One of the great blessings of Christianity is that it fosters rationality and spirituality. To believe in one, good, infinitely wise creator of all things is an incredibly powerful piece of world-view that is utterly unlike both atheism and a world infused with spirits.
The culture in which Christ was first proclaimed was a world full of gods, spirits and myth.
Mountains, waters, stars and the rest, are seen as having a divine nature. Such a spiritual view of things may indeed inspire an enchanted amazement at the world and its wonders and give to a culture sustaining stories, moral virtues and resources to navigate chaos and unpredictability.
But dealing with a multitude of gods in the world, with their all-too-human personalities, emotions and demands inevitably leads to superstition and fear, for none can be relied on to act with love or faithfulness towards us.
In the face of this, the Scriptures declare that there is no God but one: "there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live." 1 Corinthians 8:6.
To believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth is to see the world fundamentally differently. The God who is there is outside and separate from creation, not within it.
The world He created is not divine but is his creature.
When the natural world is seen as such, not only is there freedom from the fear of spiritual forces, but the order, regularity and rationality of the world opens up. There is an invitation for understanding, science and study.
Equally, the Bible’s view of things avoids the ruthless disenchantment of atheism in which there is just molecules in motion and no meaning, in which mountains are merely erosion; rain and rivers simply the effect of the sun on water; stars just gravity-powered nuclear fusion reactors ... the God who is there engages the world he made in love.
When we gaze upon the stars and see them as the gift of our loving creator, we lift our eyes further and exclaim, "the heavens declare the glory of God. The skies proclaim the work of his hands." Psalm 19:1.
■Ben Hudson is the pastor at Grace Bible Church in Dunedin.
