Read Online 50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God by Guy P. Harrison - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Guy P. Harrison
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cool blue seas. So much life,
so much potential, all contained on that little world. Observations of
the earth from space can stimulate deep thoughts and even deeper reverence. But do awe and admiration provide a good reason to conclude
that gods exist? Do the earth's complexity and beauty suggest that a
god necessarily made it? Many believers claim that this abundant
beauty reflects their god's handiwork, proof that he is real. But does
this claim hold up if one takes a long hard look at our world from
down here at ground level?
In answering claims about our world's "god-given" beauty, there
is no better place to start than with ourselves. According to many
believers, the human species is the crowning achievement of various
creator gods. The gods who made the world and all its life, they say,
warmed up with worms and birds but then made us, the piece de resistance. Some religions even claim that we were made in a god's image.
Beautiful?
Us?
If we were designed and created by an all-powerful, all-knowing,
and perfectly good god, as some religions claim, then how do we
explain serial killers, slavery, and wars? Why would a good god who
knows the future bother making a life-form that he knew would end
up fighting, killing, raping, stealing, and generally running amok as
many of us do? Many believers attempt to explain away the terrible
behavior that is common to our species by claiming that their god gave
us autonomy or "free will." But that misses the point. An all-knowing
god would know in advance what choices we were going to make and
how we would turn out. So why would he or she create us in this way?
Why would any good god set the stage for so much misery and suffering? Why would a good god knowingly make tribal creatures who
are so vulnerable to fear and hate? If he knew we would end up slaying our brothers and starving our sisters' children, why would he go forward with an obviously bad design?
Despite our many problems, I do agree with believers that life on
Earth, including humankind, is profoundly beautiful, almost magically
so. An Olympic runner in full flight and a child's smile are irresistibly
gorgeous to human eyes. I am not so disappointed by our failures that
I cannot see our achievements. However, we all should be honest
enough to admit that the beauty of our species is at least matched by
its ugliness.
If you suspect that I am being too hard on humankind, consider
these statistics:
• There are an estimated twenty-seven million slaves in the world
today. This is more than there were at the beginning of the nineteenth century when slavery was legal in Great Britain and the
United States of America. (Leach 2004)
• About half the people on Earth struggle to survive on less than
two dollars per day. (UN)
• More than 780 million adults cannot read or write. (CIA)
• More than a billion people do not have access to safe drinking
water. (WHO)
• More than two billion people do not have access to basic sanitation. (WHO)
• The world spends more than a trillion dollars per year on waging
war or preparing for war. (Global Security)
• About half of the world's children live in severe poverty.
(UNICEF)
• More than nine million children die each year because of
poverty. That's approximately twenty-five thousand each day.
(UNICEF)
"Beautiful" may be one of our qualities but it certainly is not a complete description of our species. For every thing that is attractive about
us, one can easily match it with something repulsive. We are smart enough to feed, house, and educate every child, but we choose not to
do it. One man paints a landscape on canvas, another shreds it with
cluster bombs.
As bad as we can be, however, it is the immeasurable suffering of
nonhuman life that is even more of a problem for this claim that our
world is the beautiful result of a god's creation. Yes, there is great
beauty in nature. I know firsthand. On a black night I paddled
so much potential, all contained on that little world. Observations of
the earth from space can stimulate deep thoughts and even deeper reverence. But do awe and admiration provide a good reason to conclude
that gods exist? Do the earth's complexity and beauty suggest that a
god necessarily made it? Many believers claim that this abundant
beauty reflects their god's handiwork, proof that he is real. But does
this claim hold up if one takes a long hard look at our world from
down here at ground level?
In answering claims about our world's "god-given" beauty, there
is no better place to start than with ourselves. According to many
believers, the human species is the crowning achievement of various
creator gods. The gods who made the world and all its life, they say,
warmed up with worms and birds but then made us, the piece de resistance. Some religions even claim that we were made in a god's image.
Beautiful?
Us?
If we were designed and created by an all-powerful, all-knowing,
and perfectly good god, as some religions claim, then how do we
explain serial killers, slavery, and wars? Why would a good god who
knows the future bother making a life-form that he knew would end
up fighting, killing, raping, stealing, and generally running amok as
many of us do? Many believers attempt to explain away the terrible
behavior that is common to our species by claiming that their god gave
us autonomy or "free will." But that misses the point. An all-knowing
god would know in advance what choices we were going to make and
how we would turn out. So why would he or she create us in this way?
Why would any good god set the stage for so much misery and suffering? Why would a good god knowingly make tribal creatures who
are so vulnerable to fear and hate? If he knew we would end up slaying our brothers and starving our sisters' children, why would he go forward with an obviously bad design?
Despite our many problems, I do agree with believers that life on
Earth, including humankind, is profoundly beautiful, almost magically
so. An Olympic runner in full flight and a child's smile are irresistibly
gorgeous to human eyes. I am not so disappointed by our failures that
I cannot see our achievements. However, we all should be honest
enough to admit that the beauty of our species is at least matched by
its ugliness.
If you suspect that I am being too hard on humankind, consider
these statistics:
• There are an estimated twenty-seven million slaves in the world
today. This is more than there were at the beginning of the nineteenth century when slavery was legal in Great Britain and the
United States of America. (Leach 2004)
• About half the people on Earth struggle to survive on less than
two dollars per day. (UN)
• More than 780 million adults cannot read or write. (CIA)
• More than a billion people do not have access to safe drinking
water. (WHO)
• More than two billion people do not have access to basic sanitation. (WHO)
• The world spends more than a trillion dollars per year on waging
war or preparing for war. (Global Security)
• About half of the world's children live in severe poverty.
(UNICEF)
• More than nine million children die each year because of
poverty. That's approximately twenty-five thousand each day.
(UNICEF)
"Beautiful" may be one of our qualities but it certainly is not a complete description of our species. For every thing that is attractive about
us, one can easily match it with something repulsive. We are smart enough to feed, house, and educate every child, but we choose not to
do it. One man paints a landscape on canvas, another shreds it with
cluster bombs.
As bad as we can be, however, it is the immeasurable suffering of
nonhuman life that is even more of a problem for this claim that our
world is the beautiful result of a god's creation. Yes, there is great
beauty in nature. I know firsthand. On a black night I paddled
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