Friday 6 November 2009

A Cosmic Joke?

What if all this is one hilarious, big, Cosmic Joke? Yes, I am talking about the Universe, our little Solar System, and us brats that live in it. "Brats!" you say? Well - if you consider the audacity of some people - Christians in particular - to claim that this was ALL made just for us humans ... well, brats is about the only word one can find. But what if it really and truly was?

How do we know that this life of ours, this world we live on, this Universe, isn't one huge Cosmic Joke? Well - we'd need to really search around for answers to that question, studying philosophers, science, and every theology under the sun. Oh yes, and fictional authors. Perhaps they have the answer? One book I read put forward a picture that a god-like character had created a universe, and placed a race of humans on a planet (well, they seemed to be 'human') as prey for an arch-enemy of his - little crab-like bugs that ate the humans. This kept the enemy occupied so that the god-like character could do what he liked. What if that's us - pawns in some ... well, Cosmic Joke?

To put it simply, I would argue that the answer, and the reassurance that this is not the case, is to be found in the person of Jesus Christ. In a world that has always been hungry for "good news", the Bible and the words contained in it - and the person it reveals - is the only Good News that the world has ever received. And we can know that it is true by reading eyewitness accounts of Jesus life, death and resurrection here on earth, not to mention the fact that millions of people around the world today - 2000 years after Jesus breathed and walked on this world - will still bear the same witness. Either all of these people are completely and utterly mad, as this witness often comes at the price of their lives - or there is something in this that is true.

Which side of the fence will you land on?