A WORD TO MY ATHEIST AND AGNOSTIC FRIENDS

I am aware that some of us believe that there is no Supreme being, no Creator who created this world and is concerned with and takes an active part in the earth's affairs : and because there is no God, all life is a cosmic accident, and truth is relative, no absolutes.
I am also aware that some of us are not sure whether there is a God.

No problem.

I just want to share some things with you guys. I do not pretend to be super-intelligent. I do not know all those - isms and - logy(ies). I am simply going to speak straight from my heart.

First of all, I would like us to consider more closely the following issues:

Look at the beauty and order, especially the order in nature. The pattern of day and night, the way the human body functions almost like clockwork. Our Planet Earth which is just the right distance away from the sun, amongst other examples. How come such beauty, such
order, exists if life is a cosmic accident?

Man has been described as a religious being. The many religions all over the world attest to this fact. And one thing is common to all of them: belief in some higher power.

One other thing to note is that almost all, if not all these religions engage in some form of nature worship: they see the beauty of nature and are filled with awe. They instantly see something divine about Nature, and worship it. It could be the Sun, Moon, Stars, etc. What is the issue? Why this sense or belief in a divine entity or entities the world over? Why this pervading sense of the existence of a divine being and the desire to relate with such being? Is it just a misguided feeling? Why this worldwide search for what should be a myth? Could this feeling have being cultivated somehow or it's inborn? If it's inborn, how did it get there? Why do these religions see divinity in nature? Why?

Man has an amazing intellect. We can think, imagine and invent things. The amazing inventions of science are an expression of this fact. How can you explain the origin of a thought? Is our creative ability an accident?

Many of us have wondered what life means. And some of us have 'found out' that life has no meaning, it's a cosmic accident. Why then the sadness in your heart at your finding? Why does it even occur to you to think of the meaning of life if life is supposed to be an accident?

You believe there is no absolute truth. Truth is relative. No absolute standard for behavior. Then why do you feel that thing they call conscience, that prick in your heart whenever you hurt someone, even when they are not there to know you did it? Why do you often feel the need to defend yourself, to justify your actions when your actions hurt someone somehow?

Why does pain and suffering hurt you? Why do you feel grief when someone you love or know or (sometimes, don't even know) dies? Why does it seem so wrong to you? After all, isn't that what this cosmic accident is all about, what it was meant to be, about sickness and disease, decay everywhere? Why do you wish it wasn't like this?

Just think closely about all these.

Well, while you are thinking, let me go ahead and tell you what I believe.

I believe life was designed. I believe in a Supreme Designer, who is God. The God of science. The pattern, the laws, the order governing nature convinces me. Just the way I would look at a phone, and the way it works, and know that it was programmed to function the way it does, by someone, or something.

I also believe that just as a Fish was designed to live in water, Man was designed to have a relationship with his Maker, hence the in-built desire to relate with that Higher Being. The religions all over the world are a testament to this fact.

I believe people see the handwork of divinity in nature because God, our Maker, chose to speak to us, human beings, about Himself, through nature. As the Bible says in Romans 1:20 that the invisible things of God are clearly seen through the things he has made. Psalm 19:1 says that the heavens declare the glory of the Lord and the sky proclaims his handwork. He made us 'smell' Him through his creation so we can search for Him, and find Him. It's his way of saying, 'look at me. I live. I am not a myth!'

I believe we ponder on the meaning of life because deep down inside, God has placed in every one of us the sense that life is meant to have meaning. He created life to be meaningful.

I believe that we feel our consciences stab us when we hurt others or do wrong because no matter what we may think, the fact is that God planted in everyone of us a sense of right and wrong,what pleases him and what doesn't.

I believe we are hurt when we see pain, suffering, and death because deep down in our hearts, we know that all these pain and decay and death are abnormal. We know inside that they were not part of God's intention for the earth he created. He planted in us a sense of what he intended and what he didn't. The book of Ecclesiastes 3:11 says that God has set eternity in our hearts.


I believe we are creative beings, people with keen intellect, because God made us in His image. He made us to express the creative character of Him. We are not a product of a cosmic accident.

The fact is that we were wired, programmed, fashioned with the inprint of our Maker. We were made to relate with Him, to depend on him. We were not made to be independent of God as a fish will die without water. Not because the water killed it for jumping out, but because it was never made to exist outside water.

Religion is man's attempt to reach the Maker he senses. It's the fish attempting to find its way back into the water it jumped out from. How futile! However, I bring you something much more than religion. I bring you a relationship. Christianity. Life. Christianity is GOD REACHING DOWN TO US.

GOD made a world void of sin and decay. He made man with a free will, to choose to obey him and live, or disobey him and die. Unfortunately, our first parents, Adam and Eve chose to disobey, to jump out of the ocean onto dry land like the fish, and thus, cut themselves and their children (us) from their Source, and death and decay reigned. The good news is God has found a way to bring the fish back into the water. Through his Son, Jesus Christ. The penalty for disobedience was death. We cannot pay that debt. We needed a sinless sacrifice, and so Jesus came.

Jesus, a living being, attested to by history, cane and bailed us out. All we need to do is accept him as Lord and Savior (Romans 10:9-10) and you will receive his life into your spirit and become God's Child. You will be thrown back into the water again.

Please do not ignore the yearning in your heart for your Maker. Accept the ONLY WAY to Him, today. And be assured of a wonderful relationship with Him that will last FOREVER.

Remember that I said God created this beautiful world with no intention of the presence of pain and suffering and death. He has a plan for the earth. In his time, he will make a new Earth and do away with the anomalies our disobedience created.

Please respond to those yearnings in your heart and receive Jesus into your heart and enjoy that relationship with Your Maker you have been yearning for, today.

You may say this is all too simple. It's a crutch for weak, stupid people. But I don't think so. For me, it's an anchor, a solid pillar to lean on. Solid, because it is true.

I do not always understand why some things just happen. I ask God questions. Sometimes my finite self is angry with him because of some things that he let happen. But deep down, in the midst of the pain, I just know HE IS THERE, and HE CARES, and knows what's best, even though I don't always understand what's going on. Trust me, he does care.