The other day, I found a video a friend had shared on
Facebook. It was a simple PowerPoint slide show with background music that
someone had made with the idea of sharing it to spread the wonder of God. A Christian
God, of course.
Even though I’m not personally Christian, I can
certainly see the value and beauty in many of their stories so I clicked on
it, looking forward to a poignant message about the value of a spiritual belief
that inspires and promotes love, kindness and acceptance.
After sitting through a few minutes of an endlessly
repetitive narrative, I was sadly disappointed by the ending. In summary, an
atheist professor spends months with his students trying to prove that God
doesn’t exist by dropping a piece of chalk onto a tile floor at the end of the
semester and telling them that if God was real, he would prevent it breaking
into pieces. None of his students dare to disagree, until one semester a
particularly devout young man does stand up for his beliefs and the chalk manages
to stay in one piece by rolling its way down the alarmed professor’s clothing
until it hits the floor. The professor, completely horrified by this “proof” of
God’s existence runs out of the room and the student proceeds to hold a sermon
for the rest of the class.
On the surface, it seems like a pretty cool tale and a happy
ending for the Christians. After all, God proved his existence with a happy
little accident, the atheist professor was humiliated and all the other
students who were too scared to disagree with him and be called fools were left
behind to listen to the glory of God.
As I’m writing this, I’m struggling to put into words why
the whole story left me cold, and yes, even a little disappointed. Maybe it’s
because it was overly preachy and self-righteous; or it could be that the
ending was just a little bit far-fetched. Or maybe it’s just because the
message it passed on lacked any sort of spiritual depth whatsoever, and was
more just about shoving the necessity of mindless belief down the viewer’s
throat.
So I’ve taken the basis of the story, and re-written it. In
a way that, hopefully, shows what true faith should really mean, no matter what
your beliefs. Happy reading.
An atheist theology professor at a university was well-known
for questioning his student’s faith in God. At the end of every semester, he
would end his lecture by asking his students to stand up if they still believed
in God. By then, his reputation had spread and none of the students, knowing
what was coming, would have the courage to rise to their feet. For, after
asking them to stand, the professor would proceed to hold up a piece of chalk.
“If there was a God,” he would pronounce, “He would prevent
this chalk from shattering when I drop it to the floor.” In front of them all,
he would simply let the chalk drop to the tile floor, the sound of it
shattering placing emphasis on the truth of his words.
One semester, a young man joined his programme. Being
particularly devout, he prayed every morning for the courage to stand by his
beliefs come the end of the term. Soon enough, the final lecture arrived and
the professor stood in front of a hall full of students.
“Which of you is brave enough to stand by your beliefs?” He
questioned them, holding aloft the piece of chalk. With a silent prayer, the
young man rose to his feet, the movement creating a stir amongst the other
students.
“I am.” Instead of replying, the professor simply let the
chalk drop, and as before it shattered, pieces of chalk flying across the room.
“You are a fool. There is no God.” The words echoed through
the silent room. For a few seconds, the young man stood quietly, his head
bowed, only the redness of his ears showing his embarrassment. Then, as the
rest of the students watched, he walked slowly to the front of the room,
bending to pick up the pieces of chalk on his way.
Reaching the professor, he gently took his hand, placing the
chalk in his palm. In a calm voice, he addressed the professor, the rest of the
students straining to catch his every word.
“Sir, you have spent six months trying to prove to us that
there is no God. This was your final test and while most people would accept
that it proves your theory, I cannot. You see, God may not have stopped the
chalk from shattering, but the need to prove themselves is an ego-based desire
unique to humans. God may not have prevented you from dropping the chalk, but
the desire to thwart another’s free will and choice, is a power-driven need of
mankind. God may not have struck you down for defying him, but silencing
opposing beliefs is the fear-ridden behaviour of cowards.
“I do not believe in a God who is egotistical, power-hungry
or cowardly. My God is one who accepts and loves all, unconditionally; one who
allows others the freedom to grow within themselves, learning from their mistakes,
knowing that they have the safety net of unconditional acceptance from a being
who sees them in their entirety, and still holds them up as His perfect
creation.
“You may not believe in my God, sir, but that is okay. I do
not think He would force you to convert to a belief that does not make you
happy. He is more accepting of others than our fellow men would be.” As he made
his way towards the exit, the young man stopped, turning back to his perplexed
professor.
“Perhaps, if we were to be less concerned with proving his existence and converting others to our beliefs, we would realise that He has already proven it by
giving us the capacity to love and accept others, regardless of the rules
humanity tries to impose on spirituality.”
