Following the Evidence | For open-minded skeptics with doubts about God and Christianity

True skeptics reject blind religious faith as well as blind atheism. Open-minded skeptics evaluate and consider the evidence and follow it to its rational conclusion. True skeptics are even willing to re-evaluate their own presuppositions and assumptions. An open-minded analysis of the evidence presented here may help you to answer the following three salient questions:

Is there adequate evidence to rationally conclude that a creator God exists?
If the preponderance of evidence points toward the existence a creator God, which god is God?
If this God exists, what are the implications for my life?

Three Key Points for Evaluating the Evidence

First . . . Faith is NOT the blind acceptance that something is true even though there is no evidence to support it. Faith is trust that is based on evidence, knowledge, or information. You exercise faith every time you board an airplane. You trust that you will be delivered safely to your destination because of what you know about modern aviation. You exercise some degree of faith every time you take medicines, have surgery, eat out, or even sit in an unfamiliar chair. Faith is a part of science as well as everyday life. Faith is at play when you trust the readouts of a scientific instrument. Faith involves extrapolating just beyond the data points by projecting a suggested curve, or interpolating somewhere between the data points of a graph. That means we trust the curve that our data have supported. But blind faith is not really faith at all because it lacks evidential support. Blind faith is more akin to a hunch or a blind supposition. Consequently, some people have a blind theism while others have a blind atheism because both lack compelling evidential support. Each is equally worthless. Faith (trust) in something or someone means the evidence provides adequate support for you to act. As we shall see later, even the Bible promotes an informed, evidence-based faith. But sadly, most churches have provided no evidence for a Christian world view.

Second . . . The concept of PROOF must also be considered. You may or may not be aware that ABSOLUTE PROOF does not exist outside the domain of pure mathematics. In every other domain we can only express levels of probability or confidence that something is true based on the degree to which the evidence seems to support it. It is not possible to absolutely prove that God does or does not exist because this is outside the domain of pure mathematics. But one can gather enough evidence from a variety of domains to become reasonably and rationally confident about which position is most well supported — atheism or theism.

Third . . . There is a big difference between evidence and its interpretation. Atheists and theists sometimes cite the same evidence as support for their opposing positions. It takes real intellectual integrity and open-mindedness to impartially evaluate and interpret evidence. One's own cultural presuppositions and peer-pressured biases can easily skew one's interpretation of data. We view the world through bias-colored glasses. Here is an exaggerated example. Imagine the skeletal remains of a seventeen thousand year old bison are found with a stone spear point among its bones. One interpretation may be that the beast was killed by an ancient human or humans seventeen thousand years ago. This assumes an outside but absent causal agent for the spear point. Another interpretation may be that seventeen thousand years ago bison had learned to create stone spear points. One interpretation presupposes an outside but missing causal agent for the point. The second interpretation rejects the assumption of an outside missing causal agent for the spear point. Clearly both cannot be true. Evidence and interpretation are not the same thing.

A Personal Note

During my lifetime I moved from a blind, socio-cultural faith in God (elementary school) to a position of hard atheism (early college years). Later on I decided that my hard atheism was just as anti-intellectual, close minded, dogmatic, and shallow as my previous blind faith in God because neither position was evidence-based. Both were founded on hunches, preferences, presuppositions, subcultural norms, and personal assumptions. Thus I evolved into an open-minded agnostic who thought god was probably just a man-made concept (graduate school). I entirely dismissed God's reality for a few years because I knew of no evidence to support the proposition of His existence. However I was now a more intellectually honest agnostic skeptic who was at least willing to consider any evidence that God might exist.

Thus began a decades-long search as I skeptically pondered the pro-and-con evidence related to each of the three questions. My quest led me through five college degrees including two doctorates (one science related and the other Bible related) directly involved in those big three questions about God. I found my answers. I have become a firm believer in God and in the simple Christianity found in the New Testament. My faith (trust) is evidence-based and not blind. It rests on my honest, open-minded evaluation and interpretation of many lines of evidence. No single line of evidence is adequate in itself. But as a group, these lines of evidence are capable of providing a rational answer. Where does the preponderance of evidence lead? You may arrive at a different conclusion. I wish you clear vision, analytical thinking, intellectual honesty, and open mindedness as you seek an answer those three, age-old questions. The following link shows a quest that is, in many ways, similar to my own:

With an Open Mind and a willingness to Follow the Evidence to its Rational Conclusion . . .

Let the quest begin!

Please read the introduction and watch the linked videos.

QUESTION ONE:
Is there enough evidence to rationally conclude that a Creator God exists?

If a god or gods created the universe and living things we should expect to discover evidence at every level (quantum, micro, macro, biological, cosmological) pointing toward intentional design rather than random, irregular, unguided chance. What lines of Evidence seem to support the hypothesis that the universe and its components were the product of a designer, an intelligent, powerful, transcendent, Creator God who had us in mind?

The Universe had a beginning: A created universe should have a beginning. During much of my youth it was assumed that the universe had no beginning, that it was infinite in size and age. However it was discovered that the universe (matter, energy, space, and even time) suddenly came into existence out of nothing 13.8 billion years ago. This discovery was fought fiercely for some time because of its theological implications. The Big-Bang event strongly supports the hypothesis of a transcendent, intelligent, powerful, and intentional creator God who had us in mind.

The Universe shows evidence of design and incredible fine-tuning of its constants and components: Were the 4 forces of the universe even infinitesimally smaller or larger, no advanced life could exist anywhere in the universe at any time. The same can be said for the composition of the universe. Even atheist scientists acknowledge that the universe appears to have been created with humans in mind. This is called "the Anthropic Principle." But they attribute the fune-tuning of the universe to a luck-of-the-draw in a postulated multiverse model for which there is no evidence at all. But the fine-tuning of the forces, constants, quantities and components of the universe is totally consistent with the hypothesis of a transcendent, intelligent, powerful, and intentional creator God who had us in mind.

The earth, solar system, and galaxy show abundant evidence of design and incredible fine-tuning: Decades ago, it was assumed that if liquid water were present, life may exist on a planet. Now we understand that even simple life requires far more than that. Around 200 features of our earth, moon, solar system, and galaxy seem to have been tweaked to an incredibly fine degree to make earth habitable for complex life. These features of the universe are balanced on a razor's edge. The only alternative to theism is the blind-faith hypothesis of a multiverse. Is it rational to conclude that all this happened by chance? The incredible fine-tuning of our cosmic, galactic and planetary neighborhood is strongly consistent with the hypothesis of a transcendent, intelligent, powerful, and intentional creator God who had us in mind.

The Mysterious and sudden Origin of Life: For seventy years scientists around the world have sought to understand how life emerged on this planet. Each line of pursuit has led to a dead end. Today we are no closer to understanding how life originated here than we were decades ago. This has led some frustrated researchers to propose blind-faith extraterrestrial hypotheses that don't explain the ultimate origin of life, but merely "kick the can further down the road." The sudden mysterious origin of life on this planet 3.8 billion years ago with the sudden explosion of complex body-plans around 500 million years ago are consistent with the hypothesis of a powerful, intelligent, and intentional God who had us in mind.

The Amazing and Diverse array of Molecular Machines in all cells: Cells are far more complex than anyone could have imagined 100 years ago. A simple cell is like a miniature city filled with factories, trucks, roads, power plants, and government. Could cities accidentally evolve independent of mind? Each cell is filled with myriad complex machines. There are as many kinds of machines in cells as there are functions in cells. Some are transporters, code readers, code repairers, assembly plants, power plants, electric outboard motors, pumps, turbines, and much, much more. Transport freeways are assembled and disassembled as needed. These complex and integrated systems of machinery could not have been formed by incremental accidental changes in DNA codes. DNA itself can't come into being without molecular machines, and machines can't come into being without DNA. The complex machinery of even the simplest cell strongly supports the hypothesis of a transcendent, powerful, intelligent and intentional God who had us in mind.

The Sophisticated information coding and storage systems of the nucleic acids: Information is a product of mind. DNA and RNA form an information storage and retrieval system that is far more sophisticated than anything man has created. DNA is a parts-list for all the protein components of the cell, including the complex cellular machines and their structural assemblies. Complex information and information-storage and retrieval mechanisms have never been seen to originate from anything other than a mind. The wonders of DNA caused leading outspoken atheist Anthony Flew to conclude that God must exist. The nucleic acids strongly support the hypothesis of a powerful, intelligent, intentional God who had us in mind.

The inexplicable Cambrian Explosion of life: Complex animal body-plans (phyla) have not been seen to develop slowly and gradually over time so far as the fossil record is concerned. Instead, about 530 million years ago most modern phyla, along with entire ecosystems, suddenly exploded fully developed onto the scene. Phyla suddenly appeared with no predecessors and then slowly diversified a bit. This period of rapid proliferation in form may have been as short as 5 million years. There is no known mechanism that can accomplish such quantum leaps in complexity as is displayed in the Cambrian Explosion. There have also been similar explosions of life after every major extinction event. Some have happened in as little as 10,000 years. The Cambrian Explosion strongly supports the hypothesis of a powerful, intelligent, intentional creator God who had us in mind.

Conclusion: Question One

Remember, nothing outside of the domain of pure mathematics can be proven absolutely. However these seven lines of evidence, in the opinion of many former skeptics, provide more than enough support to rationally conclude that a powerful, personal, transcendent, intelligent being is responsible for the creation of the universe, and that he had us in mind.

I can understand that some of you may not yet be convinced. But I ask you to examine why. Is there not enough evidence to convince you? Do you apply this same level of proof to other areas of your world view or just to theism? Does the preponderance of evidence point another direction or are you just not comfortable, for whatever reason, with the concept of a personal, powerful creator God?

Hard atheism is a null hypothesis, providing no real evidence for or against the God hypothesis. It is a selected and personally preferred default presupposition that lacks evidence. I have found that most atheists object to theism, not on the basis of scientific evidence, but primarily on the basis of the harm that religious people do, why the innocent suffer, the sorrowful human condition, the notion of hell, the problem of evil, or the restrictive standards and commands of religious writings. My hard atheist presupposition used to be: "If there was a god, he would necessarily fit my personal presuppositions about how he should be. If my proposed version of god existed, the world would be a very different place. Since the world is not how I think it would be with a god, there must be no god." But today we know of many evidences supporting theism that I did not have access to in my first few college degrees.

Here are links to videos of a few former atheists who followed the evidence and found God.

QUESTION TWO:
If there is a God, which God is God?

Many people assume that all the different religions lead to the same god. However I found this to be profoundly incorrect. They say that all religions are fundamentally the same but superficially different. Anyone who says this has not made much effort to study many religions. Actually all religions are fundamentally different and only superficially similar. And all religions are basically exclusive. Christians are exclusive as are Muslims, Jews, Hindus, and Buddhists. And sects within each of these exclude those outside their sects. If you have a group of beliefs and teachings that are fundamentally different and contradictory, they cannot all be true. Either one is true and the rest wrong, or they are all wrong. I studied the religions of the world, examined their dogmas, and compared their teachings to what we have discovered in science, history, and archaeology. I was looking for truth, for concordance with reality. I focused on the teachings of the sacred writings, not on the practitioners. On this basis I was able to quickly discount all but one group.

How does one go about determining which God is actually God? To do this one must carefully study the holy writings of these religions and put them to the test. Check the religious documents for what can be checked (historically, scientifically, medically, geographically, archaeologically, and culturally). Look for internal as well as external consistency. These steps will quickly eliminate most of the religions from consideration. Are there any supernatural elements... such as clear prophecies made centuries before the events were historically fulfilled and documented?

I do not desire for this website to be a tirade against other religions. To eliminate a religion is not to cast away its followers. I will simply state that I eliminated all except Christianity in its simple New Testament form. The book called the Holy Bible withstood all the rigorous tests I could throw at it. To reject the New Testament documents as untrustworthy is to reject virtually all of ancient history. Why? The New Testament is overwhelmingly the most well documented book from the ancient past. There is more evidence for Jesus than for Plato, Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, Aristotle combined. Many who have started out to disprove the New Testament ended up becoming Christian as they discovered its veracity and incomparable nature. I also hold this high view of the Old Testament. Below you will find links to various videos addressing evidences for this issue. Consider these for yourself.

Conclusion: Question Two

Having subjected the world's major religious writings to the same extensive and rigorous analyses, I found only one was able to stand the test. All others fell aside very quickly. The assembly of 66 documents collectively called The Holy Bible is in a class of its own. The accusations that the Bible is filled with errors and contradictions melted away upon closer scrutiny. The overwhelming evidential support of the Holy Bible led me to conclude that only this book points clearly to the transcendent, intelligent, powerful creator God. I now have far more than sufficient evidence to believe that there is a powerful, intelligent, transcendent creator God. And I now have more than sufficient evidence to trust the Holy Bible as his revelation to humanity. Consequently I have placed my evidence-based trust in Jesus Christ as my savior, my friend, and my God. I followed many lines of evidence and they all led me to the God of the Holy Bible.

Because of time and space restraints I have not presented all the evidence that I have for making that commitment. And I realize that you may need more information before drawing a conclusion. Thus I have included the following links to excellent sites with hundreds more excellent videos that address these issues.

Frequent Objections with Rational Responses

But how can God be a trinity — three eternal, co-equal persons but one God? Isn't it irrational to say the one true God is three persons?

Well, Abbey and Brittany in the first video below are two persons but one biological being. An aspen forest may have many trees and yet they form a single interconnected male organism called a Pando. One family may have 3 members. So is it impossible that God can be a trinity? 1 + 1 + 1 = 1 can be true with vector math addition.

But why is Jesus the only way, and what about those who have never heard of Jesus?

But what about dinosaurs and the age of the earth?

But what about "cavemen?"

But what about miracles in the bible?

But can I be a Christian and an evolutionist?

Yes. Many Christians are evolutionists. I once held this position but gave it up because of scientific reasons, not biblical conflicts. I followed the evidence to a different conclusion. As a biology major I have studied evolution up through the doctoral level, having had various courses in general evolutionary theory, human evolution, molecular evolution, and origin of life theories. My objections focus on the lack of evidential support for the origin of life and the capacity of random mutations to actually create increasingly complex and integrated systems. Natural selection can obviously change finch beaks but nothing shows me that natural selection is capable of creating a finch. That would be a blind-faith presumption. Other Christians disagree with me on this.

But what about the flood of Noah?

But if there is a powerful, loving God, why is there so much human suffering, evil, and injustice?

But if God created the world, who created God?

Philosophical questions and objections:

See also:
John Lennox Video Resources

This is where I stood a few decades ago. Having followed the evidence, it was rational and reasonable for me to conclude the bible is true and the God of the bible exists. I was left with only three possible choices. Do I remain an agnostic demanding even more evidence, do I place blind-faith in the proposed evidence-less combination of a hypothetical multiverse and some speculative extraterrestrial panspermia, or do I place my informed faith (trust) in the God of the Bible? I concluded that the evidence led clearly, forcefully, logically, and rationally to God.

It is only the God of the Bible who challenges us to avoid blind faith and to follow the evidence. Here are his own words from his own book:

“Prove me herewith,” says the Lord. “Put all things to the test and hold to that which is good.”

In the books of Psalms and Romans God declares that he has filled all creation with evidences of his existence. Then he said "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

This site has provided you with much of the evidence. What will you do with it? God gave us two books of evidence about himself: the book of nature . . . and the Holy Bible.

Below you will find links of people with various religious backgrounds who, after following the evidence, converted to Christianity:

QUESTION THREE:
Since the evidence supports the existence of the God of the Bible, what are the implications for me?

(1) There are gifts to be received:

You too may have come to the point of believing that the evidence points to the God of the bible. Now it is time for you to consider believing in Him. It may be time to make it personal. The biblical words faith and believe essentially mean "to personally trust because of evidence." Consider the following:

You have been created for a purpose. God gave you a few of his own qualities (mind, will, emotions, freedom to choose, creativity, natural talents, etc.) so you can have a personal relationship with him and with others. He wants you to be a part of his family. However he will not force you into the relationship. Love must be freely chosen. Programmed love or compelled love are not actually genuine love. He already loves you but you must choose to accept or reject his love. Jesus described his disciples as followers, friends, and family. The creator himself calls you into this same relationship. However our sin penalty blocks the possibility of this relationship.

God himself has paid your full sin penalty. Sin is disobedience to God and his commands. We are all guilty, some more than others. The eventual penalty for your sin debt is eternal separation from God and everything good that he provides. This place of sorrow, gloom, despair, and hopelessness is called hell.You are incapable of working off your sin penalty with good works. God does not want you to spend an eternity away from his love and goodness. Consequently God the son (Jesus) became a man and paid your sin penalty on the cross. God the Father punished his own son, Jesus, in your stead, for your sin. He suffered for your sin debt, was buried for you, paid your sin penalty, and rose again for you. Then he ascended back to God the Father and there he will intervene on your behalf. He took your sin and now offers you the possibility of exchanging your sin for his righteousness. He paid your sin debt but you must personally accept it. This is your only option for avoiding eternal banishment from God, his love, and all things which are good and pleasing.

Receive these free gifts of forgiveness and an eternal relationship with the creator God: Gifts must be accepted before they are yours. So how do we accept these gifts? You talk to God. He hears your voice as well as your thoughts. Are you ready to receive your gifts of forgiveness and friendship? Just ask him. He became my savior, Lord, and friend when I prayed something like this:

"God, I want to have a personal relationship with you and I want to live out the incredible destiny you have planned for me. I am sorry for my sins and I ask you to forgive me because Jesus suffered, died, and rose from the grave for me. I ask you to come into my being and transform me. Make me more like Jesus. Help me to know your way and to follow you. Help me to love you with all my being and help me to love others. Help me to study and understand your Word. I thank you and I trust you, God. In Jesus' name."

Born again? Ever heard that term? When a father's sperm enters a mother's egg, a new physical life is created. Your spirit is like a spiritual egg. When you trust Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior, and friend, he sends the Holy Spirit to enter your spirit (like a holy sperm cell). His spirit enters your spirit and a new spiritual life is created within you. You are thus born again. The Holy Spirit will always remain in your spirit.

(2) There is a fulfilling future to prepare for:

If you asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, you have a whole new life ahead of you. You are in a relationship with the triune God (Father, Son, and Spirit). Our existence now is a time to enjoy God, to be good to others, and to prepare for our future. This life is college to prepare you for your eternal destiny. You will face many choices, many obstacles, and many opportunities to do right. Learn from your successes and your failures. This life is like spiritual boot-camp that prepares you for your future.

Although you cannot earn salvation or keep it by your good works, once you are saved by his grace (free gift) you can earn eternal rewards by your good works. Jesus said "I go and prepare a place for you. And I will return for you." He also said . . . "A reward is with me to give to everyone according to their deeds (good works)." This reality is the source of your meaning and purpose in life:

Jesus said the great commandments for his followers were to (1) Love God with all that is in you, and (2) Love others as you love yourself. How?

A. Get to know God better by praying: Prayer is simply talking to God as you would to your closest friend. He hears your words and thoughts. He longs for this because he loves you. God is not concerned about how you pray but what you pray. He is not interested in fancy words. He is totally concerned with your sincerity. He prefers simple honest prayers to high-sounding sanctimonious ones. Don't feel obligated to pray about everything with every prayer. But over the course of a day talk informally with him several times . . . with your voice or in your mind. There are some important things to tell Him. Sometime during the day try to include the following elements:

Confession: Tell Him what you have done wrong and ask him to forgive you and to help you avoid doing it again. Aim to become more like Jesus but don't expect perfection.
Adoration and Praise: Tell him what you love and admire about Him. This may include his love, mercy, forgiveness, the wonderful future he has for you, the beauty of the world, His amazing power and wisdom, etc.
Thanksgiving: Tell him how grateful you are for all he has done and given you. Always acknowledge that it is ultimately He who has given you these things. He gave you the ability to earn a living. All good things come ultimately from Him.
Supplication: Tell Him what you need and ask him to provide what is ultimately best for you. You may find out that He provides for your need but not necessarily your greed. Pray about your problems.
Intercession: Pray for others . . . their needs, their problems, their hurts and their salvation.

At some point you may want to pray with others. Here is a video with some guidance:

B. Get to Know Him better by Studying God's Word: Below is a link to an online bible. You may select a book of the bible, a chapter of that book, version of the bible, and then click the speaker to listen. Try to carefully listen to 2-3 chapters per day. Listen carefully to each word, asking God to help you understand. This will take very few minutes per day. I suggest you listen to Mark, then John, then Acts and onward, book by book to Revelation. Then read Matthew and Luke. Repeat this whole sequence before going to the Old Testament and listening book by book all the way to the end.

I have already selected Mark Chapter 1 and the New Living Translation for you:

Bible.com – Mark 1

C. Take some time for Worship: Unfortunately I can no longer recommend any particular denomination for you to attend a church. Most churches have abandoned the simple doctrine of the New Testament Church. Many have become big-business or entertainment centers. They say whatever will attract a crowd. Some have become cults with non-biblical doctrines. Most twist the bible to justify their own human positions. But the bible predicted this would be the case. It would be far better to attend no church than to attend one that is politically correct, dynamic, entertaining, but biblically incorrect.

For home worship I can recommend you listen to the presentations found at the following His Channel link. I find their teaching to be biblical, for the most part. I particularly recommend David Jeremiah, Jack Hibbs, and Barry Stagner in the Teaching and Church section. Start with those and then explore others like "Hope For Our Times" and "Behold Israel with Amir Tsarfaiti" in the Talk and News section. Most at this site seems biblically sound. You may view these alone or with friends. In addition the three news programs along with Hal Lindsey, and Christ in Prophecy may keep you up to date on how God is fulfilling end-times prophecies.

HisChannel.com

In addition I heartily recommend the following links:

D. Do good to others: Ask God to make you aware of various people for you to help. Tip waitresses as generously as possible. Smile and treat people well. Lend a hand. Follow the golden rule. Show mercy and kindness. Assist as you can. Aim to someday share your faith with humility. Do not be self-righteous but show the love of God to others. Jesus said, "Even a cup of water given in my name (because I motivate it) will not go without a reward." And, "Let your light so shine before men that they see your good works, and glorify God who is in heaven."

Finally:

I have no motive other than this: My honest desire is to provide evidence and resources for people who struggle to answer the big-three questions:

Is there adequate reason to believe that there is a God?
Which god is really God?
Since the God of the Bible exists, what are the implications for my life?

This website provides me no financial gain and no kickbacks from the linked sites. In fact it costs me to make and keep it up. But that is ok. I do this for God and for those seeking Him. I have provided no way for you to contact me so no one can benefit me. However I have provided you with links to many good websites and channels. Those people spend a lot of money on their sites, and I encourage you to visit their sites and channels, subscribe to them if you like, and perhaps support them with an occasional offering. As I said, I get no financial kickbacks from them. But they deserve however you may benefit them.

I ask only one favor . . . If this site has helped you, please connect other "seekers" with it.

I now commit you to God, His Word, and the guidance of His Holy Spirit. Grow in His truth. Follow His direction. Prepare for His Coming. Let your life reflect the love of God. May the Lord Jesus Christ be actively Present in your life . . . may He Provide for all your needs . . . and may He Protect you from all physical and spiritual danger.