I received this from a friend in my e-mail, and I am sure many of you may have read it, but it really struck me. I am not a scientist, nor a theologian, so I cannot accurately defend the science in the story... but it sure made me think! I will have to google a few things now! If you are one that tends to like only a brief read... scroll down to the bold print!
The first day of class started, and the atheist professor wanted to make his first point, and let his students know where he stood. "Let me explain the problem science has with Jesus Christ." The 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. "Ahhh, 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 helped 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 Jesus good? Hmmm? Can you answer that one?"
The student remains silent.
"No you can't, can you?" The professor takes a a sip of water from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax.
"Let's start again, young fellow. 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: "From...God...."
"That's right. God made Satan, didn't he? Tell me, son. Is there evil in the 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."
Without allowing the student to answer, the professor continues: "Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things, do they exist in the world?"
The student: "Yes."
"So who created them?"
The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats the 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.
The professor goes to another student.
"Tell me, do you believe in Jesus Christ?"
The student's voice in confident. "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; seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting, and smelling. Have you seen Jesus?"
"No sir, I have never seen Him."
"Have you ever actually felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus, or smelled 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."
"Ahh yes, 'faith'", the professor repeats. "And that's the problem science has with God: There is no evidence, only faith."
The student stands silently for a moment, before asking a question of his own. "Professor, is there such a thing as heat?"
"yes," the professor replies. "There's heat."
"And is there such a thing as cold?"
"Yes, son, there is cold as well."
"No sir, there isn't."
The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested. The room suddenly becomes very quiet. The student begins to explain:
"You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super heat, mega-heat, unlimited heat, white heat, little 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. Absolute zero (-458 F) is the total absence of heat. You see, sir, 'cold' is just a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We can not 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."
The room, and the professor, remain silent.
"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's the ansence 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 to define the word. In reality, darkness isn't. If it were you'd be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?"
The professor begins to smile. This will be a good semester. "So what point are you making, young man?"
"My point is, professor, 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 off the premise of duality," the student explains. "You argue that there is life and then there is 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 been seen, much less fully understood with 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 we evolved from a monkey?"
"If you are referring to the natural evolutuionary process, yes, of couse 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 not a scientist, but a preacher?"
The class is in an uproar, and the student waits 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 room breaks out in laughter.
"Is there anyone here who as ever heard the professor's brain, felt the professor's brain, touched or smelled the professor's brain? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstable protocol, with all due respect, sir, science says that you have no brain. So if science says you have no brain, how can we trust your lectures?"
The room is silent. The professor stares at the student, his face unreadable. Finally he says, "I guess they'll have to take them on faith."
"Now," says the student, "you accept that there is faith, and in fact, that faith exists in life. Is there a thing called evil?"
Now uncertain, the professor responds, "Of course there is evil. We see it everyday. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil."
To this the student replies, "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 or cold, a word developed 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.
