Date: 2006-06-02
From: Punchbowl Shelter

To: Seeley-Woodworth Shelter
Miles today: 25.3
Weather: overcast clouds

As I hiked today, I marveled at the beauty of God's creation around me. I marveled also at the naivety of those who refuse to recognize it as such- those who say, "How do you know that God exists?" Scientifically speaking, the confluence of factors and conditions necessary to support life on this planet are such that the likelihood of the random process of evolution being the cause is a virtual impossibility. I think a better question might be, "how do you know that God DOESN'T exist?" Proving a negative is infinitely more difficult than proving a positive. It's simply a matter of a closed versus open universe of knowledge. To say with certainty that God exists, I must possess only a limited amount of knowledge- enough evidence to convince me. However, to say with certainty that God does NOT exist, I must possess an infinite amount of knowledge. Let me explain. Suppose that you were the smartest person alive. The smartest person, even, to have EVER lived. You had the genius of MIT's brightest, the wisdom of the great philosophers, the knowledge of the world's greatest scientists, teachers, naturalists, historians, and theologians. You knew, off the top of your head, such tidbits as the average number of hairs on the back of a male Tibetan yak, and the total number of people born in the city of Chicago during the month of June, 1903. You were one smart cookie. All this might amount to perhaps 15%, maybe 20%, of the collective total knowledge in the universe. Smart as you were, if you still did not believe in the existence of God, the fact remains undeniable that the proof of his existence could likely still lie in the 80-85% of knowledge you did NOT possess.Another aspect of this question which shouldn't be ignored is the fact that none of us are objective analysts. We have a huge stake in this matter. If there is a Creator, then we humans, as part of that creation, are necessarily subject to him. We naturally tend to avoid responsibility and accountability, yet the Bible clearly states that there is a coming day of judgment where each person will give an account of every idle thought, word, and deed. Denial doesn't alter its reality, just as denying the law of gravity doesn't negate its effect upon you if you jump off a cliff.Granted, questioning the basis or objectivity of atheists doesn't equate to proving God's existence. I don't pretend to have all the answers -- I merely intend to pose questions. If you take the time to research these questions further (and what could possibly be more fundamentally important?), you might find that the most appropriate question of all is not whether or not God exists, but whether you're willing to acknowledge His existence and live accordingly.On another note- 800 miles down, more than a third of the whole! Also, it rained a bit today, for only the second time on the trail in VA. You might think no rain is a good thing, but one downside is that many of the water sources are starting to dry up. I miss the gushing mountain springs of GA. Often I'm reduced to ladelling precious ounces of water from springs reduced to a mere trickle. Water is gold out here- more valuable, in fact (what the heck would I do with a gold brick on the trail? It's about the most useless thing I can imagine =). Near many sources are signs warning that the water isn't tested and that it should always be treated. There are those out here who never treat, and there are those who always treat. I take a middle of the road approach, treating water from streams but not water from clear springs, where I can see the source. There are three main treatment methods: boiling, filtration, or chemical treatment (usually iodine, chlorine, or chlorine dioxide). I use Aqua Mira, which is a chlorine dioxide based chemical treatment. It's light, easy, and fairly quick. If there are "floaties" in my water I'll strain it through my bandana, which is typically filthy as well, but at least I know it's my own filth!