Apostolic Friends Forum - Scientist or Student: Who is smarter?

> A science professor begins his school year with a lecture to the students,
> "Let me explain the problem science has with religion." The atheist
> professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his new
> students to stand.
>
> "You're a Christian, aren't you, son?"
> "Yes sir," the student says.
>
> "So you believe in God?"
> "Absolutely."
>
> "Is God good?"
> "Sure! God's good."
>
> "Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?"
> "Yes."
>
> "Are you good or evil?"
> "The Bible says I'm evil."
>
> The professor grins knowingly. "Aha! The Bible!" He considers for a moment.
> "Here's one for you. Let's say there's a sick person over here and you can
> cure him. You can do it. Would you help him? Would you try?"
> "Yes sir, I would."
>
> "So you're good...!"
> "I wouldn't say that."
>
> "But why not say that? You'd help a sick and maimed person if you could.
> Most of us would if we could. B ut God doesn't."
>
> The student does not answer, so the professor continues. "He doesn't, does
> he? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though he prayed to
> Jesus to heal him. How is this Jesus good? Hmmm? Can you answer that
> one?"
> The student remains silent.
> "No, you can't, can you?" the professor says. He takes a sip of water from a
> glass on his desk to give the student time to relax.
>
> "Let's start again, young fella. Is God good?"
> "Er...yes," the student says.
>
> "Is Satan good?"
> The student doesn't hesitate on this one. "No."
>
> "Then where does Satan come from?"
> The student falters. "From God"
>
> "That's right. God made Satan, didn't he? Tell me, son. Is there evil in
> this world?"
> "Yes, sir."
>
> "Evil's everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything, correct?"
> "Yes."
>
> "So who created evil?" The professor continued, "If God created everything,
> then God created evil, since evil exists, and ac cording to the principle
> that our works define who we are, then God is evil."
> Again, the student has no answer. "Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred?
> Ugliness? All these terrible things, do they exist in this world?"
> The student squirms on his feet. "Yes."
>
> "So who created them?"
> The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his question.
> "Who created them?" There is still no answer. Suddenly the lecturer breaks
> away to pace in front of the classroom. The class is mesmerized. "Tell me,"
> he continues onto another student. "Do you believe in Jesus Christ, son?"
> The student's voice betrays him and cracks. "Yes, professor, I do."
>
> The old man stops pacing. "Science says you have five senses you use to
> identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Jesus?"
> "No sir. I've never seen Him."
>
> "Then tell us if you've ever heard your Jesus?"
> "No, sir, I have not."
>
> "Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelt your Jesus?
> Have you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus Christ, or God for that
> matter?"
> "No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't."
>
> "Yet you still believe in him?"
> "Yes."
>
> "According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol,
> science says your God doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?"
> "Nothing," the student replies. "I only have my faith."
>
> "Yes, faith," the professor repeats. "And that is the problem science has
> with God. There is no evidence, only faith."
>
> The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of His
> own. "Professor, is there such thing as heat?"
> "Yes," the professor replies. "There's heat."
>
> "And is there such a thing as cold?"
> "Yes, son, there's cold too."
> "No sir, there isn't."
>
> The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested. The room
> suddenly becomes very quiet. The student begins to explain. "You can have
> lots of heat , even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, unlimited heat, white
> heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don't have anything called 'cold'. We
> can hit up to 458 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can't go any
> further after that. There is no such thing as cold; otherwise we would be
> able to go colder than the lowest -458 degrees."
>
> "Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits
> energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy.
> Absolute zero (-458 F) is the total absence of heat. You see, sir, cold is
> only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold.
> Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not the
> opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it."
>
> Silence across the room. A pen drops somewhere in the classroom, sounding
> like a hammer.
>
> "What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?"
> "Yes," the professor repl ies without hesitation. "What is night if it isn't
> darkness?"
> "You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence of
> something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing
> light, but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it's called
> darkness, isn't it?
>
> That's the meaning we use to define the word."
> "In reality, darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make darkness
> darker, wouldn't you?"
>
> The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him. This will be a
> good semester. "So what point are you making, young man?"
>
> "Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start
> with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed."
>
> The professor's face cannot hide his surprise this time. "Flawed? Can you
> explain how?"
>
> "You are working on the premise of duality," the student explains. "You
> argue that there is life and then there's death; a good God and a bad God.
> You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can
> measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought."
>
> "It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully
> understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be
> ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing.
>
> Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it."
>
> "Now tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from
> monkey?"
>
> "If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes,
> of course I do."
>
> "Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?"
> The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes where
> the argument is going. A very good semester, indeed.
>
> "Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot
> even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teac hing
> your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?"
>
> The class is in uproar. The student remains silent until the commotion has
> subsided.
>
> "To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, let me
> give you an example of what I mean."
>
> The student looks around the room. "Is there anyone in the class who has
> ever seen the professor's brain?" The class breaks out into laughter.
>
> "Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor's brain, felt the
> professor's brain, touched or smelt the professor's brain? No one appears to
> have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable,
> demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, with all due
> respect, sir."
>
> "So if science says you have no brain, how can we trust your lectures,
> sir?"
>
> Now the room is silent. The professor just stares at the student, his face
> unreadable.
>
> Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man answers. "I guess you'll
> have to take them on faith."
>
> "Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with life,"
> the student continues. "Now, sir, is there such a thing as evil?"
>
> Now uncertain, the professor responds, "Of course, there is. We see it
> everyday. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in
> the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These
> manifestations are nothing else but evil."
>
> To this the student replied, "Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does
> not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like
> darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of
> God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man
> does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes
> when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light."
>
> The professor sa t down.