Christian Worldview Blog Posts and Resources by Dr. Craig Biehl

The Human Limitations of Unreasonable Atheism (Part 8): Pain and Evil

Atheists sometimes describe terrible diseases by which children suffer and die and declare that they would never believe in a God that would allow such things. Most of us have struggled with pain and evil and the profound issues they raise, while countless books wrestle with the pastoral, theological, and philosophical concerns. This short article, then, barely scratches the surface. Nonetheless, it answers a critical question that applies to this objection, and by extension to all objections against God’s existence: Can anyone know that God cannot exist because pain and evil exist? (The question of how moral evil came to be in a world created by a perfectly good, infinitely powerful, and all-knowing God will be addressed in a separate article.)

Paradise Ruined
Life hurts. The pain of losing loved ones can bring the strongest among us to despair, while the history and scope of atrocities committed for ambition and power are staggering. Scripture blames the free choice of created beings for sin, bringing separation from God, spiritual darkness, and the curse of natural evil, including sickness, natural disasters, and death. “All have sinned” (Rom. 3:23), and all enter the world with Adam’s guilt and sinful bent, “original sin” (Rom. 5:12ff.). Rebellion against God has spoiled paradise, the same rebellion that denies God’s existence.

God can do what He pleases with what He created and sustains. He owes us nothing, every good we enjoy comes from His gracious hand, and we owe Him everything. “Who are you, O man, who answers back to God?” (Rom. 9:20 NAS). God is also good, wise, overflowing with lovingkindness, and righteous. He neither rewards wickedness nor punishes innocence. Yet, many have suffered under the likes of Hitler, Stalin, Mao, and religious terrorists. Moreover, babies yet to utter a bad word die in their parent’s arms, while others never leave the womb alive by meeting the scalpel of one sworn to do no harm. (Ironically, many that point to evil to deny God’s existence choose to make a virtue of killing the unborn.)

Insufficient Knowledge
We have seen the atheists’ inability to know and explain transcendent realities, that human limitations reduce their basic claims to speculations and blind-faith in a presumed ability to know what they cannot possibly know. Atheists would need infinite knowledge to know that the infinite God does not exist, that the Bible miracles are impossible, that nothing exists beyond what we experience with our senses, and that God did not speak all things into existence in six days. And though people choose to believe that God does not exist from the existence of moral and natural evil, can they know it?

To know that the existence of pain and evil deny the existence of God, one would need to know that we do not exist forever after death; that temporary suffering cannot have an eternal purpose that we do not presently understand; that God will not ultimately execute justice and evil people will never get their just deserts; that no rewards and punishments will be given in the next life that compensate for what people do or suffer in this life; that evil will never be remedied and destroyed; that mankind is not responsible for moral evil and the curse that brought natural calamities; that God cannot righteously judge and curse the world because of sin; that God is unjust and mankind deserves better; and that God’s Word is false and does not explain all we need to know about pain and evil. The finite and fallen atheist cannot possibly know these things, and Scripture says none of them are true. None can possibly know that God does not exist from the presence of moral and natural evil in the world.

Sinful and Unreasonable Presumption
God identifies the heart of this unbelieving argument in His response to Job’s challenge to His righteousness: “Will you really annul My judgment? Will you condemn Me that you may be justified?” (Job 40:8 NAS). So, before we criticize God, maybe we should consider Job’s response, “Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to Thee? I lay my hand on my mouth” (Job 40:4 NAS). Created, dependent, and fallen people cannot judge or make claims on a perfect God.

God’s existence does not depend on our limited perspective and understanding, His ways are infinitely higher than ours (Isa. 55:9), in history and personal circumstances. To reject God’s existence because we do not understand something makes our limited understanding the standard of what can exist or be true, an unreasonable notion. Ultimate reality cannot be determined by the limited perspective and knowledge of people who still do not know the contents of their neighbor’s garage without having a look, who have never been beyond the three to four dimensions of their existence or been to the other side of the universe. Dismissing an infinite and holy God because we do not understand the existence of pain and evil is foolish. As it is, Scripture tells us all we need to know about it.

God Is Good
God has displayed His goodness in “satisfying your hearts with food and gladness” (Act 14:17 NAS). He “causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matt. 5:45 NAS) and has made His power and glory known to all by what He has made (Rom. 1:18ff.). And greatest of all, God has displayed His infinite excellence and moral perfection in the person and saving work of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. Evil exists, but God has remedied it and will ultimately dispose of it, while “the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Rom. 8:18 NAS). Rather than encouraging the terrible evil of the world by denying the ultimate judgment of it, and by insulting the One to whom we owe all love, honor, and obedience, and leading others to do the same to face an eternity of suffering for it, perhaps atheists should give their life to Christ for forgiveness of their own evil. God is patient, “not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9 NAS).

Conclusion
Mysteries abound, but our limited perspective determines nothing about God. In the end, all unbelief denies God’s obvious existence and authority from a desire to do what we want. Ironically, no greater evil exists than to deny and insult the One who created us, gives us all good things, and has willingly paid the price of infinite suffering for us that we might be holy and happy forever. We enjoy His blessings of love, family, food, friends, and the stars in the sky, but use our God-given talents to insult Him. Yes, evil exists, but none so terrible as contempt for the One to whom we owe all love, honor, and gratitude.

If you cry with the Psalmist, “when shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?” (Ps. 2:1-3), the day will come when

He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them, and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away” (Rev. 21:1-4 NAS).

May God grant grace that many atheists will join us through faith in Christ, in whom is true and everlasting life. Amen.

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The Human Limitations of Unreasonable Atheism (Part 7): Creation

The previous article highlighted the myth of “science and reason versus faith” and the irony that atheists call people from trust in God to trust in the atheist’s opinion. They say, in effect, “have faith in me.” But like the rest of us, they are finite and fallible. And apart from God’s revelation, no atheist can know what they assert about God and ultimate realities. One such claim denies that God created the heavens and the earth from nothing. To this we again pose the question: how do atheists know what they claim to know? Or, to the present purpose, how can the atheist know that God did not speak the heavens and earth into existence?

No Neutrality
To begin, no one views the universe with neutral objectivity. Everyone interprets the world according to assumptions (presuppositions) about the nature of God, reality, mankind, knowledge, truth, authority, and ethics. These assumptions form a person’s worldview, the lens through which they see and interpret all things. Those who assume the existence of the God of Scripture see His fingerprints everywhere as the design, order, and beauty of life and the universe reflect His power and genius. Atheists view the same design, order, and beauty as an accident of time and chance. Believers consider all things as impossible without God, while atheists see them as possible without God.

Ultimate Authority and Object of Faith
Whose assumptions (presuppositions), then, are reasonable, justifiable, and consistent with the design, order, and beauty of life and the universe? And in what authority or object of faith does one trust to form these assumptions? The believer trusts God and Scripture, while the unbeliever trusts his or her own perspective and opinion. Science, per se, does not speak with authority, scientists do. Finite and fallible, scientists interpret things according to their worldview. Thus, appeals to science as an authority are actually appeals to scientists that agree with a particular view. No scientist, however, can speak with authority concerning transcendent realities beyond the reach of the scientific method. And no one, scientist or otherwise, views the world with neutral objectivity when it points to God and our debt to love and obey Him.

Limits
As we have seen, to know that God does not exist requires knowledge of everything in the universe and beyond. And, if one cannot know that the biblical God of infinite power does not exist, one cannot possibly know that He did not speak the universe into existence. A person of five senses, limited intellect, and the constraints of three or four dimensions cannot possibly know what a Spirit of infinite power can or cannot do. Apart from God’s revelation, we can only guess. But guesswork is not science.

Blind faith accepts the notion that a big explosion and chance created the design and order of the universe, including the complexity of life and the necessary systems to support it. The scientific method, however, cannot demonstrate it. On the contrary, it remains intuitively obvious that design requires a designer while chaos produces nothing but chaos. And no scientific discovery points to a world older than the Scriptural account of approximately six thousand years unless viewed in a manner consistent with evolutionary principles that require millions and billions of years. And if atheists cannot know that the infinite God of the universe does not exist, they cannot know that He did not create the universe in six days, with light from distant stars already visible, etc., etc. God is not constrained by that which He created and sustains.

Ludicrous
All things reflect the biblical account when viewed according to the obvious existence of the infinite God of Scripture. And no scientific evidence nullifies the biblical account apart from unbiblical assumptions that neither the scientific method nor the nature of reality can support. One might claim, according to evolutionary assumptions, that an exquisite painting came from an explosion in a paint factory, but never has this happened and the nature of reality cannot support such a hypothesis. Even the most zealous atheist would view such an explanation as ludicrous.

How, then, can finite and fallible people know that God did not create everything from nothing in six days? They can’t. We do well to remember God’s rebuke of Job:

Who is this that darkens counsel By words without knowledge? Now gird up your loins like a man, And I will ask you, and you instruct Me! Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding, Who set its measurements, since you know? Or who stretched the line on it? On what were its bases sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone, When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job 38:2-7 NAS).

Conclusion
Reams of excellent scholarship concerning the age of the earth can be studied to great benefit. But fundamental to this and any related discussion remains the question: how do atheists know what they claim to know? And are the assumptions behind their interpretations of scientific discoveries (such as chance and the evolutionary process), justified, reasonable, and consistent with the nature of reality, or demonstrable by the scientific method? The limited perspective and understanding of atheists cannot justify their claims.

For the believer, infinitely more obvious than the brilliance behind a beautiful painting stands the genius behind all things. God’s power and infinite excellence are so “clearly seen” and “understood” by His works that all people “know” Him and are “without excuse” (Rom. 1:18ff.). Indeed, “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands” (Ps. 19:1 NAS). Behind every unbiblical explanation of our origins lies a dislike of the truth that God created and owns everything, apart from whom we have nothing; that His authority is ultimate, that life and every good gift comes from Him, and that we owe Him all love, honor, and gratitude, forever. Here we find the reason people believe unscientific and impossible explanations of the origin of life and the universe—they dislike the obvious alternative.

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The Human Limitations of Unreasonable Atheism (Part 6): “Have Faith in Me”

Atheists often recite the mantra that their denial of God’s existence stands on reason and science while belief in God stands on faith. The claim, of course is pure fiction. All people use reason and all people have faith in an ultimate authority, though the object of faith may differ. But problems with the claim run deeper, with an irony we would do well to appreciate. Defining faith as blind, the apologists of atheism believe they call people from fairy tales to the enlightened conclusions of science and reason. But underlying the “rational and scientific” façade lurks a well-disguised plea—a call to faith in the perspective and opinion of fallen and finite people. The evangelist of atheism says, in effect, “entrust your meaning, purpose, life, and the ultimate destiny of your soul to my personal opinion.” In short, “have faith in me.” The debate between atheists and Christians has nothing to do with faith versus reason and science (every scientific discovery is consistent with the Christian worldview). Rather, it concerns faith in the God who created everything, knows everything, and has explained everything to us in Scripture, versus faith in the perspective and opinions of people who do not know the contents of their neighbor’s garage without having a look.

A Tall Story and Calling
As we have seen, atheists assume for themselves the ability and authority to know and explain ultimate realities that they cannot possibly know. They presume their own sufficiency to tell others the source, meaning, and purpose of life, including the destiny of the soul. Naturalists, of course, deny the soul’s existence, a belief they cannot know as true. Yet, they invite you to trust their opinions, including no life after death, no judgment of their works, and no heaven or hell.

They ask you to reject Christ, the only possibility of an eternal, holy, and happy life of meaning and purpose, and exchange Him for the speculations of limited and fallen people. They invite you to deny the obvious, to treat with contempt the One who created us in His image, has given us every good thing, including the ability to reason and discuss such things, and has paid an infinite price of infinite suffering to Himself that we might have forgiveness of sins and new life. They ask you to discard the knowledge of your God-given purpose, meaning, and destiny of immeasurable joy in heaven as God’s royal children in exchange for a few years to do what you want without accountability, without hope or purpose as an accident of time and chance destined for nothing, even as they ask you to trust them that you will not end up in hell for it.

Atheists propose a tall story with serious consequences. And who would dare assume responsibility for the eternal destiny of others and direct them entrust their souls to such blind-faith and unwarranted opinions? Who would write books to influence millions without a certainty that their opinions are absolutely true and not leading people to a horrible fate? Their boldness is frightening and only outdone by their inability to know what they so confidently assert and ask others to embrace. By denying God’s existence they have assumed His place.

A Gamble
Whatever you may think of Pascal’s “Wager” as an encouragement to pursue God, one should consider the eternal consequences of the Christian versus the atheist being wrong about heaven and hell. The contrast is stark. Eternity is forever. Yet, atheists cannot possibly know that hell does not exist and they will not bail you out should they be wrong. Beer commercials notwithstanding, there are no parties in this horrible place. Why would anyone risk even a 1% chance of spending eternity there? Yet, the unreasonable deception of sin risks eternal condemnation for a few years of bread that never satisfies (Isa. 55:2), incurring the guilt of inviting others to follow this disastrous course. And as for the here and now, ask any believer if their life is better or worse since they have been born again, even with its hardships and the scorn of the world. True believers know the infinite value of Christ as compared to the temporary and shallow allurements of the world. Why, then, should anyone trust the untrustworthy prophets of nothing and despair?

Be Encouraged and Be Warned
To the believer, God remains infinitely excellent and worthy of your life and worship, while the inability of atheists to know what they claim to know will boost your faith in Christ and Scripture. To the unbeliever, please reflect upon the ability of your object of faith to meet your needs and deliver on its promises, implied or otherwise. Please consider that appeals to reason and science to deny God are neither reasonable nor scientific but attempts to justify unbelief and avoid the One to whom we owe all things. Deep down all people know God exists and that He deserves our love, trust, and gratitude (Rom. 1:18ff.). And consider that those writing thick books denying the truth of Scripture, who ask you to trust their siren song concerning God and all things, cannot possibly know what they ask you to believe.

And know that “the Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9 NAS), that He “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:1-4 NAS). And while people find comfort in numbers, book sales and popularity provide an untrustworthy barometer of truth or virtue, especially today. “The gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it” (Matt. 7:14 NAS). As for the supposed earthly benefits of presuming one’s independence from God, “what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? For what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8:36-37 NAS). And disinterest displays contempt for the One who gave us life and every good thing, to whom we owe all things. Christ suffered infinite wrath on His soul to pay the penalty for our rebellion and contempt, and he did so from an overflowing love for the unlovable. Imagine the ingratitude of ignoring such a gift.

Have Faith in Christ
Thus, along with the saints and the Apostles, “We beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:20-21 NAS). May God give you grace to trust Christ, who alone gives eternal life and meets your every need, to whom belongs all glory and honor forever, Amen.

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The Human Limitations of Unreasonable Atheism (Part 5): Naturalism (Continued)

Naturalists, as do all atheists, reject the authority of God and Scripture and assume their own ability and authority to explain the nature of the universe and beyond, trusting their limited perspective as sufficient to explain ultimate realities. In the previous article we noted that naturalists claim that nothing exists except matter in space and time. Continuing our look at naturalism, we examine further why finite people, from their finite vantage point, cannot know that souls, angels, and God as Infinite Spirit do not exist.

Scripture clearly reveals the existence of the immaterial soul as the key element of human life, angels as spirits serving those who inherit eternal life, and God as the boundless Spirit that created and sustains everything. Each exist beyond the physical realm, possess none of its limitations, and cannot be measured. And like all things, angels and our souls depend on God as their designer, creator, and sustainer.

We know that angels and souls exist because God exists. Scripture reveals God’s infinite excellence and works, while His creation, His giving of good things, and our conscience display God’s existence and attributes. “That which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:19-20 NAS). “He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness” (Acts 14:17 NAS). He has written His law on every heart (Rom. 2:14-15 NAS).

And in the same way all people know that God exists, so we know the reality of the soul—by its effects. Created and sustained by God, we intuitively and immediately see the evidence, apart from complex logical or philosophical formulas. The soul appears in personality, in how we love, hate, reason, choose, create, and know good from evil, none of which are explicable or possible by mere time, chance, and matter. Like the existence of God, the reality of the soul is obvious.

Yet, naturalists deny this, and no argument will convince them otherwise until God opens their spiritual eyes and removes the prejudice against their debt to love and obey Him. But the question remains, how can someone limited by five senses, three or four dimensions, and limited reason (itself an evidence of the soul), possibly know that people have no spirit that gives life to the body and lives after death? Naturalists reason from the material to the immaterial and infer from the physical world that no spiritual world is possible. But, how does this follow? How does the nature of physical things make impossible things that lack and transcend physical properties? How can anyone know that reality must be limited to what they can taste, touch, see, hear and feel, or be limited to that which they can fully understand?

Like a creature of the sea concluding from its limited experience that nothing exists beyond the realm of salt water, so the naturalist denies the existence of a realm beyond the “natural.” Denying the obvious, they draw conclusions from data that imply no such thing, like pointing to ice cream to deny the existence of quantum physics, or a lump of coal to deny the existence of Maine Coon cats. Children may lack the ability to understand things beyond their experience and capacity to know, but how greater looms human ignorance of the immeasurable universe and beyond. Of course, all things point to the power and genius of God as their creator and sustainer. But the atheist denies this obvious reality and attempts to draw conclusions from data that cannot support their claims. Given our profound human limitations, we cannot deny transcendent realities by pointing to material things. In the end, our meager experience and perspective reduce the best arguments against the existence of the soul to blind-faith guesses.

The same applies to angels. Some deny their reality by appealing to debunked accounts of ghosts and the paranormal. But these need not form the evidence for angels—the obvious existence of God and His testimony in Scripture suffice. Moreover, the question for every atheist applies here, how do you know what you claim to know? Angels have none of the properties of the material universe, how can a finite human being know they do not exist? How can anyone know that nothing exists beyond what they can see, touch, taste, hear, smell, or understand? Can we reasonably limit what is possible in and beyond the universe to what we can perceive or comprehend? Who can legitimately make their own understanding the standard of truth, or the measure of what is possible in and beyond the universe? To do so is neither reasonable nor scientific.

And like denials of miracles, one must first know that God does not exist to know that angels and souls do not exist. And one must know everything in the universe and beyond, including every possibility, to know that God does not exist. Even so, our ability to think and reason about such things gives evidence of the existence of both God and our soul. Created in His image (though marred by sin), we display aspects of His power and genius.

Much more could be said, but the intent of the series is not to prove the existence of spiritual realities—the self-authenticating and divine nature of Scripture suffices for that. The narrow purpose highlights the blind-faith and unjustified assumption underlying every denial of God’s existence and works—the adequacy of limited people to explain transcendent realities. Rejecting God’s clear revelation in Scripture, creation, and their own conscience, they assume for themselves the ability to know what they cannot know.

Thus, the question remains for the naturalist, as for every atheist, how do they know what they claim to know? On a good day, mere mortals can remember where they put the car keys. Nonetheless, we cannot know the contents of our neighbor’s garage without having a look or the neighbor telling us. Denying God’s explanation, what qualifies mere specks in the universe to speak with authority about transcendent things? Regardless of the size of their books, the length and number of their scientific and logical formulas, or the number of people supporting their claims (none of which could exist apart from God), no argument can show that souls, angels, or God Himself do not exist. As it is, they use their God-given abilities to deny their own special status as created in God’s image, reject their would-be servants that God created to “render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation” (Heb. 1:14 NAS), and insult the Infinite Spirit that designed, created, and sustains them that they might know and love Him in happiness forever. Christ paid an infinite price for sin that they might enjoy such a gift. May God grant them grace and mercy to accept it.

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The Human Limitations of Unreasonable Atheism (Part 4): Naturalism

In the previous article we highlighted the narrow but vital purpose of the series—to show that atheists assume for themselves the ability to know that which lies beyond their ability to know. Behind every argument against God’s existence lurks the unwarranted assumption of the adequacy of limited people to speak of transcendent realities. We turn now to examine yet another example of how atheists do this by a brief look at “naturalism.”

Naturalism comes in many flavors, from the more absolute and dogmatic claims that nothing can possibly exist beyond matter in space and time, to agnostic versions that grant an unlikely possibility of the “supernatural,” an immaterial soul, and miracles, including the possibility of the God of Scripture, if such could be empirically verified. Thus, opinions vary as to what can legitimately be called “naturalism.” But one trait characterizes every version—all assume that limited people, from their tiny vantage point, can speak with authority about the ultimate nature of the universe and beyond.

We need not exhaustively understand every flavor of naturalism to see the inadequacy of the basic assumption behind them all. To keep it simple, we’ll briefly look at one example expressed by the evolutionist Richard Dawkins in his book, The God Delusion. ^[1] Dawkins claims that thought and emotions have a “natural” origin (as opposed to a supernatural or Divine) and defines the “philosophical naturalist” as denying the existence of anything beyond the “physical world,” including souls, God, and miracles. He admits that we have yet to understand many “natural” things, but “hopes” to eventually understand them as part of the “natural.” By the way, why would a “neutral” and “objective” scientist that claims to go where the facts lead him “hope” for such an outcome unless he was predisposed against the alternative? Perhaps his interpretations follow his predisposition? But, I digress.

Dawkins’ assumption of his own adequacy to speak of ultimate realities appears in every flavor of naturalism. Thus, the simple question applies to its every proponent—How do you know what you claim to know? Or, how can people that do not know the contents of their neighbor’s garage without having a look, who have never been beyond the three or four dimensions of their existence, possibly know that nothing can possibly exist beyond the matter that can be seen, heard, tasted, touched, and smelled by their limited senses? How can every possible reality be limited to what finite people can personally experience? What validates such an all-encompassing assumption? Can infinitesimally small human beings really define what is possible in and beyond an immeasurable universe? Just how big are we compared to the cosmos, let alone what lies beyond it? It appears that the same folks exclaiming the marvels, mysteries, and immensity of the universe, and their smallness by comparison, can assume their ultimacy in the same breath.

And, on what possible ground can naturalism be considered reasonable or scientific? Faithful scientists may limit their conclusions to what they can observe, test, and repeat. But, what justifies the leap to assertions about all of possible reality, things that have never been demonstrated by the scientific method? Naturalism stands on assumptions that ultimately rest on the unscientific and blind-faith assumption that limited people, from their tiny vantage point, can speak with authority about the ultimate nature of the universe and beyond. Indeed, to know that “naturalism” is true requires knowledge of everything in the universe and beyond.

The agnostic naturalist may grant that a “god” could exist, that people might have immaterial souls, and that miracles might be possible, but will deny their existence without “tangible” proof. Yet, no one views a beautiful painting and requires tangible proof to accept the existence of its talented painter. Some things are self-evident, intuitively and immediately known, and ridiculous to deny. Yet, that which reflects infinitely more genius, design, complexity, and beauty gives no evidence of its Maker? It does, of course, and all people know that it does, even while they resort to unjustified and unscientific assumptions to deny it.

In the end, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory” (Isa. 6:3 NAS). A glory so obvious that all people are “without excuse” for not giving God honor and thanks (Rom. 1:20-21). Yet, a glory suppressed in unrighteousness (Rom. 1:18), from a love of darkness and hatred of the light (John 3:19), and a desire for independence from the ultimate authority of God (Ps. 2:3).

^[1] Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion (New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, Mariner Books Edition, 2008), 34-5.

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