The Origin of Religion--Not So Complicated
I've been encouraged lately by a good preaching friend of mine, Ron Thomas, to write letters to the editor of the local newspaper as often as possible. Although newspapers vary in their rules for such submissions, most will gladly accept well-written opinion pieces from time to time (and will print them for free). Ron writes regularly in response to moral or religious matters that are in the public eye at the moment. Ron is wise to use this free opportunity to teach the gospel of Christ locally and to challenge people to think on the truth.

Following Ron's fine example, I have written 3 letters to the editor within the past few months. The first two were printed and I am hopeful the third one, which I just submitted, will run soon. Our local newspaper is printed semi-weekly. There is a religious column every Friday written by Dr. Harold Weinberg. He is not a preacher, per se, though he has a Jewish background and is well-known in our community. His articles each week touch on some aspect of religion, and I have been submitting letters to the editor in response to some of his more egregious pieces. I will share these articles on AE starting today. I have tried to write in a way that will be beneficial to you, realizing that you have not read the initial articles from Weinberg that prompted my replies (unless you live here in DeWitt County and subscribe to The Clinton Journal ).

Let me encourage you to also follow Ron's example (you don't need to be a preacher to do this). Write letters to the editor as often as possible on moral and religious subjects of current interest. It is another way to sow and water the seed of God's word in the hearts of men (cf. I Cor. 3:5-7)!


[Letter to the Editor of The Clinton Journal - 12/05/2011]

Dr. Weinberg's December 2nd article regarding the origin of religion is far more complicated than it needs to be. It's no surprise that those who adhere to evolutionary philosophy would advocate that the first religion "evolved." But it's simply not true.

Consider the wonder of the human body. Who can rationally argue that eons ago life sprang forth from non-life or that a single-celled organism mutated in a beneficial way to produce increasingly complex organisms (millions of times along the way)? Who would believe that a digital camera could have just "happened" on accident due to random, chance processes? No one! Cameras manifest evidence of design, and where there is a design there must be a Designer! Our best cameras are still inferior to the marvelous human eye. So, if a camera cannot "happen" on accident, how can a human eye "happen" on accident since it is superior and much more complex? Yet this is what evolutionists must affirm.

Is it not more reasonable to simply believe that there is an all-powerful Supreme Being who has always existed and that He chose to create the Universe and everything within it? Since such a Being must exist, is it reasonable to believe that He would reveal Himself to His creation? Indeed it is. The God of the Bible is the only true and living deity. There are many evidences that can be set forth to prove that there is a God and that the Bible is His word. I would enjoy exploring these evidences in detail (email me anytime-- Stephen@AudioEvangelism.com ).

Since the Bible is true, we can trust what it says regarding the "origin of religion." The first human beings, Adam and Eve, knew God in a personal way. They conversed with Him in the Garden of Eden less than 10,000 years ago. God communicated His expectations to them regarding proper religion. They fell into sin and over time most of the human race drifted far from the true God and began embracing many false ideas about religion and the existence of other gods. Monotheism came first, and mankind perverted it into polytheism relatively quickly. Today Jesus has instructed us: "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:24). The church of Christ endeavors to do just that--worship the one, true God "in spirit and truth."