A Scientists Asks—Why Believe in God?

COM Special TalkNovember 2, 2013

John K. Lee, Ph.DInternational Undergraduate

Student MinistryGracepoint Minneapolis

1. The Big Bang

1929

What happened? Edwin Hubble discovers all galaxies are

moving away from each other, which means the universe is expanding

If that’s true, then it means the universe started!

In the Beginning…

In the beginning…. No atoms No space No time No physical laws

Enormous burstWhat caused it?

?? Must be something outside of the

universe

History of the Big Bang Before the Big Bang Theory (1929), everyone

thought… Matter exists forever (Conservation of Matter) Universe existed forever, at the same size…

▪ Q: Then how come gravity doesn’t make the universe collapse?

Theologians who said that universe didn’t exist before were seen as unscientific

Smoot

The big bang, the most cataclysmic event we can imagine, on closer inspection appears finely orchestrated…Until the late 1910's, humans were as ignorant of cosmic origins as they had ever been. Those who didn't take Genesis literally had no reason to believe there had been a beginning

George Smoot (Physicist)

Penzias

"[Wilson], like most physicists, would rather attempt to describe the universe in ways which require no explanation; there's the economy of physics. And since science can't explain anything--it can only describe things--that's perfectly sensible."

Arno Penzias (American physicist)

Beginning and Causality

Everything that has a beginning has a cause.

The universe has a beginning

Therefore, the universe has a cause

2. Order and Design & The Anthropic Principle

Order and Design…

…demands a designer

Constants?

= 3.141593

E = m

c = 2.998 x 108

Something Strange with the Constants...

• Fine-Tuning – Constants are “fine-tuned” to allow for

the existence of the universe and complex life

Physics Governed by Constants

Gravitational ForceG = 6.673 x 10-11 m3kg-1s-2

Planck constanth = 6.626 x 10-34 J s

Wide Acknowledgment: Penzias

“Astronomy leads us to a unique event, a universe which was created out of nothing, one with the very delicate balance needed to provide exactly the conditions required to permit life, and one which has an underlying (one might say ‘supernatural’) plan.”

Arno Penzias (American physicist)

Wide Acknowledgment: Dawkins

“The closest is the idea that the fundamental constants of the universe are too good to be true. And that does seem to need some kind of an explanation.”

Richard Dawkins (British evolutionist, during the interview in Four Horsemen)

Wide Acknowledgment: Hawking

“The remarkable fact is that the values of these numbers seem to have been very finely adjusted to make possible the development of life… Most sets of values would give rise to universes that, although they might be very beautiful, would contain no one able to wonder at that beauty.”

Stephen Hawking (A Brief History of Time, 1996)“Our universe and its laws appear to have a design that both is tailor-made to support us and, if we are to exist, leaves little room for alteration. That is not easily explained, and raises the natural question of why it is that way.”

Stephen Hawking (The Grand Design, 2010)

Examples of Fine-Tuning

Gravitational Constant (6.673 x 10-11

m3kg-1s-2) Too Weak:

▪ no planets, no stars Too Strong:

▪ Big Crunch

Examples of Fine-Tuning

Strong Nuclear Force Constant (the force that holds the nucleus of an atom together) 2% Weaker:

▪ No molecules 0.3% Stronger:

▪ No suns, no carbon

Examples of Fine-Tuning

Electromagnetic Force Constant (force that binds electrons to protons in an atom)

Coulomb’s constant ke = 8.98755 x 109

Nm2C-2

Weaker or stronger just by “a little little bit”: ▪ No molecules

How much is “little little bit”? 1 / 1040 =

0.000000000000000000000000000000000000001%

Examples of Fine-Tuning Time: 10-34 second Temperature: 1027 K

Fine-Tuning of the 4 Forces (Gravity, Electromagnetic, Strong Nuclear, Weak Nuclear)

Examples of Fine-Tuning Time: 10-10 second Temperature: 1015 K

Fine-Tuning in Speed Too slow

▪ Universe collapses Too fast

▪ No galaxy formation Perfect speed! Fine-Tuning Range = 1/1055

0.000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001%

“If the rate of expansion one second after the big bang had been smaller by even one part in a hundred thousand million million, the universe would have recollapsed before it ever reached its present size.”

Stephen Hawking (A Brief History of Time, 1996)

The Amazing Universe Constants & incidental values of our universe

seem very FINE-TUNED, to make complex life (like us) possible

Who / What designed the universe?

Bibliography The Anthropic Cosmological Principle by Barrow &

Tipler (1986) Nature’s Destiny by Michael Denton (1998)

Overview Fine-Tuned Universe, paper by Hugh Ross

Penzias

The Bible talks of purposeful creation. What we have, however, is an amazing amount of order; and when we see order, in our experience it normally reflects purpose…if we read the Bible as a whole we would expect order in the world. Purpose would imply order, and what we actually find is order.This world is most consistent with purposeful creation.”

Arno Penzias (American physicist)

Clues to the Purpose of This Design?

1. The Universe is fine-tuned for life

2. And if life-sustaining planets are extremely rare (perhaps Earth is the only one?)

3. It suggests 1. we are more lucky than ever

imagined2. OR the fine-tuner had human

beings in mind

3. DNA of a single cell

DNA is densely packed information

John Loves

Eunice

4. Your drive for :MEANING & PURPOSE

Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player

That struts and frets his hour upon the stage

And then is heard no more. It is a taleTold by an idiot, full of sound and

furySignifying nothing.

Macbeth (Act 5, Scene 5)

Luke 12: the parable of rich fool

16 And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. 17 He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.'

18 "Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’

Luke 12: the parable of rich fool

20 "But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'

21 "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."

Proper Priorities

Why did God call the rich man a fool?Pursuit of $ …

… distracted him from most important purpose of his life

Mankind’s purpose Personal relationship with God

Rich towards God?

Rich in relationship

With God, it entails:Knowing GodRelating to GodSpending time with God

Life A journey with God

Discussion Questions

1. Do you see reasons for believing in God based on our observation of nature?

2. What conclusions can you make based on the fine-tuned nature of the universe and the fact that the world around is full of intentional information?

3. Where does your sense of purpose and desire for meaning come from?  What standard can you use to live a meaningful life?  

ResourcesCreation Hypothesis, ed. J.P. MorelandScience and Christianity: Conflict or Coherence, Henry SchaeferThe Privileged Planet by Guillermo Gonzalez and Jay RichardsRare Earth: Why Complex Life is Uncommon in the Universe by Peter D. Ward