CATHOLIC DIALOG #15

(Allen is very upset about the lecture in biology class today. He has had disagreements in the past with the professor who questions the existence of God and often tries to incorporate this philosophy into his lessons.)

Allen: Professor Bob, have you got a minute?

Prof.: Sure Allen. What can I do for you?

Allen: It's about your lecture on evolution today. I didn't want to disrupt class, so I thought I'd just wait until afterwards and see you in your office.

Prof.: I appreciate that. Now what's the problem?

Allen: Don't you think it's wrong for you to include your own personal opinions into our studies?

Prof.: I teach what I believe is right.

Allen: That's just the problem. You always seem to go a little further than the book. Don't you think it's wrong for you to impose your beliefs, or lack of them, on your students?

Prof.: Oh, I see where this conversation is leading. The first thing that you should know is science is the exact and systematic classification of facts and knowledge that is gained and verified by exact observation. In his book, The Humanist Manifesto, Dr. Paul Kertz said, "The theory of evolution is supported strongly by the weight of many sciences." By this he refers to the sciences of biology, genetics, geology, etc. We also have the fossil record that shows life in its transitional stages. What is your answer to that?

Allen: Hold it! I'm not saying that evolution has not played some parts in the development of man. A good example is the appendix. At one time it was a vital part of the digestive system, but it is not necessary anymore. I'm sure that given another 100 million years or so, the appendix may not exist at all. We are definitely in the process of evolution right now.

Prof.: Then what is your problem with my lecture?

Allen: My problem is that the evolution you taught eliminated God from the process.

Prof.: Oh, I see. You want me to introduce the concept of God which has no scientific evidence to back it up. Are you out of your mind, Allen?

Allen: No scientific evidence?! Would you call mathematics a science?

Prof.: Yes, but what does that have to do with God as our creator?

Allen: Prof. Fred Hoyle was an atheist until he calculated that the odds were 1 in 10 to the 40 thousandth power that life could have evolved to even a single cell animal by pure chance. He concluded that belief in an intelligent creator is the more rational belief.

Prof.: That's just his opinion.

Allen: When he presented his evidence, one of his colleagues said, "Believing that life evolved by pure chance would be like believing that a Boeing 747 was the result of a tornado going through a junkyard." These are two men with the same educational background as the men who still hold onto the myth of evolution.

Prof.: So what would you have me do Allen? Should I teach my students about Adam and Eve? Don't you get enough of that in Sunday school?

Allen: "Sunday school" only lasts for one hour every week and there are a lot of kids who can't make it because of their parents work schedule. Most of the T.V. programs don't give God an even break, and the rest of our studies are done here in school. I think the balance of time is unfairly slanted against the truth. Your lessons need to include the part that God played in the process.

Prof.: That would violate the separation of Church and state. We are not here to teach religion.

Allen: But you are here to pass on knowledge. That includes presenting the facts, and the facts are that the evolution you teach is atheistic. That "theory" of evolution is not a "law" because even the scientists don't accept it as fact. They will never find enough evidence to prove it, because the evidence that excludes God never existed.

Prof.: Oh, so most of the scientific community is wrong. Is that what you're saying.

Allen: At one time, most of the scientific community thought the earth was flat. This was because they had not considered all the evidence. Let me give you an example. A scientist notices a car driving down the highway. He does not see the engine running, but knows that the engine produces the power to create motion. If the scientist did not realize that the car had an engine, he would reach a false conclusion about the nature of cars. He might think that the tires are spinning on their own.

Prof.: Ridiculous.

Allen: He might even think that the road is actually moving under a stationary car. He would draw an unrealistic conclusion and might call it the theory of automotive motion simply because he would not accept the existence of a motor that he doesn't see. We can't see God, but we can definitely see the results of His existence.

Prof.: What do you mean?

Allen: Well among other things, who else could be responsible for such a fine tuned mechanism as the human body? We can perceive, analyze, and react to situations with amazing speed and precision. The fastest computers ever invented are no match for human reactions. If my finger touches something hot, a signal is sent up my arm to my brain which analyzes it and sends a signal back down my arm for my hand to pull away. All this takes place in a split second. Only God could have designed such an impressive system as the human body.

Prof.: Very good point, but what about your appendix theory. Did your God make a mistake when he provided you with an appendix. How can you accept some beliefs in evolution without admitting that it is a reasonable conclusion?

Allen: The problem is that, your theory, traced in reverse eventually leads to nothing. It is illogical to assume that existence could proceed from nothing. Non-matter can't produce matter. The only reasonable conclusion is that God created the universe from nothing. He called it into existence. I know that you don't read the Bible, but Romans 4:17 says, "He can send His call to that which has no being, as if it already was."

Prof.: That doesn't sound very realistic.

Allen: C.S. Lewis once said, "Reality is usually something you could not have guessed." That same author went on to say, "That's one of the reasons I became a Christian. It is a religion that I could never have guessed."

Prof.: Don't you think that it belittles yourself to say that you came from nothing? That we are made of nothing?

Allen: We are made of nothing, but I don't think of myself as having no worth. God loves us. He created each of us as individuals and holds us in existence. Jesus would not have given up His life for us if we had no worth to God. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son..."

Prof.: Please don't preach to me Allen.

Allen: I'm just trying to answer your questions.

Prof.: Okay, then here's a question for you. How could a good God have created a world in which so much bad has taken place?

Allen: I don't have an answer to that. But have you ever wondered where your belief in good and bad come from? All mankind seems to share certain concepts. There is no society that admires cowardice. No one would congratulate someone for betraying a friend. Our sense of good and evil comes from God. You might call it instinct...

Prof.: I do.

Allen: Then where does instinct come from? If we had been created with no ears, we would never know that the universe is full of sound except by instinct. Human instinct is another word for revelation from God.

Prof.: Why did God create us? Was He lonely? Did He need friends?

Allen: No. God is totally sufficient within Himself. He created the universe for our benefit. It is in His nature to be creative. That's your answer. He created because being creative is His nature. On the other hand, man is creative because he is made in God's image.

Prof.: You've got all the answers, don't you Allen?

Allen: Not really. That's where faith comes in. All I'm saying is that when you try to work out a rational explanation for our existence it always leads to God. Any questions about His exact details and motivations will have to wait until we see Him in Heaven. I suggest that you start making up a list professor Bob.

Prof.: I doubt it.

Allen: That's just the point. You will have to face God one day whether you believe in Him or not. Reality will not cease to exist simply because you won't accept it. Whether you believe in gravity or not, you suffer the consequences.

Prof.: Okay, then how do you explain the dinosaurs? Where do they fit into this creation story? Don't they throw off your time line a little?

Allen: No. The dinosaurs were here long before man. They are part of creation. Why they existed is another question that only God knows the answer to All I can tell you is something a priest once told me when I asked him about the dinosaurs. He said, "That's how God did it."

Prof.: So that would be your answer to the anthropologists and geologists?

Allen: Yes. No matter what "new" findings they might invent to explain how life began on this planet, I would simply say, that's how God did it.

Prof.: Don't you think that's a bit over simplified?

Allen: Yes, it is simple, but there are still plenty of very educated people who haven't figured it out yet.

Prof.: You make some fine arguments, but I am not convinced.

Allen: I know that my arguments are good professor, but only God can convince you.

Prof.: At any rate, I will continue to teach what I feel is appropriate. After all, it is my class.

Allen: In that case, I'm afraid that I'll have to discuss this with my parents. I'm sure they will want to speak to the principal about curbing your rhetoric in the future.

Prof.: That's entirely up to you Allen. In a way, I admire you for standing up for your beliefs and articulating them so well, but I will not allow you to dictate what I can teach. Good day Allen.

Allen: See you later professor Bob.