Expert: Richard Aberdeen - 9/9/2011

Question
QUESTION: I am just going to ask what everybody in the world looks for. Is there really God in the world? If we watch our day to day happenings in the world, does the word in the bible is any more relevant to? First, those who says that they experience God in their mind, soul and whatsoever, they really attain success or some kind of benefit in their life. That's why they believe in God. But what everyone is forgetting that how many innocent people are being dying everyday. If God is really mercy, as it is said so in the bible, then why could he show his damn mercy to these people(People who die in accidents, terrorism, suicides etc). Consider this one. Hitler practiced genocide and mass number of jews were killed. One could well contradict that he finally self immolated. But that does not mean he is punished. God could well have a better script than this. He could have save those millions of Jews and killed Hitler earlier before this massacre. Why had not he done that? Is that because he is dumb or merciless or trying to play with all human lives? But in the Bible says that God himself had sent his own son to save these earthly people. Oh! that's a bullshit! If we are God and we are in such a position we would not allowed that to happen. Such cruel and evil he is.
         It does not ended with that. It even happens now in the form of terrorists. Could we ever see those deaths? How cruel, brutal it would be! If anyone see those people who dies in bomb explosion, other terror attacks in person , surely they would die of panic. But if there is really a God and he is watching from above, then what of God Is he? A sadistic God! And those who die are the only ones who sinned? And those who are living are all saints? Why does some section dies and other survives? It is said in the Bible that God punishes who sin and blesses those who does good. But is it really happening like that? Only the man who has inborn talent, the will power to face these hell of life problems and some luck, survives. Even though he sins. Others don't. What does this mean. Does it coincides with the Bible or the so called Word of God?
         Finally, God sends his only son to save the people from sin. Does it sound insane? What do you mean by that? Is it any kind of Alice in Wonderland story or voo doo myths? Why does he do all kind of gimmicks like this? He can come to us straightway and forgive all our sins. Why does he think so absurd? If God himself appears in person and appeals to all the people to live in harmony then who would deny that? Instead of this, God has given us the Bible and he has sent his word. What kind of bullshit is this? Does he not have a sense? The Bible says that those punish any kind of idols will be condemned to death. Then those worshiping idols in countries like India, are they being dead or they suffer a lot. Not really.
         From all these worldly perspectives I can simply understand that there is no such thing as God or the Biblical myths. I want you go through my queries and please reply me if you able to prove that there is really God and try convincing me. If reasonable and credible, I do become a believer.

ANSWER: Your first and second paragraphs ignore freedom of choice and ignore the fact, that throughout human history, people do great benevolent acts of charity and kindness, people do gross acts of evil and, people do all manner of other acts in-between these two extremes.  Richard Dawkins, for example, grossly contradicts the known evidence, by stating that the "universe represents nothing but blind, pitiless indifference".  

If this was true, there would be no people like Isaiah, Jesus, Gandhi, Schweitzer, Keller, E. Roosevelt, King, Parks and billions of others; all there would be would be people like Adolf Hitler and worse.  Your positions ignore the fact that we as human beings have been granted freedom of choice.  If God stepped in every time we made a bad choice, then we would be nothing but mindless, soul-less robots.

To pretend there is no sin, is to deny all of the known historical and human behavioral evidence.  If there is no sin, then your first and second paragraphs would not exist, because there would be no evil in the world.  As Jesus taught us for free a long time ago and, as modern behavioral science evidence confirms (source; Britannica "Human Sexuality"), what causes greed, hatred, jealousy, prejudice, stress, tension, murder, rape, theft, false witness, slavery, war and other human oppression, arises from within us all.  Your first two paragraphs try to place the blame on God for what people do and the bad choices we make, which makes no more rational sense than the claims of Richard Dawkins, as demonstrated above and below.

Many mothers and fathers have been heard to say and quoted many times in various media sources, when watching their own child suffer and die from a tragic accident or disease, that they would gladly take their place, if they only could.  Thus, for God to sacrifice his only son for the sake of humanity, represents by far the greatest act of love known.  You need to re-think your positions more carefully.  

The universe speaks for God.  If there is no Creator, then it is up to those claiming there is not a God, to rationally demonstrate by evidence that 1) motion can arise from non-motion; 2) intelligence can arise from non-intelligence; 3) conscious awareness can arise from non-conscious matter; 4) universal systems of zillions of parts within parts can magically self-assemble; 5) so-called universal laws or any other laws or processes, such as processes of evolution, can magically exist all by themselves.

To pretend there is no God is far more irrational, than all of the other superstitions of human history combined.  Perhaps, you should try reading what Jesus said and comparing it to the known human rights, human behavioral, historical and other evidence, rather than pretending you are wiser than God.  If you are afraid to check out and compare the evidence, then you have yourself to blame, rather than God.  

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Your point of view is that the humans were given freedom of choice. Let it be. Then what is said in the Bible. It says that if you diligently worship God, follow all the ten commandments and be righteous, you can lead a peaceful life. But you say that because of his/her freedom of choice many people were being killed. Is this fair enough? Then why do we serve God? It's just because he has created us all do we have to be slaves for him? He gives for some prosperous life and others the disaster,sometimes even fatal life.What does it mean by that? Are the words of the Bible fake?
         You just see in the old testament. If the Israeli people follow the god's laws they will get a land flowing with milk and honey. But what does it say in the new testament. Leave all your wealth and follow my cross;Don't pile up treasures in earth but in heaven;Blessed are the poor and so on. Both the testaments confront each other and puzzles everybody.The focus of the old testament is that you follow God and you live happily. But the new testament emphases that you should not think about worldly luxuries and always clamor for eternal life. Where did this eternal life come from? It's not in old testament.
         Also I have asked why God sends his son Jesus to sacrifice for others but your answer is:"Many mothers and fathers have been heard to say and quoted many times in various media sources, when watching their own child suffer and die from a tragic accident or disease, that they would gladly take their place, if they only could.  Thus, for God to sacrifice his only son for the sake of humanity, represents by far the greatest act of love known." Take a look at this answer. Here these mothers and fathers are humans. They cannot do any magic to save their children. If possible and needed they can sacrifice their lives to help their children. If they have any sort of power they would not have said like that. But what's with this ridiculous God? Why he should send? Is this the only way to forgive the sins? Has he not got any power? You aren't quite right about this answer.
         Let me give a clear example which would make all God believers understand:
       A man steals a purse from me. Later my friend came to me and retrieved my purse. Then he asks me to apologize the thief and let him be free of any police action. What should I do? I apologized him. This is what anyone do. In this case if I take God's so called plan such as: I ask my  friend to sacrifice his life only then the thief will be forgiven. How this action would be? Will it be ridiculous? Here I refers to God, my friend - Jesus, thief- people. Got it? If I ask this you say don't think wiser than God. It's because God acts insanely and that makes me to think like this. All those believers nod this absurd act. Not thinking from different point of view.
        Moreover I've got another point to illustrate this more clearly. Why should he act like this to forgive our sins. Is he got any limitation? Is he works under somebody? What does it makes him to do like that? Must he answer to somebody greater than him for the people? If he does not do like that will the sky fall from above?If he really love the people why does he take away people lives in various forms such as diseases, terrorism, accidents other than natural deaths. If he really forgives them why does he give a chance to live? Is he such evil? Is he not all powerful to monitor the world?
         Speaking about forgiving, if God really cares about forgiving why doesn't he forgive Adam and Eve in the very beginning. Had he done that the world would not have come such a evil place like now. Does it mean that because of his improper leadership everything is happening now? If we really read the bible diligently it is impossible to believe all those fantasy stories. As per the Bible the world is created within seven days. But considering with the Big Bang theory it appears to be fake. Many people nowadays doubt the veracity of the bible contents. The serpent convinced Eve and she ate the people. How does a serpent speak? Sounds more like today's Narnia, Alice in Wonderland, Pirates of the Caribbean stories. I think these are just valuable sources of literary works from Hebrew and Aramic.
         You say that if there is no creator how does this universe work. Well that still remains a mystery! But the scientists are still discovering a lot and they have already given sufficient evidence such as Big Bang theory that god does not exist. Even they discovered that the dinosaurs first existed before humans but it is nowhere recorded in the bible.
         I can still give a lot of illustrations about the inexistence of God. I just want you think all about this and answer. Answer from your heart and not from your mind of biblical histories, stories, words etc. Think genuinely and answer. Let the truth be known to everybody and ignorance be buried forever.

Answer
I am not going to get in a protracted debate with you regarding atheism.  It is my consistent experience that atheists and agnostics do not go by evidence themselves, yet they demand evidence from other people.  Debating with people who are not willing to go by evidence themselves and yet demand it from others, is itself, irrational and a big waste of valuable time.

If you want to pretend there is no God, that is your choice, after all, God has given us all freedom of choice.  As you freely admit by your first email citing examples of human evil, our choices have consequences, both in this present life and, in the age to come.  You can pretend all you want that God has no right to judge anyone, when in fact human beings judge other human beings every day, yet God will go right on being the Supreme Judge, as Jefferson referred to God, regardless of how much you pretend otherwise.  

You do not have to answer to me but rather, you have to answer to our Creator.  You will have to answer to him as to why you were given clear evidence by me as to why atheism is an obvious lie and yet, you choose to go right on embracing supersition, rather than going by the evidence.  And, you will have to answer to our Creator as to why you freely choose to lie to his children, who are the hope of our survival and our planet's future, rather than to go by the overwhelming evidence right in front of your face.