Richard Dawkins and people of his ilk are to blame. They argue strongly that God is not real and all experiences of him are just a delusion. My problem is that although I don't think they are right, I'm not 100% sure. The human mind is such a strange and complex thing that it strikes me as possible (though highly unlikely) for some kind of God-awareness to develop even if no God exists.
So I've been trying to ignore my niggling doubt and just get on with living as a Christian, trusting the God revealed in Jesus, saying my prayers, preaching the gospel, sharing God's love and so on. But the niggling doubt hasn't entirely gone away. This morning I think I've found (or been given by God) a logical argument which will banish that doubt. I can explain it best via a computer game. Mario Kart Wii would do as an example.
At the very basic level computer systems are just lot of binary bits being manipulated. Images on screen are just a bunch of dots. Yet out of these low level systems other higher level features emerge. I open and close windows (on my Mac) as if they were 'real' objects. I choose characters on Mario Kart Wii and steer them (often unsuccessfully) around racecourses. Some scientists would argue that human consciousness is 'merely' a higher level feature which emerges from lots of low level activity (i.e. the firing of neurons in the brain).
And here's my insight: Whether such higher level features are 'real' or not, it's good to act as if they do exist. When I play Mario Kart Wii I couldn't care less that the characters are just a collection of pixels. I drive that Kart as if something 'real' was taking place. I even apply this principle to human relationships. I know that in conversation with someone both our words are being shaped by firing of neurons in the brain and twitching of assorted muscles in the mouth and throat. Yet I act as if there was a 'real' human mind in my interlocutor communicating information to me. In fact I would go as far as to say that to all intents and purposes the Karts and racecourses on the Wii and the human personalities in the people I meet DO exist. I interact with them. I enjoy interacting with them. This is what life is about.
Why should I not approach my faith in God in the same way. OK, the possibility still exists that my faith only arises out of the peculiar complexity of the human brain. But so what! My faith exists. God is as at least as real as any of the above 'higher level features' which I've been describing. There is no point harbouring that niggling doubt any longer. However it has come about, God is part of my life and I ought to get on with loving him and serving him. Which will be far more fun and far more rewarding than managing to drive around the Rainbow Road three times without falling off.
