Question:
Dear
Greg,
How would one respond to Ockham’s Razor?
For example:
1.
Is
there a “God being” who is some “superperson”
and
2.
Is
there a God that would give laws that are impossible to follow?
3.
Would
such a God work through only ONE person or organization?
4.
Does
an infinite God need money from us?
5.
Would
a God like this write only ONE book that all men must follow for salvation and
give it to only 30% of the current earth’s population?
Let’s forget about the billions who have already died.
6.
Is
it possible that such a “God” would hide himself from mankind to let
mankind grope and grovel to some organization or ideal that claims to
represent him?
7.
Is
it possible that such an irresponsible God would leave mankind with NO
evidence of his existence except a book that’s loaded with error?
8.
Is
it possible that God would send someone to “save” mankind when only a
small fraction of people who have ever lived have ever heard of this Jesus
guy?
9.
Is
it logical that such a (depicted) “God” exists?
10.
Is
it possible that the “bad guys” are making lots of money on people’s
gullibility?
Ockham’s Razor says that the simplest
answer is the most logical one. Let’s
look at some of the facts here. While
people may disagree, everyone’s invited to debate the following:
If God is all-loving, why doesn’t he reveal himself?
How could God be a “being” if God is supposedly everywhere,
all-knowing and
all-powerful?
Why does God NOT answer prayer?
Why is the world such a mess?
If the
most crime?
Why are so many ignoring and destroying the world’s ecology?
Why is this world and its precious people so
suicidal?
These questions could continue indefinitely.
But it all brings us to the question of God.
If God really IS, then why does he allow all this chaos?
Like it or not, Ockham’s Razor gives an
answer that most won’t like. There
is NO God as we know him, and even if there were, he obviously doesn’t give
a damn.
Why is it that we must always justify God?
Does such an Infinity need defending?
The world must always somehow “defend” God.
It always has…out of fear. Religion
must make “excuses” for God. Since
God is all-powerful, people think that he can “zot”
us so we have to be careful because he’ll get us if we disagree.
That’s the opposite of Ockham’s Razor.
The Razor is logic, but religion says otherwise.
Most are still hooked into religion…and fear.
The Razor says the opposite.
So we are left with the inevitable conclusion.
God is NOT as we view him, but something else entirely.
What’s your response?
Ron
Answer:
Dear
Ron,
A brief response.
The Bible tells us that God is God and we are not.
God is “wholly other”—we cannot capture his essence, his mind,
his “other-ness”. The only
way that we can at all have a relationship with him is because he condescends
to meet us on our level. In his
revelation of the Bible, he uses our language and the symbols that have
meaning to us to help us understand that part of God that he has created us to
be able to comprehend.
Humans often flatter themselves into thinking that they can outsmart
and out-think God. Our logic
ends, but that does not mean that we have plumbed the infinite, uncreated,
eternal God who is without beginning or without end.
We kid ourselves if we think so.
And thus I agree with a few concepts expressed above—God does not
need humans to defend him or justify his actions, behaviors, motives, etc.
We cannot put God in a box, although religion does its best to do so.
And God does “march on” in spite of the pitiful and pathetic
attempts of humans to either, on the one hand, represent him, or on the other,
discredit him and pronounce his death.
God is not subject to our perceptions of justice, fairness and
righteousness. For that reason,
among others, he does not save us because of our goodness—for our goodness
is not sufficient to save us. Only
he can do that.
In Christ,