Oddly, it is possible to believe in that very reasonable future, and at the same time have confidence in today's scientific model of the universe. Odd, because if past experience is any teacher, knowledge evolves and replaces old ideas at an ever-increasing pace. It would make more sense to believe in such a future, and therefore approach today's knowledge as tomorrow's outdated 100-year-old understanding of science, instead of placing absolute confidence in it.
Materialism can have two meanings, and they are closely connected. One has to do with the pursuit of ownership, material goods, wealth. The other is broader, and seems less ignoble: The belief that the universe consists of nothing but what can be demonstrated to exist via the scientific method. That second kind of materialism is gripping modern society, threatening religion and society itself.
Evangelical Materialism
The quintessential anti-Christ from scripture is Korihor. His hypocritical certitude shines through:
"Why do ye look for a Christ? For no man can know of anything which is to come.
"...ye cannot know of things which ye do not see..." Alma 30:13-15. He teaches with certainty about the future, saying that he knows there will be no Christ, while denying the power to predict the future.
"And many more such things did he say unto them, telling them that there could be no atonement made for the sins of men, but every man fared in this life according to the management of the creature; therefore every man prospered according to his genius, and that that every man conquered according to his strength; and whatsoever a man did was no crime" (Alma 30:17).
Today's marketers of atheism leave out that last part about the non-existence of crime and utility of conquest in their public discourse. Nevertheless, it is a logical extension of the belief that there is no God, no law, no afterlife, and no judgment. Moral relativism is the figurative gem in the center of the forehead of the idol of atheism.
Today's rational materialists preach that science and technology have made a mostly-peaceful, prospering world for us, and that we ought to throw religion overboard as a cumbersome and embarrassing relic. This is a faulty conclusion. Large portions of Asia were the testing ground for this notion for about the last century. Atheism was the official state religion; reason, rationalism, science, empiricism, logic, these were supposed to be the guiding stars of their ships of state.
What was the result?
Millions of innocent people slaughtered, imprisoned, and impoverished; the evaporation of personal freedoms; the effective enslavement of the populace. The shackles began to fall in the late 1980s, but Asia is still largely reeling from the oppression of its now-vanished rational-materialist states.
Those who point to the west, Europe and the Americas, and the rising prosperity there, speak as though this wealth and peace are the result of modern science. Atheist Asia had science and technology, too. What makes the difference between the outcomes?
At least one thing that materialists seem unable to see is that the West is saturated with Christian principles, even if only as a residue of expectations for behavior and social norms. Compassion, kindness, fair play, mercy, humane treatment of others, forgiveness—all these virtues are woven into the tapestry of how children are raised and values inculcated in society. And this saturation with Christian principles, even if disassociated from religion, accounts in a large way for the difference between Asia's nightmare and the West's prosperous dream.
Asia discovered what happens when people in power accept Korihor's premises—that there is no objective, self-evident right or wrong. As the West rejects Judeo-Christian beliefs in God and judgment and the afterlife, and adopts secularism as the de facto institutional and state religion, moral relativism, the disbelief in right and wrong as real things, will rear its head, and society will plunge (or drift slowly, imperceptibly) into a morass of dishonesty, exploitation, and outright violence.
It will not be enough to simply raise everybody to be nice and kind. Inquiring minds will ask, Why should I? And Korihor will be there converting new disciples with his answers: "...whatsoever a man [does is] no crime." (The attempt to raise a generation of nice people without religion is resulting, ironically, in ostracism, cruelty, and even violence—lashing out in the attempt to enforce tolerance, of all things.)
Korihor begins to waffle at the last minute as Alma debates him:
"And now Korihor said unto Alma: If thou wilt show me a sign, that I may be convinced that there is a God, yea, show unto me that he hath power, and then will I be convinced of the truth of thy words.
"But Alma said unto him: Thou hast had signs enough; will ye tempt your God? Will ye say, Show unto me a sign, when ye have the testimony of all these thy brethren, and also all the holy prophets? The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator...
"...ye cannot know of things which ye do not see..." Alma 30:13-15. He teaches with certainty about the future, saying that he knows there will be no Christ, while denying the power to predict the future.
"And many more such things did he say unto them, telling them that there could be no atonement made for the sins of men, but every man fared in this life according to the management of the creature; therefore every man prospered according to his genius, and that that every man conquered according to his strength; and whatsoever a man did was no crime" (Alma 30:17).
Today's marketers of atheism leave out that last part about the non-existence of crime and utility of conquest in their public discourse. Nevertheless, it is a logical extension of the belief that there is no God, no law, no afterlife, and no judgment. Moral relativism is the figurative gem in the center of the forehead of the idol of atheism.
Today's rational materialists preach that science and technology have made a mostly-peaceful, prospering world for us, and that we ought to throw religion overboard as a cumbersome and embarrassing relic. This is a faulty conclusion. Large portions of Asia were the testing ground for this notion for about the last century. Atheism was the official state religion; reason, rationalism, science, empiricism, logic, these were supposed to be the guiding stars of their ships of state.
What was the result?
Millions of innocent people slaughtered, imprisoned, and impoverished; the evaporation of personal freedoms; the effective enslavement of the populace. The shackles began to fall in the late 1980s, but Asia is still largely reeling from the oppression of its now-vanished rational-materialist states.
Those who point to the west, Europe and the Americas, and the rising prosperity there, speak as though this wealth and peace are the result of modern science. Atheist Asia had science and technology, too. What makes the difference between the outcomes?
At least one thing that materialists seem unable to see is that the West is saturated with Christian principles, even if only as a residue of expectations for behavior and social norms. Compassion, kindness, fair play, mercy, humane treatment of others, forgiveness—all these virtues are woven into the tapestry of how children are raised and values inculcated in society. And this saturation with Christian principles, even if disassociated from religion, accounts in a large way for the difference between Asia's nightmare and the West's prosperous dream.
Asia discovered what happens when people in power accept Korihor's premises—that there is no objective, self-evident right or wrong. As the West rejects Judeo-Christian beliefs in God and judgment and the afterlife, and adopts secularism as the de facto institutional and state religion, moral relativism, the disbelief in right and wrong as real things, will rear its head, and society will plunge (or drift slowly, imperceptibly) into a morass of dishonesty, exploitation, and outright violence.
It will not be enough to simply raise everybody to be nice and kind. Inquiring minds will ask, Why should I? And Korihor will be there converting new disciples with his answers: "...whatsoever a man [does is] no crime." (The attempt to raise a generation of nice people without religion is resulting, ironically, in ostracism, cruelty, and even violence—lashing out in the attempt to enforce tolerance, of all things.)
Korihor begins to waffle at the last minute as Alma debates him:
"And now Korihor said unto Alma: If thou wilt show me a sign, that I may be convinced that there is a God, yea, show unto me that he hath power, and then will I be convinced of the truth of thy words.
"But Alma said unto him: Thou hast had signs enough; will ye tempt your God? Will ye say, Show unto me a sign, when ye have the testimony of all these thy brethren, and also all the holy prophets? The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator...
"...Now Korihor said unto him: I do not deny the existence of a God, but I do not believe that there is a God; and I say also, that ye do not know that there is a God; and except ye show me a sign, I will not believe" (Alma 30:43-44, 48).
Moral relativism is opportunistic, not rigid, so he shifts his position according to convenience. Certainty is a certainty up front; meanwhile, the rats are ready to jump ship at the first sign of sinking.
Blank Checks
Despite the intelligence of its promoters, explanations for the order noted by Alma tend to become circular. We know there is no God, therefore the universe must be perfectly capable of doing all this on its own. But the burden of science is proof; repeatable experimentation yielding consistent results. What experiment can anyone perform to test the existence of God?
"And now what evidence have ye that there is no God, or that Christ cometh not? I say unto you that ye have none, save it be your word only" (Alma 30:40). Order is the hallmark of intelligence at work.
In lieu of any experimental laboratory data, materialists will begin to offer themselves blank checks, ideas that cannot be proven empirically, to show that God is unnecessary.
There are so many worlds out there, there is bound to be more accidental life existing on some of them. Really? Show me. That is the burden of science. Instead of finding many places where life could reasonable exist, exploration presents us with a universe filled with living essays in how to not create a planet capable of sustaining life.
Life began so early in the fossil record that it must be easy for life to come into existence spontaneously. Really? That means blind chance is more powerful than all scientists on earth, because so far none have created life from scratch. Are we qualified to comment on the ease with which life can be created on accident from dead matter without preexisting life until after we do it on purpose?
There are an infinite number of universes out there, so one of them is bound to have intelligent life in it. Really? Has anyone substantiated this claim? Or are we conveniently imagining an infinite number of dice-rolls to account for the immense improbability of the existence of life? (As though the dice remember what was rolled previously, anyway.)
The fine-tuning of fundamental forces shaping the universe to permit and promote the existence of life; the position of our sun in a relatively safe, cool space in the galaxy; the constant stability of temperature and lack of violent outbursts from our sun (common among stars elsewhere); the position of the earth relative to the sun (neither too close nor too distant), the position of our moon, stabilizing our planet's rotation like a kite tail; the magnetic field around our planet (missing from other local planets) mitigating solar radiation and only letting through enough to sustain, rather than destroy, life; the persistence of the right amount of oxygen in our atmosphere for eons, so that we neither suffocate (too little) nor incinerate (too much); the abundance of water on our planet; all these things and more testify of a divine Intelligence at work.
There is also an artistic flourish to our planetary perspective: Our only moon perfectly subtends our only star, when viewed from the surface of the earth. That phenomenon appears nowhere else in our solar system. What are the odds that it would be seen here, where there is someone to appreciate it? (Eclipse-watching arrested much human activity and attention on an entire continent, recently.)
All these things are miraculous, yet also quickly dismissed as evidence for God by materialism when its logic is only embraced to support moral relativism. It is emotional convenience, not logical rigor.
Korihor confesses the origins of his ideas:
"...the devil hath deceived me; for he appeared unto me in the form of an angel, and said unto me: Go and reclaim this people, for they have all gone astray after an unknown God. And he said unto me: There is no God; yea, and he taught me that which I should say. And I have taught his words; and I taught them because they were pleasing unto the carnal mind; and I taught them, even until I had much success, insomuch that I verily believed that they were true; and for this cause I withstood the truth, even until I have brought this great curse upon me" (Alma 30:53; emphasis mine).
Pleasing to the carnal mind—this is the main ingredient, the sugar that makes the whole thing palatable. As soon as empirical evidence for God appears, logic is thrown out the window because the existence of God is not pleasing to the carnal mind.
"...the devil hath deceived me; for he appeared unto me in the form of an angel, and said unto me: Go and reclaim this people, for they have all gone astray after an unknown God. And he said unto me: There is no God; yea, and he taught me that which I should say. And I have taught his words; and I taught them because they were pleasing unto the carnal mind; and I taught them, even until I had much success, insomuch that I verily believed that they were true; and for this cause I withstood the truth, even until I have brought this great curse upon me" (Alma 30:53; emphasis mine).
Pleasing to the carnal mind—this is the main ingredient, the sugar that makes the whole thing palatable. As soon as empirical evidence for God appears, logic is thrown out the window because the existence of God is not pleasing to the carnal mind.
I do not believe that the average modern atheist is having visions of demons, or that they are all of them being insincere. There are honorable atheists (I have met some). But the destructive societal outcome is the same for subscribing to a faith-free existence.
Islands of Safety
Islands of Safety
With sophisticated arguments against God promoted abundantly, and the mocking inhabitants of the great and spacious building "point[ing] the finger of scorn" (1Ne. 8:33), it will take more than a preponderance of tangible evidence for the existence of God to preserve faith in Christ today. Alma had seen an angel with his own eyes, but he did not give that as the reason for his certainty.
"Do ye not suppose that I know of these things myself? Behold, I testify unto you that I do know that these things whereof I have spoken are true. And how do ye suppose that I know of their surety?
"Behold, I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me" (Alma 5:45-46).
The Spirit and its influence in our lives are tangible (though non-transferable, typically) evidences for faith in Christ. Guidance, impressions, peace, love, joy, a changed heart; all these things are evidence that bolsters our faith.
Personal experience, especially the kind that comes from years of seeking God in private and living the standards set forth by His prophets, creates layers of confidence to stabilize us, especially when times get hard and Satan tempts us to "curse God and die" (Job 2:9), or to die spiritually.
The Book of Mormon has great power to anchor us to the "rock" of Christ (Hel. 5:12). It anticipates the sordid materialism and logic of our day, and gives us the alternative. Just as Korihor is a faith-shaker and anti-Christ, so Alma and Amulek become faith builders. Two chapters after Korihor's ignominious end, Alma and Amulek give us a masterful sermon on planting the word (Jesus Christ, His suffering, death, and resurrection) in our hearts, and nurturing it. At some point in the process, faith becomes trust, trust becomes confidence, confidence becomes knowledge. It can come instantly, but typically, it grows steadily, bit by bit.
It is not necessary to have an answer to every doubt and criticism. "We heeded them not" was the way Lehi and those partaking of the fruit of the tree of life dealt with mockers. There are things we know; we should not throw them away because of what we do not know or currently understand (yet).
A pattern of asking questions, and getting to the point where we are ready for, and receive, answers, is part of long-term discipleship. Put questions on the shelf—for years, if necessary—with full confidence that the Lord can, and will, answer them the instant we are ready to receive. "What powershall stay the heavens? As well might man stretch forth his puny arm to stop the Missouri river in its decreed course, or to turn it up stream, as to hinder the Almighty from pouring down knowledge from heaven upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints" (D&C 121:33).
A good fast and testimony meeting becomes a rich tapestry of evidences, recently gleaned, from the lives of the congregation. The Spirit becomes palpable and undeniable during priesthood ordinances.
Those who are interested in having spiritual experiences can participate in Temple work. Even seeking out the dead to submit their names for Temple work is fraught with miracles as information that was hidden is recovered. The Temple is a bulwark of spiritual warmth and light in an increasingly cold and dimming world.
The testimonies and teachings of living prophets and Apostles are yet another shield for our faith. They point us to Christ, teach us how to access His power and stand against Satan and the avalanche of temptations and sophistry we cope with daily.
Rather than prioritize and trust in the physical, material things of this world, and place primary trust in the evidence of our bodily senses, we can exercise faith and trust in the whisperings of the Holy Spirit. It seems paradoxical, but relying upon this intangible, invisible voice will guide us far better than logic, human technology, or current moral or social trends.
God knows all things and loves us immensely, individually. He therefore wants us to be happy as He is. He gives us spiritual guidance and nourishment. These things will bleed into the physical realm, when necessary, for our benefit, provided we remain faithful to Him.
This requires us to prioritize spiritual things above the physical, and exercise faith in His outcomes, certain, though (as yet) unseen.
