Does God exist? If so, what are His attributes?

Let's get a little scientific... shall we?

I know, it has been way too long since I've posted anything here. I'll be honest, I've been busy on other projects, much having to do with the political side of my blogs. I don't feel bad about that, either, by the way. God has a purpose for all of us. We can't all be pastors. Some of us have to do what we need to do for God in our way, using our talents. A great example would be Mike Huckabee. He's been a pastor, a governor, ran for President, and now a great host on Fox News, not to mention a frequent guest on Fox and Friends.

But I digress. I saw the following in a great email this morning from my good friend Susan, and felt it highly worthy of being shared in this venue.

Does God exist? If so, what are His attributes? Is He a God of Love? Is He an angry God? Is He passive and complacent? Has He revealed His demeanor at all? Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle, a first century theologian, wrote to the Christian Church at Rome, "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse" (Romans 1:20). According to Paul, if we make an unbiased investigation of the world around us, we can determine God's existence and His attributes by merely observing the things of nature. In essence, by examining creation we can discover the Creator.

God: Necessity or Convenience?

Is God necessary, or merely convenient? 20th century science successfully proved with certainty that the universe is not eternal -- that it did have a beginning. An eternal universe is contrary to our Natural Laws (laws that remain unbroken within the observable universe). Furthermore, beginning with Einstein's Theory of Relativity, science has determined that space and time are intertwined. So much so, in fact, that they are no longer separate concepts, but referred to as the "space-time continuum." Once upon a time, there was a time when there was no time. Thus, explaining our origins by pointing to the eternal existence of the universe is no longer a valid position. Now, there are only two options to answer the riddle of the existence of all things: Either Someone made the world, or else the world made itself.

The first option is summed up by this formula: Matter + energy + information = concept and design (creation). The alternative is expressed by this formula: Matter + energy + time + random chance = complexity and apparent design (an incredible accident).

God: Concept & Design Revealed!

Do we see God's handiwork? Over several millennia, mankind has developed an appreciation of the beauty and complexity of the universe. However, it wasn't until 1953, with the discovery of the structure of DNA molecule by James Watson and Francis Crick, that mankind finally began to understand the incredible design that permeates all life. Anyone who truly investigates the mystery of the DNA molecule -- this incredible micro, digital, error-correcting, redundant, self duplicating, information storage and retrieval system, with its own inherent language convention, that has the potential to develop any organism from raw biological material -- understands that life is the result of concept and design. Information Science tells us that concept and design can only result from a mind. Therefore, a Creator is the scientific default for all that we see. Unless mankind is able to identify a natural mechanism by which the universe could have created itself, a Creator is necessary.

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God: Validated by Scientific Endeavor

In an attempt to disprove the necessity of God, graduate student Stanley Miller performed the famous Miller-Urey "spark and soup" experiment in 1953. Miller based his experiment on observations made by Harold Urey in 1952 regarding necessary atmospheric conditions for Spontaneous Generation of the "building blocks" of life. The ironic result of Miller's work was the validation of the Creation argument. Urey demonstrated that the presupposed atmospheric conditions of primitive earth were lethal to the "building blocks" of life. Oxygen destroys amino acids. However, without oxygen to deflect UV light, UV destroys amino acids. Thus, life can't develop as a result of Spontaneous Generation with or without oxygen. Geology indicates oxygen has always been a part of earth's atmosphere (every layer of strata, including the lowest layers, consist of oxidized rock). Furthermore, Miller demonstrated that Spontaneous Generation creates material lethal to life's "building blocks." The Miller-Urey experiment produced 85% tar, which is poisonous to life. Actually, Miller's experiment only produced amino acid "building blocks" in very small amounts (approximately 1.9% of the total product), but they themselves were harmful to life due to their structural makeup. The principle of "chirality" requires that all amino acids in proteins be 'left-handed', while all sugars in DNA and RNA, be 'right-handed'. Miller's experiment produced roughly equal amounts of left and right-handed material, thus establishing the mathematical absurdity of creating even the basic elements of life from a "spark and soup" process. Miller also demonstrated the necessity of information in his designed process. Miller performed the experiment twice, once under "natural" random conditions, and a second time using a manmade "trap" to keep the resultant amino acids from being zapped and destroyed by subsequent sparks. The first test, which represented "natural" random chance, produced no amino acids. Thus, science, even in an attempt to disprove God, further demonstrated the necessity for a Creator.

God: His Attributes

So what are the attributes of this Creator God? First of all, the Natural Law of Cause and Effect states that an effect is always less than its cause. If all of the energy in the universe came from God, it stands to reason that God is all-powerful (Omnipotent). If all the combined knowledge of mankind is the result of God, it's logical to propose that He is all-knowing (Omniscient).. If everything we see originally came from an unseen God, it holds that He exists outside our physical dimensions (Transcendent). If all humans were created by God to be personal beings, then God must be a personal being Himself. So what does this Omnipotent, Omniscient, Transcendent, Personal, Creator God want from mankind? Surely, man was created for a reason. What is it that all personal beings want? The answer: a personal relationship with other personal beings.

God: His Purpose for Creation

Interestingly, the Bible describes God as an Omnipotent, Omniscient, Transcendent, Personal Creator who wants a personal relationship with mankind. However, mankind is separated from God by sin, a result of His gift of freewill. Furthermore, the Bible tells us that there must be retribution for mankind's crimes against God -- the breaking of His Divine Law. But that's not fair. We did not create ourselves with this ability to sin. We should not have to pay the consequences. Well, what would be fair? If God paid the penalty for us? "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins" (1 John 4:9-10). "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).

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