THE BIBLE’S ANSWER TO ATHEISTS AND SKEPTICS. WHY CONSIDER THIS? Religion is under fierce attack...
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Transcript of THE BIBLE’S ANSWER TO ATHEISTS AND SKEPTICS. WHY CONSIDER THIS? Religion is under fierce attack...
THE BIBLE’S ANSWER
TO ATHEISTS
AND SKEPTICS
THE BIBLE’S ANSWER TO ATHEISTS AND SKEPTICS
WHY CONSIDER THIS?
Religion is under fierce attack from atheists .
Evolution is now very widely accepted as fact.
Inside the brotherhood we now have voices promoting theistic evolution.
Christadelphians are feeling they have to be able to combat the scientific evidence.
Some are losing their faith in God..
WHAT WE HOPE TO BRIEFLY COVER
What is the theory of evolution ? What God says about man’s wisdom. Reasons to believe in a Creator. Reasons to believe in the Bible. Why faith matters . Why theistic evolution is not
compatible with the BASF.
Definitions
Atheist- a person who does not believe there is a God
Agnostic- a person who believes nothing can be known about the existence of any God
Skeptic- a person who doubts and questions the existence of a God.
RICHARD DAWKINS – THE LEADING SKEPTIC
THE NEW WAVE OF ANTI- RELIGION BOOKS
The mission of the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science is
to support scientific education, critical thinking and evidence-based
understanding of the natural world in the quest to overcome religious
fundamentalism, superstition, intolerance and suffering.
Evolution because of Atheism
WHY DAWKINS GETS SUCH A FOLLOWING
Why men choose not to believe
God cannot be absolutely proven scientifically, even though all the circumstantial evidence indicates He exists.
If one admits to the existence of a Creator, then there is probably a reason for His creation
The Bible states that the reason for the beauty of the creation is that men should to seek to find and to obey God –Acts 14v15-17 , 17v24-28
Most men do not want to be restrained by God and His laws...so look elsewhere
WHY EVOLUTION IS SO POPULAR Most academic organisations are
funded by secular governments – scientists are obliged to support the accepted idea.
Man does not want to face the possibility of a Creator God.
Because these unproven theories are constantly published as fact , they obtain a status far greater than they deserve.
“Evolutionists may disagree on many things, but their commitment to
atheism ensures their solid agreement on the non-existence of an intelligent
creator” New Scientist, 15th March 1987, p63
The driving force behind Evolution
So the question now is ..
CAN WE REALLY BELIEVE IN GOD TODAY?
UNDENIABLE FACTS
The universe exists and has order and laws
The earth sustains an amazing array of intelligent and incredible life
Humans have highly developed minds and a moral capacity
The Bible exists – providing us a reason for our existence , and a purpose for the creation
Evolution tries to tell us how life came to be..can never tell us why we are here.
THE ALTERNATIVES WE HAVE
God created by miraculous power God created , using an evolutionary
process There is no God , all we see just
happened to evolve by pure chance.
Creationism Theistic Evolution Darwinian atheism
OUR SPIRITUAL PARADIGMS
He that cometh to God must believe that HE IS....and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Heb 11v6 In the beginning God created
the heavens and the earth.
Gen 1v1
SCIENCE vs The Bible Science works on facts and evidence to
support its guesses and theories Science uses reason to interpret evidence Science demands absolute proof , but can
not prove evolution happened.BUT BY CONTRAST
The Bible offers a 3 fold witness as evidence to the existence of a Creator1/ Bible itself (prophecy and history )
2/Jesus Christ 3/Creation Faith is our decision to believe God- a logical
conclusion to the evidence we have.
GOD’S CLEAR CHALLENGE
Thus saith THE LORD, the Holy One of Israel , and his Maker, Ask of me things to come concerning my sons , and concerning the works of my hands command ye me.
I have made the earth, and created man upon it : I even my hands , have stretched out the heavens , and all their host have I commanded
ISAIAH 45v 11-12
Isaiah 45:18, “Thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God Himself that formed the earth and made it: He hath established it, He created it not in vain, He formed it to be inhabited; I am the LORD and there is none else”
Exodus 31:17, “It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.”
Mark 13:19, “For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be”
God created this world in six days
So what theory did Darwin give to the world that has given men a way to ignore and defy their Creator?
The Theory of Evolution
Formulated by Charles Darwin Theories of natural selection and the
evolution of species were promulgated on very limited evidence
Has a totally unbelievable reliance on blind chance recurring over and over
Suggests that life forms progress upward ,and become more complex over time
“I was a young man with unformed ideas. I threw out queries, suggestions, wondering all the time over everything; and to my astonishment the ideas took like wildfire. People made a religion of them”
Charles Darwin…was surprised
Creation or Evolution, a matter of Faith!
Big Bang, formation of hydrogen
Higher elements evolve
Formation of planets, stars
Origin of life (by accident)
Evolution of different species (Macro-
evolution)-by mutations and natural selection
Changes within a species (Micro-evolution)
Darwinian Evolution Outlined
The origin of life The origin of eternal lifeThe survival of fittest The survival of FaithfulContinual change Stability and sure futureNatural Selection Spiritual SelectionBlind chance Clear direction Missing links and gaps Accurate statementsContradictions Consistent and reliable
Promotes self interest Praises our Creator
Evolution Bible Truth
CHARLES DARWIN “the man who gave the world the excuse to be what they wanted to be”David Breese
Modern views on Darwin’s ideas
We are now about 120 years after Darwin And the knowledge of the fossil record has been greatly expanded. Ironically we have even fewer examples of evolutionary transition than we had in Darwin’s time.
David Ruap..Curator of Chicago Museum
Modern Views of Darwin
The fossils that decorate our family tree are so scarce that there are still more scientists than specimens .
The remarkable fact is that all the supposed physical evidence we have for human evolution can still be placed, with room to spare , inside a single coffin.
Dr Lyall Watson -Science Digest
WHY THIS MATTERS ....
Accepting evolution impacts on clear Bible teachings , and the Genesis record
The early chapters of Genesis tend to become regarded as allegories (stories) and not literal events .
The tendency is to reinterpret the Bible to fit the claims of science.
SCIENCE –enemy or friend ? Science has given us so much insight
into the wonders of creation. Science has enabled us to
comprehend the marvels of our planet and the universe.
What we need to watch for are the FALSE conclusions that some scientists make , especially where they will not accept a creator exists.
CARE IN READING THE BIBLE...
While we DO believe God’s words..we must avoid reading into the Bible meanings that are not there .
We must beware of teaching conclusions that are clearly unsupportable.
For example Church teaching once was..the earth was flat, resting on foundations, and that the sun rotated around the earth every 24 hours .(think how fast it had to travel)
THE SUN ROTATING AROUND THE EARTH...? Answer ..about 20 million kilometres
an hour..
So read the Bible carefully..
REMEMBER ....
The Bible is not written as a scientific textbook
The Bible though is never wrong, and has never been proven to be wrong by scientific discovery.
In fact more and more recent scientific discoveries are confirming Bible statements made thousand of years ago.
One day soon , God will humiliate scientists who have deliberately misled men
What the Bible says
Romans 1v 18-23 ( Weymouth ) For God’s anger is being revealed from
heaven against all impiety and against the iniquity of men who through iniquity suppress the truth. God is angry , because what may be known about Him is plain to their inmost consciousness ; for He Himself has made it plain to them . For from the very creation of the world His invisible power and divine nature have been rendered intelligible and clearly visible by His works, so that these men are without excuse .........
Rom 1v18-22 cont
For when they had come to know God , they did not give Him the glory as God nor render Him thanks, but they became absorbed in useless discussions and their senseless minds were darkened . While boasting of their wisdom they became utter fools ...
The fool hath said in his heart..there is no God Psa 14v1
God’s view of human wisdom For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom
of the wise , and I will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world ? 1 Cor 1v19-20
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written , He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.
And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. 1 COR 3v19-21
GODS CHOICE – 1 Cor 1v26-27 For ye see your calling, brethren, how
that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called
But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise : and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.
THE COMING HUMILIATION OF ATHIESTS AND SKEPTICS
The gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies , vanity and things wherein there is no profit. JER 16v19
And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people , and the veil that is spread over all nations .ISA 25v7
SO WHAT WE CAN DO...?
Consider the Evidence to believe in a Creator
God’s creative genius
There be four things little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise...
The spider (Gecko) taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings palaces.
PROV 30v24-28
How do gecko’s walk anywhere?
THE SECRET ..we now understand
Only possible to see with modern technology
How do Gecko’s walk upside down and on very smooth surfaces (such as glass) ?
They have millions of microscopic hairs on their feet –so small they can attach themselves to the molecules of the surface.
Each microscopic hair splits exposing up to a a billion tiny spatulae to act like an adhesive.
HOW IT WORKS FOR THE GECKO
GECKO”S AMAZING FEET
A gecko can support itself entirely on one toe.
One hair alone could take the weight of an ant
If you could engage all the hairs of a gecko at one time it would support the weight of a large man!
THE HUMAN EYE...
The hearing ear and the seeing eye , Yahweh hath made even both of them Prov 20v12
COULD THIS JUST HAPPEN BY CHANCE?
FACTS ABOUT YOUR EYES.
At conception a million optic nerves grow out from both the eye and the brain .
These nerves are like fiber-optic cable and grow through the flesh to find each other
Each of the one million optic nerves has to locate its precise counterpart to function
An enzyme cuts open the eyelids before birth
The eye can adjust at phenomenal speed to light variations, spherical and chromatic aberration , distance and movement.
More facts about your eyes...
FASCINATING FACTS Eyes have 2 million working parts 8 Million cone cells-detect color 20 Million Rod cells – detect
contrasts Can distinguish 500 shades of gray. We blink 4.2 million times a year Eyes do not need rest- are always
100% ready Eye muscles are the strongest in
body (100x more than they need to be)
The lens changes shapes for different distances –pupils dilate for light intensity.
MORE FACTS ABOUT EYES
We are born with full size eyes All babies are color blind when born No tears are possible for the first 6-8
weeks Eyes contribute 85% to human
learning.
Fearfully and wonderfully made ..
HE CREATED NOT IN VAIN: HE CREATED IT TO BE INHABITED .......ISA 45v18
THE EARTH WAS CREATED FOR LIFE At least 122 factors are known
that make life on earth a possibility.
If any of them were to be only slightly varied, life as we know it would soon disappear.
Amazing facts about the earth The earth is exactly the right distance from the
sun The earth has an ozone layer that protects us
from the sun’s harmful killer rays If the earth were 10% larger or smaller life could
not exist We have oxygen and water –not found on any
other planet. The moon is exactly located to cause the
essential tidal movements The earth’s tilted axis brings the seasons in turn
Amazing facts about the earth The earth is exactly the right distance from the
sun The earth has an ozone layer that protects us
from the sun’s harmful killer rays If the earth were 10% larger or smaller life could
not exist We have oxygen and water –not found on any
other planet. The moon is exactly located to cause the
essential tidal movements The earth’s tilted axis brings the seasons in turn
MORE PRECISE CONDITIONS
Unlike all other planets , the earth does not have an elliptical orbit..it has a circular orbit.
If it didnt , we would freeze or burn.
CREATED FOR LIFE TO EXIST
The earth has a precise magnetic field.
The rotation of the earth matches human sleep patterns
The relative size of the sun and the earth are critical .
The existence on earth of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.
AMAZING FACTORS FOR LIFE
There is , in truth, not one chance in countless millions of millions that the many unique properties of carbon , hydrogen and oxygen , (and especially their stable compounds –water and carbonic acid which chiefly make up earth’s atmosphere) should simultaneously occur in the 3 elements.
There must be a law that connects them..these are no mere accidents.Lawrence Henderson- Biologist
CONSIDER WATER
One of the strangest substances known
The most abundant substance on earth.
It has specific heat, surface tension and other properties higher or lower than all other known materials.
It has 3 phases-vapour, liquid and ice .
That the solid state( of ice) should float is unique. This supports marine life to exist in cold regions.
Conclusions
The Universe is created with amazing precision
Our planet earth is perfectly placed Earth moves perfectly to support life Earth has over 100 amazing factors
that make life possible. We have every reason the believe
that God exists, and has placed us here for a purpose.
The Creator’s Challenge
JOB 12v7-9But ask now the beasts , and they shall
teach thee: and the fowls of the air , and they shall tell thee.
Or speak to the earth and it shall teach thee : and the fishes of the sea shall declare it unto thee.
Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of THE LORD hath wrought this?
Imagine .....
Finding a watch on the beach ...and not ever having seen one before or knowing what it was, ..could you imagine that it just fell together by chance from the sand particles... and worked ?
DNA is millions of times more complex than a watch ..........
DNAThe remarkable chain of atoms and cells that create and regulate life. Bible says..we are fearfully and wonderfully made (woven together )
THE BIG ISSUE- HOW DID LIFE COME ?
Darwinism does not explain how life came Science suggests life spontaneously
generated in some mineral soup, and evolved upward
Evolution cannot explain DNA and its incredibly complex coding.
Richard Dawkins-has to admit that DNA could not just happen .he said when pushed to explain .... ‘perhaps some space travellers planted the seeds of life and DNA on earth”
“A lot of work needs to be done before scientists will be able to figure out how
life came into existence; it will take decades”
The Evolution of Evolution
UNCERTAINTY OR BELIEF Dawkins... “We don’t understand how the cosmos
came into being in the first place –we just don’t know how it all began..”
The Bible – In the beginning God created the
heavens and the earth- Gen 1v1
Other problems for Athiests and Skeptics
Mathematical impossibility for even one such evolutionary event- let alone billions of chance events .
No explanation of how interdependent species evolved (insects and plants )
Huge areas of non – conforming strata –rocks out of order and fossils in wrong strata .
Evolution is still an unproven and constantly changing theory.
Other arguments used by skeptics
Religion has caused untold war and suffering-look at Islam ,terrorism and Catholic violence
Religion has done many evil things If God exists – why so much suffering?
The rational answer
Yes , religion has disgraced God , but that does not disprove God’s s existence –rather it proves His stated opinion of the mind of the flesh..evil continually.
Israel constantly failed and disgraced God..but he uses them as His witness that he exists
True religion does offer better morals and virtues than atheism
The Challenge Where did God come from ?
We cant say – we are told he has always been and that we should not try to explain that
But the evolutionist equally has to be asked ..where did the first matter come from and how did life appear on earth ?
He that cometh to God must believe he is ..Heb 11v6
CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE TO BELIEVE IN GOD
The absolute perfection of conditions for life on earth.
The magnificent and intricate creation , the amazing inbuilt instinct –all indicate creative intelligence.
The amazing wisdom of complementary created things and their programmed abilities to relate
The person , teaching and resurrection of Christ..and the witness of the transformed men who followed him.
READ Heb 11v6
What about all the scientific data....?
We do not have to be able to understand or defeat all the theories and arguments put forward by science and atheists
We have far more circumstantial evidence for our belief than they have...
Faith....is a choice to believe God.
THE GREATEST REASON TO BELIEVE
The Bible itself !... Historically accurate –proven and tested Consistent, offers hope and reason Prophetic fulfilment –a witness to a divine
mind that knows and shapes the future Numerical brilliance and amazing patterns Offers moral values , way ahead of their
time Gives meaning and guidance for our life
SIMPLE FAITH
Believes that God exists Believes that The Bible is God’s
inspired Word. Believes that God made all things . Believes that God created in 6 days. Believes that Adam was the first
man. Believes that sin brought mortality Believes that we can share God’s
eternity
FAITH IS NORMAL
Man is created with tendency to believe
Many highly educated , intelligent people do believe , including many scientists
Many scientists have become believers
The 3 greatest scientists of the past were all believers(Newton, Faraday and Maxwell)
Atheists are small but vocal minority..4% only
Faith today
Faith is not blind ...that’s dangerous Our faith is based on sound evidence
and a myriad of circumstantial indicators
This leads to logical conclusions beyond reasonable doubt.
In the end -we still have to choose to believe ..and accept the Creator’s existence and follow the Makers instructions
A FAITH THAT MAKES SENSE
THERE IS A GOD , THE CREATOR
GOD IS IN CONTROL OF OUR WORLD
HE WILL SOON CHANGE THE WORLD
YOU CAN BE THERE,LIVING FOREVER
GOD HAS MADE GREAT PROMISES WE MUST BELIEVE
CAN WE ACCEPT THEISTIC EVOLUTION ?
How does the acceptance of theistic evolution impact on the atonement.?
Theistic Evolution Says
Adam was not the first man , but was the first specially created man ( or the first recorded evolved man)
Adam was created mortal (a dying creature )
Other mortals existed on the earth As a result of sin , Adam was kept from the
tree of life and lost his hope of becoming immortal.
His condemnation was only a legal sentence, nothing changed in his nature.
THE BIBLE SAYS...
The first man Adam..1Cor 15v45 As in Adam all die ...1 Cor 15v22 Wherefore as by one man sin
entered the world , and death by sin...Rom 5v12
For if through the offence of one , many be dead..Rom 5v 15
OUR STATEMENT OF FAITH (BASF)SAYS “Adam..the first man “. BASF clause 3 “That the first man Adam...God created him
from the dust ...”very good” in kind or condition. Clause 4
“That Adam broke this law....and was sentenced ...a sentence which defiled and became a physical law of his being .” BASF 5
“..all the effects that came by Adam’s transgression, including the death that passed upon all men...”BASF Clause 10
The Cooper Carter Addendum-Acceptance IS required for fellowship in Australia. Adam was made of the earth and
declared to be very good. He suffered the consequences of sin-
shame, a defiled conscience and MORTALITY.
As his descendants we partake of that mortality that came by sin.
Creation is not compatible
with Evolution
THE WEAK POINTS FOR EVOLUTION
Unbelievable reliance on pure chance. One has only to contemplate the magnitude of this
task to conclude that spontaneous generation of a living organism is impossible.
George Wald –Biochemist The hypothesis that life has developed from inorganic
matter is, at present , still an article of faith J W Sullivan – Mathematician The probability of life originating by accident is
comparable to the chance of producing an unabridged dictionary as a result of an explosion in a printing factory.
Biologist Edward Conklin
PROFESSING THEMSELVES TO BE WISE THEY BECAME FOOLS ...........
THE WEAK POINTS FOR EVOLUTION
Life is upwardly progressive. All our experience is to the opposite-defies the 2nd law of
thermodynamics..(that all things degenerate ) There are no intermediary fossils
Eg ..supposed horse evolutionary tree...first has 18 pairs of ribs, next 15 pairs, next 19 pairs and the modern horse has 18 pairs............and besides this, the supposed members of this horse series are fossils found out of dating sequence
Dating methods are highly suspect
Carbon 14 dating depends on absolutely static conditions prevailing .Most other dating is circular.(dateing rocks by fossils and fossils by rocks)
Big Bang theory has now been debunked by Hubble discoveries
Sadly there are those who deny that God exists
Psalm 14:1
“The fool hath said in his heart there is no
God”
Romans 1:18-25
“…professing themselves to be wise they became fools”
If ‘Evolution’ were true then we should see new species evolving today.
OBVIOUS QUESTIONS TO ASK:
.
Why does the fossil record shows thousands of dead animals, humans included, all exactly the same as the previous generation.?
Species can only reproduce with like species. So when the first fish walked out of the water and onto land, a different species from his parents, with whom did he mate to produce offspring? Does this mean that with
each and every evolutionary step both male and female occurred at once?
How did the plants reproduce before bees had evolved to fertilise the flowers?
When a child is first born, how does it know how to breathe, and how does it know to start sucking when placed on the breast?
MORE QUESTIONS ....
Show me any creature other than a human that can reason right from
wrong
Where is the link between apes and humans ?
As each step from ape to human was an improvement, then why do apes exist when their improved offspring don’t?
The Chance of a Positive Mutation
“It is a number so small that in order to account for synthetic evolution by random mutation one has to have an almost religious faith in the power of extremely unlikely events and very
long time scales”Facts of Life by Richard Milton
Dr H. J. Muller:
“Most mutations are bad. In fact, good ones are so rare
that we can consider them all bad”.
Time, 11th Nov 1946, pg 38
A SILENT WITNESS TO GOD. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the
firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto
night showeth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their
voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and
their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,
Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber , and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.
Psalm 19v1-6
LETS LOOK AT THE UNIVERSE FIRSTThe Bible says.... The heaven, even the heavens are
Yahweh’s , but the earth hath he given to the children of men.
Psa. 115v16 Lift up now your eyes on high, and
behold who hath created all these things ..that calleth them all by names ..Isa 40v26
See also Nehemiah 9v6..God preserves the stars and the planets
THE BALANCED UNIVERSE
If either the expansionary force or the gravitational forces were only slightly greater or weaker the universe would collapse and self destruct .
The balanced level of precision defies all the odds of probability
SIR ISAAC NEWTON
“Blind fate could not possibly account for the wonderful uniformity demonstrated by planetary movements, Gravity may put planets in motion , but without the divine power it could never have put them into such a circulating motion as they have.”
THE BALANCE OF THE UNIVERSE The universe is rapidly expanding
(showing it had a start point) This expansionary force prevents
the universe collapsing in on itself. Gravity is another force which is
precisely balanced to exactly match the expansionary forces , so that matter can form galaxies, stars and planets.
OTHER FACTORS NOW DISCOVERED The density of space..incredibly precise !
The most spectacular evidence for supernatural design of the cosmos resides in the density characteristics. For physical life to be possible,- anywhere anytime, -the mass density of the universe can differ by no more than one part in 10 (60) , and the space energy density by no more than one part in 10 (120).
Dr Hugh Ross ( Astronomer)
Stephen Hawking says... (an agnostic scientist)
“Why did the Universe start out with so nearly the critical rate of expansion....If the rate of expansion one second after the Big Bang had been smaller by even one part in a hundred thousand million, the Universe would have collapsed before it reached its present state .”
FACING THE OBVIOUS
“The odds against the Universe like ours emerging out of something like the Big Bang are enormous. I think clearly there are religious implications whenever you start to discuss the origins of the Universe. There must be religious overtones. But I think most scientists prefer to shy away from the religious implications. “ Stephen
Hawking- the worlds most respected physicist .
THE HEAVENS DECLARE GOD’S GLORY When I consider thy heavens , the
work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars , which thou hast ordained; What is man that thou art mindful of him. Psalm 8v3-4
THE BALANCED UNIVERSE
If either the expansionary force or the gravitational forces were only slightly greater or weaker the universe would collapse and self destruct .
The balanced level of precision defies all the odds of probability
SIR ISAAC NEWTON
“Blind fate could not possibly account for the wonderful uniformity demonstrated by planetary movements, Gravity may put planets in motion , but without the divine power it could never have put them into such a circulating motion as they have.”