Hey Drew,

Thank you for such a prompt reply. I found it helpful and I take the point that feeling out of place is not just a Christian thing. As a child I once went to a ballroom dancing class and all the other children were girls, giggling and whispering, you know, the way girls do, and boy, was I outaplace. I just hope the experience hasn’t scarred me for life.

But to go back to the conference – I just felt that the others “had” something I didn’t have. It’s difficult to explain, but they were so “joyous”. I just wish I could feel the same.

I was interested to hear what you said about God. First of all, how do you know there is a God? I bet you’ve never seen him? As a child I was given the impression that he was a kindly old man with a bushy white beard and a big smile. If he exists at all is he really like this?

Jack

Howdy back Jack,

I am interested to hear that you now have questions about God. First out of the docks, I think it is of utmost importance in our present zeitgeist to state flatly, as did Blaise Pascal (French philosopher/theologian), that “either God is or he is not.” There is no middle ground for logic teaches us that something cannot both be and not be at the same time–law of noncontradiction. In other words, it makes no sense to say that God is and God isn’t, and expect for both to be true right now. Why is this declaration important? Because there are those that assert a “what’s true for you, is true for you” mentality (in the name of “tolerance”); thus a Christian and atheist can both be right. But I say, What about what’s true? Truth matters, and because it matters we should head out on a truth hunt. And on this hunt I hope if you won’t mind if two chaps accompany us: Blaise Pascal and Martin Buber (Jewish philosopher that rocked a sweet beard).

When mining the quarry of arguments for the existence of God (20ish), one finds gold nuggets that, in my opinion, sparkle more so than others. One nugget worthy of an engagement ring–if you’re thinking of getting married, wink wink–is what’s known as Pascal’s Wager. We know what a wager is. It’s more or less a bet. You can bet on a horse race, cards, boxing, but everyone bets on the existence of God. You can either bet that he exists, in which case you live like he does exist (theism) or you can bet that he doesn’t and live like he doesn’t (atheism). Our French friend Pascal gives some good gambling advice when it comes to throwing in your chips on the side of God. His argument goes something like this:

If you bet that God exists and it turns out he does, then you win everything.
If you bet that God exists and it turns out he doesn’t, then you lose nothing.

But…

If you bet that God doesn’t exist and he does, then you lose everything.
If you bet that God doesn’t exist and he doesn’t, then you win nothing.

Pascal summarizes saying, “Let us assess the two cases: if you win, you win everything; if you lose, you lose nothing. Do not hesitate then: wager that he does exist.”

I agree. And it seems as though you’re throwing in your chips with us on the side of God’s existence in saying that there was something else to the crowd at the concert, that they had something else.

In closing, there’s a story told of Martin Buber, that an atheist once approached him demanding proof for God’s existence or he would continue in his disbelief. Buber’s response? “No.” The atheist, of course enraged, got up to leave. As he was about to make his exit, Buber called out to him, “But can you be sure there is no God?” Now that’s a haunting question.

I know this really only begins to address your first question in your letter, How do we know there is a God. To your second question, I can offer an emphatic “no” because the god you described (and that many people picture) seems more like Santa Claus than the ruler and creator of abso-bloomin-lutely everything. The main difference between the two is–besides God existing and Santa Claus not–that God doesn’t exist for the sole purpose of being our personal butlers. He’s not a magic genie that can be commanded around, but rather greatly to be praised.

Wagering,
Drew