I will begin by agreeing with Mr. Adams and saying that a Christian can take some comfort in knowing that there is a God and in feeling at peace with that God. I have felt and enjoyed the peace and comfort of that emotion for almost thirty years. I will also agree with Mr. Adams when he says that humans are mortal. After that, however, I must begin to take exception.
In his first rebuttal, Mr. Adams discussed the comfort which seemingly-weak Christians appear to need so that they can deal with the difficulties of life. However, did we not all see how he put himself up on that pedestal long enough to proclaim how difficult it is to believe the less popular belief of God not existing? What Mr. Adams must realize is that any belief, whether popular or not, whether majority or not, provides some comfort to the one who believes. For the Christian, the comfort and satisfaction come not only from "believing" that God exists but also from knowing Him and having a personal relationship with Him. In the matter of proving that God exists, Mr. Adams, like all atheists, has found satisfaction and comfort in his ability to believe to the contrary. The question, however, does not pertain merely to satisfaction and comfort. It pertains to whether or not he is right or wrong to believe as he does.
Also in his first rebuttal, Mr. Adams made mention of a very old creosote tree, a Bible which some, including he, would say has no value, and light reaching us from other galaxies. In chapter 6 and chapter 7 of a book which I wrote, entitled "Rediscovering The Truth About Creation," I report on my investigation into the Big Bang Theory. The light reaching earth from faraway galaxies and the apparent age of the universe are both byproducts of that theory. Even the belief that a particular tree outdates the Bible comes from a basic acceptance of the Theory of Evolution and/or the Big Bang Theory. Yet, neither of these theories have been or can be proven, and the supporting evidence does not back them up, either. The Hubble Space Craft was launched in an effort to try to find enough evidence to "prove" that the Big Bang Theory is true, but so far it has not uncovered anything of lasting significance. If one can so easily reject the Bible, as Mr. Adams has done, then a fair examination of all the evidence would also force us to throw out the belief that a tree might be 12,000 years old or that light from faraway galaxies really did start its path to earth millions of years ago.
Any evidence, to be relevant in a debate such as this, must be current. The truth is that I was not at Creation and Mr. Adams was not around when the creosote tree began its life. Thus, the truth also is that neither of us can be absolutely certain that either of those events really did happen exactly as we have been led to believe. Even those who would have us believe such things cannot be absolutely certain that their message is correct. Therefore, when credible, concrete evidence is not available, as is so in this case, one must take into consideration other forms of evidence, such as experience. An example of this can be seen with something like cancer. I have never had nor experienced cancer, so I might naively conclude that cancer does not exist simply because I have never experienced it. However, I will not make such a remark because I have seen others who have experienced it. Based on my observations of them, I can say that I am confident that cancer exists. In the case of Christianity, I have not only seen others who were experiencing a walk with Christ, but I have also experienced that same walk for myself. Most atheists and even theists have and are looking for a proof of God in the existence or non-existence of credible scientific data, but God will not be found through the efforts of science. If you want to find the Lord, then you will have to look at those who have a genuine walk with Him.
Tom of SpotswoodGo To Next DEBATE Entry"He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." (I John 5:12)
"And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13)
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