Does God Exist?

10 LIFESTYLE DECEMBER 2 - 3, 2006 WEEKEND CHINA DAILY Does God exist? Today there are many philosophers that the Bible is divinely inspired and many answers A Chinese atheist and and some scientists who take a different, presents his arguments, many centered actually, which and quite sophisticated approach, to their around the central personality of Jesus have been well an American Christian belief in God. These questions and this in the New Testament and the claim of honed over cen- debate have profound implications and his resurrection from the dead. turies of debate. go head to head to their importance is overdue to be consid- Zhao says that although he too reads (A theist’s answer ered seriously in China. the Bible, “I am not a believer.” His to evil is called a debate the existence probative question “Why?” is the reso- “theodicy,” which Timely book nating theme of the entire book. is a defence of of god in a bold, It is in this context that a very timely Zhao explains his unbelief in the God’s goodness book has been published in China. words of a scientist: “I can only under- in light of the un- new book, as Robert Zhao Qizheng, former minister of the stand what exists, what is concrete and deniable ubiquity State Council Information Office, and substantive … I cannot understand a and depravity of Lawrence Kuhn reports Luis Palau, a well-known international metaphysical concept.” evil). Christian evangelist, conducted a series It is indeed in the metaphysical These theist of conversations, called the “Riverside aspects of religion — the claim to answers are often n humanity’s long quest to under- Talks,” which they term “A Friendly explain Ultimate Reality — that Zhao complicated and stand ultimate reality, the encounter Dialogue between an Atheist and a and Palau disagree. On matters of mostly involve between science and religion — bat- Christian.” the social benefits of religion, such as “the Free Will tling over the perennial question, It is a pioneering effort in China to contributing to a harmonious society, Defence,” which Does God Exist? — is perhaps the introduce a vital subject of high con- there is more agreement. means that God Imost signifi cant clashing of opposite views temporary relevance and explanatory Zhao, whom I must disclose is a could not pos- of seeing the world. power. These are the kinds of subjects personal friend, presents rich and pro- sibly have created In the West, the Catholic Church in the that make minds sharper, more aware, found ideas from traditional Chinese human beings past, and some fundamental Christians in more in touch with deep reality. philosophy — such as the dialectical with real free will the present, reject science whenever they Zhao, who was trained in nuclear relationship between the physical and without also giv- feel it comes into confl ict with their form physics, shows both knowledge and the spiritual — and notes that although ing them the real Zhao Qizheng, former minister of the State Council Information Offi ce, and Luis Palau, a well-known international Christian evangelist, flti sensitivity about the Christian belief he does not believe in a God; the con- option of doing promote their book “Riverside Talks,” on August 30 in Beijing. LU ZHONGQIU system. He has read the Bible and cepts of “spirit and soul” are not alien evil and suffering understands its teachings and stories. to him. evil. allow, or to enable, the existence of stars mos. But how is it that we humans have He sees the Bible as great literature, re- “Atheists and theists,” he says, Yet it is the scale of evil which is so and planets and the emergence of life and such farsighted understanding after plete with wisdom, and he finds artistic “share the same pursuit in the realm of troublesome to believers and so support- mind. only a few thousand years of histori- beauty in its prose, proverbs and poems the soul and the spirit.” He points out ive of the atheistic argument, a problem If the fundamental laws of physics had cal consciousness, only a few hundred — so much so that Zhao even advises, that each would have different under- made even more potent by the fact that much differed, if the values of their con- years of effective science and only a “The Bible is well worth reading from standings of spirit and soul. a good deal of the evil in the world has stants had much changed, or if the initial few decades of cosmological observa- all of these perspectives.” What he does A dialogue between an atheist and a been caused by religion itself, through its conditions of the universe had much tions? Maybe it’s still too early in the not do, of course, is revere the Bible as Christian cannot progress far without intolerance of the beliefs of others. varied, what we know to exist would not game. Maybe answers have been with the revelation of God. the atheist bringing up the “Argument Throughout history, religion has been, exist since all things of size and substance us all along. On the other hand, Palau claims from Evil” (to the theist it is called the over and over again, stained with blood of would have been impossible. I am pleased to see Minister Zhao “Problem of Evil”), which historically its victims and stamped with the cries of Qizheng and Minister Luis Palau is the strongest demonstration of the those whom it has tormented. Progress made — two different kinds of ministers to BRAINS BEHIND THE OPERATION non-existence of God. As Nobel Prize winner Steven Wein- “Riverside Talks” is an excellent gen- be sure — bring the debate between If God, as Christians claim, is all- berg said caustically: “Religion is an eral introduction to the issues and the science and religion to broad audi- Dr. Robert Lawrence Kuhn, who has a doctorate powerful, all-knowing, and all-good, insult to human dignity. With or without controversies of science and religion ences. in brain research, is the creator and host of how could there be such enormity of you would have good people doing good for general audiences who are hereto- This subject is becoming more “Closer to Truth,” a public television series in the evil in the world, not only the “moral things and evil people doing evil things. fore unacquainted with them, but those popular in China, and well it should United States that deals with the implications of evil” that human beings do to each But for good people to do evil things, that truly interested should go further. — this is a good sign of the continuing state-of-the-art science, the philosophy of sci- other but also the “natural evil” of takes religion.” If it seems improbable that human development of Chinese society and the ence, and the philosophy of religion. Two of his earthquakes and floods, illness and Yet there is something new in the age- thought can make progress in explain- increasing sophistication of Chinese “Closer to Truth” books have been published in disease. The fact that there is such evil, old debate. In recent years, the search ing ultimate reality, consider the readers. China, the latest one relating his work in China in which no one can deny, is the demon- for scientifi c explanations of ultimate progress already made. The science-religion dialogue is a understanding the meaning and applications of stration to the atheist that there is no reality has been energized by increasing A century ago scientists assumed fundamental probe into the nature of President Hu Jintao’s “Scientifi c Development God. recognition that the laws of physics and that our own galaxy, the Milky Way, reality, the methodology of discerning Perspective.” Christians, as one would expect, the constants that are embedded in these was the entire universe. Today we grasp knowledge and humanity’s place in the have answers to the Problem of Evil, laws all seem exquisitely “fi ne tuned” to the monumental immensity of the cos- cosmos. ence. They had all found it diffi cult and disorient- Because most of the students attending one night’s ing to not be able to speak their native language, English corner were male, we took a vote and The Confucian especially when the shopkeepers didn’t under- watched the fi lm “American Soldiers,” essentially Never a dull moment stand why they were speaking in English when a propaganda fi lm on the Iraq War with every way of saying, they were very clearly Chinese. cliché in the book, but the English in the fi lm By Fiona Lee only children play in English, I fi nally tried to The students often had to resort to communi- was straightforward and easy for the students to shock them into not using the word. I explained cating in body language instead. They also asked understand. I love you to my students that the connotations of the word question after question about what it was like to After we watched the fi lm, my students and On my fi rst day teaching English to classes of “play” regarding adults were different from the be a stranger in a strange land, about what it was I had a great conversation about the Iraq War. wary freshmen at a certain university in north- connotations regarding children. like to be unable to communicate verbally with I went to bed that night extremely pleased with By Sam Crane eastern China, I asked myself, over and over Yes, children play with each other. But if you others. myself and with them.

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