THE BIBLE’S ANSWER

TO ATHEISTS

AND SKEPTICS

THE BIBLE’S ANSWER TO ATHEISTS AND SKEPTICS

WHY CONSIDER THIS?

Religion is under fierce attack from atheists .

Evolution is now very widely accepted as fact.

Inside the brotherhood we now have voices promoting theistic evolution.

Christadelphians are feeling they have to be able to combat the scientific evidence.

Some are losing their faith in God..

WHAT WE HOPE TO BRIEFLY COVER

What is the theory of evolution ? What God says about man’s wisdom. Reasons to believe in a Creator. Reasons to believe in the Bible. Why faith matters . Why theistic evolution is not

compatible with the BASF.

Definitions

Atheist- a person who does not believe there is a God

Agnostic- a person who believes nothing can be known about the existence of any God

Skeptic- a person who doubts and questions the existence of a God.

RICHARD DAWKINS – THE LEADING SKEPTIC

THE NEW WAVE OF ANTI- RELIGION BOOKS

The mission of the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science is

to support scientific education, critical thinking and evidence-based

understanding of the natural world in the quest to overcome religious

fundamentalism, superstition, intolerance and suffering.

Evolution because of Atheism

WHY DAWKINS GETS SUCH A FOLLOWING

Why men choose not to believe

God cannot be absolutely proven scientifically, even though all the circumstantial evidence indicates He exists.

If one admits to the existence of a Creator, then there is probably a reason for His creation

The Bible states that the reason for the beauty of the creation is that men should to seek to find and to obey God –Acts 14v15-17 , 17v24-28

Most men do not want to be restrained by God and His laws...so look elsewhere

WHY EVOLUTION IS SO POPULAR Most academic organisations are

funded by secular governments – scientists are obliged to support the accepted idea.

Man does not want to face the possibility of a Creator God.

Because these unproven theories are constantly published as fact , they obtain a status far greater than they deserve.

“Evolutionists may disagree on many things, but their commitment to

atheism ensures their solid agreement on the non-existence of an intelligent

creator” New Scientist, 15th March 1987, p63

The driving force behind Evolution

So the question now is ..

CAN WE REALLY BELIEVE IN GOD TODAY?

UNDENIABLE FACTS

The universe exists and has order and laws

The earth sustains an amazing array of intelligent and incredible life

Humans have highly developed minds and a moral capacity

The Bible exists – providing us a reason for our existence , and a purpose for the creation

Evolution tries to tell us how life came to be..can never tell us why we are here.

THE ALTERNATIVES WE HAVE

God created by miraculous power God created , using an evolutionary

process There is no God , all we see just

happened to evolve by pure chance.

Creationism Theistic Evolution Darwinian atheism

OUR SPIRITUAL PARADIGMS

He that cometh to God must believe that HE IS....and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Heb 11v6 In the beginning God created

the heavens and the earth.

Gen 1v1

SCIENCE vs The Bible Science works on facts and evidence to

support its guesses and theories Science uses reason to interpret evidence Science demands absolute proof , but can

not prove evolution happened.BUT BY CONTRAST

The Bible offers a 3 fold witness as evidence to the existence of a Creator1/ Bible itself (prophecy and history )

2/Jesus Christ 3/Creation Faith is our decision to believe God- a logical

conclusion to the evidence we have.

GOD’S CLEAR CHALLENGE

Thus saith THE LORD, the Holy One of Israel , and his Maker, Ask of me things to come concerning my sons , and concerning the works of my hands command ye me.

I have made the earth, and created man upon it : I even my hands , have stretched out the heavens , and all their host have I commanded

ISAIAH 45v 11-12

Isaiah 45:18, “Thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God Himself that formed the earth and made it: He hath established it, He created it not in vain, He formed it to be inhabited; I am the LORD and there is none else”

Exodus 31:17, “It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.”

Mark 13:19, “For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be”

God created this world in six days

So what theory did Darwin give to the world that has given men a way to ignore and defy their Creator?

The Theory of Evolution

Formulated by Charles Darwin Theories of natural selection and the

evolution of species were promulgated on very limited evidence

Has a totally unbelievable reliance on blind chance recurring over and over

Suggests that life forms progress upward ,and become more complex over time

“I was a young man with unformed ideas. I threw out queries, suggestions, wondering all the time over everything; and to my astonishment the ideas took like wildfire. People made a religion of them”

Charles Darwin…was surprised

Creation or Evolution, a matter of Faith!

Big Bang, formation of hydrogen

Higher elements evolve

Formation of planets, stars

Origin of life (by accident)

Evolution of different species (Macro-

evolution)-by mutations and natural selection

Changes within a species (Micro-evolution)

Darwinian Evolution Outlined

The origin of life The origin of eternal lifeThe survival of fittest The survival of FaithfulContinual change Stability and sure futureNatural Selection Spiritual SelectionBlind chance Clear direction Missing links and gaps Accurate statementsContradictions Consistent and reliable

Promotes self interest Praises our Creator

Evolution Bible Truth

CHARLES DARWIN “the man who gave the world the excuse to be what they wanted to be”David Breese

Modern views on Darwin’s ideas

We are now about 120 years after Darwin And the knowledge of the fossil record has been greatly expanded. Ironically we have even fewer examples of evolutionary transition than we had in Darwin’s time.

David Ruap..Curator of Chicago Museum

Modern Views of Darwin

The fossils that decorate our family tree are so scarce that there are still more scientists than specimens .

The remarkable fact is that all the supposed physical evidence we have for human evolution can still be placed, with room to spare , inside a single coffin.

Dr Lyall Watson -Science Digest

WHY THIS MATTERS ....

Accepting evolution impacts on clear Bible teachings , and the Genesis record

The early chapters of Genesis tend to become regarded as allegories (stories) and not literal events .

The tendency is to reinterpret the Bible to fit the claims of science.

SCIENCE –enemy or friend ? Science has given us so much insight

into the wonders of creation. Science has enabled us to

comprehend the marvels of our planet and the universe.

What we need to watch for are the FALSE conclusions that some scientists make , especially where they will not accept a creator exists.

CARE IN READING THE BIBLE...

While we DO believe God’s words..we must avoid reading into the Bible meanings that are not there .

We must beware of teaching conclusions that are clearly unsupportable.

For example Church teaching once was..the earth was flat, resting on foundations, and that the sun rotated around the earth every 24 hours .(think how fast it had to travel)

THE SUN ROTATING AROUND THE EARTH...? Answer ..about 20 million kilometres

an hour..

So read the Bible carefully..

REMEMBER ....

The Bible is not written as a scientific textbook

The Bible though is never wrong, and has never been proven to be wrong by scientific discovery.

In fact more and more recent scientific discoveries are confirming Bible statements made thousand of years ago.

One day soon , God will humiliate scientists who have deliberately misled men

What the Bible says

Romans 1v 18-23 ( Weymouth ) For God’s anger is being revealed from

heaven against all impiety and against the iniquity of men who through iniquity suppress the truth. God is angry , because what may be known about Him is plain to their inmost consciousness ; for He Himself has made it plain to them . For from the very creation of the world His invisible power and divine nature have been rendered intelligible and clearly visible by His works, so that these men are without excuse .........

Rom 1v18-22 cont

For when they had come to know God , they did not give Him the glory as God nor render Him thanks, but they became absorbed in useless discussions and their senseless minds were darkened . While boasting of their wisdom they became utter fools ...

The fool hath said in his heart..there is no God Psa 14v1

God’s view of human wisdom For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom

of the wise , and I will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world ? 1 Cor 1v19-20

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written , He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.

And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. 1 COR 3v19-21

GODS CHOICE – 1 Cor 1v26-27 For ye see your calling, brethren, how

that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called

But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise : and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.

THE COMING HUMILIATION OF ATHIESTS AND SKEPTICS

The gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies , vanity and things wherein there is no profit. JER 16v19

And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people , and the veil that is spread over all nations .ISA 25v7

SO WHAT WE CAN DO...?

Consider the Evidence to believe in a Creator

God’s creative genius

There be four things little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise...

The spider (Gecko) taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings palaces.

PROV 30v24-28

How do gecko’s walk anywhere?

THE SECRET ..we now understand

Only possible to see with modern technology

How do Gecko’s walk upside down and on very smooth surfaces (such as glass) ?

They have millions of microscopic hairs on their feet –so small they can attach themselves to the molecules of the surface.

Each microscopic hair splits exposing up to a a billion tiny spatulae to act like an adhesive.

HOW IT WORKS FOR THE GECKO

GECKO”S AMAZING FEET

A gecko can support itself entirely on one toe.

One hair alone could take the weight of an ant

If you could engage all the hairs of a gecko at one time it would support the weight of a large man!

THE HUMAN EYE...

The hearing ear and the seeing eye , Yahweh hath made even both of them Prov 20v12

COULD THIS JUST HAPPEN BY CHANCE?

FACTS ABOUT YOUR EYES.

At conception a million optic nerves grow out from both the eye and the brain .

These nerves are like fiber-optic cable and grow through the flesh to find each other

Each of the one million optic nerves has to locate its precise counterpart to function

An enzyme cuts open the eyelids before birth

The eye can adjust at phenomenal speed to light variations, spherical and chromatic aberration , distance and movement.

More facts about your eyes...

FASCINATING FACTS Eyes have 2 million working parts 8 Million cone cells-detect color 20 Million Rod cells – detect

contrasts Can distinguish 500 shades of gray. We blink 4.2 million times a year Eyes do not need rest- are always

100% ready Eye muscles are the strongest in

body (100x more than they need to be)

The lens changes shapes for different distances –pupils dilate for light intensity.

MORE FACTS ABOUT EYES

We are born with full size eyes All babies are color blind when born No tears are possible for the first 6-8

weeks Eyes contribute 85% to human

learning.

Fearfully and wonderfully made ..

HE CREATED NOT IN VAIN: HE CREATED IT TO BE INHABITED .......ISA 45v18

THE EARTH WAS CREATED FOR LIFE At least 122 factors are known

that make life on earth a possibility.

If any of them were to be only slightly varied, life as we know it would soon disappear.

Amazing facts about the earth The earth is exactly the right distance from the

sun The earth has an ozone layer that protects us

from the sun’s harmful killer rays If the earth were 10% larger or smaller life could

not exist We have oxygen and water –not found on any

other planet. The moon is exactly located to cause the

essential tidal movements The earth’s tilted axis brings the seasons in turn

Amazing facts about the earth The earth is exactly the right distance from the

sun The earth has an ozone layer that protects us

from the sun’s harmful killer rays If the earth were 10% larger or smaller life could

not exist We have oxygen and water –not found on any

other planet. The moon is exactly located to cause the

essential tidal movements The earth’s tilted axis brings the seasons in turn

MORE PRECISE CONDITIONS

Unlike all other planets , the earth does not have an elliptical orbit..it has a circular orbit.

If it didnt , we would freeze or burn.

CREATED FOR LIFE TO EXIST

The earth has a precise magnetic field.

The rotation of the earth matches human sleep patterns

The relative size of the sun and the earth are critical .

The existence on earth of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.

AMAZING FACTORS FOR LIFE

There is , in truth, not one chance in countless millions of millions that the many unique properties of carbon , hydrogen and oxygen , (and especially their stable compounds –water and carbonic acid which chiefly make up earth’s atmosphere) should simultaneously occur in the 3 elements.

There must be a law that connects them..these are no mere accidents.Lawrence Henderson- Biologist

CONSIDER WATER

One of the strangest substances known

The most abundant substance on earth.

It has specific heat, surface tension and other properties higher or lower than all other known materials.

It has 3 phases-vapour, liquid and ice .

That the solid state( of ice) should float is unique. This supports marine life to exist in cold regions.

Conclusions

The Universe is created with amazing precision

Our planet earth is perfectly placed Earth moves perfectly to support life Earth has over 100 amazing factors

that make life possible. We have every reason the believe

that God exists, and has placed us here for a purpose.

The Creator’s Challenge

JOB 12v7-9But ask now the beasts , and they shall

teach thee: and the fowls of the air , and they shall tell thee.

Or speak to the earth and it shall teach thee : and the fishes of the sea shall declare it unto thee.

Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of THE LORD hath wrought this?

Imagine .....

Finding a watch on the beach ...and not ever having seen one before or knowing what it was, ..could you imagine that it just fell together by chance from the sand particles... and worked ?

DNA is millions of times more complex than a watch ..........

DNAThe remarkable chain of atoms and cells that create and regulate life. Bible says..we are fearfully and wonderfully made (woven together )

THE BIG ISSUE- HOW DID LIFE COME ?

Darwinism does not explain how life came Science suggests life spontaneously

generated in some mineral soup, and evolved upward

Evolution cannot explain DNA and its incredibly complex coding.

Richard Dawkins-has to admit that DNA could not just happen .he said when pushed to explain .... ‘perhaps some space travellers planted the seeds of life and DNA on earth”

“A lot of work needs to be done before scientists will be able to figure out how

life came into existence; it will take decades”

The Evolution of Evolution

UNCERTAINTY OR BELIEF Dawkins... “We don’t understand how the cosmos

came into being in the first place –we just don’t know how it all began..”

The Bible – In the beginning God created the

heavens and the earth- Gen 1v1

Other problems for Athiests and Skeptics

Mathematical impossibility for even one such evolutionary event- let alone billions of chance events .

No explanation of how interdependent species evolved (insects and plants )

Huge areas of non – conforming strata –rocks out of order and fossils in wrong strata .

Evolution is still an unproven and constantly changing theory.

Other arguments used by skeptics

Religion has caused untold war and suffering-look at Islam ,terrorism and Catholic violence

Religion has done many evil things If God exists – why so much suffering?

The rational answer

Yes , religion has disgraced God , but that does not disprove God’s s existence –rather it proves His stated opinion of the mind of the flesh..evil continually.

Israel constantly failed and disgraced God..but he uses them as His witness that he exists

True religion does offer better morals and virtues than atheism

The Challenge Where did God come from ?

We cant say – we are told he has always been and that we should not try to explain that

But the evolutionist equally has to be asked ..where did the first matter come from and how did life appear on earth ?

He that cometh to God must believe he is ..Heb 11v6

CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE TO BELIEVE IN GOD

The absolute perfection of conditions for life on earth.

The magnificent and intricate creation , the amazing inbuilt instinct –all indicate creative intelligence.

The amazing wisdom of complementary created things and their programmed abilities to relate

The person , teaching and resurrection of Christ..and the witness of the transformed men who followed him.

READ Heb 11v6

What about all the scientific data....?

We do not have to be able to understand or defeat all the theories and arguments put forward by science and atheists

We have far more circumstantial evidence for our belief than they have...

Faith....is a choice to believe God.

THE GREATEST REASON TO BELIEVE

The Bible itself !... Historically accurate –proven and tested Consistent, offers hope and reason Prophetic fulfilment –a witness to a divine

mind that knows and shapes the future Numerical brilliance and amazing patterns Offers moral values , way ahead of their

time Gives meaning and guidance for our life

SIMPLE FAITH

Believes that God exists Believes that The Bible is God’s

inspired Word. Believes that God made all things . Believes that God created in 6 days. Believes that Adam was the first

man. Believes that sin brought mortality Believes that we can share God’s

eternity

FAITH IS NORMAL

Man is created with tendency to believe

Many highly educated , intelligent people do believe , including many scientists

Many scientists have become believers

The 3 greatest scientists of the past were all believers(Newton, Faraday and Maxwell)

Atheists are small but vocal minority..4% only

Faith today

Faith is not blind ...that’s dangerous Our faith is based on sound evidence

and a myriad of circumstantial indicators

This leads to logical conclusions beyond reasonable doubt.

In the end -we still have to choose to believe ..and accept the Creator’s existence and follow the Makers instructions

A FAITH THAT MAKES SENSE

THERE IS A GOD , THE CREATOR

GOD IS IN CONTROL OF OUR WORLD

HE WILL SOON CHANGE THE WORLD

YOU CAN BE THERE,LIVING FOREVER

GOD HAS MADE GREAT PROMISES WE MUST BELIEVE

CAN WE ACCEPT THEISTIC EVOLUTION ?

How does the acceptance of theistic evolution impact on the atonement.?

Theistic Evolution Says

Adam was not the first man , but was the first specially created man ( or the first recorded evolved man)

Adam was created mortal (a dying creature )

Other mortals existed on the earth As a result of sin , Adam was kept from the

tree of life and lost his hope of becoming immortal.

His condemnation was only a legal sentence, nothing changed in his nature.

THE BIBLE SAYS...

The first man Adam..1Cor 15v45 As in Adam all die ...1 Cor 15v22 Wherefore as by one man sin

entered the world , and death by sin...Rom 5v12

For if through the offence of one , many be dead..Rom 5v 15

OUR STATEMENT OF FAITH (BASF)SAYS “Adam..the first man “. BASF clause 3 “That the first man Adam...God created him

from the dust ...”very good” in kind or condition. Clause 4

“That Adam broke this law....and was sentenced ...a sentence which defiled and became a physical law of his being .” BASF 5

“..all the effects that came by Adam’s transgression, including the death that passed upon all men...”BASF Clause 10

The Cooper Carter Addendum-Acceptance IS required for fellowship in Australia. Adam was made of the earth and

declared to be very good. He suffered the consequences of sin-

shame, a defiled conscience and MORTALITY.

As his descendants we partake of that mortality that came by sin.

Creation is not compatible

with Evolution

THE WEAK POINTS FOR EVOLUTION

Unbelievable reliance on pure chance. One has only to contemplate the magnitude of this

task to conclude that spontaneous generation of a living organism is impossible.

George Wald –Biochemist The hypothesis that life has developed from inorganic

matter is, at present , still an article of faith J W Sullivan – Mathematician The probability of life originating by accident is

comparable to the chance of producing an unabridged dictionary as a result of an explosion in a printing factory.

Biologist Edward Conklin

PROFESSING THEMSELVES TO BE WISE THEY BECAME FOOLS ...........

THE WEAK POINTS FOR EVOLUTION

Life is upwardly progressive. All our experience is to the opposite-defies the 2nd law of

thermodynamics..(that all things degenerate ) There are no intermediary fossils

Eg ..supposed horse evolutionary tree...first has 18 pairs of ribs, next 15 pairs, next 19 pairs and the modern horse has 18 pairs............and besides this, the supposed members of this horse series are fossils found out of dating sequence

Dating methods are highly suspect

Carbon 14 dating depends on absolutely static conditions prevailing .Most other dating is circular.(dateing rocks by fossils and fossils by rocks)

Big Bang theory has now been debunked by Hubble discoveries

Sadly there are those who deny that God exists

Psalm 14:1

“The fool hath said in his heart there is no

God”

Romans 1:18-25

“…professing themselves to be wise they became fools”

If ‘Evolution’ were true then we should see new species evolving today.

OBVIOUS QUESTIONS TO ASK:

.

Why does the fossil record shows thousands of dead animals, humans included, all exactly the same as the previous generation.?

Species can only reproduce with like species. So when the first fish walked out of the water and onto land, a different species from his parents, with whom did he mate to produce offspring? Does this mean that with

each and every evolutionary step both male and female occurred at once?

How did the plants reproduce before bees had evolved to fertilise the flowers?

When a child is first born, how does it know how to breathe, and how does it know to start sucking when placed on the breast?

MORE QUESTIONS ....

Show me any creature other than a human that can reason right from

wrong

Where is the link between apes and humans ?

As each step from ape to human was an improvement, then why do apes exist when their improved offspring don’t?

The Chance of a Positive Mutation

“It is a number so small that in order to account for synthetic evolution by random mutation one has to have an almost religious faith in the power of extremely unlikely events and very

long time scales”Facts of Life by Richard Milton

Dr H. J. Muller:

“Most mutations are bad. In fact, good ones are so rare

that we can consider them all bad”.

Time, 11th Nov 1946, pg 38

A SILENT WITNESS TO GOD. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the

firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto

night showeth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their

voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and

their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,

Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber , and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.

Psalm 19v1-6

LETS LOOK AT THE UNIVERSE FIRSTThe Bible says.... The heaven, even the heavens are

Yahweh’s , but the earth hath he given to the children of men.

Psa. 115v16 Lift up now your eyes on high, and

behold who hath created all these things ..that calleth them all by names ..Isa 40v26

See also Nehemiah 9v6..God preserves the stars and the planets

THE BALANCED UNIVERSE

If either the expansionary force or the gravitational forces were only slightly greater or weaker the universe would collapse and self destruct .

The balanced level of precision defies all the odds of probability

SIR ISAAC NEWTON

“Blind fate could not possibly account for the wonderful uniformity demonstrated by planetary movements, Gravity may put planets in motion , but without the divine power it could never have put them into such a circulating motion as they have.”

THE BALANCE OF THE UNIVERSE The universe is rapidly expanding

(showing it had a start point) This expansionary force prevents

the universe collapsing in on itself. Gravity is another force which is

precisely balanced to exactly match the expansionary forces , so that matter can form galaxies, stars and planets.

OTHER FACTORS NOW DISCOVERED The density of space..incredibly precise !

The most spectacular evidence for supernatural design of the cosmos resides in the density characteristics. For physical life to be possible,- anywhere anytime, -the mass density of the universe can differ by no more than one part in 10 (60) , and the space energy density by no more than one part in 10 (120).

Dr Hugh Ross ( Astronomer)

Stephen Hawking says... (an agnostic scientist)

“Why did the Universe start out with so nearly the critical rate of expansion....If the rate of expansion one second after the Big Bang had been smaller by even one part in a hundred thousand million, the Universe would have collapsed before it reached its present state .”

FACING THE OBVIOUS

“The odds against the Universe like ours emerging out of something like the Big Bang are enormous. I think clearly there are religious implications whenever you start to discuss the origins of the Universe. There must be religious overtones. But I think most scientists prefer to shy away from the religious implications. “ Stephen

Hawking- the worlds most respected physicist .

THE HEAVENS DECLARE GOD’S GLORY When I consider thy heavens , the

work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars , which thou hast ordained; What is man that thou art mindful of him. Psalm 8v3-4

THE BALANCED UNIVERSE

If either the expansionary force or the gravitational forces were only slightly greater or weaker the universe would collapse and self destruct .

The balanced level of precision defies all the odds of probability

SIR ISAAC NEWTON

“Blind fate could not possibly account for the wonderful uniformity demonstrated by planetary movements, Gravity may put planets in motion , but without the divine power it could never have put them into such a circulating motion as they have.”