Calculating God: Part III

Well, I come to the final installment of this little trilogy where I have described the struggle for belief, then understanding. And the final conclusion of Robert J. Sawyer's Calculating God is not unlike that of many people, who settle for acknowledging God's existence but not his presence. From Chapter 34:

"God was the programmer.
The laws of physics and the fundamental constants were the source code.
The universe was the application, running now for 13.9 billion years, leading up to this moment."

There it is. God is an ancient Charles Babbage (considered father of the computer), who did some programming, pressed a few buttons and away creation went.

It's a nice thought, and perhaps not entirely incorrect. But if that is all God is, then the Bible we read and quote is a mere storybook. The Bible is resplendent with tales of God's intervention in people's lives. It's a tapestry of interaction between God and his creation.

It cannot be real if God is merely the programmer. Maybe just an outdated instruction manual or even just there for the Bible Code or DaVinci Code or something.

And if God is the programmer, Jesus is merely anti-virus software, meant to clean us up a bit so the source code can keep working. A Saviour? No, not possible. Because a Saviour would require direct intervention on God's behalf.

So to bring it all back home from this alien place in which I started, is Christmas real or is it just part of the program? Read again from Luke 2:10-11:

"But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."