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by Reverend Hubermann Larose<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Si vous voulez lire ce texte en fran\u00e7ais cliquez ici<\/a>!<\/p>\n \u201cThere is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.\u201d (1 Timothy 2:5)<\/em><\/p>\n Is there a God? This is the most important question a man may ask, because the answer to it \u2013 whether it be positive or negative \u2013 determines our existence for time and eternity, that is in this world (both on a personal level and a collective one) and in the world to come. The orientation a man gives to his life, the goals he pursues, the motivations that underlie his actions, all depends on whether he considers himself as his own master or he acknowledges the existence of a superior being to whom he knows he is answerable.<\/p>\n We are living in a time when it is fashionable to proclaim that man is not accountable to anyone, for there is no God whose moral laws he could break. And since there is no God, there is no absolute as far as morality is concerned: everyone does what is right in their owns eyes. I personally believe that there lies the main cause of the upsurge in murders, thefts, and crimes unheard of that are perpetrated in the world on a daily basis.<\/p>\n I am struck by the blindness of the authorities that are seeking a solution to crime and violence while overlooking the root cause of those antisocial behaviors. If you teach people that they are the great-grandsons of apes and not beings created to the image and the resemblance of a holy, just and loving God, why be surprised when they end up behaving like wild beasts devouring one another?<\/p>\n Our modern world faces a dilemma: on one hand it uphold values such as justice, love, respect for others, and selflessness; on the other hand it opens itself to philosophies that undermine the very foundation of those values it claims to espouse. If, as Carl Sagan affirmed it, \u201cthe universe is all that is, that has always been, and that will always be\u201d \u2013 in other words, if there is no soul, no spirit, no God, why make a moral appeal to these animals that we are?<\/p>\n Atheism is unable to find a justification to a notion such as man\u2019s dignity. If atheism is true, there is no difference whatsoever between Hitler and Mother Teresa. Atheism is a system that must be abandoned, because it is utterly incoherent and unsatisfying.<\/p>\n We, Christians, take side with Paul, the apostle, who declares in his first letter to Timothy 2:5: \u201cThere is one God\u2026\u201d This statement by the apostle Paul refutes not only polytheism, but also atheism. Someone may say: \u201cIt\u2019s easy to make such a statement, but can you back it up with logical and convincing arguments?\u201d<\/p>\n Historically, Christian apologists have advanced many arguments in defense of the belief in the existence of God, namely the cosmological argument, the teleological argument, the ontological argument, the moral argument, and the anthropologic arguments. For lack of time and space, we will consider only two of them \u2013 the first two.<\/p>\n I. THE COSMOLOGICAL ARGUMENT<\/strong><\/p>\n The cosmological argument is also called the \u201cclock maker argument\u201d, after the famous word of Voltaire: \u201cThe universe puzzles me, for I cannot think of that clock without a clockmaker.\u201d In the face of the universe, we have only two possible explanations as regards the cause of its existence: either it created itself as by chance or it came to be through an act of creation by a supernatural being, which is none other than God. The first explanation is inadmissible, if we only take into account the fact that the universe is a giant machine whose complexity puzzles even the greatest astronomers. Now, if we think that attributing to chance the design of a clock \u2013 which is a far less complex machine \u2013, isn\u2019t amazing that we act differently when it comes to the universe? How to explain this lack of consistency? Well, the Bible answers: \u201cThe fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”\u201d (Psalm 14:2) Something is wrong with a scholar or a philosopher who denies the existence of a creator, no matter how highly regarded that scholar or philosopher are by their peers. The apostle Paul is right to say, \u201cProfessing to be wise, they became fools.\u201d (Rom. 1:22)<\/p>\n II. THE TELEOLOGICAL ARGUMENT<\/strong><\/p>\n The word teleology comes from the Greek telos meaning end, purpose or design. According to the teleological argument, everything that exists in the universe has been designed for a definite purpose, to attain a specific end. Nothing exists by chance or by accident, but everything seems to be designed for a purpose, and obeys a set of laws. The discovery of those laws and their application are, by the way, what science and technique and are all about.<\/p>\n The design of an automobile and the parts that make it up are a potent example of teleology. From the windshield to the tires (that are round instead of square), from the carburetor to the water pump, from the alternator to the cylinders, and so on, everything indicates design and not randomness or chance. Lift up the hood of any automobile, and you will see teleology everywhere. If you take a penknife and decide to cut off a wire you think is unimportant, chances are that the automobile will start running erratically or stop running merely and simply. Go tell somebody that that car came into existence by itself or by chance, and that person will laugh at you, and rightly so. As a famous astronomer put it, \u201cIt is absolutely more probable that a tornado going across a junkyard creates a Boeing 747 than it is for the living cell to come into existence by chance.\u201d<\/p>\n As for the universe, it is also full with instances of teleology. Let\u2019s see a handful of them:<\/p>\n The list of instances of teleology in nature goes on and on. Any unbiased person will easily admit that chance \u2500 if that concept really exists \u2500 never operates with so much precision and intention. Chance, even if it would create the eye, would never think about providing it with an eyelid to protect it against all kinds of debris, or eyelashes that work as sensors warning the brain that an object (an insect or even dust) is getting close to the eye (that then shuts off automatically), or eyebrows that keep the saline water of sweat from penetrating into the eye. Etc., etc.<\/p>\n As Ralph Shallis puts it, \u201cIt takes a lot of faith to be an atheist.\u201d The faith in question is bad faith, because the evidence in favor of God\u2019s existence is so overwhelming that believing the contrary is only proof that the so-called atheists willfully close their eyes to not see the truth. The apostle Paul says in Romans 1:19-20: \u201cWhat may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities\u2014his eternal power and divine nature\u2014have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.\u201d Thus, those who deny God\u2019s existence don\u2019t do it for scientific or rational motives, but because the idea of a God whom they will have someday to give an account to terrifies them. So, they prefer to \u201csuppress the truth by their wickedness\u201d (Romans 1:18)<\/p>\n \u201cThere is one God.\u201d That is the natural conclusion that will be reached by any sincere and honest man for whom truth is more important than a so-called scientific or professional prestige to safeguard.<\/p>\n However, it\u2019s not enough to believe in the existence of God. The apostle James says, \u201cYou believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that\u2014and shudder.\u201d (James 2:19) The demons\u2019 faith in the existence of God doesn\u2019t save them. They practice a form of atheism called practical atheism. It is the atheism of those who do not necessarily deny the existence of God, but who live their life without any reference to Him.<\/p>\n Believing in God as in your Creator is more than nothing \u2013 I must admit; but what will really bring joy to the heart of God is when you discover in Him not only your Creator, but also \u2013 and especially \u2013 your Father in Jesus Christ; when, from being a creature of God, you become His child, according to what John 1:12 states: \u201cYet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.\u201d May you make that discovery even today!<\/p>\n Hubermann Larose<\/a> Si vous voulez lire ce texte en fran\u00e7ais cliquez ici<\/a>!<\/p>\n
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\nIs There a God?<\/h2>\n
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\nAssociate Pastor<\/p>\n
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