THE END OF REASON-- Zacharias

The End of Reason: A Response to the New Atheists
Ravi Zacharias, Zondervan, 2008, 143pp.


A rising tide of ‘new atheists’ scathingly indict religion as the source of all ills.  Their rallying purpose is to free the world of all traces of religion. Mockery is the prescribed tool and nothing is held sacred.  Some actually proclaim rape to be preferable to religion and pedophilia to be less harmful than teaching a child about Hell.  The Holocaust is declared the fault of Christianity.  The atrocities carried out by Stalin and Mao are said to be the result of wrong beliefs, (thus religion) not atheism! And they proclaim themselves to be the pinnacle of morality, superior to Jesus Himself.  Is this a new brand of ‘intellectual supremacists’ merely 'masquerading as spokespersons for science' or are they just rabble-rousers out to make a buck from an unwitting public? Either way,  who will give a well-reasoned answer to their volatile rhetoric?

To this end Ravi Zacharias has written his small but powerful book, The End of Reason, which specifically responds to Sam Harris’ claims in The End of Faith and Letter to a Christian Nation.  Ravi’s reasoning is refreshingly gracious without any loss of potency.  He demonstrates atheism’s bankruptcy as a worldview using both logic and references to atheism’s own disillusioned proponents.  He deftly outlines the contradictions implicit in Harris’ views and underlines his blatant ignorance of the world religions he so confidently derides.

The first half of The End of Reason discusses the four essentials of a coherent and credible worldview with reference to atheism.  These are: #1 Origin—how did life come to be?, #2 Meaning—is life random or does it have purpose?, #3 Morality—what’s good and evil? and on what basis do we define these?, and #4 Hope—what is man’s destiny?  A realistic worldview must offer answers to these questions which are consistent with reality.  With great clarity Ravi discusses atheism’s inability to provide credible answers to each of these big questions, concluding that: “Given a starting point of primordial slime, one is forced to live apart from a moral law, with no meaning, no real understanding of love, and no hope.”

The remainder of the book addresses such misunderstood (and misrepresented) topics as Pascal’s Wager, ultimate justice, Christianity’s views on slavery, and genetic engineering.  Each is addressed with a mix of humble inquiry and thoughtful rationale in a tone full of compassion.  “Wise as serpents and harmless as doves” is a befitting description of Ravi’s apologetic style, and I would add a refreshing alternative to the often shocking and profane verbiage of some of the recent proponents of atheism.

Zacharias concludes this address to his fellow Americans by presenting a brief case for the existence of God and of Jesus Christ.  His closing remarks address the schism between religion and radical secularism, calling for open dialogue so that individuals can evaluate the relative truth claims and decide for themselves, and re-affirming that science and religion need not be at odds.  He concludes his argument with a striking statement of personal opinion re: Islam, as this is the example of ‘religion’ that Harris is fond of citing and making the stereotype for all religions, including Christianity.  Ravi says: “Islam is willing to destroy for the sake of its ideology.  I want to suggest that the choice we face is really not between religion and secular atheism…. Secularism simply does not have the sustaining or moral power to stop Islam [as now demonstrated in secularized Europe].  In the end, America’s choice will be between Islam and Jesus Christ.  History will prove before long the truth of this contention.” (p126-7)

There is much to ponder in this small volume, and to refer back to in any discussion with those of an atheistic leaning.  Many such have not pursued their want of belief in God to its logical ends. Ravi provides references to those who have and have come up empty.  The ‘new atheists’ tend to borrow from a worldview richer than their own so as to have a moral standard to live by.  Ravi demonstrates why this is inconsistent with a god-less worldview.  Perhaps most importantly this small volume provides a reminder that there are well-reasoned answers to those who call faith in God irrational and dangerous.

--LS

NEW TOWN -- Blamires

NEW TOWN
A fable…unless you believe
by Harry Blamires
Publ.2005,Revell. 174pp.

New Town is a most peculiar tale.  It is the sparsely told parable of life as it’s lived in Old Town, a deteriorating place under constant repair and destined for destruction.  Its residents differ in their perspective toward the value of Old Town.  While some live wholly in hope of their home in the New Town just across the chasm, others live to preserve the buildings of Old Town.  They are in denial of the seriousness of its state of decay and of its eventual demolition, and have as their ambition to deride those who live in hope of a New Town. 

Humorous names and acrostics with double meaning allude to the obvious parallels between Old Town and our present earth, New Town and heaven. For instance, the real estate agency is owned by Sir Alph Godfrey and his son, Christopher.  Access to the New Town is via the Christopher Godfrey Memorial Bridge.  Further assistance is always available at the Christopher Godfrey helpline.  The permit necessary to live in the Old Town is known as the Resident Inhabitant Permit (RIP).  These might seem almost sacrilegious were it not for the surreal, dream-like quality of the story.  The primary character, Bernard finds himself in Old Town in a dreamstate which he mistakes for death. The narration retains that dream-like state of unreality as he becomes accustomed to life in the Old Town and pursues obtaining a house in the New Town.

The plot consists of a scattering of events representative of life in such a place.  Elements of romance, local politics, social life and the ever-threatening occurrences of ‘subsidence’ and other natural disasters are loosely woven through the story of Bernard coming to terms with life in Old Town and figuring out how to get on the waiting list for the New Town.

A favorite part in the story was Bernard’s first meeting with the Society of Waiters—of which he was made a member automatically upon being enrolled on the ‘Waiting List’.  One can’t help but see the comical allusion to church as we know it. Traditions practiced include the singing of songs in verse about the New Town and about the joys of waiting on (serving) others, a homily based on the expression: ‘Wait for it’ explaining the contrasting meanings of ‘wait’ as it applies to Waiters, and a chocolate-passing ceremony commemorating Christopher Godfrey who lived among the poor and gave all his chocolates away. The subtle and not-so-subtle parallels seem silly until you are engrossed in the story.  Read as parables they give old truths a fresh polish and appeal.

The process of applying to be put on the Waiting List is an interesting analysis of works vs. grace as a means of getting to heaven.  The Old Testament (OT=Old Town) covenant  and the New Testament (NT=New Town) covenant are contrasted perceptively.

This is a story that bears re-reading to fully appreciate all the meaning encoded in its simple, seemingly even silly story.  It is in fact a mere fable… unless you believe.

Not myself very fond of fantasy, I still enjoyed this unusual book for it’s uncanny means of making clear the transient nature of our lives on planet earth.  Clinging to it, living for its pleasures, trusting its foundations never looks so ridiculous as when you see it in a parable.  Now my interest is peaked to check out more of Harry Blamires’ (rhymes with ‘the fires’) writing.  He is said to have been a friend and protégé of C.S. Lewis and to have written more than 30 theological and English literature books.

Following are some favorite quotes representative of the book, New Town:

“Dr. Fisher, you said everyone wants a house in the New Town.”
--“I did.  Deep down that’s what they all want.  Of course, they don’t know they want it.  Lots of them think they want to stay here, as you will soon discover.” (16)

“What would be the point of wasting effort, trying to give a false permanence to something that can never last?”(33)

“They’re not fit to make a settled home in, but they’re good enough to stay in until a proper home is available.”(33)

“Whatever its condition to begin with, it must have been further damaged by the fall.  It costs a lot to lift things back to ground level when subsidence has occurred.” (73)

“Any applicant freely admitting as a fact (and not lamenting as an injustice) his or her own total lack of referential potential shall be classed as a self-professed friendless pauper, and as such shall be automatically entitled to full referential accreditation in the name of the company.” (89)

“I know of no equation between the traditional and the inefficient, and still less between the old-fashioned and the ingenuous.  If someone chooses to be taken in by the age of our firm and our taste for the traditional in office furnishings and to assume that we’re therefore gullible amateurs in our trade, then so much the worse for them.” (92)

“What’s the next step, Dr. Fisher?”
--“To wait.”
“I don’t have to do anything?”
--“The next step is ours.  You have put yourself into our hands as a pauper…”(93)

“Shareholders who have a record of lifelong investment in the Future Accomodation Insurance Trust—Hertham (FAITH) will be granted benefits proportionate toe their respective holdings.” (97)

On what it means to be a “Waiter”:
“We must all wait in the sense that we must be patient and calm, that we must not be restless or fretful under the strains of delay or deferment.  We must trust quietly in the promised security of eventual residence in the New Town.  Yet at the same time, it is our duty to ‘wait for it’ in the opposite sense.  We must prepare ourselves and hold ourselves in readiness; we must be poised in eager anticipation of the immense delight awaiting us at the moment when the call comes for us to move into the New Town.  For it may come at any time.” (135) … “There’s more to waiting, however, than either patience or expectancy.  Our ceremonies speak of a different mode of waiting.  Service is a keynote of our society.  We serve one another by waiting on one another whenever we meet….The poet summed it up comprehensively when he wrote, ‘They also wait  who only stand and serve.’”(136)

--LS
“But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”Rom.8:25