Perfect Creation

One of the topics that is used both by atheists and believers is the perfection in creation. Believers point at the perfection in the universe and nature, they highlight the stable order in the continuation of the processes at scales from the very small to the very big as an evidence for the existence of a creator. Atheists, on the other hand, point at the growing number of diseases due to genetic or developmental causes, they highlight the heart wrenching disasters that happen without a regard for who or what as evidence for the non-existence of a creator. Listening to these opposing views can leave us bewildered about what to believe and how much to trust.

There are several ways one can analyze both views, but I am going to suffice with those relevant to the perfection issue. First let's start with if there is perfection in creation, but let's stay away from linking the result to the existence of a creator. This stipulation here may seem redundant, but on the contrary, it is extremely important in finding an unbiased answer to our question. Let me explain what I mean.

If there was no religion as we know it, if the one and only purpose of our intellectual inquiry was to figure out if there is someone out there who is responsible for what we observed around us, be them overwhelming or fascinating, humanity could be more unified than ever in solving this puzzle. At first, when science and technology was not developed enough, people would feel an urge to take shelter in the mercy, compassion and power of a supreme being. Since there is no religion putting people under any obligation, nobody would see a problem about this attitude. Later on when science and technology are more developed as today, the exquisite order that is subtly revealed in the mathematics and visually witnessed at all scales of existence would strengthen this positive view about a creator, since that creator is not demanding anything from people and not threatening or challenging them in any way. So, in this scenario, all of humanity could potentially be deists without a problem.

"And they did not become divided until after knowledge had come to them - out of jealous animosity between themselves..." (42/14)

Now let's rewind the film and replay it with religion in it. That is, this time we are considering a scenario where the creator communicates with humans and demands certain things from them and challenges them with an eternal punishment or reward. As before, we start with the same state, everybody feels fascinated and overwhelmed by what they observe and experience. However, history tells us that humans did two major things with what was communicated to them from the creator. One, they modified the original divine message. Two, they portrayed their interpretations as divine will and went even so far as to kill others in the name of god. 

"So woe to those who write the "scripture" with their own hands, then say, "This is from Allah ," in order to exchange it for a small price..." (2/79) 

In short, religion has become a means of evil in the hands of people. So, in this scenario, we see a god that is giving instruments to people by which they can commit evil. Furthermore, the god in this scenario remains silent in the face of evils committed in his name. Clearly, this image does not match the image of a creator that displays order and beauty all around. Furthermore, this god demands things that limit freedom and he challenges humans with punishment and reward. 

This is when people divide into groups. Some continue to believe with their own reasons, but others turn around and take a route where they try to explain things in a different way not involving a creator. That is, they go into a selective perception mood, by which they focus on things that strengthen the view against the existence of a creator. If, for example, beauty and order points at a designer, than they meticulously pick and highlight the instances of disorder and imperfection. If order and purpose implies a creator, then they build an impression upon the natural disasters and devastations that annihilate all the beauty and order. So, whatever you observe of beauty and order becomes a temporary, but lucky, coincidence carrying no meaning at all.

"Indeed, Allah is not timid to present an example - that of a mosquito or what is smaller than it. And those who have believed know that it is the truth from their Lord. But as for those who disbelieve, they say, "What did Allah intend by this as an example?" He misleads many thereby and guides many thereby. And He misleads not except the defiantly disobedient," (2/26)

Reading the last paragraph, you may have had the idea that the believers, too, are selectively looking at the instances of beauty and order to support their view, and yes, this is true. This is similar to asking "is a zebra white with black stripes or black with white stripes." The truth is, a zebra has both colors, in whatever geometrical naming you prefer. The creation contains both instances of beauty and order, and devastation and disorder. How you interpret all of this depends on your choice. But you have to know one thing: in the end, it is your subjective truth, not an objective one. That is, believing in god or not are both matters of faith. Neither one is more scientific or more objective. Nevertheless, disregarding an entity that has demands from you gives you more freedom, while acting upon a sense of belonging to a creator provides more peace of mind.

Determining this state of the matters is necessary, because many people out there, be them atheists or believers, discuss the "perfect creation" issue through a zero-one mentality. Having delved into the psychological and intellectual aspects of the argument and pointed at the subjectivity of the issue, I am going to change gears and take a believer's approach from this point on.

First of all, the existence of imperfections does not negate the fact that there are perfections around us. Plus, what we call imperfect really depends on the criteria we use to select things. Not matching up to our mental, psychological or physical comfort does not mean imperfection in the real sense. However, there are still imperfections that are observed beyond those, such as genetic and developmental issues. These are rare in numbers, and they point at the fact that innumerable things could go wrong in our bodies. If we have good health, that means we are experiencing perfection at every instant of it. Diseases and other troubles are reminders of this fact. 

Second, imperfections caused by human activity, be them intentional or unintentional, cannot be ascribed to God. So, if our industrial remains are causing corruption in the human body and psyche, it is our responsibility to figure it out and correct ourselves. And the fact that we are able to conduct such research and take corrective action is another level of perfection displayed both at the individual and at the collective level of humanity.

Third, free will is a concept that is still under scrutiny by the scientific circles. It is even at the level of being denied. In the religious parlance, on the contrary, free will is the first step in all discussions. Without free will, all religious discussions fall to nothing. Here, I am not going to discuss the issue, but I should say that actions of the individuals reflecting their free will is a matter that needs to be handled accordingly. For example, the flaws that originate from domestic violence, greedy behaviors and alike are imperfections that bind their actors, not the Creator. This is why there is a judgment day, in the first place.

Fourth, the entire body of scientific knowledge and technology is there owing to those apparent "imperfections". That is, our insufficiencies, shortcomings, weaknesses and our unending search for meaning since the day we appeared in history led to the powers, richess, knowledge base and abundance we have today. In fact it is these gains that empower the atheists to make their claims against a creator. Can you see an atheist who is poor and ignorant? The example of the atheists is a chicken that looks at the pieces of egg shell from which it hatched and denies its connection to it. In short, when you consider the humanity as a whole, the challenges actually become keys unlocking the hidden treasures. Then, the transient question marks in our lives or in the life of humanity cannot be declared as imperfections.

Fifth, the disasters and events that put us through excruciating conditions reveal the benevolent people and also the evil ones. This is part of the wisdom in this life. We are here to reveal who we are. We are here to improve ourselves. We are here to deserve the mercy of God or gain His disapproval.

Sixth, if in the future we find extraterrestrial intelligent life like us, atheists are going to go around saying that life is indeed an accident that can happen anywhere and that there is nothing that we humans owe to God. Believers, on the other hand, are going to  claim that this rare finding in the entire universe is further proof that God is the one with infinite power who is able to execute His will across existence, and that He is certainly able to create the heaven and hell for the continuation of life after this one. On top of this, if we find out that among those intelligent beings, there is a monotheistic religion with a holy book, then we would really have to sit and think again how such parallellism could occur at two distant corners of the universe. But even then, some would go on with their arguments against a god, whereas others would grow in their faith to God. No matter what, this argument would never be established unanimously, because search for perfection is an engine placed in our creation by our Perfect Creator. He wants us to keep going.