What is the Source of Mankind’s Power? 2/2
This is God whose decisions are final. He is above ties of kinship and favoritism. He has the power to shatter the dream of human power and progress at any time. It is He who has determined the extent of the Earth’s duration, the life of Man, and the age of the universe. The presence of God means that Man is not independent and does not have total liberty to act as he pleases. In truth he is utterly helpless and dependent. The human intellect makes it clear that it is God alone who comes between the vision of humanity as self-sufficient, free agents and a view that perceives Mankind to be totally dependent and needy. If Man is to pursue his dream of ultimate power and control, it is necessary to resolve the question of whether God exists. Otherwise all of our predictions, conjectures and calculations based on advanced computer programmes and statistical techniques will have as much meaning and significance as the plans concocted by Don Quixote.
We need to establish whether there is such a power that, in the blink of an eye, could cause the destruction of human greatness by directing an asteroid on a path of collision with planet Earth. Is there a force that could infect the human mind with a virus that would leave us all crippled in a vegetative state, and at the flicker of an eyelid it could suspend the faculties of the heart and mind, a force that in a fit of anger could transform the advanced Homo Sapiens into Chimpanzees once again? A power that is not bound by events and that does not allow any ‘coincidences’ to occur without its will? He is such an Absolute Ruler that He can wipe out the worlds worst tyrants and dictators by means of a deadly infection or thrombosis. In fact with a simple gesture of His hand of dominance he can transform the realities of the universe into a mirage or an imaginary illusion. Making claims of greatness in the presence of a God who has the power to do all this begins to seem a bit futile. If such a contender to human greatness exists then what course is left open to Mankind?
There are only two options.
Mankind can either acknowledge and submit to this force and continue to pursue their dream of greatness and control of the Universe with His blessing; or they can reject Him and wage a futile war that can only lead to hell and the total annihilation of Mankind. However, before this possibility materialises is it not necessary for the human race to focus their minds and establish whether such a threat really does exist? Would it not have been wise for the whole of Mankind to reflect collectively and find an answer to the question of whether human life is the result of a cosmic accident or whether we are the creatures and servants of God?
We are continuously faced with evidence both within us and outside us those points to the fact that there is an external force that constantly intervenes in the management of the universe. Even if we reject evidence that is handed down by oral tradition and is based on fanciful imaginings, we should still expend as much effort and energy in objectively resolving this issue as we may do in working out a mathematical formula, establishing a scientific fact, or exploring the effects of a new political system. We have to open ourselves up to the possibility that to analyse and explore the existence of God we have to establish certain principles or a framework to guide our research. This will deal with issues such as the type of evidence that can be regarded as conclusive and on the basis of which we can either definitively accept or reject the existence of God. For instance, it is argued that nobody has seen God because of this no-one has been able to give eyewitness evidence of God. Imagine if someone had given an eyewitness account of God: would any of the intellectuals of the human race be willing to accept such a declaration? We could equally regard the testimony of the Messengers of God as evidence, since they were able to acquire a profound understanding of the reality of the cosmos and claimed to have a connection with this reality, and attested to receiving commandments from it. In addition they bore witness to the existence of intermediaries who could be referred to as Angels. We could also regard as evidence the countless miracles that occurred at the hands of different prophets and were witnessed by various nations, and which could only be explained by referring to God.
However, the issue is that modern Man has expressed his reservations in accepting that human beings can develop any spiritual capacity, or that there can be a communication link between humankind and the reality of the cosmos. They have declared such phenomenon to be the result of a psychological complex within these individuals, and approached the whole subject in the context of psychological factors. They raised questions about the mental health of people who claimed to be Prophets. The result of all this was that the greatest truths and testimonies regarding God were now opens to doubt.
Will be continued with the 3rd last chapter .. God: Reason or Blind Faith !!