From an E-mail I received this morning:

GOD versus Science

Let me explain the problem science has with religion.’

> The atheist professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his new students to stand.

> ‘You’re a Christian, aren’t you, son?’


> ‘Yes sir,’ the student says.

> ‘So you believe in
> God?’

> ‘Absolutely.’

> ‘Is God good?’

> ‘Sure! God’s good.’
>
> ‘Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?’

> ‘Yes’

> ‘Are you good or evil?’

> ‘The Bible says I’m evil.’


> The professor grins knowingly.
> ‘Aha! The Bible! He considers for a moment.
> ‘Here’s one for you. Let’s say there’s a sick person over here and you can cure him. You can do it. Would you help him? Would you try?’

> ‘Yes sir, I would.’

> ‘So you’re good…!’

> ‘I wouldn’t say that.’

> ‘But why not say that? You’d help a sick and maimed person if you could. Most of us would if we could. But God doesn’t.’

> The student does not
> answer, so the professor continues. ‘He doesn’t, does he? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though he prayed to Jesus to
> heal him. How is this Jesus good? Can you answer that one?’

> The student remains silent. ‘No, you can’t, can you?’ the professor says. He takes a sip of water from a glass on his desk to give the
> student time to relax. ‘Let’s start again, young fella. Is God good?’


> ‘Er..yes,’ the student says.

> ‘Is Satan good?’

> The student doesn’t hesitate on this one. ‘No.’

> ‘Then where does Satan come from?’

> The student falters. ‘From God’

> ‘That’s right. God made Satan, didn’t he? Tell me, son. Is there evil in this world?’

> ‘Yes, sir..’

> ‘Evil’s everywhere, isn’t it? And God did make everything, correct?’

> ‘Yes’

> ‘So who created evil?’ The professor continued, ‘If God created everything, then God created evil, since evil exists, and
> according to the principle that our works define who we are, then God is evil.’

> Again, the student has no answer. ‘Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things, do they exist in this world?’

> The student squirms on his feet. ‘Yes.’

> ‘So who created them?’

> The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his question. ‘Who created them?’ There is still no answer. Suddenly the
> lecturer breaks away to pace in front of the classroom. The class is mesmerized. ‘Tell me,’ he continues onto another student. ‘Do you
> believe in Jesus Christ,
> son?’

> The student’s voice betrays him and cracks. ‘Yes, professor, I do.’


> The old man stops pacing. ‘Science says you have five senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Jesus?’

> ‘No sir. I’ve never seen Him.’
>
> ‘Then tell us if you’ve ever heard your Jesus?’

> ‘No, sir, I have not..’

> ‘Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelt your
> Jesus? Have you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus Christ, or God for that matter?’

> ‘No, sir, I’m afraid I haven’t.’
>
> ‘Yet you still believe in him?’

> ‘Yes’

> ‘According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your God doesn’t exist.. What do you say to that, son?’

> ‘Nothing,’ the student replies.. ‘I only have my faith.’

> ‘Yes, faith,’ the
> professor repeats. ‘And that is the problem science has with God. There is no evidence, only faith.’

> The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of His own. ‘Professor, is there such thing as heat? ‘


> ‘Yes.’

> ‘And is there such a thing as cold?’

> ‘Yes, son, there’s cold too.’

> ‘No sir, there isn’t.’

> The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested. The
> room suddenly becomes very quiet. The student begins to explain. ‘You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat,
> unlimited heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don’t have anything called ‘cold’. We can hit down to 458 degrees below zero,
> which is no heat, but we can’t go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold; otherwise we would be able to go colder than the
> lowest -458 degrees. Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter
> have or
> transmit energy. Absolute zero (-458 F) is the total absence of heat. You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of
> heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the
> absence of
> it.’

> Silence across the room. A pen drops somewhere in the classroom, sounding like a hammer.
>
> ‘What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?’

> ‘Yes,’ the professor replies without hesitation.. ‘What is night if it isn’t darkness?’


> ‘You’re wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light,
> flashing light, but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it’s called darkness, isn’t it? That’s the meaning we use to define
> the word. In reality, darkness isn’t. If it were,
> you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn’t you?’

> The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him. This will be a good semester. ‘So what point are you making, young man?’

> ‘Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed.’

> The professor’s face cannot hide his surprise this time. ‘Flawed? Can you explain how?’

> ‘You are working on the premise of duality,’ the student explains. ‘You argue that
> there is life and then there’s death; a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can
> measure. Sir, science can’t even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either
> one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing.
> Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it.’ ‘Now tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a
> monkey?’

> ‘If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes, of course I do.’

> ‘Have you ever observed evolution with your
> own eyes, sir?’

> The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes where the argument is going. A very good semester, indeed.

> ‘Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavour, are you
> not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?’

> The class is in uproar. The student remains silent until the commotion has subsided. ‘To continue the point you were making earlier to the
> other student, let me give you an example of what I mean.’ The student looks around the room. ‘Is there anyone in the class who has ever
> seen the professor’s brain?’ The class
> breaks out into laughter. ‘Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor’s brain, felt the professor’s brain, touched or smelt the
> professor’s brain? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol,
> science says that you have no
> brain, with all due respect, sir.’ ‘So if science says you have no brain, how can we trust your lectures, sir?’

> Now the room is silent. The professor just stares at the student, his face unreadable. Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man
> answers. ‘I Guess you’ll have to take them on faith.’

> ‘Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with
> life,’ the student continues. ‘Now, sir, is there such a thing as evil?’

> Now uncertain, the professor responds, ‘Of course, there is. We see it every day. It is in the daily example of man’s inhumanity to man. It
> is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil.’

> To this the student replied, ‘Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is
> just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what
> happens when man does not have God’s love present in his heart. It’s like
> the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light.’

> The professor sat down.

> The student was Albert Einstein.


> Albert Einstein wrote a book titled God vs. Science in
> 1921…
Friends are quiet angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.