Before I start this article, I wish to inform readers that I am not an expert on religion. Or an expert about origins, or even about the universe. Far from it. But I, like others, have my own ideas on the subject, and quite honestly I cannot really get my head around it.

There are two main ways of thinking about life and the origin of life. Some believe that we were created by God and the other half believe that we just happened by chance. Both are very difficult ideas to understand and at the end of endless discussions, no one has the correct answer, or to be more correct, can prove that they have the correct answer. 

As we mature our ideas, we accept that certain things occur over a period of time, but what we cannot answer by logic is still a mystery.

For example, we are now accepting that humans evolved over a long period of time.  But evolution started from something.  What we don’t know, or anybody knows, is where the starting point came from and what directed the starting point to develop into the multitude of creatures and plants we see before us today.

If we accept that the world was created by a big bang, what we cannot accept is that what has resulted from the big bang is all put down to evolution and chance.

If we accept that we evolved into what we are, with all the millions of cells doing different things to help keep us all the world alive, then surely this immense pattern cannot happen just by itself without some sort of direction.

Atheists say that the whole world started with a big bang and that after that bang, there was set in motion the development of everything as we know it. The big bang occurred in space that was already there before the big bang. As were the rest of the planets, stars and in fact the whole solar system and universe. 

We have now found that the Universe is infinite and we are only a very small part of it.

Those of us who believe that God created the whole universe and also created earth and all that is on it, do so because they have faith that this is so. No proof. Just faith.

Those who believe that the whole universe just happened also have no proof. Both sides have no proof of our beliefs and we both think that we are correct.

There is no doubt that today we know much more than the people who lived 2,000 years ago. And today we can see through telescopes and satellites the massive areas of space around us. But where all this came from and when it was formed and what was there before it was formed, no one knows.

It takes as much faith to believe in an afterlife as it takes not to believe, and it is all belief, as we know nothingfor certain

Let us say that earth was formed by a big bang in outer space. Let us say that while earth was being formed, something was put on it that developed into cells that in turn developed into plants, animals, water and land. It was perfect for living organisms to exist and develop.

Many other things happened that made life on earth possible. A moon and a sun gave us a way of life as we know it, allowing living things to survive and develop.

Now if we accept that all this happened by chance, how can we explain why we developed as we did? Why so many different cells in our bodies and the bodies of animals and plants? Why do they work the way they do? Could this happen by chance?  No two humans or animals are the same.

Why so many different plants and flowers? So many different birds and animals? So many different foods that are good for us and animals and plants to eat?

Did all this just happen by chance? If so why? Why should all these multitude of things happen just by chance. That makes absolutely no sense, if it all happened by chance.

Then you have the end of our lives.  Quite an important moment. We are all going to die.

Well, atheists believe that when we die, that is it. We are finished. Our life has ended. We are no more. There is absolutely nothing to look forward to. We can act however we like, while living on earth, as it will not matter. 

On the other hand, we who believe in God believe that humans have a soul and after life, the soul goes to another place, which we call heaven. We have no proof of this.  We just believe.

It takes as much faith to believe in an afterlife as it takes not to believe, and it is all belief, as we know nothing for certain.  It is a choice of having faith or not.

Looking at the whole picture spread in front of me, it is extremely hard for me to reason that everything happens and has happened by chance. It is impossible for me to think that. And, in my opinion, the same for anybody to think that. 

So it boils down to faith and using a lot of imagination and common sense.

I would much rather die with the knowledge and hope that there is something ahead of me that I can look forward to than just pass away thinking that that is it. Full stop. 

I suppose it really is a matter of opinion.

This is a Times of Malta print opinion piece

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