“People need to be aware that there is a range of models that could explain the observations….For instance, I can construct you a spherically symmetrical universe with Earth at its center, and you cannot disprove it based on observations….You can only exclude it on philosophical grounds. In my view there is absolutely nothing wrong in that. What I want to bring into the open is the fact that we are using philosophical criteria in choosing our models. A lot of cosmology tries to hide that.”1
– George Ellis
Having under taken this topic weeks ago, I have found that it became a lot more lengthy than I would have liked. So I have decided to break it into 4 separate posts, to prevent those with short attention span from scrolling down and saying, “Holy cow! I can’t read all this now… I’ll read this later (never).” I hope you get something valuable out of this. I know I did in doing all the research.
Ok, let’s get started. I think that an important place to start this conversation is to point out the fact that the causality debate of the universe is almost exclusively philosophical. A lot of the “God Isn’t” camp would try to steer the conversation away from this fact, but it is a fact nevertheless. There is no empirical data that can confirm how the universe was created and even the most widely accepted theory still cannot answer the question: “Is there a Creator”.
We’re left with only philosophical concepts, which rely heavily on reason and logic. While I am a true connoisseur of reason, not all reasoning is logical. Herein lies the first problem with reason which I discuss on the “Logic” page of this site. (If you haven’t already done so, I invite you to READ IT HERE.)
As I delve into this subject matter, I would like to first preface this post with the statement that I am not a Physicist. I haven’t studied the field of Cosmology (The science of the origin and development of the cosmos). Not to be confused with cosmetology, which is the science of beautification of one’s hair, skin or nails. This, of all four of the Atheist Pillars of Disbelief, is the one I am least comfortable with. That having been said, I am not sharing these limitations of the scope of my knowledge with you as a way to alleviate myself of the responsibility of the understanding certain cosmological terms, but rather for you (my audience) to understand that I am taking an almost entirely philosophical approach to this argument. In discussing this subject, I will share with you some of my lines of reasoning which have lead me to some of the beliefs that I hold today. I will also share with you questions and metaphors that fly in the face of the current school of thought.
In my introductory post to this series, I briefly explained how I came to believe in a monotheistic God. I didn’t accept someone’s belief as my own, but rather I broadened my perception and, consequently, arrived at this conclusion through logical, deductive reasoning. In acquiring certain perspectives that were foreign or in opposition to my own, I was able to understand the big picture and the need for a creator to exist in my logical appraisal of the creation event. As if it were a math problem, I could not make a creator-less creation equation makes sense in my head. Some may say that I was overlooking key elements that could have enabled me to soundly reason that the Cosmos was created spontaneously without the need for a Creator. If you are one of those people, invite you to share those key elements with me as I have yet to find them. Some may say that it is a personal desire for a God, not a logical deficiency, which created my need for a creator in my line of reasoning. Being objective, I cannot rule it out, but I will say that everything makes more sense to me with a God than without one. So for sake of my sanity, I will stick with God unless I am convinced of otherwise in the future.
I have stated before that I cannot support the Creationist perspective, but rather my perception is much closer aligned to the Intelligent Design ideology. I believe in the Big Bang (or something like it) and I believe in evolution- by design, not by chance or natural selection. After having addressed some of the main atheists’ arguments on this matter, I will share with you my perspective on the creation of the universe for you to evaluate and determine its usefulness to your current perspective. Again, I am not looking to convert anyone to what I believe. Rather, I am attempting to offer you some perspectives and challenge you to think outside of the box and attempt to see things from a different point of view. If we can successfully do that with each other, our spiritual and intellectual growth will be astounding. That I can assure you of. (END OF PART 1)