January 30, 2005

The New York Times > Books > Sunday Book Review > 'Collapse': How the World Ends

These are fascinating and heady ruminations by Diamond and Easterbrook but are built on the premise of a Godless nature. If they wish to believe that, they may theorize and analyze until the cows come home, but to what end? Certainly we have evidence of the rise and fall of cultures and societies, but this history is not wholly driven by the forces of nature. Man is a rational being with free will and makes individual and collective choices about his today and his tomorrow. Nature influences, but does not rule. Yet man is not wholly rational, otherwise, with tools and resources, he would certainly not choose extermination. Or would he? That depends on how people view death and a life in the hereafter.

If one believes in a purposeful God, then these theories are interesting but not determinative. Destiny cannot be predicted with accuracy unless one believes in an omnipotent 'creative intelligence' (call it what you will) who has provided us His Word, His Son and His Spirit.

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