God Walks into a Bar . . .

In the beginning were the billiard balls, chemical particles blasting out from the Big Bang following the laws of physics and forming everything—planets, paddlefish, people—completely by chance. Or was there a Mind behind the universe, writing the laws and making it all work? Could there be a God that wanted us, loves us like children, and offers an afterlife with more happiness than we’ve ever imagined? That’s attractive—compared to ending up as worm food after you’ve hurtled around the sun seventy or eighty times, using your 3,900 weekends on pleasures while part of you wonders about the point of it all. Clearly, religion has been used to push guilt and manipulate people for power and money. A blind leap of faith? No thanks. Yet a good God could offer us a deeper purpose, hope in hard times, and care when we mess up. So is there any evidence for God?