My conversation with my young friend has continued. So, to carry on from where we left off, my analysis of what I see around me has left me with a rather limited number of possibilities.
1. There is no creator God and the universe is eternally expanding and collapsing.
2. The universe had a cause, a creator, a God.
As I analyze each of these possibilities, #1 depresses me. To be nothing more than a sac of organic chemicals capable of communicating with other sacs of organic chemicals would leave me between nihilism and existentialism, like a Woody Allen or Coen brothers movie. Yet, just because it depresses me does not mean it isn’t true. I must look further.
Because I believe a creator God would communicate with his creation, I look for signs of communication. Do I see things that seem to point to something beyond the bare atoms and electrons, protons and neutrons, quarks and Higgs bosons of our universe? The answer is yes.
I do see things which are difficult to account for in a purely physical world. Consciousness is something difficult to measure but I know that I have it and a rock does not have it. A kitten has consciousness of another sort and soap bubbles do not have consciousness. Certainly human consciousness points to something other. The love of a parent for a child; of a husband for a wife; altruism; these are noble qualities which point to something beyond us.
And then there are miracles. One day, I must write more on miracles but suffice it to say here that I have seen things that look like miracles. Miracles, by their very nature, are outside of the measurable universe. Miracles are occasions when the normal rules of our world are suspended and something happens which must have a super-natural cause. I have not seen many of these in my life but I have seen some. In forty-nine years of life I have seen a handful of things that fit my definition of a miracle. Prayers to God for healing that were answered or communication from God when I needed something to convince me that He was there.
And so, some of the wisdom I have gained in this life does indeed go beyond pure philosophy. Experience is something which has shaped my world-view. And my experience suggests that there is something beyond this world. My experience suggests that there is a creator God, a first cause, who wishes to communicate with his creation.
Reader, have you ever experienced anything that points to something beyond? Has anything ever made you wonder if there might be a God who is trying to communicate? Send me a comment and tell me what you see that points to something beyond this world. Tell me of a time when you experienced a miracle. You will be an encouragement to both me and my young friend.