A science professor begins his
school year with a lecture to
the students, 'Let me explain
the problem science has
with religion.' The atheist professor
of philosophy pauses before his class
and then asks one of his
new students to stand.
'You're a Christian, aren't you, son?'
'Yes sir,' the student says.
'So you believe in God?'
'Absolutely.'
'Is God good?'
'Sure! God's good.'
'Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?'
'Yes.'
'Are you good or evil?'
'The Bible says I'm evil.'
The professor grins knowingly.
'Aha! The Bible!' He considers for a
moment. 'Here's one for you.
Let' s say there's a sick person over
here and you can cure him.
You can do it. Would you
help him? Would you try?'
'Yes sir, I would.'
'So you're good...!'
'I wouldn't say that.'
'But why not say that? You'd help
a sick and maimed person if
you could. Most of us would
if we could. But God doesn't.'
The student does not answer,
so the professor continues.
'He doesn't, does he? My
brother was a Christian who
died of cancer, even though he
prayed to Jesus to heal him. How
is this Jesus good? Hmmm?
Can you answer that one?'
The student remains silent.
'No, you can't, can you?'
the professor says. He takes a
sip of water from a glass on his
desk to give the student time to
relax.
'Let's start again, young
fella. Is God good?'
'Er...yes,' the student says.
'Is Satan good?'
The student doesn't hesitate
on this one. 'No.'
'Then where does
Satan come from?'
The student falters. 'From God'
'That's right. God made
Satan, didn't he?
Tell me, son. Is there
evil in this world?'
'Yes, sir.'
'Evil's everywhere, isn't it? And
God did make everything, correct?'
'Yes.'
'So who created evil?' The professor
continued, 'If God created
everything, then
God created evil, since evil exists, and
according to the principle that
our works define
who we are, then God is evil.'
Again, the student has no answer.
'Is there sickness? Immorality?
Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible
things, do they exist in this world?'
The student squirms on his feet. 'Yes.'
'So who created them?'
The student does not answer again,
so the professor repeats his question.
'Who created them?'
There is still no answer.
Suddenly the lecturer breaks
away to pace in front of the classroom.
The class is mesmerized.
'Tell me,' he continues onto another
student. 'Do you believe
in Jesus Christ, son?'
The student's voice
betrays him and cracks.
'Yes, professor, I do.'
The old man stops pacing.
'Science says
you have five senses you use to
identify and observe the world
around you. Have you ever seen Jesus?'
'No sir. I've never seen Him.'
'Then tell us if you've ever heard your Jesus?'
'No, sir, I have not.'
'Have you ever felt your Jesus,
tasted your Jesus or smelt your Jesus?
Have you ever had any sensory
perception of Jesus Christ,
or God for that matter?'
'No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't.'
'Yet you still believe in him?'
'Yes.'
'According to the rules of
empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol,
science says your God doesn't exist.
What do you say to that, son?'
'Nothing,' the student replies.
'I only have my faith.'
'Yes, faith,'
the professor repeats. 'And
that is the problem science has with
God. There is no evidence, only faith.'
The student stands quietly for a moment,
before asking a question of His own.
'Professor, is there such thing as heat?'
'Yes,' the professor
replies. 'There's heat.'
'And is there such a thing as cold?'
'Yes, son, there's cold too.'
'No sir, there isn't.'
The professor turns to face the student,
obviously interested. The
room suddenly becomes very quiet.
The student begins to e xplain.
'You can have lots of heat, even
more heat, super-heat, mega-heat,
unlimited heat, white heat, a little
heat or no heat, but we don't have
anything called 'cold'. We can hit up
to 458 degrees below zero, which is
no heat, but we can't go any further
after that. There is no such thing as
cold; otherwise we would be able to go
colder than the lowest -458 degrees.'
'Every body or object is susceptible
to study when it has or transmits energy,
and heat is what makes a body or
matter have or transmit energy.
Absolute zero (-458 F) is the total absence
of heat. You see, sir, cold is only a word
we use to describe the absence of heat. We
cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure
in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold
is not the opposite of heat, sir,
just the absence of it.'
Silence across the room. A pen drops
somewhere in the classroom,
sounding like a hammer.
'What about darkness, professor.
Is there such a thing as darkness?'
'Yes,' the professor
replies without hesitation.
'What is night if it isn't darkness?'
'You're wrong again, sir.
Darkness is not something;
it is the absence of something.
You can have low light, normal
light, bright light, flashing
light, but if you have no light
constantly you have nothing and
it's called darkness, isn't it?
That's the meaning
we use to define the word.'
'In reality, darkness isn't. If it were,
you would be able to make
darkness darker, wouldn't you?'
The professor begins to smile at
thestudentinfrontofhim.
This will be a good semester.
'So what point are you making,
young man?'
'Yes, professor. My point is, your
philosophical premise is flawed
to start with, and so your conclusion
must also be flawed.'
The professor's face cannot hide his
surprise this time.
'Flawed? Can you explain how?'
'You are working on
the premise of duality,'
the student explains.
'You argue that
there is life and then there's death;
a good God and a bad God.
You are viewing the
concept of God as something finite,
something we can measure.
Sir, science can't
even explain a thought.'
'It uses electricity and magnetism, but
has never seen, much less fully
understood either one. To view death as
the opposite of life is to be ignorant of
the fact that death cannot exist as a
substantive thing. Death is not
the opposite of life,
just the absence of it.'
'Now tell me, professor. Do you teach
your students that they
evolved from a monkey?'
'If you are referring to the natural
evolutionary process, young
man, yes, of course I do.'
'Have you ever observed evolution
with your own eyes, sir?'
The professor begins to shake his
head, still smiling, as he realizes where
the argument is going.
A very good semester, indeed.
'Since no one has ever observed the
process of evolution at work and
cannot even prove that this process is
an on-going endeavor, are you not
teaching your opinion, sir?
Are you now not a scientist,
but a preacher?'
The class is in uproar.
The student remains silent
until the commotion has subsided.
' To continue the point you were
making earlier to the other student,
let me give you an example of what I mean.'
The student looks around the room.
'Is there anyone in the class who
has ever seen the professor's brain?'
The class breaks out into laughter.
'Is there anyone here who has
ever heard the professor's
brain, felt the professor's brain,
touched or smelt the professor's
brain? No one appears to have
done so. So, according to the
established rules of empirical,
stable, demonstrable protocol,
science says that you have no
brain, with all due respect, sir.'
'So if science says you have
no brain, how can we trust your
lectures, sir?' Now the room is silent.
The professor just stares at
the student, his face unreadable.
Finally, after what seems an eternity,
the old man answers. 'I guess
you'll have to take them on faith.'
'Now, you accept that there is faith,
and, in fact, faith exists with life,'
the student continues.
'Now, sir, is there such a thing as evil?'
Now uncertain, the professor responds,
'Of course, there is. We see it everyday.
It is in the daily example of man's
inhumanity to man.
It is in the multitude
of crime and violence everywhere
in the world. These manifestations
are nothing else but evil.'
To this the student replied, 'Evil does
not exist sir, or at least it does not exist
unto itself. Evil is simply the
absence of God. It is just like darkness
and cold, a word that man has created
to describe the absence of God. God
did not create evil. Evil is the result of
what happens when man does not have
God's love present in his heart. It's like
the cold that comes when there is no
heat or the darkness that comes
when there is no light.'
The professor sat down.