ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, February 3, 1997 TAG: 9702030092
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BENJAMIN EVANS
IN RESPONSE to Tom Taylor's Jan. 9 commentary, ``In which the Lord creates confusion along with the world'':
Anyone can believe anything! God made us with minds with which to think, and these minds can be influenced but they cannot be controlled. We can believe that the Earth's moon is made of green cheese. We can believe that there is a Santa Claus who flies about in a sleigh with eight tiny reindeer and drops down through the chimney with presents for children.
We can believe that humankind was created by an intelligent and all-powerful God or we can believe that the universe came into existence by accident. We can believe anything we choose. But if we are to live in a sane world, if we are to communicate with each other, if we are to engage in mutual affairs, and if we are going to come to an agreement on things that we can mutually support, there must be some basis for evaluation of what is real and what is fiction.
If one person believes that the moon is made of green cheese, that's OK. And if another person believes that the moon is made of rock without any atmosphere, that's OK, too. But if we agree to send a human to the moon, we have to come to some kind of agreement about the moon's composition; we have to measure, study, analyze and determine what it is made of.
If the moon is green cheese, the space shuttle must include cheese slicers and refrigerated boxes in which to pack sample pieces of cheese to transport back to Earth. If the moon has no atmosphere, and is made of rock and dust, then we must send a person with a space suit and a chisel to bring back a piece of rock.
Here is a scene in heaven that I can imagine:
God says to Gabriel, ``I am lonely, and want to create a universe with things, animals and people in it. It will please my ego if these people are created in my image. See how I can take a little dust in my palm, spit into it, and shape it into a human?''
``But,'' says Gabriel, ``that makes for an ugly creation. You yourself are very beautiful.''
``Ah,'' says God, ``but don't you see, my image is made up of integrity, honesty, creativity, growth, maturity and, above all, love. What differences does it make what these humans will physically look like?''
``But Lord,'' says Gabriel, ``won't having people grow in this way take a long time? Won't they have to live, work, hate, love, make mistakes, suffer, feel guilt and die? What kind of a universe is that? Why not just snap your fingers and make it all just so, and you won't have to wait millions of years to see how it all turns out?''
``But where is the fun in that?'' says God. ``I want to see people grow and mature. I want to see them start from tadpoles and develop into brilliant scientists, architects, orators, doctors, artists, craftsmen. I want to see if they can use the brains I give them to avoid stupidity, and learn to come down out of the trees and walk upright. And I want to see if they can develop a love for one another that is so strong that it can withstand hatred and meanness. I want to see if they can develop a love for one another such that they can all share their pain, grief and joy, too.''
``I will make the universe totally infinite so that there is nothing that has a finite end. No matter how far anyone travels, there will be no end. No matter how much anyone learns, there will always be more to learn. No matter how much anyone develops and matures, there will always be room for more development and maturing. No matter how much one learns to love, that person can always learn to love more. Don't you see, Gabriel, how beautiful it will be?''
``And to do that I don't need to do it in six days. I can take my time and do it over several million years. I'll give these people and things plenty of time to see if they can eventually get it right. And from time to time, maybe I will even send them someone to help show them the way.''
Doctors tell me that I have malignant melanoma, and that one day I will die from it. Those are the facts.
The Scriptures tell me that, ``Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. Thou anointest my head with oil, my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.'' That is my faith.
Benjamin Evans of Blacksburg is a retired professor of architecture at Virginia Tech.
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