British atheist changes his mind

As reported in a December, 2004, edition of the New York times, “ A British philosophy professor who has been a leading champion of atheism for more than a half-century has changed his mind ”. Leading actor in this drama is Antony Flew, feisty 81 year old academic who, after believing for decades that belief has no basis, has concluded, over the course of some months, that this universe was intelligently planned.

Flew's new reasoning flies in the face of his own previous thinking and also of that of other famous atheists such as Richard Dawkins. As a member of a panel discussion on science and religion, Dawkins made the rather disarmingly naive statement that he wonders why anybody still believes in God; after all, science effectively explains the way the universe runs and, therefore, God need not be invoked. Flew looks at questions such as the origin of life and the complexity of nature and now wonders if just perhaps intelligence was involved. Considering the marvel of DNA, Flew used to think (putting words in his mouth), “Aha, we don't need a creator; we can store the creative force in our test tubes”. Now, Flew says in the new video, "Has Science Discovered God?", he feels that DNA, “has shown, by the almost unbelievable complexity of the arrangements which are needed to produce [life], that intelligence must have been involved.

Whether or not Flew now believes in God or merely allows for the possibility of God I don't know. The reports seem contradictory on this point.

One is reminded of the famous black and white solid sketch that, when looked at, can be interpreted as picturing either a candlestick or two women's faces in profile. If you stare at it, your brain may jump back and forth in what it sees. To atheists, the material universe reflects nothing more than a mindlessly miraculous (if you'll pardon the oxymoron), creative explosion. The way the singularity just happened to explode explains everything. To believers in supreme intelligence, it's just plain obvious that planning was involved.

Believers win the day for one simple reason — they have the witness of One who claims to have made all things. He has owned up to His involvement:

Thus says the Lord: "Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest? For all those things My hand has made, and all those things exist," says the Lord. "But on this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word (Is. 66:1-2).

Why oh why do atheists discount such testimony? Who, after reading such words, will discount them as mere fabrication?