INEXCUSABLE

Chapter 8

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse." -- Romans 1:20

Throughout this book, we've unraveled atheist arguments and exposed their logical flaws. But perhaps the most powerful illustration of their position comes from modern video gaming.

Imagine players within a sophisticated virtual world who deny the existence of the game developer. These players can observe the game's physics, understand its rules, and even create new things within the game using its built-in mechanisms. They might say, "Look, we understand how everything works! There is no need for developer."

These players might point to their deep understanding of the game and their creative abilities as proof that no higher creator is necessary. But there's a crucial distinction they miss:

The difference between creation and procreation.

Creators establishes original patterns, mechanisms, and laws. Procreators follow these established patterns to make copies or variations. Every act of "creation" these players perform is actually procreation -- using tools, mechanisms, and frameworks already created by the developer. Without the developer's prior work—establishing the physics engine, creating the graphics library, programming the interaction rules—they could create nothing.

This precisely mirrors how atheists approach our universe. They observe natural laws, understand processes, and even create new things through technology and engineering. But like the game players, they're not creating new patterns or laws. They are following and copying patterns established by God. When they point to nature's creative abilities, they're actually demonstrating their reliance on God's fundamental framework. In essence, they are using God's patterns to deny the Pattern Maker!

The more we understand about our universe—its precise mathematical nature, its fine-tuned constants, its ability to support life and consciousness—the more inexcusable it becomes to deny the existence of a Creator. Just as a game player cannot create without the developer's framework, we cannot exist, think, or create without God's fundamental reality supporting every aspect of existence.

What makes this truly inexcusable is not just the evidence itself, but the willful denial of what that evidence implies. When we discover order, we naturally infer an orderer. When we find design, we recognize a designer. When we observe laws, we understand there must be a lawgiver. These aren't just religious claims—they're logical necessities that we apply in every other area of life.

No one looks at Mount Rushmore and concludes that natural erosion created the presidents' faces. No one examines a library and assumes the books wrote themselves. No one studies computer code and believes it emerged from random electrical impulses. Yet when examining the vastly more complex and elegant programming of DNA, the precisely tuned forces that make atoms possible, or the sophisticated consciousness that allows us to contemplate these things, many choose to attribute it all to blind chance and unconscious forces.

This is why the apostle Paul writes that people are "without excuse." The evidence for God isn't hidden in ancient manuscripts or complex philosophical arguments. It surrounds us. It upholds us. It is woven into the very fabric of existence.

Every scientific discovery, far from eliminating the need for God, reveals another aspect of His methods.

Every new understanding, rather than replacing God, shows us more of how He accomplishes His purposes.

The mature believer can face all evidence with confidence, knowing that proper understanding of creation will always point to its Creator. We don't need to fear scientific discovery or shy away from deep questions. Like the game player who recognizes that their ability to create depends on the developer's prior work, we can appreciate both the mechanisms of nature and the God who designed them.

In the end, atheism isn't just incorrect—it's inexcusable. Not because atheists are bad people or because they haven't thought about these issues. Many are brilliant, thoughtful individuals. It's inexcusable because their theory requires them to deny the very foundation that makes their thinking possible. Like players denying their game's developer while using the developer's tools to make their argument, atheists dare to use God's creation to argue against God's existence!

Inexcusable!