WEBVTT
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Belief in God was once
taken for granted by many,
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but now, not so much.
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In fact, a breed of
“militant atheists” has
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arisen, inspired by the
likes of evolutionist
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Richard Dawkins and the
late Christopher Hitchens.
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Such atheists claim to
hold the high ground in
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terms of intellect and
reasoning, saying that
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only the ignorant or
foolish would continue to
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believe in God in
the modern era.
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Today, we’ll look at three
common objections that
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atheists make concerning
the existence of God, and
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we’ll put them
to the test.
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So join us for today’s
episode of Tomorrow’s World,
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"When
Atheists Attack!"
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♪
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Greetings, and welcome to
Tomorrow’s World, where we
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help you make sense of
your world through the
00:52.786 --> 00:54.387
pages of the Bible.
00:54.454 --> 00:56.656
Today, we're going to
address three common
00:56.723 --> 01:00.927
objections atheists give
concerning belief in God.
01:00.994 --> 01:02.562
We’re also going to give
you an opportunity to
01:02.629 --> 01:04.497
request our free resource
01:04.564 --> 01:07.734
“The Real God: Proofs and Promises.”
01:07.801 --> 01:10.136
Be sure to note the contact information you might need to
01:10.203 --> 01:13.873
get your free copy when it appears on your screen.
01:13.940 --> 01:16.142
An atheist is someone
who believes there is no
01:16.209 --> 01:19.045
God--as distinct from
theists, who believe there
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is a God, and agnostics,
who are uncertain one way
01:23.149 --> 01:24.217
or the other.
01:24.284 --> 01:26.853
Of course, God’s opinion
about atheists is made
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plain in the Bible, as
in Psalm 14:1, where He
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inspired King
David to write,
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“The fool has said in his
heart, ‘There is no God.’”
01:37.931 --> 01:39.899
God liked that statement
so much, He had it
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essentially repeated
in Psalm 53.
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Still, God’s take on their
lack of wisdom has not
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deterred some.
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In the early 2000s, the
so-called "New Atheism"
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hit--championed by
biologist Richard Dawkins,
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author Christopher
Hitchens, neuroscientist
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Sam Harris, and
philosopher Daniel
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Dennett--or as some have
called them, the “Four
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Horsemen” of New Atheism.
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But in reality, the only
thing “new” about the “New
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Atheism” was the attitude:
more militant, more
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aggressive--but otherwise
presenting the same old
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questions as
the old atheism.
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And we should highlight
here at the start:
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Questions are good.
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We should ask questions.
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But when we do, we
need to be open to the
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answers--even if they
aren’t the answers we were
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expecting or the
answers we wanted.
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And we should be willing
to put those answers to
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the test--especially in a
day and age like ours, a
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period prophetically
described in the Bible as
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a time when “truth is
fallen in the street”
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and convincing lies are far
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easier to come by.
02:51.337 --> 02:55.108
So, what do you do when an
atheist comes to you with
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questions?
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Well, frankly, you should
evaluate the scenario
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first.
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Sometimes someone doesn’t
really want answers--they're
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just looking to “score
points,” and even if you
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answer their question, it
goes in one ear and out
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the other.
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Yet, we should be able to
answer, and the Apostle
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Peter encouraged
Christians in the first
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century to make sure they
were ready to do so, to
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the best of their ability.
03:22.001 --> 03:25.672
In chapter 3 and verse 15
of his first letter, Peter
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writes that we should
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“sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be
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ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason
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for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear....”
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And, really, being ready for
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that defense is not just
for the sake of your inquisitor.
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You need to know, for
yourself, that God exists,
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that He is real, and that
He is involved in both
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world affairs
and your life.
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So--how do you answer when
someone questions your
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faith in God?
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For the rest of today’s
program, we’re going to
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tackle three common
questions atheists ask.
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Here’s the first: “If God
made everything, who made God?”
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We’re starting with this
one, because it is a quick one.
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Someone who asks this is
making a classic category
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error.
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The world around us--all
the matter, space, and
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energy--had a beginning.
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Both the most up-to-date
science and most rational
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lines of inquiry agree:
The universe and all the
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matter, space, time, and
energy that is in it had
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to have a
beginning--whether that
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beginning was the famous
Big Bang or something
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else.
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And, having a beginning,
it had to have a cause of
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some sort.
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But God has no beginning.
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He is not among the things
that are “made”--and
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having no beginning,
He requires no creator.
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The Bible makes the
distinction in these
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categories plain in John
chapter 1 and verse 3.
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Speaking there of the
pre-incarnate Jesus
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Christ, through whom the
Father created all things,
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John writes,
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“All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was
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made that was made.”
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There are those things that are made, and then there is God, who
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existed before and apart from those things.
05:33.933 --> 05:36.536
The world around
us--matter, space, time,
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and energy--had a
beginning, and, therefore,
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has to have a cause--a
reason for it to come into
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existence.
05:45.278 --> 05:48.047
And I like to quote from Julie
Andrews’ character Maria
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in The Sound of Music on
this point: “Nothing comes
05:52.018 --> 05:52.985
from nothing.
05:53.052 --> 05:55.488
Nothing ever could.”
05:55.555 --> 05:58.891
Therefore, there must be a cause for the universe that
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exists apart from the universe’s matter, space, time,
06:03.629 --> 06:05.565
and energy--a timeless
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cause that precedes all matter, space, and energy.
06:10.436 --> 06:14.540
And God fits that description--and asking what
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made Him is to misunderstand what and who God is. We’ll jump
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into the next two questions
in just a moment.
06:24.951 --> 06:26.519
First, I want to give you an opportunity
06:26.586 --> 06:28.721
to request today’s free offer,
06:28.788 --> 06:31.791
“The Real God: Proofs and Promises.”
06:31.858 --> 06:33.893
The forces in
today’s world that want
06:33.960 --> 06:37.396
you to doubt in the
existence of God, His care
06:37.463 --> 06:41.100
for you, and His plans
for you are many.
06:41.167 --> 06:45.338
You need to prove for
yourself that He is real.
06:45.404 --> 06:47.440
As the late Roderick
Meredith used to say on
06:47.507 --> 06:51.944
this program, you need to
know--and know that you
06:52.011 --> 06:56.349
know--that the Eternal
God is very real.
06:56.415 --> 06:58.251
And you need to know the
promises He holds out to
06:58.317 --> 06:59.218
you.
06:59.285 --> 07:02.021
Take this time to request
your free copy of
07:02.088 --> 07:04.724
“The Real God: Proofs and
Promises,” and I’ll be
07:04.791 --> 07:08.094
right back to address
what you should say when
07:08.161 --> 07:10.963
evolution inevitably
rears its head.
07:11.030 --> 07:12.665
You don’t want to miss it.
07:13.399 --> 07:20.173
For today’s free
offer call...
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Or go to...
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This clear and
straight-forward resource
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will help you understand
this vital truth--
07:31.517 --> 07:34.220
straight from the
pages of the Bible.
07:34.287 --> 07:36.889
If you’re calling for the
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Ten inspiring issues
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and modern culture will
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07:51.804 --> 07:54.006
Call today and join
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who are turning to
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Call now!
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Or go to...
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Welcome back.
08:14.427 --> 08:16.462
In the previous part of
today’s program, we
08:16.529 --> 08:17.597
addressed the question,
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“If God made everything, who made God?”
08:22.368 --> 08:25.605
We can summarize
the answer: “No one.
08:25.671 --> 08:29.041
Unlike the physical
universe, God is eternal
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and had no beginning.”
The person who asks
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misunderstands, or
misrepresents, what the
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word “God” even means.
08:38.117 --> 08:41.787
In fact, you could add,
“Without something fitting
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God’s description, there
would be no universe at
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all.” That last point
is important, because
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sometimes atheists accuse
believers of hiding behind
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a “God of the Gaps”--that
is, claiming that
08:57.303 --> 09:00.873
believers only use “gaps”
in scientific knowledge as
09:00.940 --> 09:05.077
evidence that God exists,
but that, as those “gaps”
09:05.144 --> 09:10.182
are filled, the evidence
for God supposedly evaporates.
09:10.249 --> 09:12.485
You could imagine this
as saying that someone
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ignorant of how the water
cycle works on earth might
09:16.656 --> 09:20.126
believe that a divine
being just creates rain
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from nothing and, thus,
rain becomes a “proof” that God
09:23.663 --> 09:24.697
exists.
09:24.764 --> 09:27.633
Then, when scientists
discover the water cycle,
09:27.700 --> 09:31.637
that “proof” evaporates,
like a shallow puddle on
09:31.704 --> 09:34.206
the sidewalk on a hot day.
09:34.273 --> 09:37.243
It is the “God of the
Gaps” fallacy that many
09:37.310 --> 09:40.813
atheists have in mind when
they ask the following
09:40.880 --> 09:45.418
question: “Why do we need
God if evolution explains
09:45.484 --> 09:47.019
everything?”
09:47.086 --> 09:49.922
After all, evolution is
the reigning scientific
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dogma of the day and is
considered by many to be
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one of the crowning
achievements of science
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and human reasoning.
09:57.630 --> 10:01.534
So, if evolution really
does explain everything,
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why do we need God?
10:03.936 --> 10:06.138
In answering this
question, we need to
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recognize at least three
mistakes revealed by the
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question.
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First, the theory of
evolution doesn’t explain
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“everything.” The origin
of the universe, the laws
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of physics and
mathematics,
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consciousness, objective
morality--the list of
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things for which a
transcendent God remains
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the best
explanation is long.
10:30.596 --> 10:33.265
When they say
“everything,” they usually
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mean evolution
explains life.
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And I can understand why
someone would be sensitive
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about this.
10:40.306 --> 10:43.542
The existence of life on
planet earth definitely
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demands some sort
of explanation.
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But does evolution
explain it?
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That is the questioner’s
second mistake.
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The theory of evolution
is far from sufficient to
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explain the wondrous
variety of life we see on
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earth, let alone the
origin of that life.
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Finally, when we take
an honest look at the
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complexity of life--its
interwoven systems of
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dependence,
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the collection of
complicated organs and
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nerve networks that
must work together in a
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mind-bogglingly
coordinated way...
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the abstract coding and
error-checking systems of
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DNA--again, when we
take an honest look at
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life’s complexity, we find
that the current theory of
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evolution is far from
able to explain that
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coordinated complexity.
11:35.461 --> 11:38.364
In fact, the idea that
evolutionary theory does
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currently explain all of
these things is generally
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a facade, and there is
currently a great deal of
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debate about how to
address the theory’s
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persistent shortcomings.
11:51.477 --> 11:54.113
The UK newspaper The
Guardian recently reported
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on the turmoil in the
evolutionary sciences:
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“Strange as it sounds,
scientists still do not
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know the answers to
some of the most basic
12:03.456 --> 12:06.892
questions about how
life on Earth evolved.
12:06.959 --> 12:08.661
Take eyes, for instance.
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Where do they come
from, exactly?
12:10.629 --> 12:12.665
The usual explanation
of how we got these
12:12.731 --> 12:16.235
stupendously complex
organs rests upon the
12:16.302 --> 12:18.437
theory of natural
selection.”
12:18.504 --> 12:19.505
Then, after
12:19.572 --> 12:22.508
summarizing the usual
evolutionary tale of the
12:22.575 --> 12:25.211
gradual development of
the eye, the article
12:25.277 --> 12:29.482
continues: “This is the
basic story of evolution,
12:29.548 --> 12:32.451
as recounted in countless
textbooks and pop-science
12:32.518 --> 12:33.686
bestsellers.
12:33.752 --> 12:36.455
The problem, according
to a growing number of
12:36.522 --> 12:40.793
scientists, is that it
is absurdly crude and
12:40.860 --> 12:43.929
misleading.” “For one
thing, it starts midway
12:43.996 --> 12:46.966
through the story, taking
for granted the existence
12:47.032 --> 12:51.103
of light-sensitive cells,
lenses and irises, without
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explaining where they came
from in the first place.
12:54.607 --> 12:57.343
Nor does it adequately
explain how such delicate
12:57.409 --> 13:01.614
and easily disrupted
components meshed together
13:01.680 --> 13:03.315
to form a single organ.
13:03.382 --> 13:05.651
And it isn't just eyes
that the traditional
13:05.718 --> 13:07.520
theory struggles with.
13:07.586 --> 13:10.523
“The first eye, the first
wing, the first placenta.
13:10.589 --> 13:11.891
How they emerge.
13:11.957 --> 13:14.760
Explaining these is the
foundational motivation of
13:14.827 --> 13:18.164
evolutionary biology,”
says Armin Moczek, a
13:18.230 --> 13:20.566
biologist at
Indiana University.
13:20.633 --> 13:23.569
“And yet, we still do
not have a good answer.
13:23.636 --> 13:26.972
This classic idea of
gradual change, one happy
13:27.039 --> 13:31.944
accident at a time, has so
far fallen flat.””
13:32.011 --> 13:36.715
In fact, one could go so
far as to say that, if
13:36.782 --> 13:39.785
random mutation and
natural selection really
13:39.852 --> 13:43.088
did create all life on
earth, then evolution
13:43.155 --> 13:46.425
would have to be evidence
that God does exist,
13:46.492 --> 13:50.296
because all of the giant,
coordinated, improbable
13:50.362 --> 13:54.366
leaps evolution would have
to take would require a
13:54.433 --> 13:57.336
Divine Being to
help it along.
13:57.403 --> 14:00.339
It seems that, to prop
up their own faith,
14:00.406 --> 14:03.108
evolutionists tend to
depend on their own “God
14:03.175 --> 14:06.178
of the Gaps.” Or,
perhaps, their “Darwin of
14:06.245 --> 14:09.882
the Gaps.” In actuality,
the complexity of life
14:09.949 --> 14:14.186
positively and forcefully
argues for an intelligent
14:14.253 --> 14:16.455
source behind
its creation.
14:16.522 --> 14:19.758
Only intelligence has ever
been observed to be able
14:19.825 --> 14:21.727
to create such
complicated,
14:21.794 --> 14:25.264
purpose-oriented
structures as what we see
14:25.331 --> 14:28.267
within even the
simplest of lifeforms.
14:28.334 --> 14:31.136
Appealing to God’s
existence and agency as an
14:31.203 --> 14:34.673
explanation for life is
not hiding behind a “God
14:34.740 --> 14:38.344
of the Gaps.” Quite the
contrary--the intelligent
14:38.410 --> 14:43.616
design present in all life
is positive evidence for
14:43.682 --> 14:47.186
the existence of
intelligence behind life.
14:47.253 --> 14:49.655
If the atheist wants to
avoid the conclusion that
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God exists, evolution is
not a sufficient hiding
14:53.692 --> 14:54.793
place.
14:54.860 --> 14:57.429
Maybe the third question
we are going to cover
14:57.496 --> 14:59.298
today will do the trick.
14:59.365 --> 15:01.667
It is, after all, one of
the most popular questions
15:01.734 --> 15:03.502
many atheists ask.
15:03.569 --> 15:06.505
And we’ll cover it next.
15:06.572 --> 15:08.774
Before that, let me
pause to give you another
15:08.841 --> 15:11.744
opportunity to request
today’s free resource,
15:11.810 --> 15:14.780
“The Real God: Proofs and
Promises.”
15:14.847 --> 15:16.548
This booklet covers seven
15:16.615 --> 15:20.452
different approaches to
proving for yourself that
15:20.519 --> 15:23.689
the God described in the
Bible is very real and
15:23.756 --> 15:26.792
very involved with the
world around you--and the
15:26.859 --> 15:29.962
future that is now
rushing toward us.
15:30.029 --> 15:32.197
Take a moment to request
your copy, and I’ll be
15:32.264 --> 15:35.668
right back to explain one
of the oldest and most
15:35.734 --> 15:38.971
popular atheist attacks
and what you need to know
15:39.038 --> 15:40.706
to defend against it.
15:40.773 --> 15:42.007
Don’t go away.
15:42.875 --> 15:44.710
This clear and
straight-forward resource
15:44.777 --> 15:47.613
will help you understand
this vital truth--
15:47.680 --> 15:50.582
straight from the
pages of the Bible.
15:50.649 --> 15:51.417
Call now!
15:51.483 --> 15:56.922
Or go to...
15:57.523 --> 15:58.524
Welcome back.
15:58.590 --> 16:00.592
In the first part of
today’s program, we
16:00.659 --> 16:03.729
addressed the question,
“If God made everything,
16:03.796 --> 16:05.230
who made God?”
16:05.297 --> 16:08.000
We can summarize
the answer: “No one.
16:08.067 --> 16:10.402
Unlike the physical
universe, God is eternal
16:10.469 --> 16:14.473
and had no beginning.” In
fact, something fitting
16:14.540 --> 16:17.009
God’s description is
needed even to have a
16:17.076 --> 16:19.311
universe to begin with.
16:19.378 --> 16:21.947
Then, in the last segment,
we tackled the question,
16:22.014 --> 16:24.416
“Why do we need God
if evolution explains
16:24.483 --> 16:25.517
everything?”
16:25.584 --> 16:28.687
And we noted that
“Evolution doesn’t explain
16:28.754 --> 16:32.324
everything and, in fact,
fails even to explain what
16:32.391 --> 16:36.695
it is supposed to: life.”
Frankly, believing all the
16:36.762 --> 16:40.065
claims of evolutionists
takes more faith than
16:40.132 --> 16:41.600
believing in a Creator.
16:41.667 --> 16:44.570
But the third common
attack you might hear from
16:44.636 --> 16:47.139
an atheist neighbor or
acquaintance comes with an
16:47.206 --> 16:49.742
emotional wallop, which
is often the source of its
16:49.808 --> 16:54.580
strength: “How can God be
good if there is so much
16:54.646 --> 16:56.548
evil in the world?”
16:56.615 --> 16:59.385
Of course, history
certainly records many
16:59.451 --> 17:03.222
great evils--the Holocaust
inflicted on the Jews, the
17:03.288 --> 17:06.692
Soviet starvation of
Ukrainians in the 1930s,
17:06.759 --> 17:09.795
and chattel slavery in
the pre-Civil War American
17:09.862 --> 17:12.631
South are just
a few examples.
17:12.698 --> 17:14.767
And for many of our
viewers, the presence of
17:14.833 --> 17:18.637
evil in the world hits
home in a personal way.
17:18.704 --> 17:21.340
Many of you have been
robbed, assaulted, or
17:21.407 --> 17:22.541
abused.
17:22.608 --> 17:26.278
There is no getting around
it--our world is filled
17:26.345 --> 17:27.446
with evil.
17:27.513 --> 17:32.050
But if so, the atheist
asks, how can God be good?
17:32.117 --> 17:34.720
After all, why would
a good God allow such
17:34.787 --> 17:35.988
things?
17:36.054 --> 17:37.890
Is He too weak to stop it?
17:37.956 --> 17:40.793
Or is He just unaware that
evil things happen?
17:40.859 --> 17:44.496
If so, then He isn’t
really “God.” And yet, if He's
17:44.563 --> 17:46.965
all-powerful and
all-knowing, and yet He does
17:47.032 --> 17:50.002
nothing, then they claim
He isn’t “good,” and
17:50.068 --> 17:52.805
therefore isn’t really
“God” that way, either.
17:52.871 --> 17:56.008
They claim this dilemma
simply means there is no
17:56.074 --> 18:00.612
all-seeing, all-powerful,
good God to begin with.
18:00.679 --> 18:03.148
So, what do we
make of this?
18:03.215 --> 18:06.418
Well, it’s interesting how
quick people are to put
18:06.485 --> 18:10.088
the blame on God for
mankind’s evil--and,
18:10.155 --> 18:12.991
frankly, that is exactly
what the devil would want
18:13.058 --> 18:14.326
us to do.
18:14.393 --> 18:17.830
It is interesting that when
Adam and Eve first sinned
18:17.896 --> 18:20.999
by disobeying God and
eating from the Tree of
18:21.066 --> 18:24.102
the Knowledge of Good and
Evil, the first thing they
18:24.169 --> 18:27.406
both did was try
to pass the buck.
18:27.473 --> 18:30.175
After God asks them
about it, we read their
18:30.242 --> 18:32.544
responses in
Genesis 3:
18:32.611 --> 18:35.681
“Then the man
said, ‘The woman whom You
18:35.747 --> 18:39.485
gave to be with me, she
gave me of the tree, and I
18:39.551 --> 18:42.554
ate.’ And the LORD God
said to the woman, ‘What
18:42.621 --> 18:43.922
is this you have done?’
18:43.989 --> 18:46.892
The woman said, ‘The
serpent deceived me, and I
18:46.959 --> 18:48.060
ate.’”
18:48.126 --> 18:52.297
So, Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the devil.
18:52.364 --> 18:57.102
In fact, if you look more
closely, Adam blamed God.
18:57.169 --> 19:02.541
Note, he said, “The woman
whom You gave to be with me”.
19:02.608 --> 19:06.578
And to this day, people
continue to blame God for
19:06.645 --> 19:09.414
the evil mankind
is responsible for.
19:09.481 --> 19:11.650
Consider the evils we
mentioned earlier, the
19:11.717 --> 19:14.453
Holocaust, the cruelty
of the Soviets, and
19:14.520 --> 19:16.955
slavery--or, for that
matter, robberies,
19:17.022 --> 19:18.857
assaults, or abuses.
19:18.924 --> 19:22.728
Those are evil actions
inflicted by human beings.
19:22.794 --> 19:25.063
And the blame for them
should lie with those
19:25.130 --> 19:26.632
human beings.
19:26.698 --> 19:29.835
Still, the question
remains, why does God
19:29.902 --> 19:33.805
allow such human
beings to commit evil?
19:33.872 --> 19:36.308
Part of that answer is
founded upon the need for
19:36.375 --> 19:40.412
humans to have free
will--which must include
19:40.479 --> 19:43.415
the ability to choose
to do the wrong thing.
19:43.482 --> 19:46.151
God’s purpose for us
requires growing in
19:46.218 --> 19:49.855
character--specifically,
learning to possess God’s
19:49.922 --> 19:54.960
own character--to choose
the right over the wrong.
19:55.027 --> 19:57.829
And growing in character
requires the ability to
19:57.896 --> 20:01.867
make choices--free-will
choices, which includes
20:01.934 --> 20:04.436
the possibility of
choosing evil and causing
20:04.503 --> 20:07.439
suffering, along with the
possibility of choosing
20:07.506 --> 20:10.709
the good and to
endure suffering.
20:10.776 --> 20:13.979
When you understand the
purpose of God, you come
20:14.046 --> 20:17.082
to understand that the
eternal good that God is
20:17.149 --> 20:20.552
producing through His
plan of developing His own
20:20.619 --> 20:24.790
righteous character in
human beings is of such
20:24.856 --> 20:27.826
reality-altering
significance, that it will
20:27.893 --> 20:31.964
outweigh all the evil
mankind has ever committed
20:32.030 --> 20:34.032
or experienced.
20:34.099 --> 20:39.271
In fact, the Apostle Paul
says just that in Romans 8
20:39.338 --> 20:40.572
and verse 18...
20:40.639 --> 20:43.342
“For I consider that the
sufferings of this present
20:43.408 --> 20:46.979
time are not worthy to be
compared with the glory
20:47.045 --> 20:49.748
which shall be
revealed in us.
20:49.815 --> 20:51.883
For the earnest
expectation of the
20:51.950 --> 20:54.820
creation eagerly waits for
the revealing of the sons
20:54.886 --> 20:55.921
of God.
20:55.988 --> 20:58.323
For the creation was
subjected to futility, not
20:58.390 --> 21:02.260
willingly, but because of
Him who subjected it in
21:02.327 --> 21:06.098
hope; because the creation
itself also will be
21:06.164 --> 21:09.801
delivered from the bondage
of corruption into the
21:09.868 --> 21:13.805
glorious liberty of the
children of God.”
21:13.872 --> 21:16.441
Notice--the
current sufferings we
21:16.508 --> 21:19.878
experience aren’t even
worthy to be compared to
21:19.945 --> 21:21.947
the glory to come.
21:22.014 --> 21:25.017
In fact, notice too that
Paul says that creation
21:25.083 --> 21:29.388
itself is suffering and
will be delivered in that
21:29.454 --> 21:30.956
day to come.
21:31.023 --> 21:33.659
One of the curses of
mankind’s sin in the
21:33.725 --> 21:36.528
Garden of Eden was that
we removed God as the
21:36.595 --> 21:39.865
caretaker of creation,
as if we can do it all
21:39.931 --> 21:42.467
ourselves without Him.
21:42.534 --> 21:45.570
God explains to Adam
in Genesis 3, verses 17
21:45.637 --> 21:48.940
through 19 that creation
will no longer be
21:49.007 --> 21:52.511
accommodating to man in
any special way but will
21:52.577 --> 21:54.212
go its own course.
21:54.279 --> 21:58.617
Mankind needs to learn the
full lesson that we need
21:58.684 --> 22:01.453
God, and that attempting
to build a world without
22:01.520 --> 22:04.690
Him leads only to
suffering--as we are then
22:04.756 --> 22:07.592
left vulnerable to the
afflictions of nature, our
22:07.659 --> 22:10.762
own evils, and the
twistings and persecutions
22:10.829 --> 22:12.397
of the devil.
22:12.464 --> 22:15.801
If you’re a parent, you
understand what God is
22:15.867 --> 22:17.969
doing, if you
think about it.
22:18.036 --> 22:20.872
How many times must
parents allow a child to
22:20.939 --> 22:24.443
experience a taste of the
results of their own bad
22:24.509 --> 22:28.447
choices before they know
the lesson will sink in?
22:28.513 --> 22:31.283
Well, in God’s case, He's not just teaching one
22:31.349 --> 22:35.320
child, but literally all of
humanity--and the lessons
22:35.387 --> 22:38.256
need to make an
impact for eternity.
22:38.323 --> 22:40.926
The stakes of these
lessons could not possibly
22:40.992 --> 22:42.327
be higher.
22:42.394 --> 22:45.764
Yet we have God’s promise
that, at the time of
22:45.831 --> 22:49.534
restoration of all things,
the glory that is revealed
22:49.601 --> 22:53.905
in the children of God
will far outshine any evil
22:53.972 --> 22:56.341
that has ever been
committed and any
22:56.408 --> 22:59.911
suffering that has ever
been experienced such that
22:59.978 --> 23:03.915
they will not even come
to mind any more, forever.
23:03.982 --> 23:08.086
We should all pray that
time comes quickly.
23:08.153 --> 23:11.022
So, to summarize an answer
to this third attack,
23:11.089 --> 23:14.359
“Evil in the world is a
consequence of man’s free
23:14.426 --> 23:15.393
will.
23:15.460 --> 23:18.196
Yet God is using our
choices to achieve an
23:18.263 --> 23:22.134
eternal good that will
far outweigh any suffering
23:22.200 --> 23:25.237
mankind has ever
experienced.”
23:25.303 --> 23:28.840
Before we conclude, allow me to take one more moment to
23:28.907 --> 23:31.143
recommend to you our free resource today,
23:31.209 --> 23:34.312
“The Real God: Proofs and Promises.”
23:34.379 --> 23:38.216
This free, easy to understand booklet lays out for you
23:38.283 --> 23:41.453
seven different ways you can come to understand
23:41.520 --> 23:45.457
that the God of the Bible really does exist and really
23:45.524 --> 23:48.827
does have a plan and a purpose
for your life.
23:48.894 --> 23:52.230
You need to strengthen
your faith in God by
23:52.297 --> 23:57.002
understanding that faith
is supported by the facts.
23:57.068 --> 23:59.171
This free item will not
only give you proofs for
23:59.237 --> 24:02.474
God’s existence--it will
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24:02.541 --> 24:05.277
promises about
your future.
24:05.343 --> 24:07.646
Request your free copy
during this break, and
24:07.712 --> 24:10.749
I’ll be right back to
explain real, practical
24:10.816 --> 24:15.287
steps you can begin taking
right now to personally
24:15.353 --> 24:18.190
strengthen yourself for
the times when atheists
24:18.256 --> 24:18.924
attack.
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24:57.562 --> 25:00.365
Call today and join
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who are turning to
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truth, prophecy, and hope
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Call now!
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Or go to...
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My friends, I do hope
you will get today’s free
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booklet, “The Real God:
Proofs and Promises.” The
25:25.523 --> 25:28.159
fact is, we are living in
an increasingly skeptical
25:28.226 --> 25:31.329
world in which God is
being effectively shoved
25:31.396 --> 25:34.966
into a corner as the
movers and shakers of society
25:35.033 --> 25:37.969
seek to create a
civilization that pretends
25:38.036 --> 25:39.638
He does not exist.
25:39.704 --> 25:42.874
Faith in God is under
continued and sustained
25:42.941 --> 25:44.509
assault.
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Today’s free
resource--which will be
25:46.411 --> 25:49.214
sent to anyone who asks
for it today, with no
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strings attached
whatsoever--will highlight
25:52.083 --> 25:56.454
for you seven different
approaches you can take to
25:56.521 --> 25:58.890
prove for yourself
that God exists...
25:58.957 --> 26:02.560
Not just to know that God
exists, but to know that
26:02.627 --> 26:05.430
you know God exists.
26:05.497 --> 26:08.066
But before we leave you,
I’d like to highlight one
26:08.133 --> 26:10.635
of the proofs in this
resource for you to
26:10.702 --> 26:13.405
consider as you wait for
your copy to arrive: The
26:13.471 --> 26:16.441
way of life that God
teaches in the Bible
26:16.508 --> 26:17.976
works.
26:18.043 --> 26:20.812
It’s actually the seventh
proof we'll detail in the
26:20.879 --> 26:22.948
booklet.
26:23.014 --> 26:26.518
If you will seek to know
the God of the Bible and
26:26.584 --> 26:28.653
will be willing to
set aside your own
26:28.720 --> 26:32.857
preconceived ideas, your
own selfish desires and
26:32.924 --> 26:36.328
outlook, and embrace the
way of life Jesus
26:36.394 --> 26:40.565
Christ commands of those
who follow Him, you can
26:40.632 --> 26:44.669
become convinced and
convicted of the reality
26:44.736 --> 26:48.306
of the God who
inspired that Bible.
26:48.373 --> 26:51.309
You will increasingly
begin to see in your life,
26:51.376 --> 26:55.046
day by day, the fruit of
your choices, and that
26:55.113 --> 26:58.383
fruit will become one of
the most powerful proofs
26:58.450 --> 27:00.685
of God’s existence
you could ever hope to
27:00.752 --> 27:01.920
possess.
27:01.987 --> 27:05.390
And it can strengthen you
in a way few things can
27:05.457 --> 27:10.061
and enable you to stand
strong and tall whenever
27:10.128 --> 27:12.063
atheists attack.
27:12.130 --> 27:16.401
Just as God challenges us
in Malachi 3:10 to put Him
27:16.468 --> 27:21.206
to the test by obeying
Him, I challenge you today
27:21.272 --> 27:23.308
to do the same.
27:23.375 --> 27:25.577
You won’t regret it.
27:25.643 --> 27:28.747
I hope you'll take me up
on that challenge--just
27:28.813 --> 27:32.617
like I hope you will
get today’s free offer.
27:32.684 --> 27:35.086
and I hope you will
come back next week.
27:35.153 --> 27:37.355
When you do, you will find
Gerald Weston, Richard
27:37.422 --> 27:40.892
Ames, Rod McNair, and I
right here waiting for
27:40.959 --> 27:43.795
you, ready to share with
you the hope of the Gospel
27:43.862 --> 27:46.064
of the Kingdom of God,
the prophetic end-time
27:46.131 --> 27:48.666
warnings of the Bible,
and the life-changing
27:48.733 --> 27:52.370
teachings of Jesus
Christ, the Son of God.
27:52.437 --> 27:54.806
Until next
time, take care.
27:55.774 --> 28:02.647
For today’s free
offer call...
28:02.714 --> 28:07.085
Or go to...
28:07.152 --> 28:09.421
Call today and join
millions around the world
28:09.487 --> 28:11.956
who are turning to
Tomorrow’s World for
28:12.023 --> 28:18.530
truth, prophecy, and hope
in these confusing times.
28:18.596 --> 28:19.597
The preceding program is
28:19.664 --> 28:24.369
produced by the
Living Church of God.