Our views are governed by our assumptions, and our
assumptions are governed by the desires of our heart. Therefore, the Apostle
Paul observed:
·
The coming of the lawless one will be in
accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit
miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who
are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be
saved…and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but
have delighted in wickedness. (2 Thes. 2:9-12)
Why will people believe these Satanic “counterfeit
miracles?” Because they want to! Paul asserts that “they refused to love
the truth and so be saved,” but instead “delighted in wickedness.” Our
desires – our loves – determine our thinking and believing, even if it costs us
salvation.
We believe what we want
to believe. The same principle pertains irrespective of educational attainments.
It even pertains to the leading scientists of the West, according to
evolutionist and geneticist Richard Lewontin:
·
We take the side of science in spite of the
patent absurdity of some of its constructs, in spite of its failure to fulfill
many of its extravagant promises of health and life, in spite of the tolerance
of the scientific community for unsubstantiated just-so stories, because we
have a prior commitment, a commitment to materialism [that nothing exists apart
from matter and energy]. It is not that the methods and institutions of science
somehow compel us to accept a material explanation of the phenomenal world,
but, on the contrary, that we are forced by our a priori adherence to material
causes to create an apparatus of investigation and a set of concepts that
produce material explanations, no matter how counter-intuitive, …Moreover, that
materialism is an absolute, for we cannot allow a Divine Foot in the door.
The “Divine Foot” opens the door to extra-material
explanations – the very thing that many oppose. However, they can’t oppose it
on the basis of science, but rather their almost-religious “commitment to
materialism.”
Although our desires and commitments control us, this doesn’t rule out objective truths
or answers. It should simply alert us to our powerful underlying motives and how
they pervert our conclusions.
Of course, many will turn this around upon the Christian:
“You believe because you need a crutch.” While this is true, Lewontin admits
that he too has his crutch – materialism.
While the idea of God will comfort some, the idea of no-god
(materialism) comforts others. One atheist friend admitted that he is an
atheist because it helped him to deal with his guilt and shame. He understands
that if there is no God, then there are no higher standards to which he is
accountable. This thinking also gives the atheist some insulation against the
fear of eternal judgment.
Even though what we believe is a very personal thing, they
also might have an existence apart from what we think about them. I might
believe in Christ for very personal reasons, but this doesn’t mean that I lack
objective, evidential reasons for my belief.
However, as Lewontin seems to acknowledge, there is
absolutely no evidential support for materialism. While we all believe that
there are material explanations – there a the laws of physics that allow us to
predict – this doesn’t mean that this is all that there is. In fact, these very
laws point powerfully to the extra-material:
- There are unchanging. They impact everything in the universe, but nothing seems to be able to impact them.
- They are universal. They act uniformly throughout the universe.
- They seem to arise from outside of the universe. All sources of power/energy are localized within the universe. Consequently, the closer to the source, the greater the force it exerts. Those closer we are to a bonfire or radio-station, the stronger the waves. The laws of physics do not loose their force. There is no issue of proximity. It’s not an issue. Instead, the laws seem to originate from outside of this created order.
- They are elegant and can be described by simple formulae, suggesting that they were intelligently designed.
All of these considerations should argue persuasively
against materialism. However, the “Divine Foot” is not in favor with our
secular elites.
No comments:
Post a Comment