Our universe - Naturalistic cause or supernatural intelligent design?

Atheists believe that all cause and effect in the universe has a naturalistic origin. Observational data lead us to the conclusion that the universe first began to exist approx. 13.7 billion years ago. Since all things that begin to exist must have a cause, this means that the universe has a cause. However, a naturalistic cause for the origin of the universe cannot be confirmed observationally. Therefore, atheists believe the tenet that all phenomena have a naturalistic cause based solely upon faith in naturalism.


The nature of the universe reveals that a purely naturalistic (nature is all there is and all basic truths are found in nature) cause for the universe is extremely unlikely and, therefore, illogical. One cannot say that a miraculous naturalistic event is a scientific explanation. Miracles are only possible when an immensely powerful Being intervenes to cause them. The Bible says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and that He created the universe. When a model doesn't work, scientists must be willing to give up their model for a model that fits the facts better. In this case, the supernatural design model fits the available data much better than the naturalistic random chance model (Rich Deem).

The following are quotes from some prominent scientists in their field about the level of fine tuning that could not have happened by random chance:

George Ellis (British astrophysicist): "Amazing fine tuning occurs in the laws that make this [complexity] possible. Realization of the complexity of what is accomplished makes it very difficult not to use the word 'miraculous' without taking a stand as to the ontological status of the word." (1)


Paul Davies (British astrophysicist): "There is for me powerful evidence that there is something going on behind it all....It seems as though somebody has fine-tuned nature’s numbers to make the Universe....The impression of design is overwhelming". (2)

Paul Davies: "The laws [of physics] ... seem to be the product of exceedingly ingenious design... The universe must have a purpose". (3)

Alan Sandage (winner of the Crawford prize in astronomy): "I find it quite improbable that such order came out of chaos. There has to be some organizing principle. God to me is a mystery but is the explanation for the miracle of existence, why there is something instead of nothing." (4)



Scientific evidence has also shown that scientific laws have been so finely tuned to such an extent not possible by pure human engineering.

Skeptics like to say that fine tuning cannot be proven by science, since we have only one universe to study. However, the discovery and quantification of dark energy has puzzled a number of scientists, who realize that its extremely small value requires that the initial conditions of the universe must have been extremely fine tuned in order that even matter would exist in our universe. By chance, our universe would have been expected to consist of merely some thermal radiation (Rich Deem). http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/cosmoconstant.html 

References:

1.  Ellis, G.F.R. 1993. The Anthropic Principle: Laws and Environments. The Anthropic Principle, F. Bertola and U.Curi, ed. New York, Cambridge University Press, p. 30.


2.  Davies, P. 1988. The Cosmic Blueprint: New Discoveries in Nature's Creative Ability To Order the Universe. New York: Simon and Schuster, p.203.

3.  Davies, P. 1984. Superforce: The Search for a Grand Unified Theory of Nature. (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1984), p. 243.

4.  Willford, J.N. March 12, 1991. Sizing up the Cosmos: An Astronomers Quest. New York Times, p. B9.

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In my own opinion and based on the overwhelming evidence, it would actually require more faith to believe that our universe and everything in it happened by random chance than to believe that it is all a creation of a master designer.

God's face reflecting in his creation

A beautiful song and video about God's beauty reflected in his creation:

"You're Beautiful" - Phil Wickham
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGlTzH9xkXQ

I see Your face in every sunrise

The colors of the morning are inside Your eyes
The world awakens in the light of the day
I look up to the sky and say

You're beautiful

I see Your power in the moonlit night
Where planets are in motion and galaxies are bright
We are amazed in the light of the stars
It's all proclaiming who You are

You're beautiful, You're beautiful

...............

Entropy - Reconciling how order was produced from disorder

It is evident by our current understanding of the universe that the Universe exhibits some sort of order.  For us to begin to grasp the idea of this order, we must first make reference to the Second Law of Thermodynamics, a fundamental universal law of physics which is also referred to or associated with the Law of Entropy.

This law states that, without external intervention organized systems will become unstable and less organized as time advances. It also states that nature tends to go from order to disorder in isolated systems.
As time advances, and if you could take a snapshot of the isolated system at different times, one may be able to observe the two snapshots and determine by their respective level of entropy which photo came first.
In essence, entropy refers to the level of disorder in a system.

Sir Isaac Newton saw in the order of the universe a magnificent evidence of divine creation. Einstein observed this order and called it a miracle.  German physicist Max Plank stated "A certain order prevails in our universe. This order can be formulated in terms of purposeful activity", thus interpreting this as an intelligent order or design in the observed universe.

A simplistic approach  to understanding the Law of Entropy as it is viewed in a time line could be the analogy of the fact that you may make an omelet from eggs but you cannot turn an omelet back into eggs.  So the question goes something like this:  How can all the raw material exist together just before the Big Bang and subsequent to the Big Bang, all of this material moves from homogeneous disorder toward order in the formation of stars, constellations, galaxies, planets, orbits etc.

Ultimately, this is what the bible tells us:

Isaiah 45:18 - For the LORD is God, and he created the heavens and earth and put everything in place. He made the world to be lived in, not to be a place of empty chaos. "I am the LORD," he says, "and there is no other.


  

Does science truly negate the hand of God in the origins of our Universe? (Part 2)

It is my belief that science in and of itself may never prove or disprove the very existance of God.
If anything evident could prove the existance of God than arriving at this very conclusion would only be reserved for the elite or extreme intellectuals.  Subsequently, only those individuals able of making distinctive observations and capable of decifering specific conclusions would be able to deduce that what was observed might be the product of an intelligent design. 

Having said that, this does not mean that one who has come to the knowledge of God should categorically dismiss what science has discovered.  As a matter of fact, when discoveries are made, hypothesis tested, theories developed or scientific laws discovered we may eventually arrive at some conclusions that may in many cases even confirm what the bible may have been stating all along.  As new discoveries are made and new research tools invented, sometimes certain theories or beliefs are even replaced by newer and more accurate ones.

Here is what some of these terms mean to a scientist:


Scientific Law: This is a statement of fact meant to describe, in concise terms, an action or set of actions. It is generally accepted to be true and universal, and can sometimes be expressed in terms of a single mathematical equation. Scientific laws are similar to mathematical postulates. They don’t really need any complex external proofs; they are accepted at face value based upon the fact that they have always been observed to be true.
Specifically, scientific laws must be simple, true, universal, and absolute. They represent the cornerstone of scientific discovery, because if a law ever did not apply, then all science based upon that law would collapse.
Some scientific laws, or laws of nature, include the law of gravity, Newton's laws of motion, the laws of thermodynamics, Boyle's law of gases, the law of conservation of mass and energy, and Hook’s law of elasticity.

Hypothesis: This is an educated guess based upon observation. It is a rational explanation of a single event or phenomenon based upon what is observed, but which has not been proved. Most hypotheses can be supported or refuted by experimentation or continued observation.

Theory: A theory is more like a scientific law than a hypothesis. A theory is an explanation of a set of related observations or events based upon proven hypotheses and verified multiple times by detached groups of researchers. One scientist cannot create a theory; he can only create a hypothesis.

In general, both a scientific theory and a scientific law are accepted to be true by the scientific community as a whole. Both are used to make predictions of events. Both are used to advance technology. (http://wilstar.com/theories.htm)


So....in contrast, what does the bible say about faith?

Hebrews 11:1 -
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not yet seen.
Hebrews 11:6 - But without faith it is impossible to please God. For he that cometh to God, must believe that he is (exists), and that he is a rewarder to them that diligently seek him.

Does science truly negate the hand of God in the origins of our Universe?

This is another excerpt from the book "the 21st century's all new cosmology" by Charles J. Sven.  The author sums up its conclusion this way:

"My new analysis of the relationship between the electron's power requirements and the ARENA OF SPACE, and all the latest HiTech findings allows me to:

Put all the above evidence together in one logical analysis and the conclusion must be a Big Bang Thermonuclear Conversion of Energy found in the pre-existing huge energy-filled arena of space.
And this puts the very slow moving Earth virtually right in the Center of our 27.4 billion year old Universe.
All evidence presented is documented by the likes of NASA or equivalent source.

Science finds the Tools; Philosophy seeks the Craftsman."

Some key points to observe:

1.  The universe itself or better the objects (Stars, Galaxies etc.) composing the universe appear to be expanding at various rates away from the center of the universe but space appears to be flat as far as our modern tools allow us to observe.
2.  The same energy that filled the empty space before the point of origin of our universe appears to still be operational today.  It is the very same energy that fuels everything in the Universe.  Scientifically speaking, it appears that this massive energy appeared before matter was formed.
One can just reflect on where did that energy originate from?
3.  Relatively speaking, the earth appears to be slowest moving object away from the center of the Universe implying a unique position in the universe and also implying that it must have been one of the last to form out of the original explosion.  This is a very interesting and sobering thought about the uniqueness of mankind on this unique sphere.

I do like the author's statement:
"Science finds the Tools; Philosophy seeks the Craftsman"

Here is what the bible says about the Craftsman:
Ephesians 2:10 - For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Isaiah 42:5 - God, the LORD, created the heavens and stretched them out. He created the earth and everything in it.

Hebrews 11:3 - By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

Starry Night - God's Handywork

A beautiful song and equally awesome picture video by Chris August.  Enjoy it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKdQ6U6dsT4

Light

In Genesis Chapter 1, we read that God created the heavens and the earth.  If the verses in this passage are meant to be set in a chronological order or if they are just written in the culturally acceptable writing style of the era, it may not necessarily matter in the understanding of how light was created.  Just like an incandescent bulb is not a light in and of itself and does not glow until electricity is applied to the circuit, the circuit is completed and electrons proceed to flow through the filament, so similarly a question may be raised in regards to visible light.  Was something else created by God that allows stars to emanate their radiance which reaches earth in various forms, one of them being visible light?  The interesting aspect of visible light is that it travels at a constant 186,000 mile/second  (approximately).  Once the conditions for light are there (ie. the circuit is made and the light bulb lights up) then light emanates from the light producing object and instantaneously travels at that speed without degradation.  New scientific observations and discoveries may lead to new understanding about "light" and regarding this subject I recently came across some pretty interesting concepts in the book "the 21st century's all new cosmology" by Charles J. Sven http://www.allnewuniverse.com/.  Although I have only read excerpts of this book, the concepts supported by the author may indicate new views of the forces at work in the production of light (Read "Space and the Speed of light explained" in the link above).