Once again, I come upon an article suggesting that, because the universe and the planet we live on is filled with wondrously beautiful and complex objects, that this enables us to “know” that there is a god.
Vasko Kohlmayer states, “there is really no such a thing as an atheist or an agnostic. If you think of yourself as such, you are self-deceived. Deep down you know that God exists. We all do.”
Kohlmayer claims to have once been an atheist, and although he doesn’t mention his current faith specifically, he is very clearly a Christian. He claims to have “experienced vivid flashes of intuition of God. [He] had moments when [he] clearly felt – [he] knew – that there must be a God who created the universe and all the wonder [he] saw around [him].” How does he “know” this you might ask?
According to him, “such an epiphany may be triggered by a sight of a flower, or a newly-born child, or perhaps a setting sun. Whatever it may be, we suddenly sense that all this is not a mere accident. We know there is something that has brought this wonder forth. And we know that that something is glorious and majestic and powerful. In such moments we know God.”
Hmmm. Personally, I am not deluded by illusion. When I observe the forest of trees from my deck, I experience a sense of awe and wonder, but I do not relate these feelings to a higher power. I understand that over millions of years, biological mechanisms enabled the eventual formation of the tree I see before me. I imagine all of the structures within and am humbled by the countless changes that had to happen over time for this particular species of tree to be here, now.
When I see the setting sun, I marvel at the way the atmosphere changes its color and warps its shape. I know that it is a nuclear reactor at the center of our solar system, that there are natural and explainable processes going on, but I am still humbled.
I am but an infinitesimally small speck in this grand universe. I know that the universe does not revolve around me. I know that there is only so much about this universe that I can truly understand and I’m okay with that. I refuse to attribute supernatural properties to those things which I cannot know or will be unable to discover within my lifetime. I am satisfied with the prospect that our knowledge, as a species, will continue to accumulate. Although one person cannot know everything, humans, as a whole, continue to know more about reality every day. God is unnecessary.
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