Faith in Man

9/10/14             Rama            late 20's

Out on a witnessing expedition with Steve, a church brother, we met Rama, a Research Professor in Cellular Biology who is about to complete his doctorate.  Rama grew up in a Hindu family in India, but says he absolutely doesn’t believe in any spiritual existence.  “If it can’t be proven by science, I don’t believe in it”   With that attitude, I was rather surprised he took the time to talk with us, yet he seemed to relish the chance to talk about his beliefs and was willing to hear ours.  Toward the end of our conversation he said that he’s had Christian friends trying to convert him to Christianity, and I could tell that he enjoys the challenge of defending his atheist beliefs.  If nothing else, we were able to remind him that there is a Creator whom he will be accountable to one day.  In the process I learned a few things about his faith in science.  Christians and religious people in general are often accused of believing in a “God of the Gaps”, where gaps in scientific knowledge are simply attributed to God.  But while we talked he was quick to say – many times – that if scientists can’t explain things now they will be able to someday.  They have replaced the belief in God with a belief in man.  Man then becomes God, which is in effect also what Rama explained when he said he prefers to judge himself and not be held accountable to any god.  Our conversation may not have convinced him, but I do believe it helped make Rama’s choice of faith in man rather than God very clear.