Daily Excerpt: A Theology for the Rest of Us (Yavelberg) - "What's all about, Alfie?"
Excerpt from A Theology for the Rest of Us -
“What’s it all about, Alfie?” (Dione Warwick)
Imagine coming into a
large, dark room. You flip on the lights and find there are many tables, 50 or
more, that are set with centerpieces, dishes, glasses, silverware, napkins and
tablecloths. In the front of the room, there is a row of chairs with a podium
and a microphone in the middle of the room.
So? What goes through your
mind?
If your answer is “Nothing”
or “All these things got here by accident somehow...maybe random storage…,”
then you can stop reading now. That is not to say you are wrong. After all, you
were not there when these items were placed in the room; nor did you meet the
individual responsible for putting these items there. There is simply no way of
knowing “for sure” whether all this stuff was placed in the room intentionally
for some purpose. You also might not care one way or the other. Therefore, it
would be understandable if you just turned out the lights and left the room to
go about whatever business does concern you.
However, if you have any
curiosity about such questions: “Why are these things here?” “Who put them
here?” and “What are these things for?” then you are asking the kinds of
questions that lead you to a book like this. Alas, I also was not present when
these items were placed in the room and nor did I meet the person responsible
for putting the items in the room. Therefore, I have no way of knowing “for
sure” anything.
Having said that, and with
all due respect to Sherlock Holmes, it seems to me a fair number of inferences
can be made from the information that is available. These tables and chairs are
set; in other words, there is no evidence they were simply thrown into a random
empty room for convenient storage. As these tables and chairs are set, it is
very reasonable to assume that someone intentionally and intelligently placed
these tables and chairs where they are. Unless there is additional information,
maybe some banners, place cards or pictures on the walls, we may not know what
the purpose was, but we can assume that someone somewhere had some purpose. That
purpose may even have been to be available in case someone else might need a
room, but that, too, qualifies as a purpose.
If this reasoning makes
sense to you, then you essentially have a basis of believing in a Divine
Intelligence or DI at work in the universe. I will avoid the term God as
that means so many things to so many people as too often be more confusing than
helpful. But whatever label is used, the point is that all of what makes the
universe the universe—all the natural laws, human intelligence, evolution, the
functioning of the eye, the scent of flowers...all of it—is infinitely more
complex than a room, however large, filled with intricately arranged furniture.
If a room cannot be elaborately furnished at random, then neither can the
universe.
The technical term for this
line of reasoning is the teleological argument and it has been around a
very long time. Still, there clearly are those who reject it. Some of these
people are highly intelligent and I respect their viewpoints. I just don’t see
how they can look at the same universe and think of terms like random or
accident. This is not a question of “blind faith” or “mysticism.” It
seems to me that there is an order inherent in the universe that is self-evident—rationally
self-evident to the point where other conclusions are rationally implausible.
The Psalmist is absolutely right when he declares: “The heavens proclaim the
glory of God. The heavens declare His handiwork.” (Ps. 19:1)
Further, those who say that
they “put their faith in science” must assume the very rationality of the
universe I am proposing. The scientific method is, after all, a way of
generating and testing hypotheses as to the nature of reality based on
observed, reliable principles—the results of which have to be consistent if
they are to be accepted as “science.” That is how diseases are cured. That is
how technology advances. That is how our understanding of how the universe
increases. To dismiss the framework in which such processing takes place as
“arbitrary” or “accidental” strikes me as arbitrary to say the least.
So, in this context, if you
are with me so far, I have "set the table,” as it were, and we can move on.
For more posts about Arthur and his book, click HERE.
For more book excerpts, click HERE.
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