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Archive for the tag “Big Bang”

01 Jan 2017

“But Christians Have Done So much Bad Stuff…”

Yesterday, under the title What Kind of Atheist Are You?, I mentioned the unthinking assumption held by many atheists that somehow science has proven that Christianity is untrue. Actually, physicists and cosmologists are facing the disconcerting challenge of either admitting that the universe appears to have been designed and fine-tuned by a supernatural power, or accepting that their goal of finding a Theory of Everything is futile (because, in their refusal to accept the possibility that God exists, they must believe in multiverses).

Here’s a recent article that explains their conundrum, written by an atheist who acknowledges the astounding level of fine-tuning in the universe while lamenting the fact that “there is no hope of explaining our universe’s features in terms of fundamental causes and principles.” That is “according to the current thinking of many physicists”–all of whom, one would assume, refuse to accept the most obvious conclusion: God made the universe this way, Big Bang and all.

http://harpers.org/archive/2011/12/the-accidental-universe/6/

But people who prefer to believe that there is no God can fall back on any number of other rationales to explain their decision. One that requires the least scientific or biblical knowledge is the well-known litany of abuses, transgressions and mayhem that Christians have carried out in the name of their Lord. Some of the most vocal and popular atheists, such as Dawkins and Hitchens, love this theme.

I will pause to mention that by far the most deadly and horrific crimes against humanity took place in the 20th century in the service of two causes that rejected Christianity: Communism and Nazism (no, Hitler was not a Christian–see note below). Mao and Stalin alone killed many more people in their attempts to forge a pure form of Communism than all Christian despots did over the centuries.

There is certainly a long list of atrocities committed in the name of Christianity, from colonization to religious wars to persecutions. The important thing to remember is that these acts violated the teachings of Jesus. That’s very clear.

The fact that ambitious or misguided kings and clergy perpetrated violent and oppressive acts doesn’t negate the core doctrines of Christianity. Please re-read the Sermon on the Mount if there is any question about this. Jesus would not torture, nor condone torture. So rejecting his teachings because some of his self-professed followers committed crimes is similar to rejecting the concept of democracy because elections in Uganda are rigged, or because Vladimir Putin perpetuates a mockery of democracy in order to retain power.

No one is suggesting that we get rid of democracy because it is so often perverted, tarnished or trampled. Because we “believe” in democracy.

 

Note: The Nazi Minister for Church Affairs, explained “Positive Christianity” as not “dependent upon the Apostle’s Creed“, nor in “faith in Christ as the son of God”, upon which Christianity relied, but rather, as being represented by the Nazi Party, saying “The Fuehrer is the herald of a new revelation”: William L. Shirer (1960). The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. London: Secker & Warburg. pp. 238–39

 

 

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31 Dec 2016
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What Kind of Atheist are You?

 

Here are some facts that challenge the conventional wisdom of our secular Western culture:

  1. The total number of Christians in the world continues to grow, and the percentage of the planet’s population that believes in God is projected to continue increasing rapidly for the foreseeable future.

2.The atheist population is declining.

According to the Pew Research Center, the startling truth is that the percentage of the world’s population that is atheist or unaffiliated with any religion is dropping, and will continue to do so. That’s an interesting thought, given the predominance of high-profile opinion leaders in the West who don’t embrace any religion.

But that’s not what this post is about. I’ll include the link to the Pew report at the end of this post, but the real question that intrigues me is: what kind of atheists are in this shrinking pool. Let me list some varieties. See if you can find yourself or someone you know in one of them

SCIENCE HAS DISPROVED CHRISTIANITY–IT’S ALL A BUNCH OF ANCIENT FICTION

You’re probably thinking of the first chapters of Genesis and the account of how the Earth and the heavens were created. It doesn’t coincide with the scientific explanation of the Big Bang and the subsequent formation of the universe as we understand it. You might want to know that many Christian theologians have treated Genesis as an allegorical picture of the cosmos, in which the truth of humankind’s problem–we don’t want to follow God’s will and would rather do what we want–is clearly set out. Augustine back in the 5th century made the argument that the creation stories are allegorical.

But of course many modern Christians insist on treating the Bible literally in every word. Atheists say this traps them into believing the unbelievable in the face of scientific fact.

Ironically, atheists increasingly find themselves trapped in the Origin debate. That’s because the more we know about the Big Bang and the evolution of our solar system, the more it becomes apparent that either a series of improbable coincidences took place, or the universe was “made this way.” For example, if the gravitational or electromagnetic or nuclear forces were even slightly different than they are, the universe could not have formed. Even minute differences would either have led to a dead universe, or one that collapsed before being able to form the building blocks of life.

Scientists recognize that there are far too many improbable coincidences and examples of “fine tuning” of the universe. So they accept the most logical explanation: that an intelligent designer ensured that the various forces and subsequent cosmic events    unfolded as they did in order to produce the universe we live in.

Right? Well, not if you are a scientist who is unable to consider the existence of God. In that case, you come up with the theory of multiverses: that there are actually an infinite number of universes in existence, and we just happen to live in one that turned out this way. The other uncountable (and unobservable) universes probably evolved differently and have very different physical properties. I say probably, because this theory is absolutely untestable. There is no way for us to know if there are other universes. But such eminent physicists as Stephen Hawking subscribe to the idea, because the alternative, which seems so obvious (i.e. all of these amazing coincidences occurred  because they were created to do so) is unacceptable to them

The general public doesn’t follow this issue too closely. Many people just assume that science has all the answers and the Biblical explanations are just ancient myths. They don’t know that the top minds in science are now willing to believe an unprovable, improbable theory for the development of the universe, simply because they are unwilling to believe in a God who can act in supernatural ways. Everything was fine until their research started to show startling evidence of a fine-tuned universe.

Talk about being trapped into believing the unbelievable in the face of scientific fact…

Coming up next…”But Christians have done so much bad stuff…”

But first, the link to that study:

http://www.pewforum.org/2015/04/02/religious-projections-2010-2050/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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14 Sep 2011

Where Is Everybody?

“Where is everybody!?”

Enrico Fermi asked that question during lunch back in 1950.

Fermi was a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, one of the fathers of the Atom Bomb, and an expert on quantum mechanics. He was a serious scientist, and he asked serious questions.

“Where is everybody?”

During that lunch in 1950, Fermi was chatting with several other titans of science, when the conversation strayed to recent reports of UFOs (back in the late 40’s and early 50’s, reports of UFO sightings were common). Fermi did some quick calculating,  and identified a problem that now bears his name: the Fermi Paradox.

The Fermi Paradox says that there are so many stars in the universe (about 700,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 at latest count) that the place should be teeming with life: the cantina scene in Star Wars should be the norm. If the Earth is a typical planet, and only 1 of every million solar systems could support life, there should be millions of planets out there with intelligent life forms.

“Where is everybody?”

Scientists have now identifed more than 650 planets outside our solar system, and last week announced the discovery of a “Super-earth” that could be habitable. It’s about 36 light years away, which in universal terms is just around the corner. Many scientists now believe that most solar systems probably have planets. Not all of those planets  would be in the “Goldilocks Zone” (not too hot, not too cold—just right!), but as Enrico Fermi would tell you, the law of probability dictates that millions of planets should fall into this zone.

Shouldn’t they?

The SETI project has been searching for signs of intelligent life for more than 50 years—scanning the heavens for radio signals or any electronic sign that someone else is out there. Not a peep. Every year SETI researchers explain why they haven’t found anything yet, but now that astronomers are discovering planets all over the place, it makes you wonder.

Maybe the Earth isn’t typical.

That would answer the Fermi Paradox, but it would run counter to conventional wisdom, as well as virtually every science fiction movie ever made.

Just so you don’t feel depressed by the fact that we might be alone, I’ll offer two thoughts:

First, all of the hydrogen in your body was created within the first minute after the Big Bang. Since 70% of your body is composed of water, and water is mainly hydrogen, you are primarily composed of atoms that have existed since the very beginning of time. Perhaps 10 billion years ago the hydrogen in your body was part of another star that died and eventually seeded the solar system you now live in. You’re actually made up of some very ancient stuff. You go all the way back….

Second, consider that the Earth IS the only inhabited planet…for now. Consider that God really did start here, working first with a small, insignificant tribe and eventually expanding the knowledge of his ways and his will until the Earth becomes filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. Then when his Kingdom encompasses this planet, it can be extended to others as his people become ready to assist in the Kingdom, which includes 700,000,000,,000,000,000,000,000 stars, and counting.

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