“If it isn’t true then why do people believe it?” This is a question many people ask when referring to super natural occurrences and/or people. This may include superheroes, aliens, gods, A God(any religion concerning super natural beings), or monsters. Every one of the examples I listed are the supposed explanations behind either events we cannot explain right now, or events that do not have a definite history/cause. Take the birth of human beings for example. Atheists use the idea of science as a way to say how God, angels, devils, or any religious creature does not exist and cannot be the cause of the universe, our planet, the existence of life, etc. Religious people on the other hand use science as a way to justify the existence of these supernatural beings. The debate of evolution has been going on for a really long time. More so on the concept of evolution and the existence of God, back when the U.S was a lot less lenient on their ideas of freedom it was made illegal to teach children the theory of evolution. Doing so could result in a jail sentence that I can promise you was a lot more severe than a slap on the wrist. Even in todays era the question on existence of any supernatural being or occurrence has driven some places into war, enslavement, and brutal attacks to either support or get rid of a certain ideology. This makes you wonder, “If God is told in the Bible to be such a forgiving person, why do his followers enslave and hurt others?” You may wonder “is god even real” or “are his ideologies false and all over the place?” There is no definite answer to your question, but I am able to give an answer in the perspective of both kinds of people.
From the Atheist perspective, the answer is that God isn’t real. His existence is a false idea from the minds of people desperately searching for something after death. From a Religous perspective the answer is that there are always different interpretations of the same message. The bad apple in the group shouldn’t go against their gods, after all we are all humans. As for their religion, they believe in a higher power because it is impossible for the Universe to be formed by itself. Something had to bring all of it into existence, something way too complex for simple science.
All in all my point is to respect and understand the beliefs of both sides. Almost every belief in the world regardless of super natural factors have tons of contradictions. Freedom has contradictions, slavery has contradiction, Independence has contradiction, school has contradiction. Just remember the belief in God is full of hope, not people being desperate, and just because you don’t see these beliefs to be true don’t shame others.
Dillon Madkins – Francis Parker High School – DMSF