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'In the beginning ...'
The deeper science goes, the stronger the argument for, at the very least, an Intelligent Designer.
Anyone with the thinnest grasp of the complexity of the most basic forms of life stands amazed at the intricate detail involved in life.
Even the much-maligned mosquito has its place in the scheme of things and the microscopic dead skin consuming dust mites that live in your bed and mine provide a most valuable service. After all, suffocating in my own dead skin cells seems a particularly appalling way to die.
I first learned of these admittedly ugly, creepy-crawlies on a PBS documentary many years ago. A high-powered microscope revealed an army of translucent beetle-like creatures, crawling over, around and through my world, chomping flakes of dead skin like a starving man at a buffet table.
The wisdom of creation is awe-inspiring. When Lisa was carrying her firstborn, Alycia, she had a gestational calendar that showed the development of my granddaughter week-by-week. Astonishing. Small wonder the psalmist praised the Lord, saying, "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb." (Psalm 139:13)
Watching that newborn infant from her first breath through the completion of her first year of life further demonstrates the Creator's wisdom. From helpless infant, with neck muscles still too weak to support her head, to a staggering walk, all within a year's time is an amazing accomplishment. And today, just one day shy of completing five years on planet Earth, Alycia is not only able to walk and talk, feed and dress herself, she also helps out with her little brother, Luke, and manages to get what she wants, pretty much when she wants it.
For example, not too long ago, she took me by the hand and led me into my kitchen, to the cabinet where her Grandpa and I keep our stash of chocolate. Pointing at the cupboard, a winsome smile on her face, she fully expected me to meet her need.
I asked, "Is there something in this cabinet that you want?"
Continuing to point, her smile widened and her eyes lit up.
"What could you possibly want in here?" I teased, opening the door. "Oh, I see," I continued, spotting the bag of Hershey kisses, "you want kisses!"
Her response was immediate. "No, Grandma, I don't want kisses, I want candy!"
Didn't take her long to figure that one out, did it?
If I had never seen an ocean, or a high mountain range, a sunset revealing the myriad hues all contained in the word "pink," having children and watching them grow would have been enough to convince me of the existence of God and of his inherent goodness. After all, in having children, we discover not only what it means to be a father or a mother, we rediscover what it means to be a child, and all of the wonder that childhood holds.
Of course, parenthood, dust mites, oceans, mountain ranges, sunrises, sunsets and even the existence of the annoying mosquito aren't the only pieces of evidence in our reality that reveal the existence and the continuing, intimate watch-care of God.
Our innate desire for justice, our instinctive moral code, even our own creativity, also speak to God's grand design. The very fact that religion of any sort exists is further evidence of God's existence, for in the absence of any direct knowledge of him, man has consistently invented gods, systems of worship, and moral codes of conduct.
That makes it hard for me to know what to do with the plethora of books out on the market recently, that not only deny the existence of God (in any form), but also malign those who believe in him.
The latest to hit the bookstands, by Dr. Darrel Ray, is titled, "The God Virus: How Religion Infects Our Lives and Culture," and offers the non-religious insight into understanding those who are infected with religion; and for the religious, insight into understanding our infection, perhaps even providing ways to control or eliminate religion's detrimental effects in our lives. (It is probably coincidental, but the picture on the cover bears a slight resemblance to my memory of that creepy-crawly dust mite from that long ago documentary.)
The question that most frequently comes to mind when pondering the mysteries of atheism is where can we find justice, purpose, potential, or any measure of peace if God is absent? Throughout recorded history, man, unique among creation in this aspect, has pondered these questions. In spite of the enormous amount of intellect applied, the years of philosophy dedicated to the pursuit of these innate needs of humanity, and in the face of great deception and denial, these questions still only find full satisfaction in the person of Jesus, revealing as he did, the face of the Father and the heart of love he holds for his created man.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men." John 1:1-4 (NIV)
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