I was baptized when I was two days old. Received First Communion when I was 7 years old and Confirmed when I was 13 years old. Ordained a priest when I was 29 years old. I made a vow to be faithful to Him at that time. I speak and write a great deal about God. I talk to God in the morning, at night, and during the day. And at times life’s events make me question Him. I am sure that if we are honest, there are times and moments when we question the existence of God.
I know there are people who say they never do, yet the depth of our doubt is often in proportion to the depth of our faith. It is ok to question at times so that our relationship with God is not just rooted in tradition and culture but rooted in a desire to walk with the one who Loves Us, Created Us and is With Us right now ! There is no doubt He is !
This series How Can I Know is about resolving our doubts. Sometimes we are embarrassed about our belief and even more so about our questions. Sometimes our embarrassment leads us to live in doubt because we are no more interested in the answer than a thief is interested in finding a policeman. But to ask is to find the answer. To seek is to succeed in a search. To knock is to have a door opened. (c.f. Matthew 7:7).
How do you know if there is a God ? What causes the Doubt? These stumbling blocks in our Gospel last weekend and this weekend (Mark 9:, 30-37, 38-48). Well there are many types of doubts but maybe we could group them a little:
1. Natural Doubts - As children we are told of the tooth fairy - parents help her out - even Santa Claus. As we mature we grow in our understanding of them, a natural progression takes place when we think of their role. So too in faith, it must grow and progress. If it does not, then our understanding of faith remains the same, and as we grow in the challenges of years, it leads us to doubt, and so we come to a wrong conclusion, because our faith has not developed with our age - we believe like kids and yet live as adults. This is why its important to constantly grow in the faith and if we don't then we doubt.
2. Philosophical Doubts - We see events in life and we begin to wonder - Why would God let people suffer? Questions that are hard to grasp, or that we struggle with, and we don’t have the answer, and some quit believing instead of continue walking.
3. Experiential Doubt - We are prisoners of what we experience. If we are never introduced to God then we might not know Him. If we have lived through a disappointment - we think the reality of an un answered prayer means there is no God.
4. Empirical Doubt - We are looking for proof, we want substance, something like Thomas “unless I touch the mark the nails made, put my hand in His side, I will not believe”(John 20. 19-31). We want faith to fit the scientific method.
So can I prove the existence of God - well there is a difference between proof and evidence. Sometimes people don’t want to accept evidence. Let me illustrate what I mean.
Earlier this week, as I was preparing this message, I sat in my study - working - and I heard someone typing on the keyboard in the office next to me. I concluded that this was my secretary Paula. How could I prove that it was her, if I did not see her, from where I was? Well the evidence was there. Her office is next to mine, I had just talked to her a moment before, the only time anyone else is there is if she is on vacation and I knew she was not. So the evidence says it was her - could I prove that or see her from my very seat - no - it could have been Prime Minister Harper typing, but the evidence argued strongly against it.
Sometimes people don’t want to accept evidence, and even when they get it they will not change their postion. Like the man who went to see his psychiatrist and said “ Doctor I am afraid I am dead.” The doctor replied “You are not dead”. “Yes I am” said the patient. “You can’t be dead.” the doctor replied. “I am dead and there is nothing you can do about it” the patient said. Well, the doctor said “ Do dead men bleed?” “No” replied the patient” and at this the doctor took a little pocket knife, nicked the patients finger and he began to bleed ,at which the patient replied, “ Wow, look at that, dead men do bleed”.
There is evidence for the existence of God:
1. Cosmological Evidence - Why is there something rather nothing. Changes leaves on a tree, grass, stars, plants. There are something, where did they come from? Those who say there is no God believe in a formula - that No one x nothing = evidence. But there must be a first cause. Everything has a cause - nothing can not become something on its own.
2. Existence Evidence - we want something more than ourselves. We yearn for relationships. We know there is something more than ourselves. We want friends, we want accompaniment and once a challenge comes that is beyond what we can handle it, we want something supernatural - why? Because we know there is. Our desire for God is the most compelling evidence for God! Even those who do not believe in Him work hard to disprove Him because they know He is there!
3. Historical Evidence - Jesus died over 2000 years ago - the event has been historically proven, people have accepted it and even at times people have believed when they did not have to believe - when it was not in their interests to believe - martyrs in our faith. Over time, doubts have been expressed - scientific, historical, mythological - each and every time - the doubt was answered - and people have witnessed for Him - why have so many million of people given their life for God? Its simple, He is !
How can I know if there is a God is not a cause for proof but evidence. Everyday we make decisions to remove stumbling blocks in our lives. The amount of evidence we require depends on the importance of the decision.
Last night I went out with a friend of mine. We stopped in for a drink - let’s call it Ice Tea. We got the same one and the hostess brought over the tray and both looked exactly the same. It got me thinking. Now what if with that ice tea, if one of us had asked for sweetened and the other for unsweetened tea - but she forgot which was which. Given that neither of us is diabetic, probably we would be willing to take a risk and drink either one. But if she says accidentally a poison tablet fell into one and she can’t remember which one - we would want to check the evidence carefully before drinking it - and neither of us would be willing to take a sip of either of them for proof.
More actions in our life - moral especially - flow from the affirmation of God than from denial. Before you say there is no God you’d better have a lot of proof - and there is none - because the evidence says there is. The great things about a life of faith, and our God, is He allows us to ask “How can I know?” And yet still permits us to say “ I Can Believe”.