Maternity Test

Dan once made a comment jokingly to me something along the lines that “Maybe they need a maternity test… get it? Maternity test? ‘cause they’re not sure who the mother was…”

Now many of you who know Dan would recognise this as an example of his quirky sense of humour. However, recently I remembered the line in my frustration at something in particular. Allow me to illustrate my point.

I want you to prove to me that the person who you call “mum” is your actual biological mother. (This obviously doesn’t apply to adopted kids, but you get my point…). Easy right? I mean, you KNOW that your mum is your mum, there’s a reason that Dan’s comment was funny… isn’t there? Well then go ahead, I don’t believe that she’s actually your mum, prove it to me…

In this age of technology, the first thing that probably jumps to mind is that of DNA testing. It’s commonly used for similar purposes (paternity tests for example), however is this really foolproof? I mean there’s so many things which could go wrong… to start with the process doesn’t quite have a 100% sensitivity, and it’s hard to tell the difference between siblings, and impossible to tell the difference between identical twins… so even if the test comes back positive, it’s possible that either your mum’s sister or long lost twin was actually your mother. Or even more significant, there’s the factor of human error. The hospital staff could mess up the test, or actually switch the charts, or just accidentally say that she is, when she isn’t. They could even want to keep your family together, and therefore lie to you about the results, or they could have been paid off… or it could even be a whole massive conspiracy about this whole DNA thing, and it doesn’t actually work...

Right about now you’re probably thinking… Okay smartypants, two can play this game… what if my dad taped my birth? (Yeah I find the concept a bit weird too, but some people do it… and really the concept is cool in its own way, capturing someone’s first breath etc… just… I dunno, a bit messy?) Well, see, I still don’t believe that she’s your mum, anyone these days with a camera and a computer can edit a tape… and besides, how do you know that the kid in the picture is you? Even if that video is genuine, which you can’t prove… it just shows someone who looks like your mum, giving birth to a child. It doesn’t prove that that baby is you…

Well how about just the fact that she says she’s your mum? I mean, the powerful proof in court is that of an eyewitness… but then again she is biased isn’t she? She wants to keep you as her kid… or even if she “seems” honest, there’s the possibility that she’s just delirious, or that the hospital workers accidentally switched the babies, or something along those lines… Even if you go and find the doctor/midwife who supposedly delivered you, how do you know that they remember correctly (it was a number of years ago), and that they haven’t been payed off to say that anyway, I mean they could even just be actors… I still can’t say that I believe you when you say she’s your mum.

Anyway, right about now you’re probably wondering whether I’m off my rocker or going through some ridiculous identity crisis or something… however I assure you this isn’t the case. What I am trying to illustrate is that no matter how conclusive the evidence is, it’s always possible to think up illogical excuses to not believe it. It would be pretty stupid in most cases to question whether your social mum is actually your biological one…

Yet people still have this attitude when presented with proof of the Bible/God/ the Christ. They defensively find excuses not to believe. It seems to be an in-built reaction. We like to think of ourselves as a highly logical society, evenly weighing all options and possibilities before coming to a scientific conclusion, yet on this one topic people remain adamant. We have the archeological and historical evidences. We have the eyewitness accounts. We have personal accounts of how the gospel has changed lives. We have so much proof that if it were for anything else, it would be ridiculous to disbelieve it… yet still people do.

However this is not to be unexpected, the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 4:3-7 that people are always going to reject the Christ, no matter what proofs you can think up. No matter how cleverly you word it, or back them into a logical corner, they are still going to reject it out of hand. The only exception is when the Holy Spirit is already working in someone to change their hearts, softening it. No work of ours, no cleverly argued point is ever going to get through to someone’s heart in the way that the Holy Spirit can.

Now note that I am not discounting the value of apologetics, in fact I believe that in this day and age a study of apologetics is one of the most valuable tools a Christian can have in their arsenal. I myself became a Christian after reading a number of books of apologetics and honestly weighing the possibilities. However I am convinced that had the Spirit not been working in me, I would not have even picked them up. Likewise one of my greatest heroes, C.S. Lewis was convinced by the apologetics of his friends. The bible agrees in 1 Peter 3:15.

Basically, all I am trying to say in this is 3 points. The first is; don’t be disheartened by people’s reactions to apologetics, especially when you have argued your point clearly and concisely, and they still refuse to consider the possibility with any modicum of seriousness.

The second point I want to make is; don’t try to do it on your own. By this I mean that apologetics is a form of evangelism the same as any other, it is impossible without God’s help. Always pray for those you are talking to, and don’t take any successes as your own, or as credits to your logical prowess, just as you shouldn’t take failure as a sign that you didn’t argue logically. It is up to the Lord who will come to Him.

The final point I want to make is that without love, apologetics, like any other form of evangelism, is dead. There is no point in arguing with the logic and clarity of Cicero if your life is more like that of Nero. The bible says as much in 1 Corinthians 1

PS. I was trying really hard to think of a “ya mum” joke to go with this, but nothing seemed to fit

PPS. If anyone is interested in some arguments on this topic, I’d recommend the book “evidence that demands a verdict”