Did you shave today?

While having lunch with a friend a few days ago, he asked me, “Have you ever heard of Occam’s Razor?”  I replied, “No, I use Gillette.” He started explaining to me the principle attributed to a 14th century logician named William of Ockham.  Being a “science puke” (thats what Col. Quartich called the scientists in Avatar), I already knew what he was talking about, but I wanted to hear “which” version of the principle he was going to explain.  Simply put, Ockham stated, “Entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily.”  While Occam’s Razor has been adopted or adapted by many different scientists and thinkers, I believe one of the best ever presentations was in the 1997 movie, Contact, starring Jodie Foster and Matthew McConaughey; she played scientist Ellie Arroway who felt robbed when her dad died of a sudden heart attack when she was very young and he played Palmer Joss who, according to his own testimony in the movie was “a man of the cloth without the cloth.”

At one point in the movie they were discussing the nature of the universe and the question of faith with this exchange; Ellie Arroway, “All things being equal, the simplest explanation tends to be the right one. . .so what’s more likely, an all powerful mysterious God created the universe and then decided not to give any proof of his existence or, that he simply doesn’t exist at all, and that we created him so that we wouldn’t have to feel so small and alone.  Joss replied, “. . .I couldn’t imagine living in a world where God didn’t exist; no, I wouldn’t want to.  Ellie’s response, “How do you know you’re not deluding yourself. To me, I need proof.”  Joss, “Proof. . .Did you love your father?” Ellie, “Yes, very much.” Joss, “Prove it.”

Prove it. . .prove you faith. That’s what the unbelieving world wants us to do, isn’t it? They want us to show them God.  Guess what, that’s exactly what we should do. . .not by what we say, but by what we do.  Christian faith that is real is full of action.  It doesn’t sit on its hands, it’s not ever quiet, and it doesn’t let the world run all over it.

Real, fearless faith. . .the kind we’re all supposed to have is not overbearing but it is very plain and easy to understand.  Genuine, courageous faith. . .knows what it believes and is not afraid to tell others.

God has already proven himself to the world and he continues to do so everyday.  Is it easier to believe that everything that is came from a sudden blast of nothing, or that a loving God who has existed forever spoke and the universe appeared? The former requires a “blind leap of. . .faith,” the later just requires biblical faith that leads to eternal life.

I choose Jesus, how about you?