Day 25 – good question, wrong time
Since God is the one who directly creates everything, why does He create famines, earthquakes, mud slides, AIDS, deformed babies, and the like? –EDWARD BOYD
I have an answer for any atheist who claims that evidence of disarray in the universe makes the Argument from Design meaningless. I acknowledge that such disorder exists and am aware of the misery associated with it. I cannot, therefore, flippantly dismiss it as unimportant. It is, in fact, of supreme significance to any religious seeker, for the theological problems it poses can shake even the strongest faith. Most assuredly, we must deal with its implications at some time during our pilgrimage.
This first leg of our journey, however, is not the time. We are ascending the slope of God’s existence, and the plain truth is that the presence of suffering has no bearing on this subject. It is irrelevant to our present topic. Consequently, it does not weaken the Argument from Design one bit.
When analyzed in-depth, this finger-pointing by atheists is nothing more than an attempt to distract us from the subject at hand. Like everyone else, they must admit that there is design in the world. Failure to do so is analogous to the ostrich burying its head in the sand. Unless the universe is eternal or illusory, they must also admit that the presence of this design demands the existence of a Designer. Having made these admissions, they then divert our attention away from the design and toward the just-as-obvious disarray. They say to us, "Look at this disorder! It makes the question of God's existence easy. He cannot be said to exist in the face of such discord."
When atheists argue thusly, they argue illogically. They raise a good question but do so at the wrong time. I believe the fallacy of their argument is easy to grasp. Given the propensity of atheists to resort to this defense, its irrationality must be exposed before we move full-speed ahead. A commonsense illustration will be used tomorrow to shed light on the truth.
Daily Quotation
Gregory A. Boyd and Edward K. Boyd, Letters from a Skeptic (Colorado Springs: Chariot Victor, 1994), 32.
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