Why Christianity?

Why does religion exist? This is a questioned that has puzzled many evolutionist over the years. Not only its existence, but its survival. Here's the problem from the evolutionary point of view, if religion is completely false, then why did humans evolve in such a way that they would come to believe in things that don't exist? Here's another problem, as explained by Daniel Dennett, "The ultimate measure of evolutionary value is fitness-the capacity to replicate more successfully than the competition does." Therefore, Christianity would be useless. It costs time, money, it forces us to make sacrifices, and in some cases, even giving one's life for their beliefs. So why would this thing which, according to atheists, hinders our lives, become part of our evolutionary history? Now obviously, the best answer is because evolution never took place. But, the point we are going to make tonight is because Christianity works and atheism doesn't.

In his book, The Origin of Species, Charles Darwin said, "The vigorous, the healthy, and the happy survive and multiply." So let's take a look at two creation stories. In the secular account, "You are the descendant of a tiny cell of primordial protoplasm washed up on an empty beach three and a half billion years ago. You are the blind and arbitrary product of time, chance, and natural forces. You are a mere grab bag of atomic particles, a conglomeration of genetic substance. You exist on a tiny planet in a minute solar system in an empty corner of a meaningless universe. You are a purely biological entity, different only in degree but not in kind from a microbe, virus, or amoeba. You have no essence beyond your body, and at death you will cease to exist entirely. In short, you came from nothing and you are going nowhere." In the Christian view, "You are the special creation of a good and all-powerful God. You are created in His image, with capacities to think, feel, and worship that set you above all other life forms. You differ from the animals not simply in degree but in kind. Not only is your kind unique, but you are unique among your kind. Your creator loves you so much and so intensely desires your companionship and affection that He has a perfect plan for your life. In addition, God gave the life of His only Son that you might spend eternity with him. If you are willing to accept the gift of salvation, you can become a child of God."

Now let's imagine we have two groups of people. The first group subscribes to the atheist worldview, while the second group subscribes to the Christian worldview. Which of these groups is more likely to survive, prosper, and multiply? Obviously, it is the Christian group. The Christian group has a sense of purpose. They are composed of individuals who view their every thought and action as consequential. They are willing to work hard. They believe in treating everyone as they would like to be treated. They believe in taking care of those who can't take care of themselves, such as the elderly, widowed, or handicapped.

The bottom line is that Christianity works. Christianity has survived the test of time, and it always will, because it works. In my next couple of posts, I will give an example of these two groups that I mentioned earlier. I think you will find the results to be pretty interesting.
-Colton Scott