GEL - Defining Reality

Defining Reality?

Roy Hershberger

Only one creation story fits the scientific evidence that the universe and the only currently detectable tiny speck of life within it, our Earth, was designed from the very beginning of time.

How do you define reality? In our modern world few seem to be asking this question. Either we have never thought about it, we don't want to think about it, or we have come to the conclusion that it is impossible to know for sure. It's true that there are so many different and varied philosophies that attempt to explain what this life is all about that it can be very difficult to know which one is correct. Many find it easier just to make the simplistic assumption that there is no right or wrong way to look at reality.
     At one time most of the western world assumed that reality was built on the foundation of an intelligent Creator, but over the last 100 years or so that assumption has had a lot of competition from materialists who claim that the universe created itself. They reason that the order and complexity we see does not require a designer but is a result of natural processes. This idea has grown in popularity within certain influential segments of our society and the results, though in some ways very subtle, are actually not very difficult to perceive or understand.
     Though many Americans still claim to be “Christian” and say they believe in “God” the philosophy that currently rules in the modern mind does not grow out of a theistic perspective. In fact most people now organize a lot of their thinking about life (whether they realize it or not) around a materialistic point of view.
     Ironically, modern scientific research is leaving Darwinian evolution (the foundation for materialism) without a leg to stand on. It is only a matter of time before Darwinism is tossed into the garbage heap of scientific history. This fact will take some time to filter down to the masses and the results are yet uncertain, but one thing is certain, the cold dead naturalism of the 20th century has not been very satisfying to the human spirit. In fact it has left a gaping hole, and the consequences of a “reality” without God has had devastating results.
     To make things even more confusing the modern mind has witnessed the rise of many eastern and new age religions all competing for the attention of those who seek to discover the truth about reality. As materialism has left the masses unfulfilled these ideas have come to fill that gap, but unfortunately, though they do appear to dwell more on the “spiritual” their foundation is not really any different than the old philosophies they have come to replace. One of the most obvious things they hold in common with naturalism is the idea that the material universe existed before anything else. Read any eastern religions creation story and you will find this a consistent theme in every case. The elements always exists before any form of life or intelligence emerges. Equally, most new age philosophies see God as an impersonal force or energy not as a real person who has intelligently guided the development of the universe - they are really just a twist on the naturalistic theme - an attempt to “spiritualize” the same underlying concept of how to define reality.
     Only one creation story fits the scientific evidence that the universe and the only currently detectable tiny speck of life within it, our Earth, was designed from the very beginning of time. Only one view of reality speaks of a Creator who not only planned out our existence but also came to earth in human form (the Living Word of God) in order to reveal who He was and to clearly explain reality to us.
     It is easy to become confused about reality in our pluralistic society, but wouldn't it make sense that if there really is an intelligent Creator that it would be his desire to clear up our confusion and help us see the way things really are? Wouldn't he desire to open our eyes to the vast endless knowledge that represents him and his creation? If you long to understand and grasp the meaning of reality I challenge you to ask that Creator, even if your unsure he exists, to bring understanding to your heart and mind — to reveal to you the reality of the Living Word who came to save us from our selfish habits and the lies we invent - who came to free us from our self made prisons of sin and pain.

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