"Let me explain
the problem science has with Jesus Christ."

The atheist professor
of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his

new students to stand.
"You're a Christian, aren't you, son?"

"Yes, sir."

"So you believe in
God?"

"Absolutely."

"Is God good?"

"Sure! God is good."

"Is God all powerful?
Can God do anything?"

"Yes."

"Are you good or evil?"

"The Bible says I'm
evil."

The professor
grins knowingly. "Ahh! THE BIBLE!" He considers for a

moment, then he utters,
"The BIBLE says many things that many of you

Christians do not obey"

"Yes, Sir"

"Why then do you believe
in someone that you do not obey"

-No answer.

"What purpose does
it have to serve a law that you are not to keep"

"Well, I serve the
law that the church has taught me"

"Then you are serving
the Church not God"

-No answer.

"Here's another one
for you. Let's say there's a sick person over here

and you can cure him.

If you can do it. Would
you help him? Would you try?"

"Yes sir, I would."

"So you're good...!"

"I wouldn't say that."

"Why not say that?

You would help a sick
and maimed person if you could...

in fact most of us
would if we could.. .God doesn't."

-No answer.

"He doesn't does he?

My brother was a Christian
who died of cancer,

even though he prayed
to Jesus to heal him. How is this Jesus good?

Hmmm? Can you answer
that one?"

-No answer.

The elderly man is
sympathetic.

"No, you can't, can
you?"

He takes a sip of water
from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax.

In philosophy,

you have to go easy
with the new ones. "Let's start again,

young fella. Is God
good?"

"Err...Yes."

"Is Satan good?"

"No."

"Where does Satan come
from?"

The student falters.
"From... God..."

"That's right. God
made Satan, didn't he?"

The elderly man runs
his bony fingers through his thinning hair

and turns to the smirking
student audience.

"I think we're going
to have a good semester, ladies and gentlemen.

" He turns back to
the Christian. "Tell me, son. Is there any evil in this world?"

"Yes, sir."

"Evil's everywhere,
isn't it? Did God make everything?"

"Yes."

"Who created evil?"

(No answer)

"Is there sickness
in this world?

Ugliness, immorality,
hatred? All the terrible things - do they exist in this world?

The student squirms
on his feet. "Yes."

"Who created them?"

(No answer.)

The professor suddenly
shouts at his student.

"WHO CREATED THEM?
TELL ME, PLEASE!"

The professor closes
in for the kill and climbs into the

Christian's face. In
a still small voice:

"God created them,
didn't he?"

"Just like he created
a Law that nobody keeps"

(No answer.)

The student tries to
hold the steady, experienced gaze and fails.

Suddenly the
lecturer breaks away to pace the front of the classroom like

an aging panther. The
class is mesmerized.

"Tell me," he continues,

"How is it that this
God is good if He created all evil throughout all time?"

The professor swishes
his arms around to encompass the wickedness of the world.

"All the hatred, the
brutality, all the pain, all the torture, all the

death and ugliness
and suffering created by this good God

is all over the world,
isn't it, young man?"

(No answer.)

"Don't you see it all
over the place? Huh?" Pause.

"Don't you?"

The professor leans
into the student's face again and whispers,

"Is God good?"

(No answer.)

"Do you believe in
Jesus Christ, son?"

The student's voice
betrays him and cracks.

"Yes, Professor, I
do."

The old man shakes
his head sadly.

"Science says you have
five senses you use to identify and observe the world

around you. Have you
seen Jesus?"

"No, sir, I've never
seen Him."

"Then tell us, have
you ever heard your Jesus?"

"No, sir, I have not."

"Have you ever felt
your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelt your Jesus...

in fact, do you have
any sensory perception of your God whatsoever?"

(No answer.)

"Answer me, please."

"No, sir, I'm afraid
I haven't."

"You're AFRAID you
haven't?"

"No, sir."

"Yet you still believe
in Him?"

"...yes..."

"That takes FAITH!"

The professor smiles
sagely at the underling.

"According to the rules
of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol,

science says your God
does not exist. What do you say to that, son?

Where is your God now?"

The student does not
answer.

"Sit down, please."

The Christian sits..
.defeated.

Another student raises
his hand.

"Professor, may I address
the class?"

The professor turns
and smiles.

"Ah, another Christian
in the vanguard!

Come, come, young man.
Speak some proper wisdom to the gathering.

The Christian looks
around the room.

"Some interesting points
you are making, sir.

Now I've got a question
for you.

Is there such thing
as heat?"

"Yes," the professor
replies, "there's heat."

"Is there such a thing
as cold?"

"Yes, son, there's
cold too."

"No, sir, there isn't."

The professor's grin
freezes. The room suddenly goes very quiet.

The second Christian
continues.

"You can have lots
of heat, even more heat, super-heat,

mega-heat, white heat,
a little heat, or no heat,

but we don't have anything
called 'cold'.

We can hit 458 degrees
below zero,

which is no heat, but
we can't go any further than that.

There is no such thing
as cold,

otherwise we would
be able to go colder than negative 458 –

you see, sir, cold
is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat.

We cannot measure cold.

Heat we can measure
in thermal units because heat is energy.

Cold is not the opposite
of heat, sir,

it's just the absence
of it." Silence.

A pin drops somewhere
in the classroom.

"Is there such a thing
as darkness, professor?"

"That's a dumb question,
son. What is night if it isn't darkness?

What are you getting
at?"

"So you 'believe' in
darkness?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry, but science
says you're wrong again, sir.

Darkness is not something,
it is the absence of something.

You can have low light,
normal light, bright light, flashing light,

but if you have no
light constantly, you have nothing,

and it's called darkness,
isn't it?

That's the meaning
we use to define the word.

In reality, darkness
isn't.

If it were, you would
be able to make darkness darker

and give it to me in
a jar. But you can't give me a

jar of darker darkness,
can you Professor?"

Despite himself, the
professor smiles at the young effrontery before him.

"This would indeed
be a good semester,

would you mind telling
us what your point is, young man?"

"Yes, professor. My
point is, your philosophical premise is flawed

to start with, and
so your conclusion must be in error..."

The professor goes
ballistic. "Flawed...? How dare you...?"

"Sir, may I explain
what I mean?" The class is all ears.

"Explain... oh, explain."

The professor makes
an admirable effort to regain control.

Suddenly he is affability
itself.

He waves his hand to
silence the class, for the student to continue.

"You are working on
the premise of duality,"

the Christian explains,

that, for example,
there is life and then there's death;

a good God and a bad
god,

the Law of God and
the law of the church.

You are viewing God
as a concept, as something finite,

something we can measure.

Sir, science cannot
even explain a thought.

It uses electricity
and magnetism,

but has never seen,
much less fully understood them.

To view death as the
opposite of life is to be ignorant

of the fact that death
cannot exist as a substantive thing.

Death is not the opposite
of life,

merely the absence
of it."

The young man holds
up a newspaper he takes from the desk of a

neighbor, who has been
reading it.

"Here is one of the
most disgusting tabloids this country hosts,

Professor. Is there
such a thing as immorality?"

"Of course, there is,
now look..."

"Again, I'm sorry sir,
but you are wrong.

You see, immorality
is merely the absence of morality.

Is there such a thing
as injustice?

No, injustice is the
absence of justice.

Isn't the law of the
church a man made version of the Law of God,

Is there such a thing
as evil?" The Christian pauses.

"Isn't evil the absence
of good?"

The professor's face
has turned an alarming shade of red.

He is so angry, he
is temporarily speechless.

The Christian continues.

"If there is evil in
the world, Professor, and we all agree there is then God,

if He exists, must
be accomplishing a work through the agency of evil.

What is that work God
is accomplishing?

The Bible tells us
that it is to see if each one of us will,

believe in the righteousness
of His son (the result of the love of God),

over evil (the result
of independence or the absence of the love of God).

"There is nothing greater
than love.

God is love and God
is good.

If He is good, then
the ultimate act of his goodness

would be to give man
the opportunity to experience

the greatest thing
that exists -- love.

This everlasting love
of His is expressed in his eternal Law

and His willingness
to give us the right to choose.

Some choose not to
obey Him and inclusive change His Law

and others may choose
to go as far as to deny Him as is your case".

The professor bridles.

"As a philosophical
scientist, I absolutely do not recognize

the concept of God
or His Law or any other theological factor

as being part of the
world equation because God is not observable."

"I would have thought
that the absence of God's Law, which is His moral

code, in this world
is probably one of the most observable phenomena

going," the Christian
replies,

"Newspapers make billions
of dollars reporting it every week! Tell me,

Professor, do you teach
your students that they evolved from a monkey?"

"If you are referring
to the natural evolutionary process,

young man, yes, of
course I do."

"Have you ever observed
evolution with your own eyes,

sir, or are you placing
your 'faith' in the unobservable?"

The professor makes
a sucking noise with his teeth

and gives the student
a silent, stony stare.

The student replies:

"May I follow up on
the point you were making earlier

to the other student?"

The professor wisely
keeps silent.

"I believe you have
a great mind Professor,

but with all respect
let me ask the class a question regarding it.

"Is there anyone here
who has ever heard the professor's mind... felt

the professor's mind,
touched or smelt the professor's mind?"

The class remains silent.

"No one appears to
have done so. No one here has had any sensory

perception of the professor's
mind whatsoever.

"While I would not
dare to imply it myself,

but wouldn't the limitations
of what you 'believe in'

(the rules of empirical,
testable, demonstrable, protocol, science)

say that you have no
mind?

Wouldn't the same apply
to your emotions and your will?

"I believe your great
mind is hidden within your brain although I

cannot observe it within
the small box, or within the limited parameters

which you want to place
God within.

"If I want to know
your mind or better yet the real you

(your mind, emotions,
will and even your spirit),

all I have to do, if
you are willing to be known,

is be willing to seek
to know you and to spend time with you,

at least to read about
you".

"You can know
that God exists, .......

if you are
willing. ...... Are you willing Professor?"

Silence

Silence

Silence

Silence

Silence

Silence

Silence

The bell rings.

"Class dismissed,"

replies the professor.
"Time is up!"