by Roderick C. Meredith
I have before
me two newspaper articles with which I strongly disagree. Although I generally love the Wall Street Journal and find
its articles and editorials very helpful and stimulating, the articles I am
referring to are written in my opinion-- by a couple of "educated
fools" --well-known scientist Richard Dawkins and religion writer Karen
Armstrong. In an article titled "Man vs. God" (WSJ, September 12, 2009),
they "debated" evolution, science and the role of religion. Dawkins
came down hard against the idea of a real God and against religion in general.
He asserted, "Evolution is the universe's greatest work. Evolution is the
creator of life, and life is arguably the most surprising and most beautiful
production that the laws of physics have ever generated."
Dawkins went on making fun of God and describing the glories of evolution. But
is his kind of reasoning based on fact?
Is his supposed "scientific approach" all neat and tidy?
No!
For in his remarks praising "Darwinian life" and denigrating God,
Dawkins cheerfully said, "What is so special about life? It never violates
the laws of physics. Nothing does (if anything did, physicists would just have
to formulate new laws ' --it's happened often enough in the history of
science). But although life never violates the laws of physics, it pushes them
into unexpected avenues that stagger the imagination."
Do you see Dawkin's problem? He starts
out with an already existing universe. This universe has basic
"laws" which he admits are never
broken! Later, he goes on to admit, once again, "Never once
are the laws of physics violated, yet life emerges into uncharted
territory."
Think about
this preposterous reasoning!
This supposed "great" scientist admits that "never once are the
laws of physics violated." Yet he somehow fails to grasp that something or
someone had to create these laws of
physics and the entire universe that is filled with inviolate laws. It is
obvious to most truly sincere and thinking persons that the interrelated and
overlapping laws of physics, chemistry, and other areas of science must have been created by a
Higher Power--an awesome
Being--with a mind far above the human mind. He set in motion these laws and
created the beauty, the delicacy and the constancy of this universe to sustain the laws that govern
our lives.
As letter-writer Joseph Furman replied a week later in response to the article:
"I only had two semesters of college physics, so I must have missed the
part where Mr. Dawkins' much vaunted laws of physics began permitting man to
love, laugh and cry" (WSJ,
September 19, 2009).
Who indeed
brought about the creative mind
which man alone possesses--and the ability to back off and laugh at himself, to
love, and to sometimes give with no thought of a return, and to have a deep
spiritual longing with recognition that there must be a higher power?
The so-called "scientists" who try to bypass the basic fact of an entire universe
filled with consistent laws
and a host of creatures and creations that interact with each other in a way
that beautifully "works"--"these people are indeed lacking in
understanding and wisdom. As the Psalmist wrote, "The fool has said in his
heart, "There is no God" (Psalm 14:1).
For her part, religion writer Karen Armstrong wandered around with "touchy
feely" ideas that frankly prove
nothing. She stated, "The best theology is a spiritual
exercise, akin to poetry. Religion is not an exact science but a kind of art
form that, like music or painting, introduces us to a mode of knowledge that is
different from the purely rational and which cannot easily be put into
words."
Indeed, she had a
hard time rationally putting her ideas into words! It is sad that, in the name
of "religion," this
kind of response was chosen to supposedly rebut the atheist Richard
Dawkins. For, her response showed no
understanding of true religion--nor of a genuine approach to the
God of the Bible.
Part of the problem facing these confused individuals is revealed in Aldous
Huxley's statement in his well-known book, Ends
and Means. This famous thinker and philosopher admits, "Most
ignorance is invincible ignorance. We don't know because we don't want to know.
It is our will that decides how and upon what subjects we shall use our
intelligence. Those who detect no meaning in the world generally do so because,
for one reason or another, it suits their books that the world should be
meaningless"
(p. 312).
Indeed, it is not "fashionable" to believe in a real God. For people like
to deny the truth of revealed prophecy in His inspired word, the Bible. But the
truth remains! If you have not already done so, write for your free
subscription to our Tomorrow's
World Bible Study Course. There, you will learn for yourself the
truth about fulfilled prophecy. You will see, for example, how God inspired
Isaiah to write about the activities of King Cyrus of Persia 200 years in
advance--"events confirmed by secular history and your Bible! Yes, my
friends, this is a real
God! Is He real to you?
People soon will have to believe
in God--for He is right now beginning
to intervene powerfully in world affairs in very specific ways which we at Tomorrow's World have been
telling you about for years! Fulfilled
prophecy is very
difficult for the skeptic to refute. For it not only has happened--as I
indicated--"but you can now
see it continuing to happen all around you, if you truly understand prophecy and read
your daily newspaper or watch a television channel that actually gives world
news.
This very Work--which
produces the Tomorrow's World
television program and Tomorrow's
World magazine--is a continuation of the Work led by Herbert W.
Armstrong--a well-known servant of Christ who died in 1986 at age 93. In August
1950, he wrote in The Plain
Truth magazine, "No all-out full-scale war is prophesied
between Russia and the United States. The famous prophecy of Ezek. 38 and 39
foretells a Russian invasion of Palestine, much later, not against the North
American continent" (p. 2).
Remember, dear reader, that back then the vast majority of Bible "prophecy
students" were proclaiming that Ezekiel 38 foretold a Russian attack on
the North American continent! Often, as we have noted repeatedly, Mr. Armstrong
stood alone in
proclaiming the Truth of
what actually was and is
happening in world affairs.
Writing in The Good News
in April 1952, Mr. Armstrong proclaimed (at a time virtually no one expected this):
"Russia may give East Germany back to the Germans and will be forced
to relinquish her control over Hungary, Czechoslovakia and parts of Austria to
complete the ten nation union. Europe will have a free hand to destroy America
and Britain as prophesied"
(p. 16).
How could Mr. Armstrong possibly
have known 37 years in advance that Russia was not to become America's greatest
challenge--and was not
to attack us directly? How could he have known that Russia would, in fact, give
East Germany back to the Germans and be forced to relinquish her control over
Germany, Czechoslovakia and parts of Austria?
Because, my friends, there is a real
God who inspired this information in His Holy Bible! That same God is speaking
to your mind now
through this Work! We have told you that unless
America and the British-descended peoples come to a genuine national repentance such as
has never been seen before, they will continue their downward spiral! Almost everything will seem to go
wrong. For the Eternal God told our forefathers that if we do not obey His commandments
and statutes, He would bring upon us "terror" and then "wasting disease
and fever" (Leviticus
26:14-17). We have witnessed--and will continue to witness--all kinds of terror, including terrorist attacks on our
cities, our seaports, our airports, our railway stations and our other forms of
transport. And we will soon be entering a time of "wasting disease"
such as we have never
experienced before.
God tells us that if we will not repent, He "will break the pride of your
power" (Leviticus 26:19).
To understand these facts,
please write for our free
booklets, The Real God: Proofs
and Promises and Prophecy
Fulfilled: God's Hand in World Affairs. You need this vital
information! You need to have the intellectual and spiritual honesty to prove to yourself that most
of the "educated fools" around you who deny God's existence are the
ones who are really
"out of touch"!
And you need--with all your
heart--to get "in touch" with the real God who gives you
life and breath, who is now
intervening in human affairs before setting up His very real Kingdom or World
Government to finally bring peace to a very confused world. May God help you to
be willing to face genuine facts.
And may He help you to act on
the precious Truth that He alone can provide!
Dr. Roderick C. Meredith is editor in chief of Tomorrow's
World magazine. His article is reprinted from the Nov. - Dec.
2009 issue, "The Truth About 2012: Hollywood vs. Humanity".
Republished here by special permission from the Living Church of God.