The Ignorance of a Naysayer

by Russell J. Schmidt

Recently, I read an article in Newsweek magazine that was titled, “The New Naysayer's”, by Jerry Adler. It is an article that refers to three atheist's, Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Daniel C. Dennett, who are attacking Christianity, as well as other religions, and putting the usual atheistic twist on life. I'm sure it was no mistake that it fell on September 11, 2006, the five year anniversary of the terrorist attack on this country. 

Myself, being a Christian and use to reading this typical kind of article, written in secular publications, didn’t get angry at the fact that they are talking against my God— I became angry because there are people out there, who are on the fringes between belief, and unbelief, between eternal life or eternal death and damnation, who may be hurting and in need of the truth to free them from their one dimensional bondage— that is the fear and oppression of a life without God. And by reading this particular article in Newsweek magazine, can easily be swayed into a life with no hope and no chance for eternal salvation.

All three of these men, whom the article mentions and whom I don’t know, but I’m sure are intelligent to an ignorant fault. What I mean by that, is that they are simply, to smart for themselves. Their intelligence is limited to only the things that are around them, things that they can see— they have no spiritual peripheral vision. It’s like taking a horse and putting blinders on It, so it can only see what is in front of it. When it comes to anything that their physical five senses cannot detect, than it is not real.

I find it amazing that someone who is so intelligently shortsighted, can muster up their faith enough, to put it into theories such as the big bang or evolution— something that is so incredibly hard to fathom when you dig deep into all the intricacy that makes up this vast creation.

The article begins by referring to 9/11— it quickly brings up the point that both Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, both considered Christian leaders, made comments shortly there-after that these attacks were allowed by God as a punishment on the United States, because it harbored feminists, gays, and civil libertarians.

With all due respect to both Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, the statements that they made cannot be further from the truth. I remembered being saddened myself, when these statements were published. If God were angry at the United States and did allow those attacks, then God would be a liar and would have deceived Jesus Christ Himself, and made Jesus suffer and die for nothing.

Luke 2:14, is probably one of the most widely read verses during the Christmas season, but also a very misunderstood verse, as well. It reads, “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” This was said by an angel of God to the shepherds in the fields tending their flocks, who told them of the birth of the Christ child.

Many misunderstand this verse as meaning that the Christ child being born has brought peace to the earth. Well, just take a look around our world and you will see that that was not the case. But, Jesus, later on in His ministry, confirmed that the meaning was not to be taken that way when He said in Matthew 10:34, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.”

What Jesus was referring to here is that, He knew that in this world their was no evidence of absolute truth and that the message He was to bring would not be taken without controversy— and that controversy has been with us to this day.

What Luke 2:14 meant, was that with the atonement of Christ, peace between man and God was at hand. No longer would God be angry at His chosen people (chosen Israel— the Jewish nation) and people that believed on Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior (Gentiles — those not chosen, but were called to the truth and accepted it). If you have read any of the Old Testament, I’m sure you have read about God’s constant anger toward His chosen people Israel for not obeying His laws and statutes.

This is the theme throughout the Old Testament. This theme came to a climax, at the end of the Old Testament, by God allowing His people to be taken into captivity and scattered throughout the world. They lost their homeland, and all but the tribe of Judah, lost their identity as well.

But, also interwoven throughout the prophecy provided in the Old Testament, is that God, one day, will restore the nation of Israel and bring back the Jewish people to their homeland from all over the world. That is just what has happened on May 14, 1948, when the state of Israel was re-claimed by David Ben-Gurion after almost 2,000 years. Ezekiel’s prophecy had come to pass! (Please watch for my April 2007 study on Prophecy.)

God now, is reserving His wrath until all Jesus’ followers are taken out of the world and changed from physical to spiritual beings in the twinkling of an eye and meet Jesus in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17 , 1 Corinthians 15:52 ). Then God will take out His wrath on those who have rejected Christ as their Savior.

As I read further along in the article, the author quotes Sam Harris as saying, “Tell a devout Christian ... that frozen yogurt can make a man invisible," Harris writes, "and he is likely to require as much evidence as anyone else, and to be persuaded only to the extent that you give it. Tell him that the book he keeps by his bed was written by an invisible deity who will punish him with fire for eternity if he fails to accept its every incredible claim about the universe, and he seems to require no evidence whatsoever."

This is where atheist’s like Sam Harris are lost and show their ignorance. He is comparing a physical object, frozen yogurt, to the spiritual power of God. I know he is just insulting the belief’s of the Christian faith, but to make such an outlandish comparison, does nothing to bolster his ideology, nor his intelligence.

Then he follows by mentioning a subject, that if he had done his homework, he would realize how ridiculous the statement he made is. No where in the Bible does God threaten that if you do not accept “every incredible claim about the universe”, will He punish with eternal fire.

The only thing God cares about is that you accept His Son, Jesus Christ, as Lord and Savior. I look at that particular statement, of Sam Harris’, and relate it to the ranting of a child, who says anything in self-defense, whether it’s fact or fiction, because he doesn’t know what else to say.

I would ask Mr. Harris to look around at creation and explain to me how everything just happened to come together on planet earth (only) to support life as we know it, with the incredible intricacy that is involved with every aspect of the creation. Not to mention the complex detail of DNA, which in and of itself was enough to convince many scientists that there has to be some kind of supernatural being that we cannot possibly fathom, who created all that we see around us and beyond.

You talk about faith in God as being incredibly hard to fathom. I submit to Mr. Harris that it would take a greater amount of faith to believe what he believes over belief in God. Watch for my study on creation called, “Creation: Intelligent Design vs. Science”, coming in October 2006.

Then he follows up with two questions, number one is, “How can anyone believe in a benevolent and omnipotent God who permits a tsunami to swallow 180,000 innocent people in a few hours?” This is the kind of question that I get more than any other question. Even most Christians cannot answer that question, but they will ask it themselves. My study, “Does God Allow Suffering?” will answer this question in depth, but I will say here, that we live in a fallen world, that we chose through sin. And we continue to choose it everyday as individuals and a society.

God does not enjoy seeing events, such as the tsunami or Katrina, or any other natural disaster happen to helpless people. But, He also will not prevent them from happening because, man since the Garden of Eden has chosen their own destiny away from the perfection of God. Even after the Garden of Eden, God Gave man every opportunity to correct his path, but man chose to keep going on the path that leads to eternal death.

The second question, “How does it advance our understanding of the universe to suppose that it was created by a supernatural being who communicates only through the one-way process of revelation? ” Again, Mr. Harris is wrong! God communicates first and foremost, through His Word, The Bible. This is not revelation, it is history, it is instruction, it is a blueprint for living that if followed promises a long and prosperous healthy life.

Of course, God does communicate through revelation knowledge, but He will use many different ways to communicate to His people, God is not limited to any form of communication, He just bases all communication on faith. In other words, don’t expect God to give you a personal phone call to your home tonight, and say, “Hi, this is God. I have a word for you.” No, that won’t happen, but you may get a call from an old friend , who may have something important to say to you, that may prove spiritually enlightening to you.

The author of the article goes on to say that the responses from believers, such as my response above, or theodicy, as the author calls it, is a work in progress. Well, I’m not sure what he means by that? Does he mean that his understanding is a work in progress? Because, I know, speaking for myself, my faith is not a work in progress, the understanding the I have and that I write about, was completed two thousand years ago at Calvary.

As the author goes on to explain Richard Dawkins’ ideology, he mentions Dawkins feeble attempt at reasoning that empathy, charity, and pity have evolved just as Darwin’s mechanism of natural selection suggests that the thumb was created. It goes on that Dawkins says that goodness in man has evolved into a default-like mechanism. What!?? Just look around society today— I would suggest if there is a default-like principle, it would be selfishness, not goodness. Selfishness is the main reason why this world is headed for the climatic ending that the Bible prophesies.

The article continues and quotes Dawkins as saying, “Why, he asks, would anyone take moral instruction from a book that calls for stoning your children to death for disrespect, or for heresy, or for violating the Sabbath?” I don’t know what book he is reading, but I find nothing in the Bible where God says to stone children for disrespect, heresy, or violating the Sabbath. On the contrary, I read where Jesus tells people to be as little children (Matthew 18:3 ). Mr. Dawkins clearly does not understand what this life we are living is all about.

The author ends the article with Dawkins asking the questions, “unless the Bible is right in its historical and metaphysical claims, why should we grant it authority in the moral realm? And can science really abjure any interest in the claims of religion? Did Jesus come back from the dead, or didn't he? If so, how did God make it happen? ”

In answer to those questions, first: The Bible is historically correct, archeological finds have confirmed the existence of groups of people named in the Bible, which at one time could not be documented historically, and were considered fictitious, but are now documented as the Bible originally claimed. We have writings from secular historians, such as Flavius Josephus, who tells us in his writings, is a Pharisee or a member of the Jewish leadership of that day.

A Pharisee would be the last one to admit that Jesus even existed, let alone mention a crucifixion or resurrection. The one thing that unbelievers do not try to do today, is deny that the person, Jesus, ever existed. Some may try to deny it, but there is to much evidence in historical writings to make such an erroneous claim.

Many people, such as the three atheists mentioned in the Newsweek article, need physical evidence to prove God, or His Son Jesus Christ. I say take off your horses blinders, and take a look around at our world and explain to me why in all known creation is the planet earth the only known planet that has the precise amount of gravity to keep us from either floating up into space or from being crushed by its pressure? Just one notch higher or lower in pounds per square inch in gravity and life would not be possible.

Why is it, that the planet earth has the perfect temperature to support all forms of life and no other known planet can? If the sun was just a few degrees hotter or colder, life as we know it could not exist. The funny thing about all these types of questions that keep atheists from believing— they cannot answer, but Christianity can. Even all the theories that they may suggest, and that they have somehow succeeded to implant into our school systems, don’t hold water, and are even becoming less credible as science itself, which has done everything to try to disprove God in the past centuries, but here in the twentieth century has taken a turn toward proving the presence of a supernatural being or creator, to their own dismay.

Many scientists are outspoken in the fact that they now believe in a supernatural creator, with the finds such as DNA, which they claim is virtually impossible to just happen out of nothing. Even evolution is hard to stomach when you look at the intricacy of DNA and many other discoveries that lean toward disproving Darwin’s theories, which to me do not have strong legs to stand on.

Also on Dawkins’ theory, that compassion has evolved, similar to natural selection— I find this theory an insult to all those brave individuals who jeopardized their own lives, on September 11, 2001, and stayed inside the Twin Towers, to rescue people whom the didn’t even know and probably never even met. I believe Dawkins should be ashamed of himself for even suggesting this and should provide a public apology to all the family members of those victims. And that’s not just limited to this disaster, it goes for any similar situation.

This argument will go on for the rest of life as we know it. If God came down Himself, there would be some who would still disbelieve, a la doubting Thomas, the one who needed to put his hand in Jesus’ side before he would believe that Jesus was resurrected.

Again, watch for my studies coming out on creation in October 2006, and on the meaning of life sometime in early 2007. I believe these studies will help you confirm you belief that there is a supreme being and you can know Him intimately and in the process live the life that He promises to those who seek Him.

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