By A G Hoskins
PHILOSOPHY professor Larimore Nicholl’s guest column promoting atheism as the only worldview for intelligent people is interesting but flawed. He asserts “science is eclipsing religion,” and “modern children and adults” don’t believe in “supernatural myth making.” I don’t know how many children Nicholl has talked to, but most young people I know find purposeful design in the science we study. It is more reasonable to believe that an intelligent creator designed the universe rather than the world magically making itself. How illogical to claim the incredibly complex human body randomly evolved from pond scum. Nicholl may be correct that Hinduism, Islam and other religions are inconsistent with science; however, Christianity is not.
Christianity is a worldview consistent with observable fact. Nicholl contends that the universe is “natural” and humans were made “by the natural force of genetics.” But if the Earth created you, who created the Earth? Every event that happens is an effect of a cause. The beginning of the universe must have had a cause. However, this thing or person that caused the universe to exist must be independent of the universe, or it could not have created the universe. The fact that there is something (the universe), rather than nothing, points to a creator. Isn’t all matter in the universe springing into existence for no reason an irrational “myth”?
Furthermore, where did the information in the human genetic code come from? There is more information in one person’s DNA than in an encyclopedia set. Information does not just spring into existence. Spilling ink onto paper would not convey information, but that same ink used by an intelligent person to write words does convey information. Information only comes from a mind. The complexity of DNA could not be a result of random-chance evolution, but it does point to the existence of an intelligent designer.
Atheists like Nicholl slam the Bible. However, years of rigorous textual criticism have proven the Bible to be historically reliable. It is internally consistent and collaborative of the writings of ancient historians, making it one of the most reliable collections of historical documents. The New Testament is more well-documented than any other religious or historical text, including the works of Aristotle, a philosopher Nicholl admires. The earliest copies we have of Aristotle’s work were written more than a thousand years after the original, while the earliest New Testament manuscripts were written within 100 years of the originals. We only have 49 manuscripts of Aristotle’s work, in contrast to 5,300 original-language copies of the New Testament.
Nicholl points to “religious wars” to discredit Christianity. Bad behavior by those who claim to be Christian doesn’t disprove Christianity, just as bad atheists don’t disprove atheism. History shows that Christianity has been the greatest force for freedom and human rights the world has seen. Christianity has promoted representative government, respect for women, helping the poor, education, medicine, and yes, scientific and technological advancement. The “age of modern science” apart from Christianity is no more civilized than any other period. The 20th century was the bloodiest century in human history. Hundreds of millions of people were killed in the name of atheistic communism.
If atheism is true, it would be acceptable for the strong to kill off the “inferior.” Why wouldn’t Darwinian “survival of the fittest” taking its “natural” course be human progress? Nicholl believes in morality that comes from ideas of “utilitarianism” and “humanism.” If there is no higher authority than ourselves, what if we think it would be better for our society to eliminate the weak? The Nazis genuinely believed in murdering Jews for the greater good of their race. Without God, morality becomes a matter of personal preference. Objective morality cannot exist apart from universal, absolute truths given to us by the creator of the universe.
A Christian worldview explains the origin of the universe, life and morality. It is intellectually honest and consistent with science. As the great Christian scientist Sir Isaac Newton said: “He who really thinks has to believe in God.”
Annagail Hoskins is a student.
