Are You Convinced That God Exists?

Is belief in God merely a crutch for weak persons?

Can you give evidence to back up your belief?

“PERHAPS we should say a prayer now. What should we pray for?” So asked a teacher in a grade-school classroom in a Communist country. “Let’s pray for candy,” she continued. The children happily closed their eyes and earnestly prayed for candy. Soon they opened their eyes and disappointedly the teacher asked: “Where’s our candy?”

“Perhaps we’re using the wrong name. Instead of saying ‘God,’ let’s say ‘Our Leader.’ Let’s pray to Our Leader for candy, very hard, and don’t open your eyes till I say.”

As the children shut their eyes, the teacher quietly put a piece of candy on each child’s desk and went back to her desk. When the children opened their eyes and stared at the candy, they were overjoyed! “I’m going to pray to Our Leader every time,” said one of the children excitedly. “Me, too,” another added.

Interrupting their jubilation, the teacher said: “Children, I put the candy on your desks. So you know that it doesn’t matter whom you ‘pray’ to—to God or anyone. Only another human being will give you anything. Praying to God for something is a waste of time.” With a trusting gleam in their eyes, the children popped the candy into their mouths, convinced there is no God.—See Reader’s Digest, June 1964, pp. 103-107.

This scene reportedly took place in an atheistic Communist land, and it is taken as evidence that there is no God. But how do you feel about that?

Is God interested in selfish requests for pieces of candy? Indeed, few persons would pray for something as simple as a piece of candy. It is more likely that they would ask God for peace and tranquillity. Yes, we yearn for freedom from the fear and insecurity that stalk the streets. Yet we do not have it today. Hence, with their prayers apparently left unanswered, many feel that there is no evidence that God exists.

Some persons point to philosophers and scientists who are atheists. But should the fact that some highly trained individuals reject God cause us to have doubts about his existence?

Such men may have spent years in study and have many facts at their fingertips. But do they really have all the answers in this modern world? Despite their influence, what is the world scene like?

Man’s modern technology seems to promise good things. Yet the New York Times of November 28, 1976, posed this question in a headline: “Can the World Exist Until 1984?” The accompanying article referred to the alarmingly carefree “insanity” on the part of industrialized lands regarding “the worsening energy crisis.”

Another recent article warned: “The unguided and hence wildcat growth of technology has brought not only America but the entire world to the brink of disaster so monstrous in its proportions that it defies the imagination.”

A world on the “brink of disaster.” That is the world that has been produced by men, many of whom do not believe in God. Surely, man has not fared so well in attempting to bring about a secure and peaceful world. If there is a God, man certainly could use His help.

Of course, some persons will say: ‘I know there is a God. I can feel it!’ Yet, such “feeling” is not convincing evidence of God’s existence, is it? You may believe that God exists. But what if someone asked you: ‘How do you know that God exists?’ Would you be able to give convincing evidence to back up your belief? Unless you are personally convinced about the reality of God, it is not likely that such faith will hold up under intense pressure. Also, what about your children? Are you sure that they do not have any doubts about God’s existence? Is their conviction strong enough to withstand the onslaughts of evolutionary teaching at school? Could they have seen through the shallow, childish reasoning of the atheistic teacher?

Whether you are convinced of God’s existence or not, would it not be wise to consider any possible evidence available as to the existence of God?