Meditation 538
Centre of the Universe?
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Last Sunday in his weekly column,[1] Billy Graham was asked why so many intelligent people reject Christ.[2] He replied, in part:
I have often asked myself why some people have a hard time believing in Christ, especially when there is so much evidence for God's existence in the world around us.
One major reason, I believe, is pride.
Pride makes us think that we are the centre of the universe and that we don't really need God.
Those of us who disbelieve do so because we think we are the centre of the universe? It strikes me that Billy Graham has absolutely no concept of the roots of disbelief.
I have yet to encounter an atheist or agnostic who acted as if she or he was the centre of the universe, though there may be some such individuals out there. In my experience, most disbelievers stand in total awe of the universe and recognize how puny each of is is with respect to it. We recognize how vast the universe is both in space and in time.
It is believers (and I'm not suggesting all believers feel this way) who make the universe smaller than it really is, claiming it is a recent creation soon to be destroyed in an apocalypse. It is believers who claim mankind is the pinnacle of Creation personally created by God to be master of all living things. It is believers such as evangelists who set themselves up as being the personal voice of God in this world. And it is believers who claim that God is interested in every little detail of their lives, and even has the life of each and every one completely planned out.
Non-believers feeling themselves to be the centre of the universe? Far from it! We have too much respect for the vastness of the universe for that.
Footnotes:
- My Answer by Billy Graham, Calgary Sun, Sunday October 15, 2005
- Some might say the answer is contained in the question.