hard for us to imagine being Omni anything, because we, as finite beings, are bound with limits.

Keep your limits always in your mind as you contemplate God.

Philosophy

(See St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Augustine, Gottfried Leibnitz, Blasé Pascal, CS Lewis, GK Chesterton, Peter Kreeft, Fr. Spitzer)

The Necessity of an Uncaused First Cause

- Anything that moves requires a mover. The required movers cannot regress indefinitely. Leads to the Necessity of a first mover. Aquinas does not stop there. He defines necessary aspects of this first mover – very clever and often overlooked. Aquinas’ writing is compact and amazing.
- Leibnitz structures the argument in a proof form. Leibnitz notes that things exist due to cause or necessity – all thing fall into this category. You and I exist due to cause (our parents). There are many mathematical examples of things that exist due to necessity. These things are real yet lack the need for a physical form; like the center of a circle – it exists out of necessity yet it does not occupy space itself.
- The proof is largely misunderstood – the necessity part is key and often omitted in an objection.
- Fr. Spitzer talks about conditioned reality. Anything that is conditioned require a “conditioner”.
- This is an airtight argument for the existence/necessity of God. Atheists dispute this, and even claim that the matter is settled (in their favor). But their arguments are weak bordering on the desperate.

The Understanding of Perfection

We creatures of intelligence understand the notion of perfection. Why? There is nothing perfect in our world.

The Existence of Beauty

Beauty is a powerful argument to me. We resonate with beauty (in art, music, poetry, etc.), beauty touches an interior part of us. How does a purely physical brain create beauty?

We Exist!

- Nothing has to exist but it does, and anything that can stop existing should…yet here we are (think about it!).

Every Desire has a corresponding object.

When we are hungry, we desire food…and we there is food for us to eat. When we are thirsy, we need water…and it exists for us. We seek a the opposite sex…and that opposite exists. Look around the world. All people believe in the eternal. That belief is in us. Why is that? The ultimate object of our desire is God.

Science

Science, and the scientific method, is applicable to the investigation of the natural world – the physical world. God on the other hand is the supernatural creator of the physical world. God is infinite and transcendental. God is not bound by either space nor time. One must understand that God is not part of the physical world. The physical world proceeds from God’s infinite power and love.

Therefore Science, which is the study of the physical world can neither prove nor disprove the existence of the supernatural and transcendental creator of the physical world.

How about in the evidential sense? Can science provide evidence either for or against the existence of God? Well evidence, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.

That’s why to me, the topic of Science is an important one to cover because the Atheist claims the high ground here. The Atheist will often claim that all religion is nothing more than superstition. Further, the Atheist will often claim that religion is in some way at odds with science.

The atheist will site examples of this, like the Church’s persecution of Galileo – which they seem to always portray in a way contrary to historic fact. If you’d like to read some accurate history on Galileo Galilei, see this New Advent article (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06342b.htm). New Advent is a treasure chest of history, but it’s not written at a 6^th grade level…so it is for the intrepid and steadfast reader.

You’ll see that the contemporary objection to Galileo was to the proof that he proclaimed, not in the theory itself. After all, Galileo was only expanding, and in his mind proving Copernicus’ earlier theory of the heliocentric solar system. Copernicus, who was most likely a Catholic monk, having written down the theory over 50 years before Galileo proclaimed his proof in the matter. The ecclesiastical leaders at the time didn’t object to Galileo’s proclamation for religious reasons, but rather scientific ones. Church leaders sought greater evidence, and further research into the matter before proclaiming the theory as an officially accepted one. It was Galileo’s contempt for the process, and his outspoken attacks on church leadership that got him in trouble.

Should the church have even been involved? We in the 21^st century often think not. But Galileo didn’t live in the 21^st century, he lived in the 16^th and early 17^th centuries. Things have changed since then. The times of Church supervision in scientific matters have long since passed – so how is the matter even relevant today?

It’s biased non-sense to say that religion is by its nature contrary or in some way opposed to science. That’s certainly not true out of necessity. It’s laughable in fact.

Look at the history of science. So much of what we know now about our world comes from the minds of the faithful (like Galileo). I can’t speak for all religions, but from a Christian perspective, science flows from an understanding that our physical world is a created one. Because Christians believed that the world was created by a supreme intellect, they expected to find order in the world. Why would one look for order in the world otherwise? And order is exactly what we find in this world.

I find certain aspects of science to be nothing short of amazing, therefore to me, they are worth addressing. I find beauty and design in the universe; in the largest of the large, and the smallest of the small – in the living and non-living. But remember that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So while I might look at the human body and marvel at the creative beauty of the Divine Mind (God), the atheist may look at the human body as a manifestation of purely random, undirected mechanical process.

Who’s right?

It’s a matter of opinion. The believer says trust what you perceive, while the atheist would demand that we resist our natural perception. It’s a viewpoint I suppose, a philosophical one. But this is my website, and I will proceed as I wish. I’m going to point to scientific evidence that TO ME, clearly point to God; things in nature that point to the Master Designer. Am I proving anything in a scientific sense. NO. But I’m a rational creature and entitled to my view. I’m giving my evidence, evidence that resonates with me and resoundingly so.

I am being honest when I say this; my understanding of the universe, of our world, of living creatures, from a scientific perspective very strongly buttresses my faith. For that reason, I am compelled to share those scientific understandings that to me point to an Amazing Creator. An AGENT, behind the creation.

Agency Vs. Mechanism

The Atheist believes that we don’t need “a” God to explain how our universe works. No dispute from me there. We should seek out the mechanisms in our world (remember, the believer expects to find mechanisms). But knowing how something works is not the same as knowing why something works.

This has been put many ways throughout the years. Perhaps most famously by William Paley in his Watchmaker analogy. His argument was that if you found a watch, not knowing what it was, you’d identify a certain complexity to it. You’d presume that it didn’t just come to be by chance – an object such as a watch must have been created by some clever individual and intentionally so. I’ve read arguments against Paley’s argument. Most notably based upon some writings of David Hume. The challenge would proceed by asking, if this this object differed from its natural surroundings, then why would you say that the surroundings are designed? My response would be to say that our surroundings reside in the unique planet called Earth; a planet vastly different from any other planet that we’ve ever found. So different in fact that this world of ours looks to have come about by intention and not chance. Of course, there would be a reply to mine; to which I in turn would reply – going on ad nauseum. That’s fine, “You say potato and I say potato.” OK, the saying loses its effect when read – but you get the point.

We are intelligent beings…capable of creation. We invent stuff. We design stuff and we make stuff. Useful stuff…useless stuff you name it. Because we create, we have in us the ability to recognize that which has been created.

Will he just get on with it already??

The point is – and I want to make this clear…you have every right as a rational and scientifically minded person to insist that in your opinion, science supports your belief in God. The believer absolutely does not require ignorance of science to believe in God. I am an electrical engineer…I am far from ignorant to ways of Science. I believe in God.

The Anthropic Principle

Our universe, our world…even we ourselves look designed. And don’t take my word for it…take it from some of the most ardent atheists. Take it from Richard Dawkins or Stephen Hawking. They try to explain away this apparent coincidence. But just the same, even most devout atheists recognize the look of design everywhere.

https://www.magiscenter.com/category/god-modern-physics/

The recent scientific evidence for the belief in God absolutely flummoxes the disbeliever at times. So much so that they will go to great lengths in their childlike disobedience to explain away that “appearance”. For some things, the alternate explanations are thin at best and require immense faith to accept them. I’ll touch on some of these alternative explanations as I proceed.

The Origin of the Universe

(see Father Spitzer)

Was there always something? Or, was there a “time” when there was nothing?

Can science help us here? And if so, what does today’s modern science suggest.

Indeed, few serious scientists today doubt that the Universe, that is to say…everything material, had a beginning. So yes, there was a point in time at which there was nothing. That’s why the word time above is in quotes; because time, according to Einstein, requires a frame of reference. When there is nothing, there is nothing to reference. So really, there was a “time” before time existed…heavy man. It’s mind boggling to think about. But it is what it is.

So we’ve all heard about it…the “Big Bang” as it’s called^[1]. The beginning of our universe. The beginning of everything. From nothing, absolute nothing; to everything. And it all happened in an instant…in a bang.

But our universe didn’t just start all willy-nilly. Everything from the very beginning had order. Down to the most minute detail, the universe started in a way amazingly well tuned for life. Statistically speaking, the amount of coincidences necessary are amazing.

The preconditions for Life. Fine Tuning…Coincidence?

The scientist Sir Fred Hoyle was converted from atheism to the belief in a “super intellect” by the remarkable coincidences associated with the creation of certain elements (inside of stars). Most notably the creation of the Carbon Atom which requires a series of ridiculous coincidences.

Amazing relationships (ratios): Carbon Resonance to the The Strong Force, Weak Force to the Proton-Neutron Balance, electromagnetic Field strength to the Gravitational Field Strength, Proton Mass of the Electron Mass: (http://www.sciencemeetsreligion.org/physics/cosmic.php)

Cyclic Universe Generation

OK, so the Universe is special…really special. But what if this isn’t the only universe ever to exist? What if there are a never ending stream of the universes one existing for a while and then collapsing…bouncing then into a new one. A continuous cycle of never ending universes. If that’s the case, then we just happened up the good one, the one able to sustain life – lucky us.

But there a number of problems with this, the bulk of the problems stem from limitation imposed as the result of the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics. The final nail in the coffin, the proof that pretty much closes the door on all cyclic universe theories comes by way of a more mathematical form. I’m referring now to the theorem derived by three scientists; Arvind Borde, Alan Guth and Alex Vilenkin – known as the Borde-Guth-Vilenkin Singularity Theorem.

The Multiverse – Closing the Atheist’s Escape Hatch

Atheists attempt to get around this theory with the notion of the “multiverse”…there are an infinite number of universes actually…all of which are orthogonal to one another. Because of this orthogonality, no universe will ever be able to observe another universe. Our universe, the one preconditioned from the start for human life, was bound to happen because of the infinite numbers of these universes (that we can in no way detect). OK, there are an infinite number of universes…but we can’t detect them in anyway…we have to just trust that there exist. This is science? It is a theory that one must take on faith? Faith mind you, not proof.

OK, so assume that it’s true. This amazing universe of ours is only one out of a vast number of other unperceivable universes. That still does not eliminate the need for an ultimate first universe – the seed for all others. There is a mathematical proof that demonstrates the necessity of an origin, a first universe if you will, even for a multi-verse system. It is a theory based upon inflationary growth. I doubt you’ll hear about this theory in the popular scientific literature but it exists and it’s legitimate. This theory, is very damaging to the notion of an infinitely persisting multiverse. The authors of the theory are themselves cosmologists; Arvind Borde, Alan Guth, and Alex Vilenkin.

The Atheist – Houdini of the Scientific World

The Atheist will insist, that with special conditions, one can contrive a universe that did not need a beginning. The problem, as Professor Vilenkin has said, is that you are forced to accept something that is nearly as special as a beginning. OK, so this Multiverse, that we’ll never be able to detect, started by some unknown and at this point, unexplainable event. In what way is this belief more scientific than the belief that our existing and observable universe had a beginning? After all, scientific discovery continues to support a specific beginning to “The” Universe.

Life

(see Michael Behe and Steven Meyer)

The words, “Intelligent” and “Design” when used independently rarely give rise to emotion. But when used together, the fur starts flying. I’m speaking now more from an organic perspective than an inorganic one. Specifically, I’m referring to the inference that the term “Intelligent Design” imparts unto the study of human origins.

As you may know, I am Catholic. I am not a Bible Literalist. I am not bound to take the words in the creation narrative of Genesis literally – in a scientific sense. I am bound, however, to take the Creation with all accuracy as it pertains to faith and morals. I must believe that our world, and ourselves came to exist by way of God’s power and God’s love. It doesn’t matter to the Catholic if God made the end product or the ingredients and the apparatus to shape it (our physical forms that is). That being said, let it be known that I do not accept, on the basis of today’s understanding of science, the Darwinian understanding of Evolution. Darwin saw Evolution as an entirely unguided process. I do not think that such an understanding is consistent with science.

Genetics

True, we humans have ourselves been manipulating the characteristics of living plants and animals for hundreds of years. That such manipulation can happen there is no doubt. However such manipulation is far from a random process – as the Catholic monk and founder of Genetics Gregor Mendel demonstrated in the mid-19^th century.

However, the vast majority of natural, unguided mutations do not result in a useful modification to a genetic form. How many children have been born in our modern scientific hospitals? I don’t know, 100s of millions for sure. Are there mutations in some of these births. Yes there are. Fortunately though, such mutations are rare because mutation almost always results in disaster for the poor child. Sure, occasionally, there is the child born with an extra finger…something that could be useful. But in our recorded experience, mutations in human form are rarely, and I mean RARELY beneficial. In fact, the odds against a mutation resulting in something good are astronomically low. This is what we see in our experience. This is what science would be compelled to record. How is it then, that in our past we enjoyed this remarkable sequence of millions upon millions of beneficial mutilations? This fortuitous genetic journey, that over the millions of years, has brought us from that first living cell to the amazing human body that God merged with a soul to create man.

And this is my point, namely that It’s a rigged system – this natural world of ours. Yes, living things can change by way of manipulation. But not an unguided one. And besides, the mechanisms behind such change are by themselves, a marvel to behold. The building blocks of what makes us, us are hardy simple. Certainly not an accident if you ask me.

DNA

DNA is an amazing language. Language only comes from intelligence – Period. Look up the paper, “If you can read this I can prove that God exists”, by Perry Marshal

The odds against DNA occurring by chance are astronomically small. Here’s a quick Steven Meyer video on DNA found on YouTube that does a good job explaining this.

Single Cell

Our building blocks are much…much more complex than we thought just 100 years ago.
Darwin had NO IDEA! Darwin thought that the living cell was nothing more than a glob of plasma. Nothing could be further from the truth. The living cell is clearly designed thing. It’s a little machine with amazing complexity. Here’s a really quick and good video explaining the workings of the cellular flagellum – one aspect of a cell.

Human Nature

(see Ken Hensley)

No God, no free will. If the “mind” and the “brain” are the same thing, then we are actions are merely the result of chemical reactions. We are robots in essence. Anybody who has fasted understands that free will is real.
No free will… No love. Do you think love exists? Love is quite special isn’t it?
No God, no absolute right and wrong.
Without God, there really is no discernable reason for life…this is a huge danger to the non-believer. We all inherently know that we have value…don’t we? The Atheist can deny the notion of basic human value. This is dangerous.

The Miraculous

Apparitions

Lourdes

- - Thousands of healings, I think the church has documented 68 of them. They are fascinating. Some include x-ray evidence (bones growing back). You really have to be closed minded to discount Lourdes.
  - A Nobel Prize winning surgeon (Alexis Carrel) witnessed a miracle and wrote a book about it. By the way, when it happened Carrel was going to Lourdes to disprove the existence of Miracles. The book is entitled: “The Voyage to Lourdes” written in 1950.
  - Links:
http://www.miraclehunter.com/marian_apparitions/approved_apparitions/lourdes/index.html
www.miraclehunter.com/marian_apparitions/approved_apparitions/lourdes/miracles1.html

Fatima

Interesting aspects of Fatima

Best known for the famous Miracle of the Sun.
Three children experience a series of visions. First of an Angel, then a sequence of visions of Mary, culminating in the Miracle of the Sun (which includes a final vision of Jesus Mary and Joseph).
To give proof of the children’s visions, a miracle is promised to occur on a certain date and location (several months in advance). This promise given to the children (and no one else) brings an estimated 70,000 people to a remote area of Portugal near the small village of Fatima. This is in 1917 rural Portugal where few even own horses. The people (including many atheists) travel by foot many miles with few provisions. The people were not disappointed.
The Miracle of the Sun concludes with the sun crashing towards Earth. Many thought that the world was ending. Numerous conversions occur on the spot.
Coverage of the event even dominates the front page of Portuguese Anti-Religious paper (O Seculo).
The Miracle of the Sun seen also in neighboring villages and is confirmed by some soldiers in the trenches of France curing WWI.
Two of the three children predict their early deaths from sickness (Spanish Flu outbreak). These two children have zero fear of dying. The third child becomes a nun.

Here’s a decent overview:

http://www.theholyrosary.org/fatimaapparitions

I’d recommend the book, “Our Lady of Fatima” written by Thomas Walsh. Written in the mid-1950s, the author spends quite a bit of time getting testimony of eye witnesses (including the parents of 2 of the three children). Thus, he is able to provide firsthand accounts of the events.

Bilocation

Historical and corroborated evidence of people being in two places at once. This is a REAL phenomenon.

Stigmata

– Undeniable by science…of course the atheist makes wild assertions, mostly attributing the phenomenon to psychosis – That’s some powerful psychosis!

St. Padre Pio

- Padre Pio died in the 60’s…plenty late enough to be visited by many skeptics. He was never discredited.
- Was a stigmatic; had all 5 marks of Christ.
- Many reliable reports of bilocation.
- Could read Souls…many trustworthy people have reported this.
- Padre Pio was a living miracle.

Angels

- Too many angel stories told by trustworthy people. Remember…only one of them has to be telling the truth. There are countless thousands of angel stories. All of them are BS?…Gimme a break.

NDEs (Near Death Experiences)

NDEs require extra time. Because these are events that even some hard core atheists do not deny, and cannot explain except by the lamest of attempts.

Vast research and resources; many books, websites, etc.
- Here’s a great starting point into the study of the Near Death Experience.
Several doctors started their investigation of NDEs as Atheists trying to rule out the supernatural…and the became convinced of the supernatural through their investigation. They didn’t want to find what they did, they were just honest (and humble) enough to go where the data lead them. As a result several well noted NDE investigators started out as atheists, and were converted in the process of the investigation (e.g. Dr. Michael Sabom, Dr. Pim van Lommel, Dr. Raymond Moody). If you remember nothing else about NDEs, remember the power they have for conversion.

Several studies demonstrate that NDEs are life changing experiences (unlike dreams). In one study, more than 90% percent of NDE experiencers believed in the afterlife after experiencing an NDE – this from a population (Modern Wester Europe) where only 25-35% of those same people did NOT believe in life after death prior to their NDE.

- People with NDEs have no fear of death (this is measurable).
- Out of body experiences…verifiable evidence that folks were capable of observing things that they should not have been able to observe from their location/vantage point.
- 80% of blind people see, and can verify this with evidence.

Note that the hardcore Atheist (the close minded person) will reject any miraculous event regardless of the evidence…”There are none so blind as those who refuse to see.”

Why I Am Christian

My investigation here proceeded from the Christian reference. That is to say, how do other religions compare to Christianity? This is how I explored the issue, and it is how I will present it to you.

If I believe in God and care to live my life in the best way possible, then it would make sense to at least look into other religions to make sure that I’m following the right one. Again, for me, Christianity will be the standard against which, I will compare all others. If another religion is less reasonable than Christianity, then why would I ever consider that religion? On the other hand, if another religion makes more sense than Christianity, then why would I continue to be Christian?

A bit of a disclaimer here. I’m not an expert in world religions. My knowledge of other religions is largely superficial. That is to say, I understand the large picture, the framework of the largest of the religions. However, I in no way mean to claim that I am an expert in all (or even some) of their subtleties. It turned out that for me, there didn’t end up being a need to drill down and obtain a thorough understanding of the subtleties.

So, I will talk in basic terms…with a somewhat superficial treatment. This is sufficient for this work, because the main thrust of my discussion here is on the existence of God.

Does any religion provide more proof than Christianity?

Let’s talk miracles…does any other religion compare by way of the miraculous? By that I mean to ask; is there a body of supernatural evidence supporting any other form of religion? We’re talking about the supernatural here, so supernatural evidence to me is of primary importance. I’ve already gone over a number of well documented miracles that would seem to affirm the Christian Faith. Does there exist some body of well documented miracles out there that would back the claims of any other form of religious belief? NO, or at least I could not find any. How about close to as many miracles to support another faith? NO. No other religion is supported by a comparable number of well documented miracles.

If for no other reason, this makes the Christian Faith stand out well above the rest. For me at least, this alone is enough to rule out any other religion as a viable alternative to Christianity. Still, I will provide a few more comparison points.

The Advent of Christianity

Jesus really existed. No honest scholar can refute this.
The Resurrection of Christ is supported by a large body of rational evidence.
The amazing spread of Christianity in the face of incredible persecution is remarkable.

The Bible is an incredibly well preserved document (see Josh McDowell and Warner Wallace)

Pantheism falls short theologically (Hinduism)

How can you have distinctly different Gods?
- I’m not talking about different spiritual creatures. Catholics believe in Angels…they’re purely spiritual, extremely power, and all unique.
  - But they are NOT God.
- The nature of God is such, that there can only be one God. Once again, I call attention to what a struggle it is for us to understand what God might be like. God is not discrete. By discrete I mean that God is not definable within any kind of boundary. I’m getting fat in my old age. I’m growing (not in a good way). But as big and fat as I might get, there will be a physical (and mental) limit to me. God on the other hand, is infinite, and therefore, beyond our ability to comprehend let alone but a face to.
  - And it makes sense, that if everything in the universe was created, there must have been one amazingly creative force of unbounded potential to create it.
  - However, we can understand to some extent, the nature of God. What is pleasing to Him…excetera. Note that God isn’t even a “he” as such, although through revelation, we are taught to call him Father.

Problems with Islam

Teaching of Jesus drastically different than the teachings of the disciples
- The disciples would have known Jesus best, and had no reason to present the image that they present (it was dangerous and it cost them horrific deaths).
The God of Islam can change his mind
- That’s inconsistent with an all-knowing God. When it comes to major principles, why would God ever need to change his mind?

Why I Choose my Denomination

Catholicism for me and for good reason

The apostles, and their disciples clearly and distinctly preached Catholic teachings.
30,000 denominations…and growing! Proof that humans need arbitration (Catholics have the Magisterium).
The two basic principles of non-Catholic Christianity doctrine don’t hold water.
Sola Fide (Faith Alone)
- Not Biblical; see James 2:24
Sola Scriptura (Bible Alone)
- Not Biblical: Bible alone is NOT in the bible. Tradition taught. What about early Christians…the many martyrs? Conservatively speaking, the common person couldn’t read until about 300 years ago (out of the 2000 years of Christianity)…and bibles were prohibitively expensive until about the same time.

How can we come to experience God?

I ask this because it is in the experience with God, the relationship with God and in God’s love that we come to truly believe in God.

Well, I am a Christian. I believe that God came down to earth in the form of Jesus. So why did God do this? Did he come down to write a book? I’m Catholic so I would say no that’s not the only reason that he came to earth.

I believe that God came to earth when he did and how he did to reveal Himself to us…to safe us…to make in us a new creation; to teach us how to become God-like. That’s what I believe that this whole place called Earth is for; our planet is a soul factory.

From the beginning, from the big bang on I believe God’s intention was to create souls capable of becoming God-like. I don’t mean to sound polytheistic here. I don’t mean that we ourselves will become an independent kind of god ourselves. Rather I mean to say that we will develop a perfected nature. Our desires; what we love, what we despise will be the same as God in every way. Our thoughts, our hopes, our love…the whole shot. This is not easy to accept or grasp, I know that. But as believers we must be able to accept things that we cannot fully understand. In the Catholic vernacular we would call this a mystery. Something that we know a little bit about but then we can’t get our arms fully around.

Now if we could have become God-like on their own there would have been no reason for Jesus to come down to earth. So he came to show us something – he came to show us the very nature of God. Well inasmuch as a human can grasp it anyway.

So Jesus gives us a glimpse into what God is. In a human sense if we could become like Jesus before we leave this earth I mean like Jesus in every way spiritually speaking that is then we will go straight to heaven.

So how do we come to experience God? We become like Jesus that’s how. Can we do it on our own? No! It takes God’s grace. It takes our free will. And it takes effort. It requires virtue.

But Grace is the key…that’s the supernatural stuff. How do we get grace? The grace of God which is a gift, is available to us through the sacraments. That is not to say that God couldn’t instill grace in any person without the sacraments. Grace is available to all, but God doesn’t force Himself on us. We should be seeking His love His power. The sanctifying grace available through the sacraments is THE predefined way by which God dispenses His grace.

So in conclusion if you want to get to know God you want to get to experience God, then get close to the sacraments…become like Jesus. Get in front of the Eucharist and spend time in silence there. Go to confession often think about God think about the mysteries. The gift of knowledge will come to you as will the gift of wisdom but it will require effort.

Silence people silence! Learn to love the silence. Learn to hear God’s voice. Learn to feel God’s love. And the joy of God will be with you.

The Tale of Two Cities

Two cities experienced blackouts. Complete malfunctions of the power system. The police is over tasked they couldn’t keep everyone in check. If they wanted to commit crime they could and not get in trouble for it.

In one city there was hardly a crime. And what small amount of crime occurred was repaid by charitable donors appalled by the actions of some.

Quite in contrast is the next city. When the lights went out there, massive devastation followed. The thin veil of law that keeps people in order had broken down and there was nothing (other than their own goodwill) to prevent them from doing evil. There was the motive of financial gain which outweighed the desire for good.

The first city was filled with people more in tune with the will of God and the majority of their consciences were formed through the practice of their faith.

But the second city was not so lucky. Many had denied the reality of God and were able to silence that inner voice appealing for restraint.

These cities are not separated by distance – they are in fact the same city anywhere in this country or anywhere in the world for that matter. The cities are separated by time and mentality.

You can pick the city, one event occurs during the Great Depression a time of great strife and even hunger. The Second City is the city of today. A city that does not even have people hungry for food. But these people hunger for truth, they hunger for the love of God and don’t realize it.

But in a weeks’ time, depending on the level of destruction, even the second city can be rebuilt physically because the rule of law will return (God Willing).

But what if the power didn’t return? What level of destruction will the city fall into? If there wasn’t a return of the law, would people ever come to restrain themselves?

These are small examples of Heaven and Hell on Earth. Each to a much lesser extent. In the city without God there is chaos hatred and despair. This because there is no love. God is love. Hell is the absence of love. And there is nothing to hold back the evil.

Contrast that to heaven, where love not only exists, but prevails. There is nothing but love in heaven and people would never steal from one another. Of course, because there is so much love, every need is taken care of anyway. But even if there was great suffering, nothing would be damaged in Heaven’s blackout. In Heaven, the joy never leaves the hearts of the inhabitants.

I’m trying to describe the “Beatific Vision”. Such divine beauty is not understandable to us in our fallen nature. But with such similes they can come to understand at least a portion of its nature symbolically.

The ticket that you hold was purchased by Jesus. That ticket is your way into heaven. It is the way to peace on earth. Is the way to joy.

Therefore hold tight to that ticket. Perfect yourselves. And perfect your neighbor. Keep the faith. Keep your joy.

^[1] This theory originated in the mind of a Priest, Fr. Georges Lemaitre, who was also an astronomer with a PhD, and a friend of Albert Einstein. So much for the Church being incompatible with science.