An Atheist's Faith

An atheist and a priest debating about the existence of God...

Atheist: "Prove to me that there’s a God and I’ll become a Christian."

Priest: "Oh, no, you don’t. You’re in the minority in this world. You prove to me that there isn’t a God and I’ll become an atheist!"

Atheist: "We’ll, I can’t."

Priest: "What? You believe in something you can’t prove? My dear, that means you have faith. Faith is believing in something you can’t prove. And if you’re right, if there is no God, you’re never going to know it. But if I’m right, and there is a God, you’re going to know it forever and ever!"

Reference/s:

Angelica, Mother M. and Christine Allison (1996). Mother Angelica's Answers, Not Promises. Ignatius Press.

The Big Bang and The Bible

Many scientists now believe that approximately 13 billion years ago, the entire universe was compressed into a point of infinite density, a “singularity”, where all laws of physics breakdown. Then in a “Big Bang”, the universe began to form, expanding to this day. It’s accurate to say that the universe was created out of nothing; indeed, it was a miracle.

It’s easy to see why atheists reject this idea, for such a beginning implies a cause, and thus a creator. Nonetheless, the theory is supported by solid, scientific evidence and observation such as:

• Einstein's General Relativity
• Hubble’s Law
• Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation
• 2nd Law of Thermodynamics

In his book “The First Three Minutes”, Nobel Prize-winning physicist Steven Weinberg explains what happened when the universe began. “In the beginning there was an explosion… which occurred simultaneously everywhere, filling all space from the beginning with every particle of matter rushing part from every other particle…The universe,” he continued,” was filled with light."

Sounds familiar?

“In the beginning God created heaven and earth. Now the earth was a formless void, there was darkness over the deep, with a divine wind sweeping over the waters. God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light.” (Genesis 1:1-3) 

Reference/s:
D’Souza, Dinesh (2008). What’s So Great about Christianity. Kaveri Printer Pvt. Ltd.
Strobel, Lee. The Case for a Creator.

The Real Face of Jesus?

“The Real Face of Jesus?” is a HISTORY channel special that seek to answer the question - What did Jesus look like? It shows the journey of Ray Downing (Studio Macbeth) and his team of graphic artist as they attempt to create a 3D image of Jesus based on The Shroud of Turin *.

Downing states: “Anywhere you go in the world people will recognize the face of Jesus. And the irony is nobody actually knows what he looks like… There’s been a long history of people depicting the face of Jesus over the centuries. Whatever was available to them - oil painting, frescos, you name it. And it’s only natural that we would use the technology of today to do the same thing.”

After 6 months of hard work and using the latest in 3D software, Downing and his team came up with what maybe the most accurate face of Jesus Christ ever made.

The special however, perhaps to add a kind of "X-Files" atmosphere, attempts in vain to link the Shroud with the “ancient wisdom” of the Gnostics. I find these parts unnecessary, distracting and misleading as there is no historical evidence that Gnosticism had anything to do with the Relic. That aside, I find the documentary informative and a “must see” for believers and skeptics of the Shroud’s authenticity alike. As John Jackson, lead scientist of STURP (Shroud of Turin Research Project) ponders: “If anyone is interested in Jesus, if anyone loves Jesus, (then) why wouldn’t they want to see what he looked like 3 dimensionally, 2 thousand years ago?”

The following are some images from the documentary:

* The Shroud is a Christian relic bearing the image of a man many believe to be Jesus Christ.
I’m planning to post a more detailed blog about it in the future.

Humpty Dumpty and The Origin of Life

The Miller-Urey experiment, conducted in 1952 at the University of Chicago, demonstrated that organic compounds can be created in, what was thought to be at the time, an accurate simulation of the early Earth’s atmosphere (composed of water vapor, methane, ammonia, hydrogen). The theological implication of this was obvious: if life originated naturally, then the existence of a Supreme Creator, God would be unnecessary.

However, it was established later on that the early Earth’s atmosphere was more likely made up of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and water vapor. Under such conditions, the result of the Miller-Urey experiment would be invalid.

Moreover, in Lee Strobel’s The Case for a Creator, biologist Jonathan Wells states:

“Even if Miller’s experiment were valid, you’re still light years away from making life. It comes down to this: no matter how many molecules you can produce with early Earth conditions, plausible conditions, you’re still nowhere near producing a living cell. And here’s how I know: if I take a sterile test tube and I put in a little bit of fluid, with just the right salts, just the right balance of acidity and alkalinity, just the right temperature, the perfect solution for a living cell, and I put in it one living cell. This cell is alive. It has everything it needs for life. Now I take a sterile needle and I poke that cell, and all its stuff leaks out into this test tube. You have in this nice little test tube all the molecules you need for a living cell. Not just the pieces of the molecules but the molecules themselves, and (still) you cannot make a living cell out of them. You can’t put Humpty Dumpy back together again. So what makes you think that a few amino acids in the ocean are going to give you a living cell? It’s totally unrealistic.”

It seems that from a scientific point of view, the origin of life is still a mystery.

For Christians and Jews however, the answer is found in the book of Genesis.

Herman the Cripple

Herman of Reichenau (1013-1054) was born w/ cleft palate, cerebral palsy and spina bifida (split spine). He was so terribly deformed that he was powerless to move without assistance and could hardly speak. He was placed in a Benedictine monastery at the age of 7 by his parents who could no longer look after him. He was professed as a monk there at age 20. 

Despite his physical limitations, Herman was considered a genius. He was literate in several languages, including Arabic, Greek and Latin. He was a gifted mathematician and astronomer. He built astronomical equipment and musical instruments. When he eventually became blind due to his afflictions, Herman began writing prayers and hymns (Salve Regina) and became one of the most famous poets of his day. 

Remarkably, although Herman suffered much, he is said to be always cheerful and happy. He saw each trial as a means of purification and a way to be closer to God. 

The following poem was written by William Hart Hurlbut, a physician admirer of Herman. 

Herman the Cripple

I am least among the low,
I am weak and I am slow;
I can neither walk nor stand,
Nor hold a spoon in my own hand.

Like a body bound in chain, 
I am on a rack of pain, 
But He is God, who made me so,
That His mercy I should know.

Brothers do not weep for me!
Christ, the Lord, has set me free.
All my sorrows he will bless;
Pain is not unhappiness.

From my window I look down 
To the streets of yonder town, 
Where the people come and go,
Reap the harvest that they sow.

Like a field of wheat and tares,
Some are lost in worldly cares;
There are hearts as black as coal,
There are cripples of the soul.

Brothers do not weep for me!
In his mercy I am free.
I can neither sow nor spin,
Yet, I am fed and clothed in Him.

I have been the donkey’s tail,
Slower than a slug or snail;
You my brothers have been kind,
Never let me lag behind.

I have been most rich in friends,
You have been my feet and hands;
All the good that I could do,
I have done because of you.

Oh my brothers, can’t you see?
You have been as Christ for me.
And in my need I know I, too,
Have become as Christ for you!

I have lived for forty years
In this wilderness of tears;
But these trials can’t compare
With the glory we will share.

I have had a voice to sing,
To rejoice in everything;
Now Love’s sweet eternal song
Breaks the darkness with the dawn.

Brothers do not weep for me!
Christ, the Lord, has set me free.
Oh my friends remember this:
Pain is not unhappiness.

Reference/s:

Groeschel, Benedict J. (1993). Stumbling Blocks or Stepping Stones. Paulist Press.

The First Cause

Let me share this demonstration of “The Argument of the First Cause”, the second of St. Thomas Aquinas’ “Five Ways”.

Consider the following scenario:

Imagine that you went to the bakeshop to purchase a cake. Upon reaching the counter, you were informed that you must take a number before you could place an order. However, just as you were about take a number, you find out that you have to take another number. And as you’re about to take that number, you were told yet again to get another number! Suppose that the chain of numbers that you are required to take is infinite. You will NEVER be able to purchase a cake under such conditions.

Here's another case: 

Every effect requires a cause. A spoon, for example, owes its existence to a builder and raw materials. An existing thing Z owes it existence to some cause Y. In turn, Y owes its existence to some cause X, and so on. As with our cake analogy, we cannot have an infinite chain of causes; else Z would NEVER exist. Anything else for that matter, would not come into existence.

But we know for a fact that spoons and cakes DO exist. The chain, therefore, could not be infinite. There must be a Cause that is not in need of a cause. This First Cause, to whom everything owes its existence to, is the being we call God.

Reference/s:
Woods, Thomas E., Jr. (2005). How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization. Regnery Publishing, Inc.

Can You See?

Instruction:

1. Concentrate on the 4 small dots in the middle of the image for about 30 to 45 seconds.
2. Close your eyes and tilt your head back. Keep them closed: You’ll see a circle of light. Keep staring at the circle…

 Alternate Instruction:

1. Concentrate on the 4 small dots in the middle of the image for about 30 to 45 seconds.
2. Take a look at a wall or any smooth surface near you.
3. You will see a circle of light. Start blinking your eyes a couple of times and you will see a figure emerging...

Can You See?

Pascal's Wager (simplified)

Blaise Pascal was a 17th century French philosopher who, through the use of decision theory, concluded that it’s safer to bet on God’s existence rather than not. The following is a simplified version of his reasoning:

You believe in God (Theist):

• If God exists, you gain everything.
• If God does not exist, you gain nothing and lose nothing.

OR

You don’t believe in God (Atheist):

• If God exists, you lose everything.
• If God does not exist, you gain nothing and lose nothing.

Atheism is the worst bet: everything’s at stake with no chance of winning the jackpot.

A Worm Named Sylvester (by Bo Sanchez)

It was a worm. A wriggling, blackish, slimy, slippery, ugly worm. I was praying one day in our backyard, feeling very sad - for I had just committed a sin against God. (You know, one of those sins of that age: robbing a bank; burning a school; torturing my sister...) I even feared that perhaps I wouldn't be able to enter heaven because of my sins... How could I?

That was when I say this yucky thing slither up a green leaf. And then, I felt God whisper into my heart, "Bo, do you want to become a worm?"

Wha...? I was petrified. "Lord, did I sin that bad?"

"Bo, give that worm a name," He asked me.

Quickly, I thought of one that was farthest from mine. "Uh... would Sylvester do?"

"That will be fine. Let's say that Sylvester has a soul, and that he is a bad worm. I would therefore need someone to tell him that he has to change, or else, he won't go to heaven..."

"You want Sylvester to go to heaven?" I inquired.

"Of course. Let us say that I love him..."

I made a face. "Double yuck. Triple even." We are talking about a real live ugly worm here! And a bad worm at that.

"Sshhh. Let me continue. Now, in order for Sylvester to understand Me, My messenger has to be a worm as well. A human will not be able to speak his language."

"So that's why You want me to be a worm! To save him? But why me?"

"Only for a few days, Bo. Want to volunteer?"

"Lord!" I vehemently cried in disbelief. "Even if Sylvester was the most handsome worm in this universe - I still wouldn't do it! You're kidding me, right?"

"At one point in history, I wasn't kidding. I did ask a similar request of someone else, and He said yes."

I gasped. "Poor guy... you zapped Him into a worm?"

"On that very Christmas Day, My only Son became a human being, a helpless infant - so that He could save you..."

"But Lord, that's different! It's okay to be human..."

"That's because you don't know what it means to be God. Before that day, My Son was glorious, powerful, eternal..."

That was the last line I heard that day. And I thought the conversation was over.

But a few days later, when I went to a church for Christmas Eve - at the altar I saw the Babe in the manger.

And everything about it screamed to me, "I love you, Bo."

Yes, my God has become Sylvester. For me.

I smiled and quietly shed a tear.

Reference/s:

Sanchez, Bo. How to Be Really, Really, Really Happy!. Shepherd’s Voice Publications, Inc.