Atheist's Quandary

This hub is my humble appeal to some atheists (especially atheist scientists) to keep an open mind and examine the evidence. I am not trying to convert anyone. In fact, it is my believe that faith can only come from within. True believers must come to the conclusion on their own. Science and nature are part of our world but not the only part. There are supernatural happenings that is outside the realm of science and nature. It has occurred in the distant past and it exists today. The quandary of some atheists whether they know it or not is something they must come to terms with.

-Jan. 2015

I realize a discussion about the existence of a "Creator" is a very touchy subject for some people. I do think we need some honest discussion. To get the ball rolling, I would like to set a few ground rules.

1. Keep an open mind, there are many sides to this topic.
2. Don't make any assumptions as to motives.
3. Agree that we don't have all the answers.
4. Objective is not to convert but to illuminate.

1. The Theory of Evolution has gaps that are unexplained.
2. Miracles has been witnessed and documented throughout our history.
3. Human consciousness is a mystery.
4. Near death experiences have provided some insight into the possibilities of afterlife.
5. The Earth's environment is hospitable to human life. (only one in our solar system)

Atheist's main argument against the existence of a Supreme being is the theory of evolution. This is contrary to the idea that God is the creator of all life on earth as described in the Bible. They put all their faith in science and discount any other theories as myth. If this was truly a scientific exercise, I would have no problem with it. Just as when it was postulated that the earth is round instead of flat, and then demonstrated by scientific methods and proven when Magellan circumnavigated the earth. In this case, the creation vs. evolution debate, there is no proof of one or the other. The theory of evolution has gaps which cannot be explained. Also, the dilemma that life exploded in the Cambrian period. Evolution theory requires a slow small progression of changes.

My personal thinking on this topic is coming from a different perspective. As an engineer, I'm always looking for a logical mechanism for how something works. The two biggest problem I have with evolution is the high statistical odds for changes to happen by chance and the concept of irreducible complexity. Many of the organs that have "evolved" require multiple changes in the structure to work. The problem is more complicated than just having small incremental changes to go from A to B. On the other hand, if you are open to the idea that an "intelligent" source is behind the creation narrative, then at least we can explain the dilemma. In fact, one such group called ancient alien theorist, believe that another more advanced alien race came to earth in the distant past and created man by changing the DNA of creatures they discovered living on earth. I am not saying that I prescribe to their theory though I would have an easier task accepting this theory over the evolution theory. It just fits the data better but it would still not answer the "big question" where did the aliens come from?

How do atheist explain the Fatima event? This is a modern day miracle that occurred in 1917. It is well documented. Ten's of thousand of people witness the event first hand. Numerous newspaper articles were written about it as it happened. The events that occurred cannot be explained by any scientific or natural laws. The first hand accounts are very detailed and descriptive. The events have been studied and investigated and numerous books have been written. The best one is "Our Lady of Fatima" by William Walsh.

Some people who question the existence of God has told me that if God exists, why doesn't He just make an appearance and announce his presence. Yet, here is a case where a supernatural event happened and yet some people will dismiss it as some mass illusion. My answer is, He has done so on numerous occasions and yet there are always people who will ignore it or chose to not believe.

A more recent miracle happened in NYC in Jan. of 2009. It was called "miracle on the Hudson". A commercial airline with 155 on board survived an emergency landing on the Hudson river in the middle of winter. You can argue that this was something that airline pilots and crew are well trained to deal with such events. However, for all the things to happen on that day to produce the miraculous results of zero fatalities, it would require an extremely lucky break or divine intervention.

Near Death Experience is a phenomenon that has gained attention recently. Numerous books have been published by people who claims to have experienced death and crossed over to the other side. You can be a skeptic and say they are just out to make some money and claim their 15 minutes of fame. However, how do you explain the first hand experience of Dr. Eben Alexander III? A neural surgeon who has dismissed Near Death Experience as explainable by the brain shutting down. After contracting bacterial meningitis in 2008, the deadly infection sent him into a deep coma. After recovery, he became a convert and wrote a book describing his experience in 'Proof of Heaven".

I don't have any special knowledge but as an engineer and a scientist, I do know when the topic is incomplete. There are some scientists who claim that the science is settled even though there are holes and gaps. I don't understand their position. Part of discovery is to be open to new ideas. If new evidence show up, they should be considered. That is how science make progress. History has taught us, the more we study nature and our selves, the more questions come up. As we unlock the mysteries of the universe, we seems to open more doors. That is a wonderful thing. The quandary for atheist is this - if science can explain all that we see, why are some famous scientists still believe in God?

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