Beauty Without God
By Alegria --
Image by radiant guy via FlickrScience makes everything cold. When you no longer believe in God then life becomes dull, pointless. Without God, there is no point to life. If there is no Creator and no greater purpose, then why should we bother doing anything? If we were not created by a Holy being then is human life not worthless? Without a Divine being behind all of creation, everything we see is no longer wonderful and beautiful.
Time and time again I have heard these phrases come from apologists, evangelists and more. It seems that without some spiritual Big Brother behind everything life suddenly becomes worthless and useless. And yet it's simply not true.
Let's, for example, take an orange. I can believe that this orange was simply made by someone who decided 'hey, let's make something edible and orange', or I can believe that it has developed, oh so slowly over millions of years by pure luck and chance. Which is more wondrous? You can believe that God created the human race in his image for the sole purpose of being his loyal, unthinking, worshippers, which thus makes us nothing more than automatons with delusions of free will, or you can believe that we are a pure chance, a one-in-a-billion piece of luck. Some days I just look at my hand and realise that is has been designed, it really has, it's perfect at its job, a piece of organic marvel. But it wasn't designed by some Big-Guy-in-the-Sky, it was designed over millenia of change. The human race is an accident, something that had every chance of not happening but did. What can be more amazing than that? How can you go out and look at the world, knowing that everything here has adapted of millions of years, knowing that everything here didn't even have a 1% chance of even occurring under normal circumstances, but did; how can you know this and think that it was more wondrous when it was a universal Dictator who made it to satisfy his ego?
But it's not just with humanity and how we evolved, modern science tells us that helium and hydrogen were first formed after the Big Bang, and then these formed the stars which created the heavier elements. We were created by stars. We are the stuff of stars. What is more amazing, even magical, than that? What is more beautiful; a jealous God creating two people who - understandably considering that he made it near impossible for them not to - go against his strange orders not to eat fruit? Or the tale of a species that against all odds survived for millenia, thrived, expanded, that left its native lands. A species that braved the great ice with nothing more than animal pelts to stay warm, a species that learned to harness fire, a people that learnt to use the land to protect themselves against the many predators. A people whose curiosity led them across continents far away from their homelands, that led them across the great oceans. A species who domesticated dogs and horses with nothing by cunning and patience. A species that has no claws, weak teeth, that is not the fastest or the strongest, that was forced to make their own talons to defend themselves. A species that eventually conquered the world. You know what is most amazing about this great tale of mankind? The fact that it is true, it is backed by evidence. It's an insult to this genius species that is humanity to say that their tale is less wondrous than that involving talking snakes.
But it's not just with humanity and how we evolved, modern science tells us that helium and hydrogen were first formed after the Big Bang, and then these formed the stars which created the heavier elements. We were created by stars. We are the stuff of stars. What is more amazing, even magical, than that? Everything you see and touch is star-stuff. Look at the night sky and see the stars, there everything we see came from. How can you truly say that life becomes drab and boring when there is no creator-God involved?
But what is the point of life? This is one of those great questions that religion and philosophy have always pondered upon. Yet the answer is simple. The point of life is to live it. There is no divine plan, no great game of chess with the Devil. We make our own purposes. To depend upon some divine Creator to give us a purpose and a meaning to life shows that were are little better than unimaginative children who cannot think of their own unique purpose in life. Surely it is more amazing and gladdening to have your own unique purpose, rather than the same as everyone else? I have heard atheists compared to blind men, stumbling in the dark for a purpose all can see. If this is true then Christians are the men who close their eyes and stand still, hoping the purpose will find them. It will not. At least the stumbling atheists have a chance of finding a purpose. My purpose, as decided by myself, is to explore the world and learn all I can. Someone else's purpose could be to try and design AI, another person's purpose could be to help people through politics, to raise upstanding children, to help endangered species, to be the first person on Mars, to direct a high-grossing film, anything. The purpose of life is what we make it. Our hopes and dreams are our purpose, to insist that only God can give us a purpose is to insist that we are mindless robots, and there is nothing wondrous about that.
Image by radiant guy via FlickrTime and time again I have heard these phrases come from apologists, evangelists and more. It seems that without some spiritual Big Brother behind everything life suddenly becomes worthless and useless. And yet it's simply not true.
Let's, for example, take an orange. I can believe that this orange was simply made by someone who decided 'hey, let's make something edible and orange', or I can believe that it has developed, oh so slowly over millions of years by pure luck and chance. Which is more wondrous? You can believe that God created the human race in his image for the sole purpose of being his loyal, unthinking, worshippers, which thus makes us nothing more than automatons with delusions of free will, or you can believe that we are a pure chance, a one-in-a-billion piece of luck. Some days I just look at my hand and realise that is has been designed, it really has, it's perfect at its job, a piece of organic marvel. But it wasn't designed by some Big-Guy-in-the-Sky, it was designed over millenia of change. The human race is an accident, something that had every chance of not happening but did. What can be more amazing than that? How can you go out and look at the world, knowing that everything here has adapted of millions of years, knowing that everything here didn't even have a 1% chance of even occurring under normal circumstances, but did; how can you know this and think that it was more wondrous when it was a universal Dictator who made it to satisfy his ego?
But it's not just with humanity and how we evolved, modern science tells us that helium and hydrogen were first formed after the Big Bang, and then these formed the stars which created the heavier elements. We were created by stars. We are the stuff of stars. What is more amazing, even magical, than that? What is more beautiful; a jealous God creating two people who - understandably considering that he made it near impossible for them not to - go against his strange orders not to eat fruit? Or the tale of a species that against all odds survived for millenia, thrived, expanded, that left its native lands. A species that braved the great ice with nothing more than animal pelts to stay warm, a species that learned to harness fire, a people that learnt to use the land to protect themselves against the many predators. A people whose curiosity led them across continents far away from their homelands, that led them across the great oceans. A species who domesticated dogs and horses with nothing by cunning and patience. A species that has no claws, weak teeth, that is not the fastest or the strongest, that was forced to make their own talons to defend themselves. A species that eventually conquered the world. You know what is most amazing about this great tale of mankind? The fact that it is true, it is backed by evidence. It's an insult to this genius species that is humanity to say that their tale is less wondrous than that involving talking snakes.
But it's not just with humanity and how we evolved, modern science tells us that helium and hydrogen were first formed after the Big Bang, and then these formed the stars which created the heavier elements. We were created by stars. We are the stuff of stars. What is more amazing, even magical, than that? Everything you see and touch is star-stuff. Look at the night sky and see the stars, there everything we see came from. How can you truly say that life becomes drab and boring when there is no creator-God involved?
But what is the point of life? This is one of those great questions that religion and philosophy have always pondered upon. Yet the answer is simple. The point of life is to live it. There is no divine plan, no great game of chess with the Devil. We make our own purposes. To depend upon some divine Creator to give us a purpose and a meaning to life shows that were are little better than unimaginative children who cannot think of their own unique purpose in life. Surely it is more amazing and gladdening to have your own unique purpose, rather than the same as everyone else? I have heard atheists compared to blind men, stumbling in the dark for a purpose all can see. If this is true then Christians are the men who close their eyes and stand still, hoping the purpose will find them. It will not. At least the stumbling atheists have a chance of finding a purpose. My purpose, as decided by myself, is to explore the world and learn all I can. Someone else's purpose could be to try and design AI, another person's purpose could be to help people through politics, to raise upstanding children, to help endangered species, to be the first person on Mars, to direct a high-grossing film, anything. The purpose of life is what we make it. Our hopes and dreams are our purpose, to insist that only God can give us a purpose is to insist that we are mindless robots, and there is nothing wondrous about that.
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