“Does it matter whether God actually created everything or whether everything came about by natural causes?”
This could be interpreted as “Creation vs. Naturalistic Evolution.” The time we have in class prevents us from going deeply into all the issues surrounding creation and naturalistic evolution.
However, we can address some of the major ideas that surround a materialistic or naturalistic world-view.
Materialism
The philosophy of materialism holds that the only thing that can be truly proven to exist is matter.
As an example of this viewpoint, Carl Sagan said:“The Cosmos is all that is, or ever was, or ever will be.”
This is not a scientific statement - it is a philosophic statement. It is a statement which comes from a materialistic framework. Sagan was assuming that all that truly exists is material (physical - of this Universe), so that nothing immaterial (spiritual or supernatural, and possibly even things like the mind independent of the brain, or logic/reason, basic numeric properties) exists. Carl Sagan passed away about 12 years ago. For his sake, he had better be right about the beliefs he held!
What Does Scripture Say?
John 1:1-3 says:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”
The Bible clearly declares that God existed outside of time and space, and the he (Jesus - God the Son) created all things which came into existence. So, we can clearly see the conflict between a materialistic world-view and a Christian one.
Naturalism
The view that the scientific method (hypothesize, predict, test, repeat) is the only effective way to investigate reality.
Naturalism can be considered to be closely tied to materialism. Naturalism discards any belief, idea, or experience that cannot be tested empirically (that is, known through repeatable experiments). For much of our life, the scientific method is of great value. If something is true, it more than likely is objectively true (it happens outside of us - in the real world).
However, if I have a thought in my mind, that doesn't mean it isn't a true thought just because you cannot see the thought itself. Even if you opened up my head, you cannot see concepts, memories, etc. You might be able to measure brain wave activity or even find certain parts of my brain active when I think of certain things. However, you still cannot know what I am thinking even though I have access to my thoughts.
Genesis 1 [excerpts - emphasis mine]
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so.
And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so.
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
As you read the entire creation narrative in Genesis 1, you'll see that everything was created via a command from God. However, in some cases, God commanded what already existed (the land, which is the same word used for earth) to be a secondary agent in creation. So, this may suggest that some of God's creative work followed natural laws, which He created in the first place. As a result, some of God's creative work may have some testable, natural secondary causation.
Implications of a Materialist/Naturalist World-view
- Everything happened by chance (that is, it is random all the way down to its essence - not just random from a human perspective).
- Because everything is “by chance” - there is no design (because there is no designer).
- Because there is no design of the Universe, I am an accident and have no real objective purpose.
- Because I have no objective purpose, any beliefs I have are ideas coming from “random molecules in motion”.
- True “right and wrong” don't exist - there are only preferences, political power, or social contracts.
- Everything happens by divine ordination.
- I have a purpose in life (see “Westminster Catechism” below).
- God is not silent – he has written His law on everyone's heart.
- True “right and wrong” do exist.
- Universal moral laws exist because of the eternal, transcendent law-giver.
Question 1: What is the chief end of man?
Answer 1: Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.
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