"If God is real then why doesn't He show up or something and show the world He truly exists??" Oh How many times have I heard this before, even from my own lips such a long time ago.
Our Pediatrics teacher said the following this afternoon as an introduction to I can only assume, an investigative project he has assigned all of us:
As the class continued the discussion wether or not God's existance can be proven through the Scientific Method, the following text came to mind.
Human beings don't believe in God because their hearts have been hardened and their eyes blinded by Sin. In 1st of Kings 18:16-46 Elijah was sent by God to the worshippers of baal and conducted an experiment. (Note: Obviously he wasn't sent to conduct an experiment he was sent to rebuke the people of God for their idolatry, but I will describe what happened viewing the event through objective, cientific eyes.)
1. Observation:
The people of God, Israel, worships images and statues. Is it possible that these images and statues are the real God?
2. Hypothesis
Prove that Baal is not God, and is not even a real god.
3. Experiment:
A. Calling Baal
An altar is built using wood and on top of the wood a bull chopped into pieces is placed, all of this to be consumed with fire by calling baal to do so.
B. Calling God
The altar of the Lord is repaired. Twelve stones are placed on the ground, a trench around it is dug, the wood is arranged on top, and finally the chopped bull is placed on top. Then 4 large jars of water are poured over the altar three times, filling entirely the trench and soaking the altar. All of this to be consumed with fire by calling God to do so.
Results
Experiment A. Baal worshippers called on the name of baal from morning till noon, baal never showed.
Experiment B. Elijah prayed to God the following prayer: "O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again." The following ocurred "Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench."
Conclusion
Through this experiment Elijah proved to all of them that a. God does exist, b. Abraham's God, the Creator of the universe and everything in it is the one True God. c. Baal doesn't exist, meaning: isn't a real god.
The Point:
This was only one of the many times God's existence was proved in the old and new, His power was manifested and His glory shined. We're in the year 2007, no matter how many times God manifests Himself to human beings in "physical" form, it will not change the humans' stubborn mind and heart. Humans are aware of the existence of God because it has been manifested to all of us at some point “For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - His eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse” (Romans 1:20). The problem is the following:
May the Lord bless each and everyone of you!
Rita M.
(1) Quote taken from: "http://www.gotquestions.org/Does-God-exist.html"
(2) Quote taken from: "http://www.Biblegateway.com" [NIV]
Our Pediatrics teacher said the following this afternoon as an introduction to I can only assume, an investigative project he has assigned all of us:
"Science doesn't define truth, it defines a way of thinking. It is a process in which experiments are used to answer questions. This process is called the Scientific Method and it comprises various steps. Observation, Hypothesis, Experimentation."He then proceeded to ask, "Can we prove the existence of God through the Scientific Method?", a classmate well known for being an "atheist" said no, another classmate said that she has proven God's existence through the scientific method using logic but did not explain how she came to her conclusion.
As the class continued the discussion wether or not God's existance can be proven through the Scientific Method, the following text came to mind.
Human beings don't believe in God because their hearts have been hardened and their eyes blinded by Sin. In 1st of Kings 18:16-46 Elijah was sent by God to the worshippers of baal and conducted an experiment. (Note: Obviously he wasn't sent to conduct an experiment he was sent to rebuke the people of God for their idolatry, but I will describe what happened viewing the event through objective, cientific eyes.)
1. Observation:
The people of God, Israel, worships images and statues. Is it possible that these images and statues are the real God?
2. Hypothesis
Prove that Baal is not God, and is not even a real god.
3. Experiment:
A. Calling Baal
An altar is built using wood and on top of the wood a bull chopped into pieces is placed, all of this to be consumed with fire by calling baal to do so.
B. Calling God
The altar of the Lord is repaired. Twelve stones are placed on the ground, a trench around it is dug, the wood is arranged on top, and finally the chopped bull is placed on top. Then 4 large jars of water are poured over the altar three times, filling entirely the trench and soaking the altar. All of this to be consumed with fire by calling God to do so.
Results
Experiment A. Baal worshippers called on the name of baal from morning till noon, baal never showed.
Experiment B. Elijah prayed to God the following prayer: "O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again." The following ocurred "Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench."
Conclusion
Through this experiment Elijah proved to all of them that a. God does exist, b. Abraham's God, the Creator of the universe and everything in it is the one True God. c. Baal doesn't exist, meaning: isn't a real god.
The Point:
This was only one of the many times God's existence was proved in the old and new, His power was manifested and His glory shined. We're in the year 2007, no matter how many times God manifests Himself to human beings in "physical" form, it will not change the humans' stubborn mind and heart. Humans are aware of the existence of God because it has been manifested to all of us at some point “For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - His eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse” (Romans 1:20). The problem is the following:
So folks what will it be? Another 2000 years of ignorantly denying God's obvious existence, or finally accepting today and now that God does exist. But accepting that He does exists then you must face the fact that because the first man, Adam, disobeyed God sin entered through him and has been passed on to all of us, the problem is no sinner will go to heaven. (Think you're good enough to go to heaven? click this link: http://www.livingwaters.com/good/) But don't worry God provided a payment for all of our sins so that we could be allowed through some way to be saved, go to heaven and have eternal life. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[a] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."(2)
"People claim to not believe in God because it is “not scientific” or “because there is no proof.” The true reason is that once people admit that there is a God, they also must realize that they are responsible to God and in need of forgiveness from God (Romans 3:23; 6:23). If God exists, then we are accountable for our actions to Him. If God does not exist, then we can do whatever we want without having to worry about God judging us. I believe that is why evolution is so strongly clung to by many in our society - to give people an alternative to believing in a Creator God. God exists and ultimately everyone knows that He exists. The very fact that some attempt so aggressively to disprove His existence is in fact an argument for His existence."(1)
May the Lord bless each and everyone of you!
Rita M.
(1) Quote taken from: "http://www.gotquestions.org/Does-God-exist.html"
(2) Quote taken from: "http://www.Biblegateway.com" [NIV]
1 comment:
Hi Rita,
I've followed your blog from a comment on Ray Comfort's blog. The question of whether we can prove the existence of God using the scientific method is a very good one. To form a good theory, an experiment must be readily repeatable by anyone who cares to try it, and have consistent results. In the case of the worshippers of Baal vs Jehovah, if this is to prove the existence of God anybody should be able to set up an altar and call for it to be consumed by fire. If this doesn't work consistently then the theory is faulty.
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