God Did It: Ignorance or Best Answer?

When, in my first article on "Why there is something and not nothing" I proposed God as a creator of the universe, Some would (and did) say that I was arguing from ignorance. Their assertion is: You don't know where the universe came from, so you just say "God did it". 

Now, I am willing to admit that the article may not have presented my thoughts clearly, but it seems to me that I made my case, not from what we don't know, but from what we DO know.

I started my article by laying the foundation that, scientifically, we do not know how the universe ultimately originated (before the Big Bang). We can only theorize what actually happened by what we can observe, and by scientific laws that have been tested and proven to be reliable and have never been observed to be untrue. The only thing about the origination of the universe that we can reasonably ascertain is that the universe had a finite beginning in the past. Beyond that point science is impotent to find an answer.

The discussion on how to bridge the gap between that certain knowledge and the ultimate cause of that beginning is where the rubber meets the road. Some have proposed the idea of a multiverse, which I address here. This is what is known as an ad hoc (the addition of extraneous hypotheses to a theory to save it from being falsified) speculation. Which theory is being saved by this speculation? Materialism-The view that physicality (atoms, molecules, chemical reactions, etc.) is all that exists. This view will be examined in a subsequent article.

Even if we were to grant the multiverse scenario, that does not preclude the necessity for an absolute beginning. We point again to the Borde-Guth-Vilenkin theorem. As previously stated, and expanded upon, any universe (such as ours) which has, on average, been expanding throughout its history (a byproduct of the Big Bang) cannot be infinite in the past but must have a past space-time boundary (an absolute beginning). Alexander Vilenkin, a proponent of the multiverse, has this to say on the subject: “It is said that an argument is what convinces reasonable men and a proof is what it takes to convince even an unreasonable man. With the proof now in place, cosmologists can no longer hide behind the possibility of a past-eternal universe. There is no escape, they have to face the problem of a cosmic beginning.” (Many Worlds in One on page 146). 

Is the claim "God did it" an ad hoc speculation as well? It could be. Before we pass judgement, let's walk down the path of logic and philosophy. In my second article on "Why there is something and not nothing", I discussed the limitations of science. Where science fails us, we have reason, logic, philosophy, and experience to guide us. So, a discussion on how we can reasonably say "God did it" might go like this:

1. Everything that begins to exist has a sufficient cause. Things do not cause themselves to exist. (We know this from science and experience.)
2. The universe began to exist. (See my previous two articles for evidence to back this claim up, and study the subject for yourself to make sure I told you the truth!)
3. Space, time, energy and matter all began to exist at the beginning of the universe. (See #2.)
4. The cause of these things beginning to exist cannot be themselves. The cause then, by definition, must be spaceless, timeless (eternally existing), immaterial, and able to exist outside and apart from the physical universe. (See #1.)
5. The cause must also be intentional (personal). (From science and common experience we know that this quality only comes from Mind.)
6. The cause must be extremely powerful. (Sufficiently powerful to create the universe and everything therein.)
7. The God of the Bible has the characteristics listed in (4), (5) and (6). (Bible.)

If I am being honest, at this point I must pause my argument. So far we have only followed the evidence to where it has led us. We know that the God of the Bible is purported to have the qualities listed above, and that the Bible indeed makes the claim that "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." It would require a deductive leap to get from (7) to:
 
8. The God of the Bible is, in fact, the creator of the universe.

However, here is the question. Is my deductive leap, between (7) and (8), reasonable? Some would say "More evidence than what you have presented is required." I would agree, and Lord willing I hope to be able to pursue that evidence as we continue this blog.

This question and others like it are questions we must all answer to our own satisfaction. Science can help point the way to reasonable answers, but it can not answer them for us.

In future articles, Lord willing, we will be able to narrow the gap between (7) and (8) above.

Thank you for taking the time to read my article. For more information on how I keep my worldview informed please go to http://crossroadspbc.org/