Does God Truly Exist? -about the book

Does God Truly Exist? is written for a divergent audience and in its three sections, divided into a total of fifteen chapters, it attempts to deal with quite so many issues.

PART I
THE ROOT OF SIN

This section of the book, Does God Truly Exist?, has eight chapters. The first chapter is an introduction examining the importance of the different theories on the origin of the world and their implications for Christian beliefs. It is taken for granted that the reader is already familiar with the different theories [creation and evolution] examined and therefore details of the widely known theories are avoided.

The second chapter re-examines the biblical account of the origin of the world with particular focus on the popular “Garden of Eden” story.

Chapter Three examines the significance of biblical principles in the modern world. If the Bible’s teachings about the nature of humankind and the world are not authentic, why is it then that people do things that seemingly reiterate biblical principles?

From the fourth chapter to the eighth, much of this part of the book is theological, with Chapter Four examining the nature of a popular evil entity, Satan. Is Satan a person, or just a figurative identity used to represent the force behind evils; if he is a person, what does he look like, where does he live, and how does he work?

Chapter Five examines the existence of evil spirits and the different magical arts, witchcraft and occultism. Are magic and witchery real, or are they just farces? Are spirit beings real? What about horoscopes, et cetera?

Chapter Six examines the Christendom and denominational Christianity. Evidence from the Christian New Testament suggests that the foundation fathers of Christianity emphasized the importance of oneness and unity of faith; but today, the Christendom is far from being united; and what is believed and preached varies so widely. Is there any link between the ideal form of Christianity and the denominational Christianity practiced today?

Certain people have crossed the carpet from genuine Christianity to other faiths, or even to atheism. Why did they quit and what are the implications? Does the fact that several people defect from Christianity not imply that Christianity fails to satisfy their quests for spirituality? These are some of the questions to examine in the seventh Chapter.

Chapter Eight, the last chapter in this part, re-examines the question of the existence after death, particularly the eternal lake of fire foretold at the close of the Christian holy book, the Bible. Is eternity in “hell” real? Would there indeed be a burning lake of fire? Would non- Christians be indeed tormented forever in that lake? How reasonable is such a belief?

PART II
THE KINGDOM OF GOD

This section of Does God Truly Exist? has six chapters. Chapter Nine, the first in this section, goes a considerable length to examine the most fundamental distinctive claims of the Christian faith—especially as it relates to the restoration of man’s spiritual aliveness. Perhaps the most popular Christian quotation is found in John 3: 16—“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” But how exactly is Jesus the Son of God? And why do Christians believe that he is the ONLY one in whom and through whom one could find eternal life in God to escape “the lake of fire”?

Chapter Ten discusses the other widely known Christian concept— being “born again.” Also in John Chapter 3, we read that “Unless a man is born again, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” But what exactly does it mean to be born again, and how is this achieved? Why must one be born again before he could rightly relate with God?

In Chapter Eleven, there is a re-examination of the doctrine of grace. Christians believe and preach that the “grace of God” [God’s gifts freely given to humankind] is more than abundant to take us through everything and is all we need in life. But in this chapter, we would question whether grace is enough indeed and what in fact does grace consists of or excludes?

Chapter Twelve examines why Christians put up with so many troubles and disadvantages in a seemingly gullible manner. Is there any good sense at all in denying oneself of the pleasures and benefits of this life? Is there any good sense at all in surrendering oneself to torture and even execution just for the sake of religion?

Chapter Thirteen deals with the two greatest strengths of the Christian faith—prayer and evangelism—by which the Christian religion has been able to sustain itself and grow over the centuries from one small persecuted sect into the widest embraced religion in the world today. But does prayer really work? Does God, a Spirit, really hear and pay attention when humans (as animals) pray to him? How does God manage to hear when five hundred million people are praying simultaneously? And as for evangelism, how right is it for Christians to work tirelessly at converting people from other religions while they do not want any of their own members to be converted into other religions?

The last chapter in this part re-examines the hope of all Christians to live forever together and with God in “a paradise far above the skies.” How real and rational is this hope? Is there really a heaven where Christians would go after existence on earth? If there is indeed such a place as heaven and if God is as kind and merciful as Christians claim that he is, why must it be Christians alone that would be admitted into God’s heaven? Is Jesus really coming back to take Christians to this heaven?

PART III
MAKE A WISE CHOICE

Sometimes ago, I ran into a senior friend whom I had not seen for a long while. We greeted each other so warmly and after a brief chat, we had to part. While parting, he said something, which I did not hear very clearly: I thought I heard him say, “Make a future.” I replied, “There is no problem about the future. The future will make itself.” But he turned back to tell me, “I didn’t say ‘make a future,’ I said, ‘make a wise choice.’” That brief encounter is my motivation for this last part of Does God Truly Exist?. I should thank you for your time and attention thus far, but as we now part, I should give you the same complement that I have kept for many years, “make a wise choice.”