If God Died, How Would We Know?
By WizenedSage (Galen Rose) ~
One of the most famous articles in the history of Time magazine was published on April 8, 1966. The magazine cover, a black background with big red letters which read, “Is God Dead?” was a shocker for many. While the article didn’t actually offer an answer, it did raise a valid question; one which was on the minds of millions – and still is.
As atheists, agnostics, and other non-Christians, perhaps we are not qualified to answer the question of whether god is dead. After all, we spend most of our time ignoring gods. Still, we would like to know, wouldn’t we? So, perhaps one of the Christians who regularly lurk around this site could perform a great service and answer this question for us: If God died, how would we know?
I’ve puzzled over this question, quite seriously, for some time, but never found an answer. There just seems to be no way of knowing if god died. Would some Christian please step up and answer this question for us? Please note that I am not asking why there is evil in the world, that’s a different question for a different day. What I’m asking is, if god died, how would we know, how could we tell? What test could we use?
Now, here’s the whole point of this exercise, the bottom line, where the rubber meets the road, the inescapable conclusion: if there is no way to tell whether a god’s influence has left the world, then there is no way to tell whether a god’s influence was ever in the world. And your challenge is to show me how I’m wrong.
One of the most famous articles in the history of Time magazine was published on April 8, 1966. The magazine cover, a black background with big red letters which read, “Is God Dead?” was a shocker for many. While the article didn’t actually offer an answer, it did raise a valid question; one which was on the minds of millions – and still is.
 |
| April 8, 1966, cover of Time magazine (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
- Would there suddenly be thousands of Christian (and other) children in Africa dying every day because god doesn’t provide for them enough to eat?
- Would little children around the world be getting cancer and dying slow, painful deaths?
- Would the fervent, tear-soaked prayers of little boys being raped by clergy go unanswered?
- Would once respected clergy be discovered to be child rapists, and the church’s leadership more concerned with the church’s reputation than keeping children safe from these sexual predators?
- Would Jesus no longer appear to us to calm our fears and heal people with a touch?
I’ve puzzled over this question, quite seriously, for some time, but never found an answer. There just seems to be no way of knowing if god died. Would some Christian please step up and answer this question for us? Please note that I am not asking why there is evil in the world, that’s a different question for a different day. What I’m asking is, if god died, how would we know, how could we tell? What test could we use?
Now, here’s the whole point of this exercise, the bottom line, where the rubber meets the road, the inescapable conclusion: if there is no way to tell whether a god’s influence has left the world, then there is no way to tell whether a god’s influence was ever in the world. And your challenge is to show me how I’m wrong.