Friday, April 10, 2020
Understanding the Creator of all Things
Introduction Does God exist? If He does, is He the God of the Bible, Islam, or Mormonism? Discussions of whether God exists and/or whether the world was created or made from some scientifically explainable processes have continued over the years.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Understanding the Creator of all Things specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Religious leaders, naturalists, scientists, philosophers, politicians, and atheists have given their views about the existence of God. However, there is enough evidence in science, spirituality, and material elements that prove Godââ¬â¢s existence. Both science and philosophy have proven the existence of a supreme being that ordered the creation beyond human understanding. Moreover, despite the many ââ¬Ëgodsââ¬â¢ that exist in the religious arena, philosophical and scientific evidence indicates that the biblical God is the true God. This paper seeks to explore the topic of understanding the creator of all things. The aim is to confirm that the biblical God is the true deity. Evidence of Godââ¬â¢s Existence Complexity of the Universe and its Continued Existence According to Bialecki, various philosophical, scientific, and religious facts indicate that God exists1. Every monotheistic religion believes in a certain supernatural being. Although the names that are accorded to such a being vary by religion, Godââ¬â¢s powers in most religions are almost similar. God guides morality and order in virtually all religions. According to Bialecki, analysis of the universe indicates that its perfectness and complexity must have a force that triggered its existence2. The size of the earth appears to have been well calculated to function over the years. The fact that the earth has a self-regulating gravitational pull that extends only 50 miles above the surface is another indicator of a work of a perfect designer. The earth forms a satis factory self-regulating habitat for living things. It has oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen gas for their use. The perfectness of how the earth is designed brings people to the fact that if the earth were disorderly, the atmosphere would be smaller or bigger, a situation that would trigger the balance that has been witnessed since time immemorial. Bialecki reveals how the composition of gases on earth is well calculated to sustain life3. The other evidence that shows that there is a designer behind the earthââ¬â¢s perfectness is the distance between the earth and the sun. This distance enables temperatures around the earth to be life sustaining.Advertising Looking for research paper on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Such temperature differences range approximately from negative 30 and positive 120 degrees. What is amazing is that if the earth were further from the sun, temperatures would be lower. Th e moonââ¬â¢s position ensures that ocean tides are continuous with no stagnation. Since there is no valid scientific process that has been confirmed to trigger the formation of the complex universe, scholars have concurred on the existence of a supernatural being who must be responsible for this mystery. The Universal Nature of Water The nature and reliability of water by all living things in the world is another indicator a mysterious force that triggered the creation of the universe and everything that is found in it. Water is a colorless, tasteless, and odorless substance that is universal in many processes. According to Clanton, the fact that all living things have water as a major component of their bodies is a sufficient proof that God was at the center of this designing4. This solvent enables living things to exist in a range of weather conditions. Minerals, chemicals, and nutrients that are required by human beings, animals, and plants are transported through water. Accor ding to Warfield, the surface tension of water also signifies the existence of God5. For example, water is able to move upstream in a plant from the roots to the leaves. Water is also created in a way that it freezes from the top in cold places such as the Arctic. Freezing from the top surface ensures that aquatic creatures can continue to survive even when temperatures are very low. The water that evaporates moves up to the atmosphere and cools to form rains that drop on the surface of the earth to ensure continuity of life. This observation means that water moves around the world in a cyclic way. The Structure of the Human Brain is beyond Science and Philosophical Explanations The human brain is designed in a way that science and philosophy have failed to explain fully. The brain is able to do multiple activities at the same time. For example, it can detect and distinguish temperatures, colors, pressure, smell, and even texture.Advertising We will write a custom research pape r sample on Understanding the Creator of all Things specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The brain orders the rest of the body to respond in a particular way in different situations. The human brain is designed as self-regulating factory that is in charge of its internal and external environment. The brain regulates the number of times that a person needs to take in air, the movement of body structures, the voice produced, the sitting posture, and all activities that bodies do with peopleââ¬â¢s little concern. Mion asserts that the fact that an individualââ¬â¢s intelligence can interpret millions of facts every minute is beyond understanding6. It can select important things from what is unimportant to an individual. The intelligence factor in a brain shows the work of a creator. This unique intelligence cannot have resulted from some energy or light banging, but from God (Mion, 2012). Evolution Explains Changes in Living Things, but Fails to Explain their Origin The evolution theory by Charles Darwin that has been relied upon by scientists to explain the origin and evolution of life has completely failed to explain origin of life. Darwinism explains the changes that occur in animals, plants, and human beings because of mutation, natural selection, use and disuse, and other factors. However, evolution has no answer to the origin of the life forms that it claims to be evolving. For example, if human beings originated from apes, evolution cannot reveal who created the apes. If the claim by evolution that birds originated from reptiles is true, it cannot justify who created them in the initial stage. Living and non-living things cannot exist from nowhere and start responding to changes in their immediate environment. In addition, Mion asserts that scientific theories fail to explain how non-living things such as stones, seabed, and bedrocks were created7. They do not reveal the origin of their raw materials. This observation leaves an important gap to be filled. The adaptation of living things for survival and mutual coexistence shows a force or being that is behind their design. For example, the fact that a bee has structures that are adapted to suck nectar from flowers and other structures that carry pollen grains that fertilize the next flower they attend is amazing. This ensures continuity of the plants that the bee and its offspring will depend on for food in coming days. The adaptation of various animals and plants to survival in harsh weather conditions without dying shows the work of an intelligent creator.Advertising Looking for research paper on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More For example, a fish can live in water all its days but dies immediately it is pulled out of water. Besides, certain plants such as the cactus are able to survive in the scorching sun of the deserts. It is undoubtedly that God is behind these mysterious observations Geographical Distribution of Flora and Fauna Evidence of existence of creatures that have similar bodies and DNA composition in far and different continents is an indicator of the work of a creator. For example, there are plants and animals in Asia that are found only in South America. The distance between the two continents and the absence of such creatures in the in-between land and water goes beyond scientific and geographical explanations. For example, there are cabbage and tree varieties that are found in India and South America only. This observation cannot be attributed to the effect of continental drifts. If this effect were the cause, similar plants would have been found in the continents and islands that lie in between. Similarity in color and structure of many living creatures in Africa relative to those of South America also indicates the work of a creator. Moreover, all human beings, white or black, have similar body structures and functions. For example, a white man in Carolina can donate blood to a black man in India if their blood groups are similar. If evolution theory were true, people in different continents would be different due to changes in their environment. However, human beings from different continents can communicate and reason together. These pointers indicate the existence of a creator who ordered and organized all these activities to happen. The Origin of the Earth Science continues to depend on the ââ¬Ëbig bangââ¬â¢ theory that explains how the universe was started by one bang of energy and light from an unknown origin. According to this theory, this bang and explosion that resulted formed different life forms, space, air, sky, non-living things, and everything that is in the world. Bombarding of energy can result in some chemical reactions. However, this bombarding fails to explain how such an explosion resulted in the formation of different lives. If it were true, every bomb that explodes in Palestine, as Palestinians fight with Israel, would be resulting in some form of life. On the contrary, explosion of such bombs results in the destruction of life. It is also beyond scientific explanations to justify the origin of materials that formed the light that contributed in the bang, the origin of the forces that led to the explosion, and the origin of the materials that made different life forms after the big bang explosion. How can an explosion generate a human being, a plant, consumable gases, the sky, the soil, or an animal? If explosions were to be responsible, scientists would then be using such forces to develop new life forms. Who then distributed these life forms in such a well-calculated effort of placing every life form in its best adapted environment? Vanhoozerââ¬â¢s work offers a clear answer to this question8 Can the big bang forces be intelligent enough to know the qualities, structures, and adaptations of creatures that originated from it for these creatures would be positioned only in their best-suited environments? Would the big bang divide gases and the force of gravity in a way to ensure that the gases that are important for survival of living things remain within their reach. According to Bray, the origin of creation indicates that a creator was present9. The preciseness of the order of creation shows beyond reason the masterwork of a creator. The Laws of Nature Control the World According to Clanton, the laws of nature are also beyond scientific and philosophical explanations10. For example, the earth will revolve round the sun in specific number of days. The gravitational pull of the earth remains consistent. Besides, time remains consistent in a typical day. The whole universe is a sphere that obeys rules on the number of revolutions and rotations that it makes. In addition, the earth follows a certain path that is designated for that specific purpose. Unfortunately, if it were to get out of the path, everything in it would collapse. Who orders these rules? Who ensures that the rules are followed since the earth came into being? Scientific logic cannot account for the precise nature of these activities of the world.à Logic holds that the world is not a thinking being that will use its brain to regulate the activities that take place in it. The power to control gravity, the distance between the earth and the sun, and/or to ensure that nothing falls, despite its rotation, is astonishing. The order in the universe is beyond a coincidence of things that just happen and/or continue to happen ever since its creation. Scientists have acknowledged that nature is mysterious and that it is organized in a mathematical way. The only thing that scientists do is to prove the mystery using numbers. For example, they prove that the speed of light is the same in every part of the world. They calculate the number of evolutions that the world makes in a year and/or the distance between the earth and the moon. However, they do not prove their origin. The laws of human and animal reproduction to ensure continuity of generation are also beyond science. In fact, the mystery of how the first creature emerged indicates that there was a creator. The DNA Coding and Instruction System The presence of DNA that instructs billions of cells in living things to undertake various activities and/or behave in a certain way indicates presence of God. The DNA is the instruction manual that has to be adhered to by the body cells. For example, the DNA has certain codes that are designed for specific factors. The codes are abbreviated as A, T, G, and C by human scientists. These specific codes are very precise in their operations. This manual defines a creature and its adaptability, beh avior, and temperaments. Every cell of a human being contains billions of these codes. These DNA codes give instructions to the cell at well calculated times. They instruct on how the body will grow at all times. Science is lacking on explanation of how such DNA chemicals, which have the ability to give instructions, are grouped together in a single cell. The intelligence of the cell to give the correct information to the rest of the body is also beyond the scientific logic as Van Til asserts11. The DNA is programmed like a computer. Besides being self-regulating, it gives information according to the codes. The question of who programs these strands in such a coordinated way brings in the aspect of a creator. The Origin of Life and Death According to Gebauer, Berlin, and Maio, the fact that science cannot explain the origin of life or the indispensable component of life (cell) also calls for the attention of a super creator12. Scientists and doctors can carry out maintenance functi ons of life, but they cannot create it. The puzzle of death has been referred to as a mystery by all scientists. Logic cannot explain the way of death, its value, and the consequence of death to a dying creature. Scientists have tried to develop sophisticated machines that can support life, but they have never found the means to create life. Life humbles the doctors to accept the existence of a force that is far beyond their knowledge and ability13. If science were able, people would never die. In fact, the inability to sustain life stems from peopleââ¬â¢s inability to create it. The factor that erodes or the mechanism that puts a halt to the human life remains a puzzle to scientists of the world.à The presence and emergence of diseases that have no cure is another puzzle to the scientific world. Scientists have spent days and nights in efforts to discover and develop medicine for diseases such as Ebola, HIV/AIDS, and cancer. However, despite the billions of money that have bee n invested by the world in fighting diseases, new diseases will still emerge to threaten peopleââ¬â¢s existence. The fact that senior scientists are dying out of Ebola in the western part of Africa and in America indicates a force that is beyond the very science they adore. The composition of the killer material and its origin again goes beyond science. God proves his ability by taking lives that scientists are determined to defend. This observation is evidence that there is some power that is beyond the human understanding. The fact that human cells grow and become dysfunctional at old age is also a mystery. Why do people die at old age? Why has science not been able to prevent old age and/or death that results from it? All human beings look forward to growing old and eventually dying. If science and philosophy had the power to stop growth towards old age, great scientists such as Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, and Christian Bernard would not have died. The fact that scientist s who discover so much in the field of medicine end up dying is mysterious. How does someone end up dying, despite his or her ability to invent heart transplant surgery? This puzzle brings the aspect of a powerful creator who controls what is to exist, what is to die, and the general order of things in the world. Atheists have Failed to Disapprove Godââ¬â¢s Existence Although atheists from across the world believe that there is no God, the above discussion lays bare evidences of a God of creation. Kraay and Dragos affirm that atheists believe that there is no god or God14. They have devised arguments that different gods, which are worshiped by world religions such as Islam, Buddhist, Hindu, and other religions, are fallacious. Efforts to prove that there is no god in the world has made them defend their claims over the years. The arguments behind their believe is that the God who is depicted in the old testament of the Bible and the Quran accept rape, genocides, murder, incest, a dultery, and other social evils. Atheists will quote a section of the Old Testament that is adored by both Christians and Muslims in discrediting their God.à Since atheists have no god or God to defend, their efforts are geared towards discrediting the gods who are worshipped by believers in supernatural beings. For example, they will ask why god is so violent and/or why he would be so brutal to kill more people than Satan has killed in the recorded history of the Bible. This position is developed from biblical records in the Old Testament. In addition, they also prevail on believers to explain why their God who they depict as being so good, generous, and humble punishes his own people with everlasting fire for their sins. To them, if God were as good as Christians depict, he would have forgiven all or controlled how they behave so that they do not sin. However, the fact is that even a father who loves his children so much goes on to punish them when they go against his orders. Th erefore, God is justified to punish people who go against his authority. Arguments by those who believe in the existence of a creator of all things are also untrue to atheists who question why the creator cannot control morality. According to atheists, there is no need of a religion or God to control morality. Atheists believe that morality is natural and that people are moral or immoral due to their fear of punishment or lack of that fear. To counter the arguments of believers, atheists claim that most of the immoral activities such as sodomy, lesbianism, murder, and corruption are done by astute openly publicized believers such as pastors, priests, and even bishops. However, the fact that God gives people the authority to regulate their behavior does not discredit his existence. Atheists also fail to prove their creator, saying that the creation issue is beyond their understanding. Atheists also use scientific facts that have been discredited in this discussion to prove that thing s just happened naturally. For example, they will rely on the big bang theory in explaining the origin of the earth and the evolution theory in explaining changes in living things. However, these theories start at a certain point, thus leaving learners afloat. Who would have created these forces? Can something originate from nothing? According to Helseth, Craig, Highfield, and Boyd, this puzzle discredits any argument that does not uphold the existence of a creator15. Therefore, it is imperative that a creator of all creation exists. This discussion has proven so using science, philosophy, and religion. Why the Biblical God is the True God If God of all creation exists as discussed above, one would ask, ââ¬Ëwho is he?ââ¬â¢ Which religion in the world believes in this God? Debate concerning the true and untrue God persists in the religious world. Although atheists try to prove that there is no God, most of the people in the world believe in a supernatural being as Feinberg obse rves16. Kraay and Dragos affirm that various believers in supernatural being have collided and even fought in an effort to prove that their God is true as they discredit that of others17. For example, there have been bloody battles between Christians and Muslims over beliefs and places of worship. Scholars have questioned the status of later days if there is a God since regions crop up every day. For example, if there will be heaven and that Christianity is the true religion where will the Muslims, Hindu, and Buddhist go? However, a true God who created the world exists. This section confirms that the God of Christianity is the true God of all creation. Revelation of Jesus Christ God has revealed Himself in Christianity in a more explicit way through Jesus Christ than in any other religion. Other religions identify the key personalities who ever existed as forecasters such as seer Buddha or Mohammad. However, in Christianity, the key personality in worship (Jesus Christ) identified Himself as God. The earlier revealed seers did not liken themselves to God. However, in several instances, Jesus Christ claimed to be God. This uniqueness separates him from these other prophets. Jesus claimed to be God in trinity where He is joined together with His father in Heaven. Jesus even went ahead to prove that He was God by exemplifying the attributes of God. For example, he raised several people from death, He healed the sick (New International Version Mark 1:34; Matt 8:13), He authorized nature like wind, He walked on water, and claimed to be the only connection between man and God. None of the other prophets in any other religion raised people from death, commanded nature, or even rise from death as McCormack confirms18. This observation is an indication that the God that Christians pray is the true God. He is a God who can give life that science has failed to understand. Foundations of Christianity Christianity is founded on Judeo-Christian beliefs. In explaining the o rigin of the universe in Judeo-Christian, Froese and Bader confirm that only God can create it19. Compared to Hinduism and other religions that base their foundation on science, the big bang explosion did it. However, there has been lack of evidence in the oscillatory theory of how explosions happen. This gap declares the Judeo-Christian way believable. The gap between science and Christianity is narrower compared to the gap between science and Quran. For example, the Quran teaches that God created seven heavens and then separated them. As Charnock reveals, Christians believe that God created the universe, one thing at a time20. Muslims believe that God created the universe and then placed mountains to make it stable. On the other hand, Christians believe that God created the world and then caused Mountains to rise from it. This position is closer to the scientific proof of volcanoes and eruptions. Depiction of wind, currents, and sea creatures by the Bible long before science disco vered them is a further proof that the Christian God is true. Conclusion There is enough evidence to show that God of all creation exists. Christians have been able to prove that the God of creation is their God through Jesus Christ. Such evidence ranges from the complexity of the universe and its continued existence, the universal nature of water, the structure of the human brain, failure of evolution to explain earthââ¬â¢s origin, the geographical distribution of flora and fauna, natural laws, DNA, death and life, and failure of atheists to disapprove God. Bibliography Bialecki, Jon. ââ¬Å"Does God Exist in Methodological Atheism? On Tanya Lurhmannââ¬â¢s When God Talks Back and Bruno Latour.â⬠Anthropology of Consciousness 25, no.1 (Mar 2014): 32-52. Bray, Gerald. The Doctrine of God. Downers Grove. Nottingham: InterVarsity Press, 1993. Charnock, Stephen. The Existence and Attributes of God. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1979. Clanton, Caleb. ââ¬Å"The Structure of C. S. Peirceââ¬â¢s Neglected Argument for the Reality of God: A Critical Assessment.â⬠Transactions of the Charles S. Peirce Society 50, no.2 (June 2014): 175-200. Feinberg, John. No One Like Him. Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2001. Froese, Paul, and Christopher Bader. Americaââ¬â¢s Four Gods. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2010. Helseth, Paul, William Craig, Ron Highfield, and Gregory Boyd. Four Views on Divine Providence. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011. Gebauer, Jochem, Humboldt-Università ¤t Berlin, and Gregory Maio. ââ¬Å"The Need to Belong Can Motivate Belief in God.â⬠Journal of Personality 80, no.2 (May 2012): 465-501. Kraay, Klaas, and Chris Dragos. ââ¬Å"On preferring Godââ¬â¢s non-existence.â⬠Canadian Journal of Philosophy 43, no. 2(Aug 2013): 157-178. McCormack, Bruce. Engaging the Doctrine of God: Contemporary Protestant Perspectives. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008. Mion, Giovanni. ââ¬Å"God, ignorance and existence.â⬠International Journal for Philosophy of Religion 72, no. 2(Jan 2012): 85-88. Van Til, Cornelius. In Defense of the Faith. Phillipsburg, NJ: P R Publishing, 2008. Vanhoozer, Kevin. Nothing Greater, Nothing Better: Theological Essays on the Love of God. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001. Warfield, Benjamin. Biblical and Theological Studies. Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian Reformed Pub Co, 1952. Footnotes 1 Jon Bialecki, ââ¬Å"Does God Exist in Methodological Atheism? On Tanya Lurhmannââ¬â¢s When God Talks Back and Bruno Latour,â⬠Anthropology of Consciousness 25, no.1 (Mar 2014): 32. 2 Ibid, 34. 3 Bialecki, ââ¬Å"Does God Exist in Methodological Atheism?â⬠, 34. 4 Caleb Clanton, ââ¬Å"The Structure of C. S. Peirceââ¬â¢s Neglected Argument for the Reality of God: A Critical Assessment,â⬠Transactions of the Charles S. Peirce Society 50, no.2 (June 2014): 175. 5 Benjamin Warfield, Biblical and Theological Studies (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian Reformed Pub Co, 1952), 64. 6 Giovan ni Mion, ââ¬Å"God, ignorance and existenceâ⬠, International Journal for Philosophy of Religion 72, no. 2(Jan 2012): 85. 7 Mion, ââ¬Å"God, ignorance and existenceâ⬠, 87. 8 Kevin Vanhoozer, Nothing Greater, Nothing Better: Theological Essays on the Love of God (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), 17. 9 Gerald Bray, The Doctrine of God. Downers Grove (Nottingham: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 43. 10 Clanton, 178. 11 Cornelius Van Til, In Defense of the Faith (Phillipsburg, NJ: P R Publishing, 2008) 62. 12 Jochem Gebauer, Humboldt-Università ¤t Berlin and Gregory Maio, ââ¬Å"The Need to Belong Can Motivate Belief in God,â⬠Journal of Personality 80, no.2 (May 2012): 468. 13 Bray, The Doctrine of God. Downers Grove, 52. 14 Klaas Kraay, and Chris Dragos, ââ¬Å"On preferring Godââ¬â¢s non-existence,â⬠Canadian Journal of Philosophy 43, no. 2(Aug 2013): 158. 15 Paul Helseth, William Craig, Ron Highfield, and Gregory Boyd, Four Views on Divine Providence (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011), 18. 16 , John Feinberg, No One Like Him (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2001), 12. 17 Kraay and Dragos, ââ¬Å"On preferring Godââ¬â¢s non-existence,â⬠160. 18 Bruce McCormack, Engaging the Doctrine of God: Contemporary Protestant Perspectives (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008) 36. 19 Paul Froese and Christopher Bader, Americaââ¬â¢s Four Gods (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2010), 46. 20 Stephen Charnock, The Existence and Attributes of God (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1979), 15. This research paper on Understanding the Creator of all Things was written and submitted by user Juliet E. to help you with your own studies. 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