Monday, September 21, 2009

Is God Necessary in Our High Tech Society?

It's remarkably easy to say we have any sort of worldview, then live without any resemblence to what we "say" we believe.

The real fact is, however, that no matter what our words might portray, our actual worldview is reflected by our actions. Furthermore, in many instances our real worldview is shown by our inaction.

The first quoted words from God were, “Let there be light.”

From that moment of spoken creation, the universe as we know it became possible to be observed. Once God’s spoken creation was completed it became possible for us to see Him revealed in that created work. (Rom. 1)

Biblical literature presents frequent instances of the glory of God as seen by men in observing natural surroundings. (Psalms, etc.)

Somewhere along the line secularism hijacked science and God became unnecessary. His created universe became, according to Carl Sagan, “…all that ever was, all that ever is and all that ever will be.”

As man grew in his worship of created things rather than the Creator, the great “lie” of Romans became the foundational basis of naturalism.
So profound was the flight from God to nothing, that the messiah of naturalism, Charles Darwin, could preach a gospel of change that grabbed people’s emotions, even if his “science” couldn’t be legitimized by the scientific method.

The “lie” propagated in secular intellectualism until it supplanted True Truth and became “established fact” as promoted by many new biology textbooks.

Abdication in the Search for Acceptance

In a desperate search to be accepted into those intellectual debates, many Christians abdicated the defense of genuine truth and sought a philosophical compromise, either by espousing a theistic evolution concept or placing science and religion into separate and impenetrable intellectual boxes.

That pathetic abdication has brought us to today.

It has become politically and sociologically correct to keep our spiritual endeavors fully removed from the public square.

The voice of reason has become the voice of treason, and Christians speak loudly of God during worship at church, but remain steadfast in retreat at the workplace and especially so in the world of science.

It’s time to take back the high ground. It’s time to investigate what science really tells us. It’s time to take the apostle Paul seriously when he urges us to “…be ready to give a reason…” for the hope that lies within us.

We're not afraid to be labeled as conservative or liberal, but why do we quake in our leaden boots and appear to constantly muffle the Christian voice in the public square?

My own personal passion right now is to speak that Christian voice by way of a website  focused on the nature of leadership, teaching and learning as it applies to my lifetime profession.

We can fight that battle as we arm our minds with good science and fill our hearts with solid courage.

Naturalism has created an intellectual quagmire from which many scientists don’t want to extract themselves because waiting on the solid shore of that philosophical swamp is the God they don’t want to hear or see.

The apostle Paul says he was content in whatever place he found himself. His contentedness certainly did not result in apathy or mediocrity. His actions were aggressively positive towards advancing the gospel and his arguments for faith were well reasoned and intellectually sound.

23 comments:

  1. I believe that it is still necessary for us to have God in our lives even with technology that can pretty much do everything for us. As the years go on, we continue to see technology become more advanced, we see ourselves become more dependent on these varies inventions and a lot of us forget about looking to God when we need help. Many have fallen farther away from God because when they used to go to Him for comfort, answers, and things they need for their daily life, those are now taken over by the new technology. We almost worship it rather then worshipping God.
    God is still very important in our lives because these items are nothing but worldly things. They will break, they will disappear while God will always be there for us. God has created us, knows us, and knows what we need. God will provide everything we need to survive and to do his will. God has created this world for us, and he can just as quickly take it all away. Without God, we are nothing.
    It is sad but true to see that we are cowards by which we go to church every sunday but are afraid to bring what we have heard/learned on a sunday morning and bring it into our daily lives. It is easier said then done because today most of us are very prideful and we care too much on how others look at us. We need to forget about all that, nothing matters but what God thinks about us, we should be praying hard for God to allow us the strength to open our mouths when something is going wrong at work, we should be able to stop an attack that is ungodly in our lives without being ashamed. I say we should all be praying for strength and percerviance when it comes to being the shining light that God calls us to be.
    NPN

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  2. From what is posted before...I would have to agree. I think that as a world and as a society we have completely lost the idea that originally, scientists were also religious and that science was founded in the belief that there's something greater that causes things to happen. Now days religion and science are rarely ever even associated with each other. I feel a main reason for that separation is that religion and religious people have been given a bad name, and it is now seen as hypocritical. With that, scientists don't want to be associated with such negative connotations. Scientists also don’t like to be called religious now days because all of religion can’t be proven with facts, and science is now seen as something where everything is explainable.

    What really bothers me about advancing technology sometimes is that everyone has to have a solution and a concrete explanation or equation for everything. In my view, there is not always going to be a solution or a way to prove something, which then requires us to have faith. So in turn, faith is required in science because not everything is explainable.

    I also feel that my generation and the generations to come have lost the art of critical thinking because of technology. We don't need to think because some type of computer does that for us. While it does take brilliant minds to come up with the new technology, it only requires a select few of the entire population, making the rest of us lazy and unable to comprehend basic academic skills. Somehow, with all of this new technology, our culture needs to find a balance that allows us to advance but also keeps us grounded. For some reason, I don’t know why, but admitting that you don’t have all the answers and that you are not exactly sure why things are the way they are in this world, is impossible for people to do. And admitting that you don’t have all the answers, which science opposes today, makes you open to a belief and faith in something or someone who does know all the answers. I honestly think it is pride that keeps science and religion separate today.

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  3. As I read the part "the voice of reason has become the voice of treason" I was blown away. As much as I wanted to think it wasnt true, it absolutely is. When it comes to a bible study or a worship setting, christians feel comfortable to speak their beliefs because they are surrounded by people that believe the same things as them. But if a christian were to walk into mosque or a simple brunch, they may not be so quick to speak about the resurrection of christ or start a debate on God's role in science. Just as apostle Paul was content in any place he found himself, I feel as though we as christians are called to do the same. We have been called to further the Kingdom of God by speaking His truth in the work environment, at home or even in an atmosphere in which you are the only one who is standing for what yo believe in.
    I also agree with KV. I feel like this generation and the ones to follow have lost the art of critical thinking because of technology. As technology continues to advance, i feel like humanity descends.

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  4. I agree with the big idea of your post that christians need to speak up more in public and not hide in our bubbles. The part that really spoke to me was "The voice of reason has become the voice of treason, and Christians speak loudly of God during worship at church, but remain steadfast in retreat at the workplace and especially so in the world of science". This part stuck out to me because I think that too many times Christians, including myself, think that because we go to church on Sundays and worship that we are following after Christ, when in reality it could just be a routine. We need to speak loudly the truth not only in our churches, but in our everyday things like our school, job, family, and friends.
    I also really liked the beginning of your blog that talked about not only saying we believe, but having our actions back up what we say. Because faith without action really isn't faith at all. And like you talked about in your blog, there is no denying a higher power when you look at the wonders of creation.
    The part that really got me thinking was when you talked about how to be accepted into scientific debates, we as christians have separated science from our faith and not thought twice about it. When in reality we should not stop from talking about our faith in public or in debates, but rather bring it up and not be afraid of what people will say to us or talk about behind our backs because the views of people should not matter to us. The only view we need to be concerned about is what God is viewing us as.

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  5. Cito
    I do believe that it is essential to still have god in our lives even though we have so much technology that can pretty much do anything for us. I think we tend to sometimes forget about God and all the things he has done for us. Due to the technology we have created makes us not realize that for one without him we would not be here to get this opportunity to be able to develop the kind of technology we have today. In saying this we must not forget the important things that God has done for us such as creating us.

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  6. Vini Dantas
    I believe that God is and will always be essential to our lives. He is the reason that we are here today and the reason that we have everything we have. Technology does makes us feel like we have everything, but the reality is we always need to believe is something, we always need to know that there is something bigger than just this. Technology can fufill some of our needs in terms of materialism but, God is the only one that will give us the joy and hapiness of being who we are. Technology is big, but will never be bigger than our God.

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  7. I suppose I cannot speak for the general public, as I can see that are are many people around me who are perfectly content without God, but I can say that I am not. Technology is all fine and dandy. It is very helpful and has, I must admit, become a big crutch in my life, as I can see that is is for many of my peers. We can do so much through technology, but it will never be able to take the place of God in my life. I have never been able to commune with a lap top, nor have i found comfort in the lowest of times from my cell phone. I have not found my life's purpose through the internet. I need God in a very desperate way.
    Without Him, I have no meaning,and I have no best friend. I do not have anyone else who comes through for me 100 percent of the time, especially through technology. my tv has never been there for me. The Mars Rover has not led me through my personal crises. God has however, always been there to help me piece myself together and move forward.
    This is not to say I hate technology. I enjoy it very much, as previously stated, but it is not enough.
    I hope that in the future more people see this truth and also that science and faith can once again coexist harmoniously. However, I am losing hope in this ever being a reality. let us hope I am wrong.

    Alyssa Ibarra

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  8. I definitely agree with what others have said about how people now, in today's society, have totally separated science and God. It needs to be remembered that scientists from the past were religious and had religious perspectives on science. The world today has become so self-righteous that they have segregated God from science and have turned it completely against God. It is hard to think about science, the world, the universe and everything in between being without God, which is why I stick to my faith. Although not EVERYTHING is reasonable to me, that does not mean I am going to disregard God in any way. Instead, I see it as a time to step back and realize that God has so much more knowledge than what He has given me and I learn to just trust Him. Specifically in the things I dont understand. As said before, faith is definitely a key ingredient to science, because we as humans cannot explain all that goes on the world and why it goes on. Faith is what gives us that trust and hope that God knows what's up and we don't need to fret about it.

    As for technology. It is insane how far it's come. BUT it definitely can be a hindrance on our learning and cognitive growth...because we aren't doing anything ourselves aside from typing in the questions for answers already posted. We have minds that have been given to us by God...we should use them.

    That's all.

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  9. Christians need to take a stand and show where their faith is. Looking at society now shows that most people are believing that technology is best. God is our healer yet we seem to put more faith into our doctors and machines than we do with God. We have come a long way technologically but our faith and full belief needs to remain in the Creator. Technology didn't create this world but it has taken priority over God who did create it. Technology cannot take place of the spiritual relation with God and that is what some seem to want.

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  10. I totally agree with the part that reads:
    "The voice of reason has become the voice of treason, and Christians speak loudly of God during worship at church, but remain steadfast in retreat at the workplace and especially so in the world of science."
    Many people all over the world, including me, act as faithful Christians in the safety of a setting filled with other Christians but when in public where being Christian is not the norm we lose or hide our voice. It seems that even at APU, a Christian college, people lose sight of Christ and follow the social norm of not incorporating God into our lives. The school curriculum requires that God be a part of a education but it seems that talk of God in the classroom is often just that, talk. I've taken science classes where God is mentioned but that was about it. I just wish that we can all find the strength to view science as a way to understand how extraordinary God's handiwork is.

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  11. I think the reason why this issue is so complicated lies in our natural thirst for knowledge. When Adam and Eve first sinned, they believed that eating the fruit would give them knowledge. Even earlier religions such as Greek Mythology seemed to exist in order to explain how things came to be. Although monotheism has much more depth, we follow a same basic principle: we look to God for answers. I believe the reason we are in such a depraved state today as Christians is we have decided the world can answer all of our questions. If we don't know the answer to something, there's always Google. (Why is lbs. the abbreviation for pounds?). The solution, therefore, lies in realizing that God can provide us with answers we cannot find anywhere else. How do we comfort the broken and the hopeless? How do we save the lost? How can One lay down His life for others who have betrayed Him? These are things science, reason, and logic cannot resolve. We need God for the things that matter most.


    -Robert Jewe

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  12. I think that one of the biggest problems in our super technological society is the face that by being so connected, we actually all become disconnected. Not only are we disconnected from face to face interactions with each other, it becomes so easy for us to become disconnected from God. We as Americans really don't have much need to really rely on God from day to day for things like what/if we are going to eat tomorrow, or whether or not we have a place to sleep. We become comfortable in being with ourselves and only ourselves and start to believe that we can do it all on our own. Well i feel that one of the most important things, as a christian, is to train oneself in character and in action to be more like christ. In doing this you will find yourself lacking and having to trust. In doing this you will start actually living out the life that we "try" so hard to lead. By training and not trying we will start living lives that are not only more connected with others, but also more connected with our Lord, and also we will be living this life that everyone can see and sometimes that is enough and we don't even have to say something, if we do this then our "personal endeavors" with be so integrated with truth and his message that we will not even realize what an integral part they become in all aspects of our lives and study, even science.

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  13. I agree that in todays society people do not stand up for their faith at all times, and in all circumstances. People are afraid to bring up faith in everyday conversation, because they might insult someone or make them feel uncomfortable. This is frustrating to me because the Bible continually reads, that we as christ followers need to live our fatih in our actions and conversations. We are supposed to be an example of God's love for us, showing non-believers the light.

    Todays society, I feel, puts their fatih on the back burner until Sunday mornings when they go to church. They put their sunday clothes on and walk the walk. God should be an intricate part of our lives, not just a here and there thing. I believe that it takes a conscience effort to live a life honoring to God, however I feel it is a rewarding life that has endless gifts for us. This is something we have been dealing with since the begining of time and will continue dealing with it until the end of time. I know the right thing to do is to try my best to put God first in every situation.

    Brooke Van Fossen

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  14. If I am perfectly honest, I have to say that yes, I am guilty of inactivity when it comes to spreading my faith. I know I am inactive and I know why I am inactive. Before I came to APU I was as active as can be when it came to my faith. However, once I got here and started really learning what the Bible said instead of what I always assumed it said, I realized how little I actually know about Christianity. How could I possibly try and convince other people that Christianity is real, when I myself don't know hardly anything about it. I think one could read the whole Bible cover to cover and still not know completely everything that it is trying to say, because we don't clearly know the context and the original languages that it was written in. The more I learned about Scripture, the more I realized just how wrong all of my pre-conceived ideas about were incredibly wrong. I appreciate what you are saying, Professor Hitchcock, about the apostle Paul's actions being aggressively positive towards advancing the gospel. I would love to be like that too. But at the same time, you are right when you say that "his arguments for faith were well reasoned and intellectually sound". I cannot teach people what I do not know. I want to learn and become intellectually sound in my arguments... but my arguments are just not there yet.

    Cassandra Gahm

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  15. Without getting too deep, I believe God completely necessary in our high tech society, and the sciences. That I agree with Nathan that we are starting to worship other things than the creator. A great example in the morning, how many people plug in their I pods, turn on their computer, but how many dig into the word when you wake up? ( I don’t always either so trust me, not passing judgments) Some would say well my music relaxes me, okay but does the God who created all things not give you rest? Even in a deeper need. That yeah we could assume getting ready and listening to music at the same time, but what about checking your phone, watching television at night for how many hours? I just assume that every second, its so easy to get consumed by what this world has to offers instead of What God has to offer us To fight back against this constant confusion, is spending more time with God. Instead of watching 3 different television shows, (which have commercials which mess with our minds) Why can't we spend those extra hour just being with God. It’s a constant spiritual warfare we are in as Christians, and the only way to fight back against the darkness is to pray for the light.

    On another note, I'm just going to add something about sciences and or Faith vs. Reason compared to faith , A thought which struck my brain when somebody challenged me on the topic of reason vs. Faith. Can we really worship God through sciences or having reason?

    I feel as though in society past, and present THINK that God and science (reason) are not meant to be intertwined. Well i would have to strongly disagree.

    One word for that to me is unintelligent why? Well I believe people THINK the more we learn about God, the more we are not able to worship him, because we are going to find something, that determines God is not real. _based on the argument

    That it comes down to never truly believing in God’s sovereignty over this world. Why? Because if you are putting your limit on the knowledge of God, and what we can learn from him. We are almost saying God is not sovereign, that his power reaches a certain point, and once we get there well we will know “who we think” he really is and that is why Knowledge and belief cannot be intertwined, so some of our culture thinks.

    I’m actually Taking a philosophy class, and how this all came about. We were reading about Martin Luther in a argument against Faith vs. reason Martin Luther calls knowledge a “beast an enemy of God" that in order to have a Faith we can never have reason cause it will disrupt our faith. That I would say it means we need both, because God’s power is limitless.


    -JMG

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  16. After completing a corporate intership this last Summer. I was able to see how people delt with religion in the work force. I noticed that the people who were part of the local church would all hang out together but they neve once brought up God.

    I found it funny that on Sunday they were able to talk about God comfortably but as soon as they stepped foot into work it stopped. Dont get me wrong there are there are people who try to incorporcate their beleifs in their work but it is seen by most as over bearing. The corporate work force has become a place where it not appropriate to talk about God.

    -Tyler Martin

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  17. As I work to become a future teacher in public school, I find myself becoming more and more afraid that I will not be able to voice my religious beliefs in the classroom. But I feel lead to go into a public school and share my beliefs boldly. If we do not speak out to the next generation they will be even more subdued in their beliefs and naturalism will have an even great control over the minds of people. I strongly believe that we as Christians must step out in the faith into all aspects of life and in all careers we must begin to proclaim now that life did not happen by chance, but that there is a Creator. However, we as Christians must be tactful in our approach, we do not want to force our ideas onto non-believers.

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  18. I really agree with Joshua. I myself, want to be a teacher and this thought has come across my mind a few times as well. It's hard for me to think that I will be going to a profession that I know full well that I will not be able to share the good news. Witch technology getting even greater, I do think that they will be "even more subdued in their beliefs and naturalism." In my high school, my track coaches were all strong believers and they were the "administrators" of my high school's bible club and even led the FFA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes.) It is these things that I feel I can be a part of a christian atmospehere no matter where I am. I can always find a way to share the love of God with my actions. We don't have to only use our words in sharing god, because sometimes our actions speak louder than our words.

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  19. I agree with what you posted about how secularism has separated God from science. God created science, so both can definitely be discussed. I have heard of some Christians who will say things like, "science is not true" which is really sad because they don't understand what science is and just imagine secularists. God is definitely needed in our high tech society. I agree with what Priscilla said about how technology can hinder our cognitive growth because instead of working towards coming up with our answer, we just google it to get the answer that someone else gave. I think we can use technology can be used as a Christian tool, any type of science can really. Since God created science, they should be compatible. Just like you are using this blog to open discussion about God and science, we can use blogs, or emails to reach out to others. However, while this would be awesome, it can also set a trap in that we become one way online and another in person. We may preach and be encouraging to people online, but face to face people may never even know we are children of God. We need to work at incorporating God in not just church, or technology, but in EVERYTHING. As Joshua and Victoria said, there are even ways to incorporate God in a place where society says should be separate from God.

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  20. God is always neccessary in our lives! He will never be able to be replaced. Even with all these new inventions of technology and new ways to go about life, God should, and will be the biggest part of our life. People now have gotten away from that when they fill there lives with pointless worldly objects to satisfy themselves rather than picking up a Bible and reading what God might have to say to them. Some of the technology is great because with the internet we are able to download the Bible onto an itouch we may have and we could be on a bug for a sport and you did not bring your Bible, but you have the application on your ipod, itouch, iphone and you can read it right there. There are some great things that have come with the advancements that we have made. But as a whole we can not grow away from Christ with all the new advancements. People trying to fill voids with useless objects and continuing to think that this is the way it should be and that this new science is going to save the world. It is sad to see what once was, has changed so much and we have gotten away from where we have come. Society today still needs God and will always need Him!

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  21. As we become more and more advanced, we start to think that we really dont need God. Of course, this is kinda of true, if what we want is money or fame. We forget what it is to live, and what it is to truely live with God. God is the only true enricher of our lives. ya, we would probably continue to live without Him, and He also has the power to take our life, but how much better is it to live with God and to really truely live. - Nicole Damon

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  22. Marshall JohnsonMay 6, 2010 at 1:30 AM

    God and technology go hand in hand. God is the creator of all things, God has been in touch with technology from back when Adam used a stick to soften up dirt to the Iphones and Ipads that are being used today. GOd is the creator of all that so therefore God can not replace God, he will always be necessary in this society.

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  23. I agree the post of Brandon. God is a creator of the world. The high technology is one of creation of God. No matter what kind of society, God always necessary in our life. The high tech enriches our life. Although there are a lot of entertainments, it still cannot solve the basic problem of people – spirit. When we are tired or boring, maybe watching movies or drama is a way for us to spend time and relax. However, we did not get much positive things from them. This is a way to escape the reality temporally. The Bible is the God’s words. If we feel helpless, we read the words of God and pray to him. He gives us energy to continue our life. He leads us solve problems instead of escape the problems. We need to offer us soul food. Our mind needs food of spirit as our body need foods everyday.

    Kunyi Xie

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