Here's an email that covers many elements of a good story - good versus evil, weak versus powerful, arrogance versus simple truth, and religion versus science. The story related in the email is a modification of one that has been circulating for years. Read more about emails like this on Snopes.com.
Here's the email, with my comments in GREEN.
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God vs. Science
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. But 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 according
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.
The professor is basing his remarks on a concept known as the problem of evil. Essentially, it states that if God is all good, all knowing, and all powerful, then there should be no evil in the world. If God is all good, He must hate evil and desire it to be gone. If God is all knowing, He knows of every evil. If God is all powerful, He can eliminate evil. Since evil exists, God can not be all three things - all good, all knowing, and all powerful. This is just one of many arguments for and against the existance of God. Click this link for Books on the problem of evil
. Click this link for Books on the existence of God.
"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 replies without hesitation. "What is night if it
isn't darkness?"
"You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the
abs ence 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 a 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 teaching 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.
There is plenty of evidence for evolution and there has been observations of the process of evolution at work in an ongoing endeavor. Scientists teach whatever theories best fit the evidence. Theories are not hunches, as the word is used in common dialog. A theory is "A set of statements or principles devised to explain a group of facts or phenomena, especially one that has been repeatedly tested or is widely accepted and can be used to make predictions about natural phenomena." A preacher talks about matters of faith. Faith is "Belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence." Click this link for Books about Evolution
"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.
The brain can be empirically studied. Scientists use fMRIs (brain scans) to understand what parts of the brain are used in various mental activities such as speech, vision, and even thought and Glossolalia (speaking in tongues). The professor clearly has a brain and it can even be felt if he agrees to brain surgery.
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 sat down.
Evil can also result from "acts of God" like hurricanes, tsunamis, and earthquakes; things that have nothing to do with man.
If you read it all the way through and had a smile on your face when
you finished, mail to your friends and family with the title: God and Science.
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