Hello,
“There’s probably no God.”
That was the slogan of an “advertising campaign” launched in England in
2009. Countering a campaign by
Christians who plastered the sides of buses with the promise of eternal torment
for those who were not Christian (not what I would put on a bus to speak of the
Christian faith to the world), a group of people who see no evidence for God’s existence,
and also believe that those who promote the existence of God detract people
from engaging in the most important things in life, began plastering their
message on London buses. “There’s
probably no God.” The campaign took off,
and soon this slogan found itself translated to a variety of languages and
posted on buses in a variety of countries.
As odd as it may seem, I find myself agreeing with these
folks….not agreeing that there is no God….but agreeing with them in the word “probably”. Limited in my knowledge of statistical
analysis and probabilities, it seems completely reasonable to me that if one
examines the existence of God based upon specific criteria, that is, the
empirical data collected by day to day human experience, one might well
conclude that the data is far from conclusive that there is a God. Although some may say that they have put God
to the test and God has responded to that test to prove God’s existence (I
remember in my high school days that one such person asked God to cause the
cloths hanging in his closet to flutter to prove God’s existence, to which he
said that happened), I find myself, for a variety of reasons, not assured of
God’s existence because of such things.
Folks far wiser than I find causes for the happenings in our world that
do not mandate the existence of God.
This is no new phenomena.
Even in the Bible, in Psalms 10, 14, and 53, we are told that there were
people who said, “There is no god.”
I don’t know if the number of people who profess that God
does not exist is any greater today than in other generations, but it does seem
to me that the numbers are not falling. And
my guess is that is happening because as folks look around in hopes of
discovering God’s existence, much of what they take in leads them to conclude
that the probability of God’s existence is minimal at best.
That doesn’t surprise me, because if indeed, God is one who
is so utterly different than human beings, that is, not bound by time and
space, than to use the confines of time and space to discover God is not a very
probable task. To me, it is like a blind
person seeking to prove the existence of the color orange. What would give a blind person empirical
truth to the existence of the color orange?
Would not a blind person be led to say, “Orange probably doesn’t exist.”?
So, you may be asking of me, why do I believe in God? My answer lies in what the Apostle Paul wrote
centuries ago to the Corinthians,
21For since, in the
wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through
the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. 22For Jews demand
signs and Greeks desire wisdom, 23but we proclaim Christ crucified, a
stumbling-block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24but to those who
are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of
God. 25For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness
is stronger than human strength.” (1
Cor. 1:21-25)
For me, it seems very
reasonable that God, who is beyond our limits, would take hold of our hearts
and minds through something that is likewise beyond empirical proof…..love. Love so great that God would enter into time
and space to reveal God’s self to us. It
is said, and I have found it so for myself, that when one is in love, one sees
the world in a whole new way. Likewise,
when I discover that I am in God’s love, I likewise envision things anew…I see
God’s presence where empirical eyes do not.
I live with hope when empirical eyes do not. I find reason for peace and joy when empirical
eyes do not.
My tradition of Christianity has long taught that “ I believe that I cannot come to
my Lord Jesus Christ by my own intellegence or power. But the Holy Spirit
called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with her gifts, made me holy and kept
me in the true faith…”. This teaching
rings true to me, thankfully true.
So,
giving credit where credit is due…..those who seek to discover God through
human wisdom will probably always conclude that “probably there is no God”, but
I have come to see that God’s deepest desire is for me to know him and his love
for me, and God will go to unbelievably foolish means until I, and you, abide
in his love…..have eyes that see with his love…..and believe in him….not just
probably….but certainly!
Have
a great week.
God’s
grace and peace, (ggap)
Pastor
Jerry Nuernberger
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