User:Pharos

CreationWiki contributor/editor since March 9, 2007.

My story:

I call myself the "Carl Sagan" Christian. Let me explain...

I grew up in a fairly agnostic home. Oh, we went to church once in a while, maybe even occasionally mentioned God in conversation. I know my parents grew up Christian, but by and large, our home didn't enforce any particular belief, one way or the other. Perhaps it's not surprising that when I was first really exposed to evolutionary theory in 6th grade science, I just assumed that dinosaurs were in the Garden of Eden (fortunately, I didn't express such thoughts to my science teacher!)

When I was about 13, I watched the episode of Carl Sagan's famous "Cosmos", where he talked about evolution. Sagan eloquently stated, "we are all star-stuff". With that thought in mind, I looked out the window. It was early dusk, on a clear summer day. The wind was blowing through the trees, and I considered the beauty and intricate structure that made up each leaf on a tree. I was certainly no biology expert, but what I knew of science told me -- even at that age -- that the probability of something so complex and awe-inspiring happening simply by chance, as Sagan said it did, was nil. In short, I concluded that life was designed, and therefore there must be a God. I didn't know who He was, but I reasoned He was there. For all intents and purposes, I was a "theistic agnostic".

As an adult, I had the good fortune of marrying a Christian woman. I was still agnostic, but was willing to attend church with her. One Sunday, a Creation Scientist (possibly Hugh Ross, but I'm not sure) stepped up as guest preacher, and expressed pretty much the same thing I'd concluded on my own: the sheer improbability of evolution implied a creator. This creationist also walked through the scientific evidence and undeniable prophecies of the Bible. With that in mind, I reached another conclusion: the Bible must be God's word. Still, it took about another 2 years of the Holy Spirit calling before I was willing to truly accept Christ.

So that's me, the "Carl Sagan" Christian. More than 20 years after I decided that God exists, I have yet to see any compelling evidence to the contrary; and believe me, I've looked. I'm not ignorant, I'm not stupid, and yet I have faith: wide-eyed, well-reasoned faith.