God Demonstrates His Existence Empirically

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@WarriorOfWriters in a YouTube personal email and @TheTomtomPiper on Twitter challenged me to show how God empirically demonstrated His existence.

What a great challenge @WarriorOfWriters and @TheTomtomPiper posed to me! It really is a great challenge and yet is a challenge very easily accomplished without using the Holy Bible! All that is needed is observational science and controlled experiments. No dogma allowed!

We will be using the scientific method and controlled experiments and not the Bible. Yes, that’s right, the Bible will not be brought into the discussion until after we review how God demonstrates empirically His existence.

The empirical evidence presented may not be accepted by @WarriorOfWriters and @TheTomtomPiper; although I hope and pray that it is. You see, @WarriorOfWriters told me that “her father is a Christian apologist” and that she has “heard this rhetoric time and time again.” She even went so far as to tell me; “Sorry, without God’s universal revelation I’m not buying it.” and claims that God “cannot be demonstrated empirically.” Well, @WarriorOfWriters, you don’t have to “buy it” you only have to accept it as salvation is freely given to everyone who receives it.

Even though @TheTomtomPiper said that he would accept empirical evidence of God’s existence, I hope he is being honest and will accept the empirical evidence of God’s existence yet I believe he is just making mockery because like so many other atheists, he has a hatred of God and does all he can to ignore God’s existence. Well @TheTomtomPiper, you can honestly accept God’s existence or not because it is your God given free will choice to do so albeit not  a wise choice to not accept God’s existence and His love for you.

You see, it is always up to a person’s choice to accept or not God’s empirically demonstrated existence and the salvation God offers to everyone. Many people choose to bring in manmade dogma which they choose to believe in rather than accepting the empirically demonstrated evidence God has provided of His existence. To many of these people who bring in their dogma, their preference is that God not exist and with this preference many of these people will not ever choose to accept the empirically demonstrated evidence God has provided. Yet God gives everyone free will choice to accept Him or not. God does not force His love onto anyone who does not choose to receive His love.

Demonstrated Empirically

Basically, @WarriorOfWriters and @TheTomtomPiper view (as is many atheists view point) is that one can only claim to have knowledge when one has a true belief based on empirical evidence. The senses are the primary source of empirical evidence. Although other sources of evidence, such as memory, and the testimony of others ultimately trace back to some sensory experience, they are considered to be secondary, or indirect. In another sense, empirical evidence may be synonymous with the outcome of an experiment. Consequently however, it cannot be expected that two scientists when observing, experiencing, or experimenting on the same event will make the same theory-neutral observations. The role of observation as a theory-neutral arbiter may not be possible. Theory-dependence of observation means that, even if there were agreed methods of inference and interpretation, scientists may still disagree on the nature of empirical data.(1)

Given that @WarriorOfWriters and @TheTomtomPiper and I may still disagree on the empirical data I’m going to give because neither of them specifically would give to me what specific empirical evidence they would accept for God’s existence. However, I’m going to provide empirical evidence anyway because my hope is that @WarriorOfWriters and @TheTomtomPiper (and you if you have not already done so) honestly take the empirical data provided without any dogma into consideration without any dogma. It is of course, @WarriorOfWriters and @TheTomtomPiper and your personal choice to honestly take the empirical data provided without dogma into consideration with or without dogma regardless of my desire for you to do so without dogma.

Derived from or Guided by Experience or Experiment

Often the best way to learn something is to actually take someone’s word for something if that someone has provided a history of being informative and above all loving and caring. For example, take a loving and caring parent informing their small child to not go near nor place their hand on the heater that is on its highest setting because doing so will lead to their hand being badly hurt and be painful. Yet just as the child’s parent turns away, the child rushes over and places both hands on the heater causing both to be badly burned with second and third degree burns.

This child’s experience by experiment caused a great deal of physical, mental, and emotional pain and suffering not only upon herself but also to the parent. In this example, the hot heater didn’t take the child’s life yet it does reflect the child’s choice to exhibit her free will to disregard her parent’s love and not heed her parent’s warning about touching the hot heater causing pain and suffering.

If the child had taken a more practical approach with her experiment by going much more slowly towards the hot heater instead of rushing over to the hot heater, the child’s hands may not have been burned at all due to the fact that the child would perhaps had felt the increase of heat with the closer proximity to the heater and thus not touched it. Yet her parent would still suffer (albeit less) the physical, mental, and emotional pain due to their child disregarding their love; the warning given about being near the very hot heater and not to touch it.

Guided by Practical Experience and Not Theory

Now, don’t take me wrong as I’m not asking you to just take what I say as truth. Remember, I’m just giving to you practical experience and not theory and I’m not using the Bible nor any dogma in pointing out to you the empirical evidence of God’s existence.

I’m just giving to you practical experience and not theory and without dogma and I urge you to actually take it upon yourself to honestly think for yourself. Again, “don’t just take my word,” actually take it upon yourself to honestly think for yourself about what it is “I don’t want you to take my word” for as I give to you my practical experience and not just theory and without dogma.

All of the information that I am about to tell you is absolutely true and is capable of being confirmed, verified, or disproved by observation or experiment:

(1)    A universe exists.

(2)    A planet we call earth exists.

(3)    Life exists on the planet we call earth.

(4)    Life which exists on the planet we call earth has DNA.

(5)    DNA is well-suited for biological information storage, since the DNA backbone is resistant to cleavage and the double-stranded structure provides the molecule with a built-in duplicate of the encoded information.(2)

(6)    DNA is capable of self-reproducing.(3)

(7)    When I wrote this article and created its video, I was alive.

(8)    The people who are currently reading this article and/or watching its video are alive.

(9)    Each person reading this article and/or watching the video has DNA.

(10)I used a computer to write the article and create its video.

(11)The computer(s) I used to create this article and video has a hard disk capacity capable of holding ~300 gigabytes of encoded information.

(12)The computer(s) I used to create this article and video has a built-in duplicate of the encoded information.(4)

(13)A computer virus is capable of self-reproducing.(5)

(14)On the planet we call earth exists a mountain that has images of four American presidents on it.(6)

(15)On the planet we call earth in the country named The United States of America, a huge gorge exists named The Grand Canyon.(7)

(16)There’s a breakfast cereal from Post Foods named, Alpha-Bits in which each piece is a shape of a letter of the English alphabet.(8)

(17)DNA can be used to store to Store Big Data, voice, and music. “Big data” refers to reams of information available from many places, like social media and search requests, that can be analyzed by algorithms to glean information and predict trends and act as a recording medium like a DVD.(9)

(18)Each person reading this article and/or watching this video will die.

Depending Upon Experience or Observation and using Scientific Method NOT ‘Theory’

Without using any origins “theory” (secular, i.e. Darwinian Evolutionary or Creation or etc. and without the Bible or any dogma) we will review the information just covered using our experience, observation, and scientific method to come to an empirical conclusion about each and of them overall.

We are going to use operational (observational) science and not historical science. Operational science is observable, testable, and falsifiable. It is the kind of science one practices when engineering buildings or bridges, or when designing computers or space shuttles. Operational science is what advances society technologically. And whether a person is a Christian or an atheist, that person can be a great scientist when using operational science.

Historical science (often referred to as forensic science or origins science) are ideas about the origin of the universe. Since “big-bang”-molecules-to-man evolution is not observable, testable, or falsifiable, it is very different from operational science and falls under the umbrella of historical science (or origins science)—ideas about the origin of the universe. Biblical creation is also historical science which is why in our applying scientific method to our observations will also not be used.

To go beyond the scientific method outlined would be us making conjectures and bringing in dogma bias. In other words, if the Bible is brought in, then God would be. If Darwinian Evolution is brought in, then billions of years would be brought in. Seeing that the atheist doesn’t want God brought in, and no one has ever had an experiment that lasted thousands or millions of years let alone billions of years, we’ll not do either below in the “Scientific Method NOT ‘Theory’” segment of the article. Note however if you want to extend the timeframes given to include the dogma of millions and/or billions of years, you are going beyond empirical evidence.

Scientific Method Defined

This is the scientific method we’ll use:(10)

Make an Observation > Ask a Question > Form a Hypothesis >

Conduct an Experiment > Analyze the Results >

Accept or Reject Hypothesis > Make a Conclusion

‘Dogma’ Not Provable or Verifiable by Experience or Scientific Experiment/Method.

The following topics bring dogma bias into any discussion thus we’ll cover them now up-front and first because within this article we are not going to include any dogma be it secular or from the Holy Bible. Again, what we are using is operational (observational) science and not historical science (or origins science). Once anyone goes into discussion of historical (origins) science, that’s going beyond observational (operational) science. To go into origins (historical) science, brings into play faith in the dogma be it secular (i.e., Abiogenesis, Darwinian Evolution, Big Bang, etc.) or Christian God.

What no one can do is to go back in time to the very beginning of the universe we live in. No matter if it came from a singularity which created itself or if it came from God creating it. What can only be done is to observe the universe we live in from the perspective of time in which we observe it.

What no one can do is to go back in time to view how life started on earth. No matter if it came from natural means as so many atheists claim or if it came from God creating it. What can only be done is to observe the life around us and from the perspective of time in which we observe it.

What no one can do is to go back in time and view dinosaurs dying and becoming fossils. No matter if the dinosaurs died millions of years ago or hundreds of years ago or if it was over millions of years that it took to become a fossil or hundreds of years to become a fossil. What can only be done is to observe the fossils found from the perspective in time in which we observe it.

What no one can observe is any such thing as a multi-verse because our universe is so vast that we cannot even see all of it nor measure its size. To claim that there is a multi-verse is to bring in dogma.

Applying Scientific Method NOT ‘Theory’

We will now review the information just covered using our experience, observation, and scientific method to come to an empirical conclusion about each and of them overall.

Alpha-Bits

Observation

Alpha-Bits pieces are shaped like English letters in the alphabet.

Question

Would a complete proper sentence in English such as; “Clean up your mess son, love Mom” happen if I poured out a new box of Alpha-Bits onto a flat surface?

Hypothesis

Dependent upon from the height from which the new box of Alpha-Bits was poured out onto the flat surface will create an English sentence, “Clean up your mess son, love Mom.”

Experiment

Open a new box of Alpha-Bits and from various heights pour them out of the box onto a flat surface. Do this repeatedly every day for a year.

Results

Various piles and scattering of Alpha-Bits pieces happened with no proper English sentences created from the letters.

Accept or Reject Hypothesis

Hypothesis rejected – no complete sentences at all were created.

Conclusion

For a complete proper sentence in English (information) to occur, an intelligent being must place the Alpha-Bits into the correct order for words, spacing of characters, while using proper English grammar.

The Grand Canyon

Observation

The Grand Canyon looks as though water erosion over some duration of time created it.

Question

Would water erosion which caused The Grand Canyon over an ample duration of time create images of presidents like at Mount Rushmore?

Hypothesis

Water erosion which caused The Grand Canyon over an ample duration of time will create images of presidents like at Mount Rushmore.

Experiment

Take a block of sandstone 50’ x 50’ and place it in a river such as the Colorado River and at weekly intervals observe what happens.

Results

The 50’ x 50’ block of sandstone over time starts to look like the Grand Canyon’s water erosion rather than Mount Rushmore with presidents.

Accept or Reject Hypothesis

Hypothesis rejected – no image of presidents or anyone was created.

Conclusion

For images like those at Mount Rushmore in a block of sandstone 50’ x 50’, an intelligent creator must focus the water to carve images; water erosion alone does not create images of presidents like at Mount Rushmore in a block of sandstone 50’ x 50’.

A Computer Virus is Capable of Self-Reproducing

Observation

Computer viruses spread from one computer to another by self-replication.

Question

Did computer viruses create themselves?

Hypothesis

Computer viruses created themselves.

Experiment

Take a brand new USB Thumb Drive and remove any computer virus which may have been on it from its creation. After confirming no computer viruses are on the brand new USB Thumb Drive, remove it from the computer and place it aside in a secure location and don’t place it into any other computer or device for one year. Insuring that the computer about to be used is totally computer virus free prior to placing the now one year old USB Thumb Drive into it, place the now one year old USB Thumb Drive into the totally computer virus free computer and check to see if the now one year old USB Thumb Drive has any computer viruses on it. Do this for ten years.

Results

The now ten year old USB Thumb Drive has no viruses on it.

Accept or Reject Hypothesis

Hypothesis rejected – computer viruses do not create themselves.

Conclusion

Computer viruses are created by an intelligent designer/developer and do not create themselves and to replicate themselves need to first be created.

Computers are Capable of Holding Mass Amounts of Encoded Information and on their own are Capable of Creating Articles and Videos

Observation

Many articles and videos come from computers.

Question

Are computers capable of creating articles and videos without any human intervention?

Hypothesis

A brand new in the box computer can without any human intervention at all, boot itself and can on its own create an article such as one found on the New York Times website and also on its own create videos like those found on YouTube.

Experiment

Purchase any brand of new computer you want and do not remove it from its package and do not have anyone else remove it from its package. Place the brand new computer near a live electrical outlet with correct voltage for it and also near a live internet connection of both Wi-Fi and hard wire, i.e., CAT 5. With no human intervention over the next ten years each week observe the results.

Results

The new computer after ten years without any human intervention will be sitting near a live electrical outlet with correct voltage with internet connection availability and no articles or videos from it will be available to anyone.

Accept or Reject Hypothesis

Hypothesis rejected – new computers need human intervention to create articles and videos.

Conclusion

It is impossible for a new computer in the box to boot itself and create articles and videos on its own without human intervention.

DNA is Capable of Self-Reproducing

Observation

DNA and Computer Viruses both are capable of Self-Reproducing

Question

Did DNA create itself?

Hypothesis

DNA created itself.

Experiment

Take separately all the genetic material found in DNA and place it correct proportions into containers proper to hold DNA. Review the results each week for five months.

Results

The genetic material did not turn into DNA, it either stayed separated into correct proportions and/or spoiled.

Accept or Reject Hypothesis

Hypothesis rejected – DNA did not create itself.

Conclusion

Just as computer viruses are created by an intelligent designer/developer and do not create themselves and to replicate themselves need to first be created, DNA requires creation by an intelligent designer/developer and cannot create itself without first being created.

DNA is well-suited for biological and digital information storage

Observation

Both computers and DNA are capable of digital information storage.

Question

From where does new information come?

Hypothesis

New Information creates itself and puts itself into DNA.

Experiment

Have a healthy intact male Poodle and a healthy intact female Poodle mate and have puppies. Take their healthy intact puppies and mate them together along with their parents until you get back to a Wolf.

Results

Poodles have poodles and no matter how many times someone breeds poodles together they will never get back to being a Wolf. In fact, continued inbreeding will lead to malformed and unhealthy Poodles.

Accept or Reject Hypothesis

Hypothesis rejected – No new information was created.

Conclusion

New information has to have an intelligent source.

Computers and DNA have Encoded Information

Observation          

Computers and DNA have encoded information.

Question

Does information encode itself?

Hypothesis

Information encodes itself.

Experiment

Take a clean piece of paper and an ink pen and write out the following sentence; “Does information encode itself?” Fold the paper in half and place it in a drawer. Each day at 1PM, take the paper out of the drawer, unfold it, look at the sentence written on it. Do this for one year.

Results

No change in the sentence was observed.

Accept or Reject Hypothesis

Hypothesis rejected – Information does not encode itself.

Conclusion

For information to become encoded, it takes an intelligent being.

People are Alive when they Create

Observation          

When I wrote this article and created its video, I was alive.

Question

Can something non-living (inorganic) create information?

Hypothesis

A rock can create information.

Experiment

Take a rock from a river that fits within the palm of your hand. Place the rock in a tray that is 5 feet by 5 feet with five cups of clean sand spread out evenly in the tray. Over the next five weeks, daily sprinkle some water over the rock and observe if the rock created any information.

Results

The rock didn’t move from the place it was laid on the sand in the tray.

Accept or Reject Hypothesis

Hypothesis rejected –  The rock didn’t create any information.

Conclusion

Information is created from an intelligent source.

There is a Universe

Observation          

We live in a universe.

Question

Did the universe we live in create itself?

Hypothesis

The universe we live in created itself.

Experiment

Take a new clear glass canning jar out of its packaging, clean it inside with rubbing alcohol,  and tightly place a new lid which has also been cleaned with rubbing alcohol on the jar. Each day for a year multiple times a day see if anything creates itself in the jar.

Results

Nothing other than what was in the jar after its cleaning is in the jar after a year.

Accept or Reject Hypothesis

Hypothesis rejected – The universe did not create itself.

Conclusion

Everything that exists has been created by some intelligent source. No one has ever seen anything just suddenly, “POP” into existence and thus is the reason you are not concerned with an elephant “POPPING” into your lap.

For something to “create itself” it would have to already exist which in itself impossible, i.e., to both not exist and then to exist.

For someone to say that quantum physics proves that it is possible for both, not existing and existing, is to beg the question, do we know everything there is to know about quantum physics to actually know and understand what is actually happening?

For anyone to claim that the universe created itself, that person is taking a leap of faith that has never been observed has actually occurred, i.e., something creating itself without any intelligent source.

There is a Universe with the Earth In It

Observation          

The planet earth which we live on exists within a universe.

Question

Are there other universes which exist?

Hypothesis

There are multiple universes that exist other than the one which the earth we live on exists in.

Experiment

Take the most powerful device in existence and view the edge of the universe the earth we live on exists in.

Results

We cannot see the edge of the universe which the earth we live on exists in.

Accept or Reject Hypothesis

Hypothesis rejected – there’s only one universe and that is the universe which the earth we live on exists in.

Conclusion

There’s only this universe and it is vastly larger than we can measure.

For anyone to say, “Hay, wait a minute! There are many universes out there and we just happen to live in this one.” is actually bringing in dogma which is not observed.

Relying on Experience or Observation and using Scientific Method Without due Regard for ‘Theory’

Now, don’t take me wrong as I’m not asking you to, “just take my word” for anything. In fact, don’t just take my word because it isn’t about me. ‘For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.’ 1 Corinthians 2:2 ‘But as for me, I will never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.’ Galatians 6:14.

Each of Us are on Death Row

Every one of us (you, me, our family and friends) are on death row. Yes, that’s correct, you, me, our family and friends are each on death row. No matter if you believe in God or not, we each are going to die sooner or later. And, regardless of if you believe in God or not, the Bible makes it clear;  “Everyone must die once, and after that be judged by God.” Hebrews 9:27 GNT

Remember, I’m just giving to you practical experience and not theory and no dogma and I urge you to actually take it upon yourself to honestly think about your life and your approaching death. I urge you to actually take it upon yourself to honestly think about your life and your approaching death. Being wrong at your death lasts forever. Open your mind rather than keeping it closed.

But; you may reply: I don’t even know whether Christ Jesus is God. I do not even know whether there is a God. That’s okay because you can pray the prayer of the skeptic:

Lord Jesus, I don’t know if you even exist. I am a skeptic. I doubt. I think you may be only a myth. I am however not certain, (at least when I’m completely honest with myself). So if you really do exist, and if you really did promise to reward all seekers, you must be hearing me now.

So I hereby declare myself a seeker, a seeker of the truth, whatever it is and wherever it is. I want to know the truth and live in the truth. If you are the truth, please help me.

All this King over all Kings asks for at first is honesty, not faking a faith [trust] you do not have. Honesty is a choice of the will – the choice to seek the truth no matter what or where and follow where truth takes you. This is the most momentous choice you can make. It is the choice of light over darkness, ultimately heaven over hell.

Remember, Jesus taught this truth:

“Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it. Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravaging wolves. You’ll recognize them by their fruit. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit; neither can a bad tree produce good fruit.” Matthew 7:13-18

It is your choice to make and I suggest that  you choose wisely the narrow gate.

 

Resources

(1)    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empirical

(2)    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dna

(3)    http://www.joelertola.com/grfx/dna/dna_dtl1.jpg

(4)    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadow_Copy

(5)    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comuter_virus

(6)    http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/Mount_Rushmore_National_Memorial.jpg

(7)    http://ardunward.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/GrandCanyon.jpg

(8)    http://www.postfoods.com/our-brands/alpha-bits/originalhttp://0.tqn.com/d/familycrafts/1/0/M/v/1/ptrnalphabits.jpg http://img.ehowcdn.com/article-new/ds-photo/getty/article/170/211/87782978_XS.jpg

(9)    http://www.mobiledia.com/news/160149.htmlhttp://www.zdnet.com/using-dna-instead-of-dvds-to-store-data-7000010641

(10)http://static.ddmcdn.com/gif/scientific-method-17.jpghttp://science-fair-coach.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Slide3.jpghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3c/The_Scientific_Method.png

Other Resources

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/empirically

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/empirically

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/empirical

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