This episode is the beginning of a series that I am calling The Bible Mountain Parables. In this series, we will address some of the most basic and fundamental questions that we as human beings should answer. We will start with the existence of God. Does God exist and how do we know if He exists? In this first episode, we will learn what we should conclude about the existence of God based on our observation of, and interaction with the world we live in.
(Scroll down below the video if you prefer to read a transcript.)
Transcript:
Thanks for watching this episode of Bible Mountain dotcom. This episode is the beginning of a series that I am calling The Bible Mountain Parables. In this series, we will address some of the most basic and fundamental questions that we as human beings should answer.
We will start with the existence of God. Does God exist and how do we know if He exists? In this first episode, we will learn what we should conclude about the existence of God based on our observation of, and interaction with the world we live in. In the second episode we will talk about history. What does history teach us about the existence of God? In the third episode we will talk about power. Who or what is the ultimate power in our world and how does that affect our daily life? In the fourth episode we will talk about fear. How does the existence or non-existence of God affect the presence or absence of fear as we live our daily lives? In the fifth episode we will talk about authority. Is there an ultimate authority in our world that we need to submit to, and if so, who or what is it? In the sixth episode, we will talk about death. What happens after we die? Is there life after death, and if so, do we need to do anything in this life in order to prepare for the next life? And in the seventh and final episode, we will talk about meaning. Is life worth living, and if so, what is it that brings meaning and satisfaction to our lives?
As I said, today we will start with the existence of God. What should we conclude about the existence of God based on our observation of, and interaction with the world we live in? Throughout this series I am going to use parables to answer these various questions, so let’s get started with the first parable:
The Automated House.
Once upon a time a doctor visited an engineer to get a tour of the engineer’s new house. As they toured the house, the engineer pointed out how he can control every window, every curtain, every blind, every light, every door, and every lock with an app on his smart phone. This allows the engineer to open and close curtains and windows, and turn lights on and off, all while he is sitting in his recliner. After the tour was over and the doctor had taken in the beauty of the house and the convenience of the electronic controls, the doctor looked at the engineer and asked, “Who built this house?”
Notice the doctors question. The doctor asked “who”. The doctor did not ask “what” caused the house to come into existence; the doctor asked “who” brought the house into existence. The doctor asked “who” because when we see an object with a lot of pieces that fit and work together, we conclude that an intelligent being designed and built that object. Whether it is a house, a car, a kitchen appliance, or a computer, we logically conclude that intelligent beings designed and built those objects.
Now let’s think about the systems that comprise the human body. There is the skeleton system, the muscle system, the nervous system, and the digestive system. There are organs like the eyes, the brain, the heart, and the lungs. All the parts of the human body work together to enable people to run, walk, work, and play. And there is the reproductive system which allows us humans to reproduce ourselves.
Just as we look at a house and logically conclude that an intelligent being designed and created it, so too when we look at the human body, the most logical and intelligent conclusion is that there is a living, intelligent being out there somewhere who designed and created the human race. Now let’s look at a second parable:
The Sand Castle.
Once upon a time a scientist and a theologian were walking down the beach when they came upon an elaborate sand castle. The castle had 4 round towers, an inner and outer wall, two gates, and a moat. The scientist claimed that over time the ocean waves had gradually formed the sand into a sand castle. The theologian claimed that a person had created the sand castle.
Do you believe the scientist or the theologian? Is it possible for ocean waves to form the sand into a shape that anyone and everyone would recognize as a sand castle with walls, towers, and a moat? The reality is that when human beings come upon a sand castle, we logically and correctly conclude that an intelligent human being built that sand castle.
Now let’s talk about our solar system. Our solar system contains hundreds of random, lifeless masses of rock and gas, including planets, moons, and asteroids. In the midst of all these lifeless masses is planet earth. Earth is unique in our solar system in that it is able to support life. Earth has dry land, oceans, fresh water, plants, trees, animals, the water cycle, the food chain, and the oxygen cycle. Furthermore, the distance from the earth to the sun is such that the temperature of earth is not too hot, nor too cold to support life. Scientists claim that the earth came about by chance. Theologians claim that the earth was created by an intelligent being. Do you believe the scientist or the theologian?
Just as it is absurd to think that ocean waves can create a sand castle, so too it is absurd to think that time and chance can create a complex planet that has all the elements necessary to support human life. And just as we look at a sand castle and conclude that an intelligent being created it, so too when we look at the earth and observe systems like the water cycle and the food chain, the logical, intelligent conclusion is that there is an intelligent being out there somewhere who created the earth. Now let’s look at a third parable:
The Explosion.
Once upon a time a science professor was teaching evolution to a group of college freshman. He had just finished explaining how a big bang had started a process that led to the formation of the universe and everything in it, when an administrator came in and said that an explosion had just occurred at the professor’s house. The professor knew that his wife and children were at home when the explosion would’ve taken place, so he quickly gathered up his things and left.
What was the professor thinking as he drove home? Was he optimistic that the explosion had started a process that would improve his house and make his family healthier and more beautiful? Or was he fearful that the explosion had killed his family and destroyed his house? The point is that evolutionists don’t live what they teach. They teach that a big bang started a constructive process that led to the creation of life, but when they are faced with a big bang in their own lives, they assume, just like we do, that the big bang was destructive. And just as it is absurd to think that an explosion will improve a house, so too it is absurd to think that a big bang started a process that led to the creation of the universe and everything in it.
So what is the conclusion from all this?
When we observe the world we live in, the logical, intelligent conclusion is that there is a living, intelligent being out there somewhere who created the universe and everything in it, including us. Observation does not answer all the questions we have about the Creator, but it does clearly lead to the conclusion that a Creator exists.
In the next episode, we will see what history teaches us about the existence of God.
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. Romans 1:20
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“Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.”