The Case for God

By Shawn Hughes

In today's increasingly turbulent world, many are beginning to question their core beliefs. Is this it? Why are we here? For these people, the concept of God may be out of reach. In this groundbreaking work, author Shawn Hughes uncovers the reasons why God is such a stretch for the masses.
In the first half of the book, he presents common obstacles some would never tie into the search for God. In the second, he delivers example after example of things that refute commonly held misbeliefs about our world, and describes how the facts weave together to form the case for God.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Shawn Hughes
• Release date: Aug 26, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301398867

Shawn Hughes

Shawn HughesShawn Hughes is an admitted card-carrying nerd. Shawn’s spent the majority of his life in dogged devotion to Public Safety. He’s held the majority of the positions in a Law Enforcement and / or Security agency starting at age 18. He has been a Full Time State Certified Police Officer, Patrol Supervisor, Bomb Technician, Entry Team Assaulter, Crime Scene Technician and Field Training Officer. He managed to include his love for radios and electronics into Public Safety, serving as a Technical Surveillance Officer conducting surveillance and counter surveillance for multiple entities; local, State and Federal. As a Licensed Armed Security Officer, he has protected high risk / high consequence facilities, provided executive protection, and been responsible for securing a military base and another large facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.Outside of direct Public Safety work, Shawn has been a prolific writer, authoring several books and paid magazine articles for major periodicals such as the peer reviewed Jane’s Police, the Detonator (International Association of Bomb Technicians and Investigators), the Tactical Edge (National Tactical Officers’ Association), and familiar places such as the Police Marksman, Calibre Press, S.W.A.T, Police, and many, many others. He was a featured writer at PoliceOne.com, arguably the largest presence for law enforcement on the web, and the sole explosives / WMD expert at allexperts.com.Shawn also has conducted training across the country and consulted with many agencies and corporations. He wrote the improvised explosive device training module for a Federal Police Department. His additions, amplifications and corrections were implemented in the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers’ explosives distance learning courses and the US Department of Homeland Security’s National Response Plan for Radiological Dispersion Device & Improvised Nuclear Device Incidents. His model Standard Operating Procedure for response to suspicious packages was a handout at the Anniston Center for Domestic Preparedness.As a radio guy, Shawn has helped build two commercial broadcast radio stations, repaired and maintained hundreds of radios, taught people regarding them, and holds multiple Federal licenses.Shawn lives near Oak Ridge, Tennessee and is available for training, lectures, and appearances.

Book preview

The Case for God

With Shawn Hughes

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2013

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Contents

Introduction

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Conclusion

Introduction

God exists.

He is not the god of many. He is not the bearded dude with the flip flops. He isn't even what most 'religious' people believe as the concept of God.

But God is real. The God of the Christian faith. Note that I didn't say protestant or catholic or even any of the other of the hundreds of splinter groups that profess to be Christians but instead, are something… else.

Who am I to decide this?

I am no one. I did not make these decisions. I didn't come up with the concepts, and I lay no claim to anything in here, besides being 'The Obedient Who Pushes the Keys'. I do accept all blame for the errors; grammatical, conventional or otherwise. It is still Spirit led, but He certainly picked an unworthy person to lay it to paper.

I honestly don't want to write this book. I know what will happen to me when I do. I have researched history, and I keep up with current events. I even have an inkling of what the future portents.

None of it bodes well for souls speaking out on behalf of the one true God.

I say all of that in order to explain this: please don't judge this message by the messenger. We as a society lack the facility to evaluate a message based on its' merits, preferring to tie the message to the messenger. Should the messenger fall short in any category, then the message is deemed deficient, wrong, or suspicious due to the attributes of the messenger. In this case, this would be in error. However, I accept my role, warts and all, and I pray that this message finds those it is intended for.

Finally, I want to say I am clear of mind. I have passed multiple psychological evaluations in order to continue my paying career. I don't 'hear voices' or 'see things that aren't there.' I simply know in my heart what I am supposed to be telling you in this message. The longer I have resisted, the more clear, focused and insistent the message has become.

And, that's how the writer came to present the message to you.

The message I was given is to help you open your eyes to the possibility of a personal God. One that knows YOU, and wants what is best for you while at the same time giving you the freedom to choose your own route.

This will be an impossible task for many. The world we live in is purposely patterned to make belief in the unknown or non-observable something to scorn and ridicule. Persons who do choose to investigate further are thought to be mentally ill, or at the very least, intellectually simple.

For those reasons and legions more, fewer and fewer come to Christ as the time to choose draws to an end.

The writer believes there will be three groups of people that will read this, if any.

The first group will be family, friends and acquaintances. Because each of you, whether you can admit it to yourself or not, are at some point on your own spiritual journey where you may or may not be able to accept what's presented in this message, please cut the writer a break. I'm still who I was before you read this. So are you.

The second group will be those that profess to be Christians. PLEASE HEED THIS WARNING. The Bible speaks of the weak and the strong believer. This message is for the strong believer only. The message will challenge some strongly held beliefs, and if your faith is lacking, may cause you to stumble. For that reason, the writer suggests you take a strong self assessment of your faith. If you don't read your Bible, don't attend a Bible-based church, and basically just believe, please consider doing some other research first. If you cling to your Bible, if you cling to your church; if you cling to anything but Christ Himself, this message may upset you. You've been warned.

The final group is the unbelievers. This message is sent for you. Thank you for getting to the point that you're curious. This message will probably be one of the hardest things you've ever read. Many of you may not make it past the first section, and that's all right for now.

In order for clay to hold a volume of water, it must first be shaped. This is not a happy time for the clay. It is muddied with water and harshly kneaded. Once it gets mixed properly, you'd think it was done, but no! It's just started. It gets thrown on a spinning plate, and with strong, firm hands begins to transform, little by little, from a solid, dense, unyielding, useless mass, into a graceful receptacle from which valuable, life sustaining liquids can then be placed into.

Any person that has ever worked with clay knows that too much force in shaping, too much speed on the table, or wearing the sides down too thin will ruin the piece.

These concerns hold water for you, the seeker of knowledge, as well.

This is not a book to be read in one sitting, then brushed off. It is a journey for the reader. Don't press on hoping things will make more sense further on in the writing. If you don't get, or can't accept what's in the current chapter, stop reading. Consider praying about it. (Just honestly ask for guidance, there's no formula to a prayer.) Then google what's being discussed. VERIFY for yourself. The genius of this message is that it invites outright suspicion. Critical thinking and logic are ABSOLUTELY welcome.

Once you've conducted your investigation, should you find the message to be accurate, then give it a rest. Come back when you've let it sink in. Some truths don't 'gel' immediately for some people. After a week or so, when it's been spun round and round in the back of your head, maybe even discussed with others, THEN in one flash of understanding, the concept sticks, and you're ready to move on.

That's the preferred method for how to digest this message. Small 'I-get-its' rather than one large, indigestible, bloated meal that leaves the reader unconvinced.

Also, the things that are presented as facts in this message aren't footnoted, referenced, or otherwise accredited. This is not a scholarly work. Proving these facts are left as an exercise for the reader. The writer won't do your homework for you, and you might not believe the message as much if I did.

The writer prays for every person that reads this message!! Now, let's begin…

Part One

If God exists, how come He seems to be so hard to find?

This is an excellent question! The answer is entwined in the very way we are programmed to understand.

Well, how are we 'programmed'?

We realize that to you, this concept may not make any sense whatsoever. But, you've spent your entire life learning how to critically observe your environment, and how to make it add up correctly for you.

Have you given any consideration as to how