One thing that always puzzles (frustrates) me in the
discussions that many atheists (in particular evolutionists) raise in objection
to God and/or design is this:
“If God was real / created us, He would not have done it
like this.”
This is then almost used as a “scientific” argument (at
least in the case of naturalistic evolutionists) for rejection of a Designer or
a God.
This however is fallacy – and it certainly is not science.
Science is not speculation, it is not human imagination, it is not personal
opinion nor is it personal expectations. Science is primarily about reproducing
observations in order to test hypotheses. It is ironic that naturalists are
often the very first to point out God is not a scientific option as a god
cannot be tested or defined by scientific method (hence the materialistic dogma
that has been put in place for modern day science for all and any
interpretation to adhere to). Yet so many scientists are equally as quick to
comment on what a god should or should not be like if one were to exist.
To “know the Mind of God” I would propose is in fact an
oxymoron, at least in our human state. People use the word “God” yet fail to
attribute that word to what it conveys. The Judeo-Christian God (YWH, Jehovah,
etc) has no true name that man knows, that can be uttered. I believe that this
is in fact to display the nature of God – man cannot fully know, understand or
grasp. We attribute “God” to Him as this is a description of who He is – not
just a name. That is to say, a “god” by definition is a being more powerful,
more knowledgeable, more able, and wiser than we. It is a conceptual
perspective: that is to say, the Judeo-Christian God is transcendent, beyond
comprehension and understanding, without limit, outside the scope and
constraints of this universe. Yet humans think that they can say:
“If God exists He must be x, y and z. If He created, it
would be a, b and c. As x, y and z are not true, and a, b and c are not
observed, God is not real.”
But that is an illogical argument, and certainly not
scientific. The only thing that Judeo-Christians can claim about God’s character
is that which is revealed in Scripture which we believe to be God’s Word and
from God Himself. (As a side-note – if the Bible is not the actual inspired
Word of God then the whole thing falls down and truly what can we say about God
except speculation?) Therefore, we are not claiming x, y, and z – He is. If YOU
were God then YOU might do it differently, but you cannot put yourself in that
perspective as a human being, full of error, sin and limited vastly by this
great universe, constrained by the forces of that which you do not understand.
If everything in this universe was as we would fully expect
and understand given our limited state, if we could fully define the character
of God and make full sense of it, would God still be a “god”? I think not.
Therein lies the paradox of belief in a God – acceptance that you cannot
understand a true God. Fortunately though, God has revealed Himself to us, in
as much as we need to understand (at least for salvation and some of His
character).
Such arguments may be philosophical arguments against God,
however they certainly are not “scientific” arguments for lack of a Designer for
example, as they are inherently unscientific arguments. Let me give you an
example. Imagine someone like myself, who knows nothing about cars, entering
into a car factory. I study the process of manufacturing a car in front of me,
maybe I take apart a new model of a car and familiarise myself with the pieces
and components. I can work out what some things do more easily than others.
After a while of doing this, I declare myself an expert in the creation and
design of cars, and conclude that the person who designed this car did not know
what they were doing because there is a cable here that I do not understand
what its function does. It seems to do one thing but it is longer than it
appears to be necessary for that function. Therefore I conclude, this is a poor
design and the person who designed it did not know what they were doing, or at
least was not a “good” designer.
Would I not be considered mad? I was merely investigating
something that was already designed, already there in existence. I did not design
it, I did not put it there. I can take it apart and try to work out what bits
do. But I do not know the mind of the designer, why they made one thing one way
and another different. Perhaps there was purpose that I cannot see. Perhaps
there were things like back-up mechanisms that any good engineer would put in,
in case of primary failure. To declare the design as flawed would be fallible,
given my limited knowledge.
How much more so with incredibly complex systems outside our
current scope of our full understanding? Then take into account, the Bible says
we live in a broken, fallen world as a result of sin (Genesis 3:16-19). Things
were made and they were “very good” however sin of mankind (first in Adam)
brought a curse and death not just on humans and spiritual death, but physical
death and a curse on nature itself. For example there is good reason to believe
that thorns did not exist before the Fall if you hold a literal interpretation
of Genesis 1-3. Therefore, the world we see now is very different to the
intended, first time design. (Another side-note – this is in fact, a great
weakness of theistic evolution as it must result in the opposite: i.e. great
imperfection slowly making its way towards imperfection).
So use of this argument [To know the mind of God] is down to
mere human pride and arrogance. In science, it is not a valid argument against
a Designer because it is heavily-laden with personal assumptions (why would a
designer do it like this? I wouldn’t...), and it is not testable. Yet it is the
essence of many an opposition to design.
Secondly, outside of science and into philosophical
arguments, the objection to the Judeo-Christian God of the Bible in “knowing
the mind of God” is a rationalisation of the claims about God’s character. For
example:
“God is love, yet He sends people to eternal suffering and
damnation in Hell. Therefore God is not love. God is not real.”
“God loves mankind yet He allows incredible amounts of
suffering, therefore God does not love mankind. God is not real.”
I am not sure in the Bible where it says that understanding
God is easy (Job 15:8; Job 21:22; Isaiah 40:13; Jeremiah 23:18; 1 Corinthians 2:11).
I am not sure why we expect to fully be able to rationalise every detail in our
minds. If we could fully understand and comprehend these issues, we would be
like God ourselves. That cannot happen until He makes us like Him as we are
full of sin and blemish. The Bible is clear on that (1 John 3:2; 1 Corinthians
13:12).
And therein lays the issue with these complaints. People
cherry-pick from the Bible statements but they take them out of context. What
is the context? The whole Bible! That is to say, if you are going to take a
statement in the Bible and say “if this is true...” and then extrapolate on it,
you HAVE to take the rest of the Bible with it. Therefore, when God says He is
love (1 John 4:8) it does not negate His Justice (2 Thessalonians 1:6), or
Holiness (1 Samuel 2:2; Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8). We cannot understand those
concepts because we are neither Just nor Holy (Romans 3:10). We cannot even
comprehend His holiness. Whenever people in Scriptures caught a glimpse of His
Holiness what happened to them? Look at the prophets, look at John in
Revelation (1:17). John knew Jesus when He was on the earth, veiled in His
humanity, His glory covered up. John was closer to holiness arguably than
anyone alive today, as an apostle of God. Yet what was his response much like
Isaiah (6:5), Ezekiel (1:28), Paul (Acts 9:3-4) and other prophets? He [John] fell
on his face like a dead man. He went into a coma-like state of near death upon
seeing the Risen Lord Jesus in glorified form. Isaiah proclaimed woe on himself
for he is ruined (Isaiah 6:5). Upon facing the most Holy One the only response
can be that of ruin, death, separation from God as it shines the light on you
and exposes your true unholy state. The uncleanliness of man and the inherent
inability of man to coexist in the presence of God in such a state is made
fully and abundantly aware. When you take that into consideration it is even
more amazing that any human could ever end up in the presence of God, and makes
Jesus’ sacrifice even more astonishing especially in relation to God turning
His Back on Jesus.
We cannot comprehend nor understand the perfect harmony of
judgement, holiness, Hell, forgiveness and God’s love. But when we take the
whole Bible, and not isolate characteristics of God and interrogate them with
human understanding isolated away from His other attributes, we see a picture
that fits and makes sense, in as much as it can to the human mind.
I truly believe that when you delve deep and read in the
Bible about Jesus and His life on earth, any questions you have about His Love,
His Justice and Hell fade from confusion to acceptance. Why? Quite simply
because of the profound nature of Jesus’ life on earth. When you read the
Scriptures about Jesus, with the knowledge that He is in fact a sinless, pure
man that is yet fully God (Hebrews 2:9-18), you can be nothing short of
astounded at His meek, mild, loving, forgiving and humble nature. That is God
when He came in human form. He wept at the death of one He would raise to life
(Lazarus; John 11:35). He wept over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41), despite the fact it
was full of sinners and rejection of Him and salvation. He asked His Father to
forgive the people who beat Him (Luke 23:34), who drove nails into His feet and
hands, who mocked Him, who taunted Him, who gave Him vinegar to drink. Yet we
want to question His love and justice and how they can work out in eternity? If
you ever doubt as a Christian how a loving God could do things that are spoken
of in the Bible, all you have to do is read about the life of Jesus. Those
questions will fade into complete acceptance that whatever happens you can be
confident of the most supreme and highest form of justice will occur in the
spiritual realm.
Who is there like God? Who can know the mind of the Creator?
Who can understand His ways, His thoughts, His wisdom? The wisdom of God is
foolishness to men (1 Corinthians 1:18, 25; Ecclesiasties 8:17), and He still
makes the wise of the world to be most foolish. We cannot know the mind of God.
The Scriptures can give us a glimpse, and one day when those of us saved by His
grace will be “made like Him” we will certainly have a better understanding of
His mind, but I would argue we will never fully know the mind of God, for that
is only possible for God Himself. We will simply come to a better comprehension
of God’s mind.
