I'm past arguing if God exists. We need our Creator!

Today the Holy Spirit tells me there’s no argument denying the existence of God that will work because any argument against God can be turned into an argument for God. God is the constant, the unchanging, from which all else flows.

Most propositions denying God’s existence conclude God was not needed for creation. So what’s the point of even considering God? Scientific research and discovery explain creation, a creation which eliminates the need for God or does it?

A majority of people who trust scientific findings on how the world came into being see Science and Religion as incompatible. In truth, Science and Religion are harmonious. So unless it’s maintained that God had no part in creation, I’m mostly in agreement with scientific explanations. Religion and Science both seek the truth in understanding creation. Truth connects Science with Religion helping us to know how the world came into being.

St. Thomas Aquinas, possibly the greatest Christian Theologian of all times, admitted that he couldn’t explain how God created everything. However this great Doctor of the Church had no doubt that God did just that.

It’s true. God created everything. God keeps everything going. God is constantly creating.

St. Thomas had a scientific mind but didn’t have the resources to explain how God created everything or how God keeps everything going. St. Thomas knew there had to be what he called “a first mover,” a being that already existed, “the unmoved mover.” St. Thomas trusted in the omnipotence of God.

Reverend Robert Barron, Bishop of Los Angeles, theologian, author and speaker concluded that if St. Thomas Aquinas had the convincing information we have today regarding how the world began St. Thomas might have said something like, “oh that explains it, of course! That’s how God did it!”

Sadly there are false beliefs and misconceptions held by some of the greatest modern scientist in regards to what most theists believe about creation. For example well known astronomer, Carl Sagan responded in an interview with author, historian, and broadcaster, Studs Terkel that we can’t trust information from religious teachings on how the universe was created because Religion does not agree with Science. Here’s what Sagan had to say during the interview about the dichotomy between Science and Religion, “There’s a tendency in both schools of thought to think that they have a corner on the truth. Science and Religion on some level are both after the same thing. Take the question of our origins. Both Science and Religion attempt to approach this question but the religions all contradict each other so they can’t all be right. The Judeo-Christian Islamic religion holds that the world is about 6000 years old. You just count up the begats in the Old Testament. It’s very clear, 6000 years old. The Hindu have an infinitely old universe with an infinite number of creations and destruction of the whole universe. Now those 2 major religions can’t both be right. How do you tell which is right and wrong? Well the only way is to appeal to the natural world around us, and the natural world around us shows that the Earth for examples is about 4,600,000,000 and nothing like 6000 years old. So a literal reading of the Bible simply is a mistake. I mean it’s just wrong, it’s just wrong. As a work of science it is flawed, it’s the science of the Babylonians in the 6^th Century BC. We’ve learned something since then. Carl Sagan is right. It’s foolish to believe Earth is only 6000 years old though it’s true that some Christians seriously make this claim. Apparently Sagan erroneously believes that the whole of the Abrahamic Religions think the world is only 6000 years old!

Sagan chooses to classify the world religions into 2 groups by bunching the Abrahamic Religions together and ignoring Buddhists. I count 4 religions to his 2 (5 if we include Buddhists). I’d like Professor Carl Sagan to please explain. I imagine he’s referencing Western Religions and Eastern Religions but it’s confusing.

I can’t speak for Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists or non-Catholic Christians. As a Catholic I’m obligated to report as a Catholic. During my 12 years of Catholic school, I remember being taught the story of creation and in high school Darwin’s theory of evolution. The good Sisters told us that even though we learn in the story of creation that God created the world in 7 days we aren’t capable of seeing as God’s sees. Remember God is timeless. We were taught that one day for God could be billions of years. On the one hand the Sisters at my school taught us the story of Adam and Evie, the apple and the serpent while on the other hand telling us to read, listen and take notes on evolution while encouraging us to study for the final. They saw no contradiction and neither do I.

When we read and study the Old Testament, we learn about Science, History, Culture, Anthropology, Philosophy, Ethics, Geography, Law and more. However the purpose of the Bible is not to teach us all these things but to teach us about God’s great love for us; to see the Bible as a guidebook; to help us live together in peace, justice, love, mercy and compassion; to help us live a good holy life; to be with God forever and ever for all eternity when our earthly life is done.

Carl Sagan tells us we’ve learned so much more about science since 6^th Century BC Babylon.

We’ve learned so much since St. Thomas was alive. Yet we’d do well to stand by this quote from St. Thomas in regards to creation, “To one who has faith no explanation is necessary, to one without faith no explanation is possible.” Most likely St. Thomas is at this moment highfiving Father George Lemaitre (died 1966) who proposed the Big Bang Theory. By now St. Thomas of course has all the answers as he finds himself in the presence of the Almighty but he might want to congratulate Father Lamaitre for figuring out what he could not. Both of them were guided by faith while seeking knowledge and understanding of creation.

I accept what the Church teaches about God. God is eternal and timeless. The Old Testament writers spoke in days and years when writing about salvation history. So how can we reconcile our religious beliefs with what planet earth teaches us about creation? God allows the biblical writers to think as human beings, like men inspired by God, like philosophers, like poets, like biologists, like craftsmen, like priests, prophets and kings! Yet God gave man the intelligence to see the present and to look the future but especially to travel back in time billions and billions of years to search for answers as God reveals his plan of heaven and earth.

I believe Adam and Eve are my great, great, (too many greats to write) grandparents. Do I know where they’re placed in the timeline of 4,600,000,000 years of earth existence? No way. Do I take the story of creation in the book of Genesis literally? If I use the gift of wisdom given to me by the Holy Spirit and strive to think like God then most certainly while keeping in mind the mystogogy of the soul. I believe that God gave anima to our first parents by breathing a soul into them. “Then the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Genesis 2:7

Understand. The soul does not evolve. We receive our soul directly from God.

So is the Bible helpful in explaining creation to us. Most definitely. The Bible tells us about our loving and gentle God. God has a plan for creation. God desires us. God wants us to be. God uses Holy Scripture and creation to reveal himself to us and I sincerely believe God reveals himself to us in others ways as well.

Remember, Sagan says that all religions can’t be right. Let me tell Professor Sagan that all religions are right in their beliefs on creation. All religions agree on the one thing that matters most, faith. The world was created by a Supreme Being, the Creator, our Maker, the Essence of Life. This is true faith. Not so hard to believe. *(on Buddhism) Research is good and can be helpful to mankind.

Does anyone reading this notice that I do not attempt to explain any of the scientific details of how the world was created? I can’t! Maybe with much study and research but still it would probably be too difficult for me to comprehend. I don’t have the mind of a scientist. Thank God for scientists but keep in mind, God demands us to have faith, so great a faith that nothing can shake us from it.

So what do you think? Do you think God is okay with mankind eliminating him from his role in creating the world? No! Is God okay with us taking advantage of the fact that we cracked the code and figured out how he created the world? God is okay with us understanding creation. What a wonder it is that we’re able to understand at all!

What has creation taught me about God? God is so beautiful. God is breathtaking. God amazes us. God is magnificent. God feeds us. God warms us. Good soothes us. God is peace. God is strong and mighty. God is glorious. God gives us a glimpse of heaven. What a wonderful world. What a wonderful God.

So what is my conclusion? I’m past arguing if God exists. We need God our creator. There’s no question of this. My answer to those still doubting, let God be God to think like God as he lets us be the children of God to think like children of God.