The universe is communicating evidence to us about what reality is. What is it communicating? We work next to many people who believe science has proved there is no need to resort to “God” as an explanation. Everything can be explained by natural processes without having to resort to “super” natural explanations.
The problem is, not everything has a naturalistic explanation. Darwin’s theory of natural selection acting on random mutations within a genetic population does not provide a functional theory or foundation for some of the biggest issues on the table: 1. How did the universe come into existence from nothing? 2. Why does the universe appear to be precisely tuned for life? 3. How did life originate from non-living materials? 4. How did non-material consciousness emerge from material processes? (mind from matter) 5. How is free agency possible in a purely physical, deterministic universe? 6. What establishes the transcendent, objective, moral truths we all recognize and employ? (list from J. Warner Wallace). As I’ve stated, naturalism struggles to have even a functional theory for most of these questions. Conversely, it is very plausible to deduce that the presence of a mind and intelligence is the cause.
Immaterial Evidence
Perhaps one of the reasons naturalists have difficulty embracing a case for Theism/Design is that most of our arguments aren’t scientific. You can’t put them in a test tube and repeat them. They aren’t empirical, observable, repeatable. The evidence is “non” material. Immaterial evidence is just as real, it just doesn’t fit on a graph or a chart, and therefore it doesn’t receive endorsement by the hallways and academies of science.
Let’s get specific. Logic is a real thing. But you can’t dissect logic with a scalpel. Felix is a cat. All cats are red. Therefore Felix is red. That is a true statement that is non-negotiable. But it’s not dissectible. It’s true even if it isn’t scientific. It’s the Law of Logic. The driver of the car ran over a pedestrian in the cross walk. Was it an accident, or did she intend to accelerate and kill the pedestrian? The difference in motive is very real and will shape whether it’s considered a second-degree murder or manslaughter charge. The universal recognition of motive as culpable evidence points to a Moral Law and Lawgiver.
Finally, information is always the product of mind. Rocks can’t think. They don’t worry about whether their legs look too skinny or too fat. They don’t listen to Miles Davis, or write sonnets for pleasure. So then, if we are made of the same material as rocks, how exactly does "mind" emerge out of matter? Pride and Prejudice is written by an author. Likewise we are amazingly complex biological organisms with complex computer coding jammed into every cell. We live within a precisely engineered universe full of mathematical information perfect for preserving our delicate little existence. How did all of this information inside of us and outside of us get there? And how do we have minds to perceive that it's there? Information and consciousness may not be scientific answers, but they are very real answers that need to be taken seriously.
The naturalists are limiting the range of evidence that they are looking for. They are refusing to believe any evidence that doesn’t fit their already narrow definition of the world. But the real world, by simple observation, has to account for the presence of intelligence, mind and “will” acting on material sciences.
Belief first, or Evidence first?
So how do we help our friends and family believe in God? After all, if the Mind of God is the basis for true reality then we should desire that everyone would embrace what is ultimately true. The age-old question that is asked is “does the evidence lead to belief, or do you have to believe in order to embrace the evidence?” I think it’s both.
Clearly, evidence can lead people to the correct conclusions. The scriptures continually show us a God that provides evidence that leads us to the truth.
John 20:31 says, “But these (signs) are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
John 3:2 “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one could perform these signs you do unless God were with him.”
Yet, evidence is rarely enough to fully convince people. When Jeremiah presented the word of the Lord, the people responded, “You are lying” (43:2). There are just as many scriptures that show that our human perception can be distorted, or our hearts can be unreceptive to the truth.
“Even though he had performed so many signs in their presence, they did not believe in him.” John 12:37
“their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away.” 2 Corinthians 3:14
The Threshold of Choice
There is always a threshold we reach in which we simply have to choose. The evidence can only take us so far. No choice is ever with 100% certainty. We’ve all emerged into a pre-set world. It’s origins are cloaked behind the veil of the past. The question is which more probably explains the universe we inhabit, design by an intelligent mind, or random naturalistic processes resulting in the appearance of design by randomness. In many cases that choice exposes what our heart really wants to be true, and not what is actually true.
My purpose in this article is to remind us that there is overwhelming support for a belief in God based on “non” material evidence: existence, information, logic, morality, consciousness. My purpose is also to remind us that logical explanations and arguments to our children, or our neighbors will only lead them to the threshold of belief. At the end of the day, unbelief is a spiritual blindness. Spiritual blindness is a byproduct of being disconnected from God in the first place.
“The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” 2 Corinthians 4:4
Prayer is the essential ingredient to opening spiritual doors. People need to encounter Jesus for themselves. When they meet the resurrected Jesus, objections begin to melt away under the heat of his reality. When you meet Jesus you meet LIFE himself. Keep sharing the truth. And keep praying for their eyes to be opened.
Tags: god, evidence, belief, atheism, mind, encountering jesus, knowing jesus, naturalism, moral law, natural selection, law of logic, immaterial evidence
