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  • Writer's pictureBible Brian

The foolish astronaut


One of the most foolish arguments for atheism also happens to be one of the most commonly used: Have you ever seen God? One astronaut, whose name I saw no reason to honor by looking up, took it one step further. Being privileged enough to actually leave the Earth, he sarcastically remarked "I see no God up here".


Can you see Earth? The answer depends on how you define it. You're standing on Earth and in Earth, and so you see Earth. But do you see Earth? Put another way, if you had never been shown what our planet looks like, would you recognise a photo of it?


The obvious answer is no. Because we are so tiny, and so close to the comparatively massive planet, you don't see a wet, spherical rock on a daily basis. To you, Earth appears relatively flat. So, imagine a flat earther said "I see no Earth down here". In a sense, they actually do. They are famous for their "where is the curve?" statements when showing low-altitude photos.


Now let's flip the script. We've talked about seeing big things as a small thing, what about seeing small things as a big thing? Consider an ant. We've all seen them, but in how much detail? Your common garden ant is smaller than your pupil. In order to get a better look, you might pick it up, or crouch to the ground, or get a magnifying glass. Ants can't really comprehend you either.


Now consider this: The Bible tells us God has to humble Himself, or "stoop", in order to see the heavens and the earth. We're tiny to Him. The Bible also says that when God sits above the khûg (circle/sphere) of the Earth, its inhabitants are like grasshoppers (Isaiah 40:22). One Psalmist asks "what is man that you are mindful of him?" (Psalm 8:4). The same is asked in Psalm 144:3. Thus, the astronaut that says "I see no God up here" is actually far more foolish than the flat earther asking "where is the curve?" If God had a physical presence, he would be larger even than the universe we consider infinite!


But even more foolish is that, whether the astronaut acknowledges it or not, he has seen what may be known of God. The heavens, we are told, declare the glory of God. The sky proclaims the work of His hands. God's face may not be in space, but His power?


A story is often told of Isaac Newton and his atheist friend. Newton commissions a model of the solar system, accurate to the best of contemporary knowledge. His atheist friend asked who made the model, to which Newton replied "no one". He was unable to convince his atheist friend of this, until eventually he said "This thing is but a puny imitation of a much grander system whose laws you know. I can't convince you that this mere toy is without a designer and maker; yet you profess to believe that the great original from which this replica is taken has come into being without either designer or maker. Now tell me by what sort of reasoning do you reach such an incongruous conclusion?"


And by what sort of reasoning indeed? Does not a model require a modeller? Does not a tower need an architect? Mankind, with all its myths and legends, has never been so primitive as to forget that design requires designer, and so for a man to be so privileged as to stare God's design straight in the face, in all its uncensored glory, yet have the cheek to declare "I see no God up here" is a crime not only against God, but against intellect. Those who see God's creation should be able to echo the hymn: "looking to the sky, whoever could deny your glory?" And who indeed, but a fool?


Recommended song: Amazing God - Phatfish

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