What if the cosmos is all that there is?
Are you a materialist? Materialism (the philosophy) suggests that “physical matter is the only reality, and that everything-including thought, feeling, mind, and will, can all be explained in terms of matter and physical phenomena.”
Or perhaps you prefer the term naturalist. You believe that all can be explained in terms of natural causes and laws. Nothing has moral, spiritual, or supernatural significance.
Carl Sagan once said: “The cosmos is all there is, or was, or ever will be.”
Douglas Futuyma in Science on Trial: The Case for Evolution, says:
“Some shrink from the conclusion that the human species was not designed, has no purpose, and is the product of mere mechanical mechanisms—but this seems to be the message of evolution.”
Richard Dawkins in The Blind Watchmaker:
"Natural selection is the blind watchmaker, blind because it does not see ahead, does not plan consequences, has no purpose in view. Yet the living results of natural selection overwhelmingly impress us with the appearance of design as if by a mater watchmaker, impress us with the illusion of design and planning."`
Francis Crick in The Astonishing Hypothesis:
"The Astonishing Hypothesis is that you—your joys and your sorrows, your memories and your ambitions, your sense of personal identity and free will, are in fact no more than the behavior of a vast assembly of nerve cells and their associated molecules"
What if all this is true? What if the cosmos and the chemicals and the particles really are all that there is, and all that we are?
“If man has been kicked up out of that which is only impersonal by chance , then those things that make him man-hope of purpose and significance, love, motions of morality and rationality, beauty and verbal communication-are ultimately unfulfillable and thus meaningless.”
—Francis Schaeffer in The God Who Is There
“Eventually materialist philosophy undermines the reliability of the mind itself-and hence even the basis for science. The true foundation of rationality is not found in particles and impersonal laws, but in the mind of the Creator who formed us in His image.”
—Phillip E. Johnson,
Defeating Darwinism by Opening Minds
If you are an atheist, a materialist, a pantheist, or a naturalist, try to answer the following 11 questions:
“If all of life is meaningless, and ultimately absurd , why bother to march straight forward, why stand in the queue as though life as a whole makes sense?” —Francis Schaeffer, The God Who Is There
If everyone completely passes out of existence when they die, what ultimate meaning has life? Even if a man's life is important because of his influence on others or by his effect on the course of history, of what ultimate significance is that if there is no immortality and all other lives, events, and even history itself is ultimately meaningless?
Suppose the universe had never existed. Apart form God, what ultimate difference would that make?
In a universe without God or immortality, how is mankind ultimately different from a swarm of mosquitoes or a barnyard of pigs?
What viable basis exists for justice or law if man is nothing but a sophisticated, programmed machine?
Why does research, discovery, diplomacy, art, music, sacrifice, compassion, feelings of love, or affectionate and caring relationships mean anything if it all ultimately comes to naught anyway?
Without absolute morals, what ultimate difference is there between Saddam Hussein and Billy Graham?
If there is no immortality, why shouldn't all things be permitted?(Dostoyevsky)
If morality is only a relative social construct, on what basis could or should anyone ever move to interfere with cultures that practice apartheid, female circumcision, cannibalism, or ethnic cleansing?
If there is no God, on what basis is there any meaning or hope for fairness, comfort, or better times?
Without a personal Creator-God, how are you anything other than the coincidental, purposeless miscarriage of nature, spinning round and round on a lonely planet in the blackness of space for just a little while before you and all memory of your futile, pointless, meaningless life finally blinks out forever in the endless darkness?
Sources
Many, but not all, of the preceding questions are paraphrased versions of those posed by William Lane Craig in his book Reasonable Faith, chapter 2, “The Absurdity of Life Without God.”
Author: Daryl E. Witmer of AIIA Institute.
Text Copyright © 2003, 2004, AIIA Institute, All Rights Reserved—except as noted on attached “Usage and Copyright” page that grants ChristianAnswers.Net users generous rights for putting this page to work in their homes, personal witnessing, churches and schools.
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Why is the world the way it is? (filled with oppression, suffering, death and cruelty?) If God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and loving, would he really create a world like this? Find the answer! |
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Answers to frequently asked questions…
God
God's Origin: Who created God? (a detailed answer)
Who made God? (short answer)
If I can't see God, why should I believe in Him? (short answer)
God existence: How can I know that God exists? (detailed answer)
If God knows I am hurting, why doesn't He help me? Answer
Bible's accuracy
How can I know the Bible is true? Answer
Are you implying that it is completely accurate, or does it contain insignificant inaccuracies in details of history and science? Answer
How can the Bible be infallible if it is written by fallible humans? Answer
The Bible is full of contradictions. Answer (Discover answers to numerous claimed “contradictions,” such as Where did Cain get his wife? [See full list]
Hasn't science disproven Genesis and other parts of the Bible? Answer
Life evolved; there is no creator god. Answer
The Bible says Earth is flat. Answer
The story of Noah's flood contradicts scientific knowledge and common sense. Answer
ORIGIN OF ETHNIC PEOPLE GROUPS—How could all ethnicities from Noah, his three sons and their wives? Answer
If the Bible's true, where is the Garden of Eden? Answer
The existence of dinosaur fossils disproves the Bible's Creation story and time chronology. Answer
Science has proved Earth is billions of years old; the Bible is wrong. Answer
Is it LOGICAL to believe that the biblical miracles really happened? Answer (AIIA)
MIRACLES, more information and list of biblical miracles and our other article involving miracles - Read
Miracles are impossible. Answer
Science has disproved Jesus's supposed miracles.
You take everything in the Bible literally. It's absurd. Answer
What about the Psalm 91 promises? Answer "…no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent…"
Christianity
Religion has caused more WARS than anything else in history. Answer
Why would I want to be a Christian when there are so many HYPOCRITES? Answer
With so many denominations and religions, how can I decide which are true and which are false? Answer
How can you claim that the Bible is truly the final authority in all matters of faith and morals? Answer
Jesus Christ
Aren't all religions basically the same? Why do Christians insist that one must believe in Christ alone to be saved? Answer
Why should I believe that Jesus Christ is God? Answer
How can one God be three persons?
Why shed blood? What's so important about Christ dying and rising from the dead? Answer
If Jesus was the Son of God, why did He call Himself the Son of Man? Answer
EXISTENCE - Jesus is a myth. Answer
ACCURACY - I don't believe the Bible records an accurate history of Christ's life. Answer
THE JESUS SEMINAR proved that much of what Christians believe about Jesus and the Gospels is wrong. Answer
VIRGIN BIRTH - The virgin birth is mythological and scientifically impossible. Answer
Disbelief in the Resurrection
What is crucifixion? Answer
How do we know Christ really rose from the dead? Answer
The resurrection is simply a myth. Answer
The Bible's account of Christ's resurrection is full of contradictions. Answer
Christ's body was simply stolen from His tomb. Answer
Isn't it possible that Jesus never really died on the cross, it just looked like it? Answer
The people that claimed to have seen Jesus rise from the dead were just “seeing things” or hallucinating. Answer
Was Jesus Christ buried in the wrong tomb? Or an unknown tomb? Answer
See our special section about Jesus for many more answers to skeptical questions. —GO…
Creation's pain, suffering and imperfection
What about the issue of suffering? Doesn't this prove that there is no God and that we are on our own? Answer
How can God be a god of love if there is so much PAIN AND SUFFERING in the world? Answer
If God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and loving, would He really create a world like this? Answer
If God is perfect, why did He make an imperfect creation? Answer
If God knows I am HURTING, why doesn't He help me? Answer
I'M UGLY. Why was God so unfair to me this way? Answer
Does God feel our pain? Answer
Why does God allow innocent people to suffer? Answer
What about the Psalm 91 promises? Answer "…no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent…"
I'm thinking about committing SUICIDE. Answer
God’s fairness
God is unfair, if both Hitler and dear old ladies both go to Hell. Answer
Is God biased? Is it fair to save only some? Answer
God is all loving. He would never send me to Hell. Answer
My god would never send anyone to hell. Answer
How can you say that Jesus it the only way to God? How arrogant! Answer
Sin
I'm basically a good person. Answer
How good is good enough? Answer
Am I good enough to go to Heaven? Answer
God made me like this. Sin is His fault! Answer
I was once a 'born-again' Christian. Now I believe it's all rubbish! Answer
I've broken every one of the Ten Commandments. Answer
Don't judge me! The Bible even says “Judge not lest ye be judged.” Answer
Morality is relative. There are no absolutes! Answer
Salvation
Aren't all religions basically the same? Answer
Forgiveness
God can't forgive me. I've sinned too much! Answer
I committed the unforgivable sin, blaspheming the Holy Spirit. There is no hope for me. Answer
How can I be and feel forgiven? Answer
If God forgives me every time I ask, why do I still feel so guilty? Answer
