Tag Archives: Atheism and Faith

2000 years of failure

Posted on April 26, 2016 by vincentsmithauthor

My former father-in-law was not a religious man. The only time I saw him go to church was when I married his daughter. But for the last twenty years of his life he was adamant that he had literally seen … Continue reading →

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Physics and metaphysics

Posted on April 26, 2016 by vincentsmithauthor

The essential difference between beliefs based on scientific proof and those based on faith is revelation. So, for example, we believe that the earth travels around the sun because mathematical and astronomical evidence shows that it’s so. But belief in … Continue reading →

Posted in Believing, Faith, Revelation | Tagged | Leave a comment

If you really exist, let me know

Posted on March 16, 2016 by vincentsmithauthor

I got an email recently from a person I hadn’t seen for thirty years. I first met her when she was quietly going mad because of loneliness, separated from everyone she knew. We became good friends; but the one thing … Continue reading →

Posted in Believing, Doubt, God, Seeking and Finding | Tagged | 1 Comment

‘With joy in my heart’

Posted on January 27, 2016 by vincentsmithauthor

Alec Guinness described how, one day while walking through London, he felt an irresistible urge to enter a church. He said, ‘With joy in my heart, and in a state of almost sexual excitement, I knelt; caught my breath, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Atheism, Faith, Joy, Life's journey | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The mathematical odds required for life

Posted on December 24, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

Astrophysicist Hugh Ross points out that for life of any kind to exist the number of electrons present has to be equivalent to the number of protons to a factor of one part in ten to the power of thirty … Continue reading →

Posted in creation, Divine intelligence, God, Life, Universe | Tagged | Leave a comment

Surrounded by the miraculous

Posted on December 20, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

The poet Walt Whitman once said that we are surrounded by the miraculous but don’t recognise it. Science has increased our sense of awe, as it unfolds the marvels of the Universe; but many assume that because we know how … Continue reading →

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Knowing where to look

Posted on November 16, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

Someone once asked the famous sceptic Bertrand Russell what the first thing would be that he’ll say to God when he meets Him. He replied that if he were to actually meet such a being he’d ask Him why He … Continue reading →

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Does the wind shake the trees or the shaking trees cause the wind?

Posted on October 30, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

GK Chesterton once said that there are two types of people in the world: those who believe that the wind causes trees to shake, and those that believe that it’s the trees shaking that causes the wind. He went on … Continue reading →

Posted in Assumptions, Evidence, Unbelief | Tagged , | Leave a comment

‘A spirit manifest in the laws of the Universe

Posted on October 16, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

When Albert Einstein put forward his theory of relativity, the thing that bothered him was that his equations indicated that the universe was expanding, and therefore must have had a beginning. It was not until Edwin Hubble showed that the … Continue reading →

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How nothing became everything

Posted on September 3, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

Listening to the more strident members of the current batch of atheist fundamentalists one might easily get the impression that they have a monopoly on intellect, claiming as they do that the whole mystery and wonder of the Cosmos can … Continue reading →

Posted in creation, Cynicism, Unbelief, Universe | Tagged , | 1 Comment