There Must be More to Life...

Until recently I lived a Godless life. I felt there was no purpose to life. Modern scientific discoveries showed how the world was created by a big bang and that the universe has been expanding ever since. Over millions and millions of years the earth moulded itself by chance in to a planet that could host humans, who themselves are the product of evolution from some slimy organisms.

Between birth and death is a period of time called life, it is all there is, it is all we have. There is no purpose to life, it just results from a random set of circumstances that have given all of us an opportunity to have some time on earth. What we do with our time is up to us. Why not just focus solely on our own pleasure and not worry about anyone else?

I broadly accepted this accidental, random and meaningless nature of our existence in the world. But I have come to realise that this must be wrong. There has to be more to it than this. There are three key realisations that have changed the way I now view humanity and the world.

1. This World is Extraordinarily Complex

The world is supremely complicated where everything is connected, dependent and interrelated, and I am not talking about technology. Science is discovering how eco-systems work and how the natural world has a perfect balance as a sustainable eco-system. Humans with our insatiable thirst for knowledge and increased capability have developed the power to disrupt the natural balance. Consequently global warming, species extinction and raw material shortage are realities. I am sure human advances will be causing problems we don’t even know about or understand. It seems likely our knowledge is only partial, maybe only ever can be partial, and yet the natural world around us is so fantastically beautiful and intelligent.

It seems utterly implausible to me that the whole world could be the result of random chance. Surely it must have been designed. Even a relatively simple house does not get randomly assembled from a set of accidentally thrown together atoms. The house has a designer and builder. So how could this whole cohesive fantastic system, known as the earth, be randomly flung together? It seems implausible to me it could be a product of chance.

2. There is an Innate Sense of Justice

People have an innate sense of justice, a feeling that some things are just not right. Murder, physical assault and stealing are obvious examples. It is more than law that makes us think this is unacceptable, there is something deep within our core that tells us this is wrong. But it is wider than this we value honesty above dishonesty, integrity above duplicity, loyalty above disloyalty and love above hate. In fact where people engage in the less valued behaviour we tend to require a justification of actions. For example, consider the current MPs expense scandal in the UK Parliament.

What would life be like if everyone was only interested in themselves? It might be like one of those computer games, where the main character can act with impunity and shoot whoever crosses their path. I can imagine a world with endemic violence, deception, and greed, a world without trust, friendship and love, a world where people have no respect for their environment, other people or themselves and a world full of binge drinking, drug taking, neglect of children and rejection of responsibility.

Yes, this does sound familiar and perhaps it is what happens when we take God out of society, we turn our back on his values and pursue only self-gratification.

No, I thank the Lord that there is a different way.

3. People can be Unselfish

People do have a strong inner sense of unselfishness. We form friendships, groups, societies, become fans and supporters, campaign for others and causes, help other people. Above all we love, we trust. If our love is betrayed or our trust broken we are devastated and if we break someone else’s trust or hurt the ones we love we are disappointed in ourselves. We are clearly meant for companionship. A common thread that comes out of articles about people who have turned out to do bad things, murder etc is a lack of love in their lives from an early age.


These three realisations point me to the conclusion that there has to be a God. A God who has created mankind for his purposes, a God who has given people intelligence and free will to do what they decide, A God granting the consciousness of what is right and the desire and capability to behave in an unselfish manner. If more people could explore the teachings of God, through the Bible and the example Jesus gives in his life on earth, then our world would be a much better place.