• A Random Collection of Sticks?

Walking on the beach in Oregon we found this driftwood tee-pee. There was nobody we could see on the beach. It was a cold and blustery day. We enjoyed walking around it (not into it) and thinking about the group of teenagers who probably built it. I expect they had lots of fun. There were a number of other similar structures, maybe three or four, but this one was the tallest. Was it part of a friendly competition? We will never know.

This is my grandfather reading to me many years ago. He and I are sharing a precious moment of love and bonding. This was my father's father. I looked up to him, imitating him when I could. He helped turn me into the man I am now, with direct influence, and by raising my father.

Everyone looking at the driftwood tee-pee comes to similar conclusions. Teenagers or other people built those structures. The teenagers gave their creations meaning and purpose, if only for a few hours or days.

Is it possible that the powerful waves, tides, and storms on the Oregon coast "built" that tee-pee? Yes, theoretically. But the odds against it happening once in thousands of years, let alone in a single season, are tiny. Most people walking past would agree.

There are some people who conclude that the grandfather and grandson pair are the result of billions of years of random events, even though they are overwhelmingly more complex than the driftwood structures.

What makes the difference? Why do people draw the opposite conclusion? Maybe because they do not believe there is a God who created people. There are people who believe nothing exists that is not part of the material universe. That philosophy is called Naturalism. This is sometimes called Materialism. ^[1]

Because I am a Christian, I believe, This is not about evolution versus creationism.^[2] along with Jews and Muslims that:

... God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
Genesis 1:27, [NRSV]New Revised Standard Version Bible by National Council of Churches USA, 1989

If teenagers exist and they built that driftwood tee-pee, then it has meaning and purpose. If instead the strong Oregon coastal storms built it by accident, it has no meaning or purpose.

If God exists and He created humankind in his own image, then we have meaning and purpose. If instead there is no God and we are random accidents of nature, then we have no meaning or purpose.

Is it possible to know for certain which of these two views is correct? Leaving aside the claims of Christianity, the fundamental question is universal. Is there something more than the physical universe? In my next post, The Material Universe,^<1> I begin answering this question by examining what we mean by the material universe.

What do you think? If you have questions or see logical problems in my reasoning, please feel free to tell me through the comment pages. I will try to answer them in future posts.