Gunning for God

1. Science and Faith Are Not Incompatible

"Christianity positively encourages science. It could be said that it gave science its initial mandate."

Historical Scientific Foundations. Christianity has actually been a crucial catalyst for scientific discovery, contrary to popular atheist narratives. Many pioneering scientists were motivated by their Christian faith to explore and understand the universe as God's creation. The biblical worldview provided a rational framework that assumed the universe was intelligible and worth investigating.

Scientific Pioneers of Faith. Numerous groundbreaking scientists were deeply religious, including:

• Georges Lemaitre (originator of the Big Bang theory)
• Isaac Newton
• Francis Collins (Human Genome Project director)
• Gregor Mendel (founder of genetics)

Theological Motivation for Science. The Christian understanding that humans are created in God's image encouraged intellectual curiosity and the belief that the universe operates according to discoverable, rational laws. This perspective fundamentally supported the development of scientific methodology.

2. The New Atheism Is a Flawed Philosophical Approach

"The New Atheists are classic examples of the very thing that they despise: they are characterized by the blind faith that all faith is blind faith."

Philosophical Inconsistencies. The New Atheist movement demonstrates significant logical contradictions in its approach to understanding reality. Their arguments often rely on the very philosophical frameworks they claim to reject, creating self-defeating argumentative structures.

Key Philosophical Problems:

• Reject metaphysical thinking while making metaphysical claims
• Claim rationality while undermining the foundations of rational thought
• Criticize faith while operating on faith-based assumptions about naturalism

Intellectual Limitations. The movement tends to oversimplify complex theological and philosophical questions, reducing nuanced arguments to simplistic sound bites and rhetorical attacks.

3. Morality Cannot Be Grounded in Atheistic Naturalism

"In a universe of blind physical forces and genetic replication, some people are going to get hurt, other people are going to get lucky and you won't find any rhyme or reason in it, nor any justice."

Evolutionary Challenges to Morality. Atheistic naturalism struggles to provide a coherent foundation for moral behavior. If humans are merely the product of random genetic processes, there's no inherent basis for distinguishing between good and evil.

Moral Implications:

• No objective standard of right and wrong
• Ethical decisions become purely subjective
• Altruism becomes difficult to explain scientifically
• Individual and societal moral progress becomes meaningless

Philosophical Consequences. Without a transcendent moral framework, ethical behavior becomes reduced to evolutionary survival strategies, eliminating genuine moral agency and responsibility.

4. The Problem of Evil Requires a Deeper Understanding

"If there is no final judgment, then there is no such thing as justice."

Complex Theological Perspective. The existence of evil and suffering is not a simple argument against God's existence, but a nuanced philosophical and theological challenge that requires sophisticated understanding.

Key Considerations:

• Free will necessitates the possibility of moral choices
• Suffering can have transformative potential
• Ultimate justice may exist beyond immediate human perception
• Divine compassion doesn't eliminate struggle but provides meaning

Redemptive Framework. Christianity offers a perspective where suffering is not meaningless but can be part of a larger narrative of spiritual growth and redemption.

5. Historical Evidence Supports the Resurrection of Jesus

"It may be taken as historically certain that Peter and the disciples had experiences after Jesus' death in which Jesus appeared to them as the risen Christ."

Rigorous Historical Analysis. The resurrection accounts are not mythological narratives but carefully documented historical events with multiple, independent witnesses.

Evidential Strengths:

• Multiple eyewitness accounts
• Early written documentation
• Transformation of disciples
• Lack of contemporary contradictory evidence
• Psychological consistency of testimonies

Historical Credibility. Serious historians acknowledge the substantial historical evidence supporting the resurrection narrative, even if they may not accept its supernatural implications.

6. Miracles Are Not Scientifically Impossible

"If there is a God who created the universe, then surely there is no difficulty in believing that he could do special things."

Scientific Limitations. The current scientific paradigm does not conclusively rule out miraculous events. Modern understanding of physics suggests multiple dimensions and complex interactions beyond current comprehension.

Philosophical Considerations:

• Laws of nature describe normal operations, not absolute limitations
• Divine intervention doesn't necessarily violate natural laws
• Scientific understanding is continually evolving
• Quantum mechanics suggests reality is more complex than classical physics

Epistemological Humility. Scientific knowledge represents our current understanding, not absolute truth about reality's boundaries.

7. Christianity Offers a Comprehensive Worldview

"Biblical theism is coherent in its explanation of why the universe is (scientifically) intelligible."

Holistic Philosophical Framework. Christianity provides a comprehensive explanation for human existence, moral behavior, scientific inquiry, and personal meaning.

Worldview Strengths:

• Explains human nature's complexity
• Provides basis for human dignity
• Offers hope beyond material existence
• Supports scientific and ethical progress
• Addresses fundamental existential questions

Transformative Potential. The Christian worldview offers a dynamic, hope-filled perspective that engages intellectual, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of human experience.

8. The Moral Foundation of Human Rights Comes from Biblical Thinking

"Universalistic egalitarianism... is the direct legacy of the Judaic ethic of justice and the Christian ethic of love."

Historical Ethical Development. Modern concepts of human rights and individual dignity fundamentally emerge from biblical theological principles.

Philosophical Contributions:

• Concept of humans created in God's image
• Universal human value
• Individual moral agency
• Basis for social justice
• Foundation for human equality

Cultural Transformation. Biblical ideas revolutionized societal understanding of human worth, challenging hierarchical and oppressive social structures.

9. Atheistic Regimes Have Caused Massive Human Suffering

"Communist regimes… turned mass crime into a full-blown system of government."

Historical Evidence. Atheistic political ideologies have produced some of the most destructive human rights violations in history.

Totalitarian Characteristics:

• Elimination of religious freedom
• Suppression of individual rights
• Mass killings
• Systematic persecution
• Ideological fundamentalism

Philosophical Consequences. Removing transcendent moral frameworks can lead to horrific societal outcomes when human value is reduced to political utility.

10. Faith Is Evidence-Based, Not Blind Belief

"Faith and belief are cognate concepts intimately related to the question of substantiating evidence."

Rational Faith Framework. Religious belief is not inherently irrational but can be approached through rigorous intellectual examination.

Evidential Dimensions:

• Historical research
• Philosophical reasoning
• Personal experience
• Scientific investigation
• Testimonial evidence

Intellectual Integrity. Faith can be a reasonable, evidence-supported perspective that engages critical thinking and open inquiry.

Last updated: January 1, 2025