God's Advocate

...Certain religious precepts are now part of our social DNA...

...And how do you respond to a Nietzschean who tells you “your belief is fi ne for you, but it is not binding to me...

...Thus the theory of “kin selection,” a form of genetic selection, provides an explanation for why we behave more altruistically toward relatives than strangers...

...Why not use your power against those you have authority over...

...Why not rig the game in order to advance your own self-interest...

...And the theory of “reciprocal altruism,” developed by the biologist Robert Trivers, argues that it will benefi t an animal to behave altruistically towards another if there is an expectation of the favor being returned in the future...

...perhaps it is the notion of the perfect dying for the imperfect...

...The target of their wrath is the most compelling fi gure in human history, a man full of grace and truth...

...In the end, of course, atheists are not attacking simply a religious institution or set of theological beliefs...

...If the atheistic enterprise were to prevail, these beliefs would be unmoored—and the moral world it would create would be barren and bleak...

...All seven arguments are worth examining— but it is on the issue of evolution, Darwinism, and morality that I found D’Souza’s discussion most interesting...

...Second, the latest discoveries of modern science support the claim that a divine being created the universe...

...He distinguishes between evolution, a scientifi c theory which is not hostile to religion, and Darwinism, which is a “metaphysical stance and a political ideology...

...Christianity is thriving in China and India, nations which have the fastest growth rates in the world—and at current growth rates, China will, in a few decades, become the largest Christian country in the world...

...Fourth, nothing in science makes miracles impossible...

...Dinesh D’Souza, a Christian born in India and educated in America, has provided the reason for his hope...

...The vital centers of Christianity today are no longer Geneva, Rome, Paris, or London,” D’Souza writes...

...Their arguments have gone largely unanswered...

...And unlike the work of some leading atheists, D’Souza’s book is blessedly free of rancor and reckless statements...

...God is dead—and I choose to follow the Will to Power...

...Third, Darwin’s theory of evolution strengthens, not undermines, evidence for supernatural design...

...D’Souza offers a persuasive, scholarly, and intelligent rebuttal to the main charges made by those who proudly carry the banner of atheism...

...Sixth, atheism, not religion, is responsible for the mass murders of history...

...How do you get from the “is” to the “ought...

...They are Buenos Aires, Manila, Kinshasa, and Addis Ababa...

...And among the limitations on evolution is that it cannot explain human rationality or morality...

...Yet, as D’Souza points out, the entire framework of Darwinist analysis does not come close to providing a comprehensive account for morality...

...For one thing, evolution cannot explain the beginning of life, and Darwin didn’t even attempt it...

...Another reason for this is parasitic...

...Last fall, I attended a debate in which Hitchens carved to pieces a leading Christian theologian who conceded far too much, defended his faith far too little, and sought common ground where none exists...

...When Darwinists like Dennett invoke evolution as an “all-purpose explanation in cosmology, psychology, culture, ethics, politics, and religion,” D’Souza writes, they go far beyond the evidence...

...The Apostle Peter wrote to his fellow Christians, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have...

...Morality, then, is based on selfinterest...

...We believe, as Abraham Lincoln did, that “nothing stamped with the Divine image and likeness was sent into the world to be trodden on, and degraded, and imbruted by its fellows...

...in fact, we hold a special place of honor for those who die while trying to save people whom they have never met...

...In any event, their unceasing invective is less shocking than it is tiresome and even childish...

...This does not mean atheists cannot live ethical lives or advocate moral principles...

...today, 60 percent live in the developing world—with more than two out of three evangelical Christians now living in Asia, Africa, and South America...

...In 1900, more than 80 percent of Christians lived in Europe and America...

...Of all the differences between man and the lower animals, Darwin said, the moral sense (or conscience) is the most important...

...For instance, D’Souza notes that Christianity is the fastest-growing religion in the world today (although Islam is the fastestgrowing religion in Europe...

...The cost of an altruistic act is off-set by the likely benefi t of a future favor...

...But the core of D’Souza’s book is a systematic response to the main arguments put forth by contemporary atheists and the historical fi gures on whom they rely...

...Beyond that, we should ask: On what grounds does a person who does not believe in God make the case for inherent human dignity and worth...

...And seventh, atheism is motivated not by reason but a kind of “cowardly moral escapism...

...It’s just that they cannot anchor it in anything durable (an appeal to “human solidarity” won’t do the trick...

...What appears to be altruism is actually a genetically programmed strategy for survival and reproduction...

...Why choose the more noble ones, like cooperation and sympathy, fi delity and fair play...

...Leading Darwinists like Dennett, Dawkins, and Steven Pinker, D’Souza tells us, attempt to explain morality as a product of evolution and natural selection...

...After all, we have lots of instincts—some noble and some base...

...D’Souza’s horse kick comes in the form of this new book...

...What drives this animus toward Christ is hard to fathom...

...D’Souza believes in the former and rejects the latter...

...An atheist may disagree with this Nietzschean sentiment, but he has no persuasive philosophical or moral ground on which to make his stand...

...And quite a kick it is...

...Many do...

...It is also fi lled with interesting and surprising facts, especially regarding the demographic shifts in global Christianity...

...The moral atheist certainly exists, but it is because he lives in a society that takes a transcendent morality for granted...

...We frequently see examples of people acting morally and against self-interest...

...The late Ernst Mayr, a leading evolutionary biologist, admitted that “altruism toward strangers is a behavior not supported by natural selection...

...Fifth, it is reasonable to have faith...

...Even supposing that human beings have a moral sense based on evolution, why choose to follow it...

...Today there are more churchgoing Presbyterians in Ghana than in Scotland...

...That he has done so in such a comprehensive and impressive fashion is a testimony to the quality of his mind and the depth of his faith...

...They have been flogging the carcass of ‘fundamentalism’ without having to encounter the horse kick of a vigorous traditional Christianity...

...BY PETER WEHNER What’s So Great About Christianity by Dinesh D’Souza Regnery, 348 pp., $27.95 In the last few years we have seen a spate of bestselling anti-God books from a group of prominent writers and fi rst-rate minds, including Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett, and Christopher Hitchens...

...Precisely because the Christians usually duck and run, the atheists have had it too easy,” he writes...

...And in appropriating Charles Darwin’s name, they actually do a disservice to it...

...D’Souza sets out to demonstrate seven things: First, Christianity is the main foundation of Western civilization and the root of our most cherished values...

...Dinesh D’Souza has seen the same thing...

...It has to do with ensuring our genes get passed to the next generation...

...If you are a materialist, how do you derive a belief in a moral law that is binding on you and others...

...How does one create a system of justice and make a compelling case against, say, slavery if you begin with three propositions: the universe was created by chance, it will end in nothing, and there is no external source of authority to which to resort...

...And so we take it for granted that, as the Founders said, all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights...

...they are attacking a person, and not just any person...

...These men, deeply hostile to religion in general and Christianity in particular, are also formidable debaters...

...Peter Wehner, former deputy assistant to President Bush, is a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center...

...Evolution explains a great deal, but it is a theory with inherent limits...