God v Science_thanks to Swami Anandakapila

[Guest guest]

'Let me explain the problem science has

with religion.'

The atheist professor of philosophy pauses before

his class and then asks one of his new students to stand.

 

'You're a Christian, aren't you, son?'

 

'Yes sir, 'the

student says.

 

'So you believe in God?'

 

'Absolutely.'

 

'Is God good?'

'Sure! God's good.'

 

'Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?'

 

'Yes'

 

'Are you good or evil?'

 

'The Bible says I'm evil.'

 

The professor grins knowingly. 'Aha! The

Bible!' He

considers for a moment. 'Here's one for you. Let's say there's a sick person over here and you

can cure him. You can do it. Would you help him? Would you try?'

 

'Yes sir, I would.'

 

'So you're good...!'

 

'I wouldn't say that.'

 

'But why not say that? You'd help a sick

and maimed person if you could. Most of us would if we could. But God doesn't.'

 

The student does not answer, so the

professor continues. 'He doesn't, does he? My brother was a Christian who died

of cancer, even though he prayed to Jesus to heal him. How is this Jesus good?

Can you answer that one?'

 

The student remains silent. 'No, you can't,

can you?' the professor says. He takes a sip of water from a glass on his desk

to give the student time to relax. 'Let's start again, young fella. Is God

good?'

 

'Er..yes,' the student says.

 

'Is Satan good?'

 

The student doesn't hesitate on this one.

'No.'

 

'Then where does Satan come from?'

 

The student falters. 'From God'

 

'That's right. God made Satan, didn't he?

Tell me, son. Is there evil in this world?'

 

'Yes, sir..'

 

'Evil's everywhere, isn't it? And God did

make everything, correct?'

 

'Yes'

 

'So who created evil?' The professor

continued, 'If God created everything, then God created evil, since evil

exists, and according to the principle that our works define who we are, then

God is evil.'

 

Again, the student has no answer. 'Is there

sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things, do they

exist in this world?'

 

The student squirms on his feet. 'Yes.'

 

'So who created them?'

 

The student does not answer again, so the

professor repeats his question. 'Who created them?' There is still no answer.

Suddenly the lecturer breaks away to pace in front of the classroom. The class

is mesmerized. 'Tell me,' he continues onto another student. 'Do you believe in

Jesus Christ, son?'

 

 

The student's voice betrays him and cracks.

'Yes, professor, I do.'

 

The old man stops pacing. 'Science says you

have five senses you use to

identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Jesus?'

 

'No sir. I've never seen Him.'

 

'Then tell us if you've ever heard your

Jesus?'

 

'No, sir, I have not..'

 

'Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your

Jesus or smelt your Jesus? Have you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus

Christ, or God for that matter?'

 

'No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't.'

 

'Yet you still believe in him?'

 

'Yes'

'According to the rules of empirical,

testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your God doesn't exist... What do

you say to that, son?'

 

'Nothing,' the student replies.. 'I only

have my faith.'

 

'Yes, faith,' the professor repeats. 'And

that is the problem science has with God. There is no evidence, only faith.'

 

The student stands quietly for a moment,

before asking a question of His own. 'Professor, is there such thing as heat?'

 

'Yes.'

 

'And is there such a thing as cold?'

 

'Yes, son, there's cold too.'

 

'No sir, there isn't.'

 

The professor turns to face the student,

obviously interested. The room suddenly becomes very quiet. The student begins

to explain. 'You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat,

unlimited heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don't have

anything called 'cold'. We can hit down to 458 degrees below zero, which is no

heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold;

otherwise we would be able to go colder than the lowest -458 degrees. Every

body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and

heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-458 F) is the

total absence of heat. You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the

absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units

because heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence

of it.'

 

Silence across the room. A pen drops

somewhere in the classroom, sounding like a hammer.

 

'What about darkness, professor. Is there

such a thing as darkness?'

 

'Yes,' the professor replies without

hesitation.. 'What is night if it isn't darkness?'

 

'You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not

something; it is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal

light, bright light, flashing light, but if you have no light constantly you

have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we use to define

the word. In reality, darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make

darkness darker, wouldn't you?'

 

The professor begins to smile at the

student in front of him. This will be a good semester. 'So what point are you

making, young man?'

 

'Yes, professor. My point is, your

philosophical premise is flawed to start with, and so your conclusion must also

be flawed.'

 

The professor's face cannot hide his

surprise this time. 'Flawed? Can you explain how?'

 

'You are working on the premise of duality,'

the student explains.. 'You argue that there is life and then there's death; a

good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite,

something we can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought.' 'It uses electricity and magnetism,

but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the

opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a

substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it.'

'Now tell me, professor.. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a

monkey?'

 

'If you are referring to the natural

evolutionary process, young man, yes, of course I do.'

 

'Have you ever observed evolution with your

own eyes, sir?'

 

The professor begins to shake his head,

still smiling, as he realizes where the argument is going. A very good

semester, indeed.

 

'Since no one has ever observed the process

of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going

endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist,

but a preacher?'

 

The class is in uproar. The student remains

silent until the commotion has subsided. 'To continue the point you were making

earlier to the other student, let me give you an example of what I mean.' The

student looks around the room. 'Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen

the professor's brain?' The class breaks out into laughter. 'Is there anyone

here who has ever heard the professor's brain, felt the professor's brain,

touched or smelt the professor's brain? No one appears to have done so. So,

according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol,

science says that you have no brain, with all due respect, sir.' 'So if science

says you have no brain, how can we trust your lectures, sir?'

 

Now the room is silent. The professor just

stares at the student, his face unreadable. Finally, after what seems an

eternity, the old man answers. 'I Guess you'll have to take them on faith.'

 

'Now, you accept that there is faith, and,

in fact, faith exists with life,' the student continues. 'Now, sir, is there

such a thing as evil?' Now uncertain, the professor responds, 'Of course, there

is. We see it Everyday. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man.

It is in The multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These

manifestations are nothing else but evil.'

 

To this the student replied, 'Evil does not

exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the

absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created

to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of

what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like

the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there

is no light.'

 

The professor sat down.

 

 

If you read it all the way through and had

a smile on your face when you finished, mail to your friends and family with

the title 'God vs. Science'

 

PS: the student was Albert Einstein.

Albert Einstein wrote a book titled God vs.

Science in 1921...

 

[Guest guest]

Dear all,Hope u all would have enjoyed reading the same as much as i did.Regards.Dr.Vellore A.R.Srinivasan