A Fine Tuned Universe The Improbability That God is Improbable The debate over creation in biology has increasingly led scientist to become more open to physics and the Christian belief in a creator. It is the mind boggling odds of anything other than a designer of our universe that have led many scientists to give up being an atheist. For the first time, science understands that their war on God in science may have been premature. Faced with new and amazing information of the incredible design in everything, science has recognized that old theories are not holding up. As Richard Dawkins a world famous atheist and evolutionary biologist said, We now know that things did not happen as Darwin predicted therefore there has to be another answer. In his 1986 book The Blind Watchmaker he argued against the watchmaker imagery, an argument used by Biblical creationist for the existence of a supernatural creator based upon the complexity of living organisms. Instead, he described evolutionary processes as analogous to a blind watchmaker. For Dawkins evolution is a watchmaker that cannot see or think, but creates a complex universe, planet, and life from chance? We will see later that our planet and our universe require even more fine-tuned parameters than is humanly comprehensible and chance cannot account for it. Who fined-tuned them? The odds are getting high and you are about to see how high the odds are against our universe, as well as our planet, and life itself to even exist using evolutionary science. We should not be here, and evolution cannot account for why we are. Even though all scientists now recognize the complexity of our universe and our existence; not all want to ascribe the complexity to God. They take an already knife-edged balanced universe and our existence in it, and add even more complexity of multiple universes in order to create more rolls of the dice. It is not enough to have one very complex and very large universe that we can see, they now try to postulate there are billion, billion, billions etc. more universes that we cannot see. This is done to up the ante of complexity because they know that adding more complexity adds questions that they cannot answer and therefore they calculate neither can anyone else. This actually makes an even better case for the God of the Bible to be even more probable more complexity points to the likelihood of a designer. In all other experiments, the observed and the repeatable is declared settled science. Using this same criteria, evolution fails regardless that it is still taught in our classrooms. Scientists have never observed chaos evolving into an ordered complex state. They postulate that it happens, but they have never observed it. 1 P a g e
During the last thirty years or so, scientists have discovered that the existence of intelligent life depends on a complex and delicate balance of initial conditions given in the big bang itself. Scientists once believed that whatever the initial conditions of the universe, eventually intelligent life might evolve. But we now know that our existence is balanced on a knife s edge. It seems vastly more probable that a life-prohibiting universe rather than a life-permitting universe such as ours should exist. The existence of intelligent life depends on a conspiracy of initial conditions that must be fine-tuned to a degree that is literally incomprehensible and incalculable. British physicist P. C. W. Davies has calculated that the odds against the initial conditions being suitable for later star formation (without which planets could not exist) is one followed by a thousand billion, billion zeroes, at least. He also estimates that a change in the strength of gravity or of the weak force by only one part in 10,000 would have prevented a life-permitting universe. It was once thought that there were 16 such quantities and constants present in the big bang that must be fine-tuned in this way if the universe is to permit life. It is now known that there are over 128, and there are probably more quantities that enter into the fine tuning equation than we have discovered, therefore making the fine tuning even more precise. And it s not just each quantity that must be finely tuned; their ratios to one another must be also finely tuned. Therefore, improbability is added to improbability to improbability until our minds are reeling in incomprehensible numbers. More support for a biblical creation model comes from the values now determined for the cosmic density terms. Establishing that the expansion of the universe from the creation event is governed by two factors, a mass density term plus a space energy density term, means that both the mass density and the space energy density of the universe must be fine-tuned to an extremely high degree for the universe to have any capacity to support physical life. In fact, the value of the mass density term must be fine-tuned to better than one part in 1060, and the value of the space energy density term to better than one part in 10120. In the words of the non-theistic astrophysicist Lawrence Krauss, this is the most extreme fine-tuning problem known in physics. Other astronomers have written that this type of universe requires a degree of fine tuning of the initial conditions that is in apparent conflict with common wisdom and that we are confronted with a disturbing cosmic coincidence problem. Why the discovered fine-tuning is so disturbing to some scientist becomes evident when the measure of fine-tuning is compared to the best example of human engineering design, namely, a gravity wave telescope. The cosmic finetuning in the cosmic density terms establishes that the cause or God of creation, at a minimum, is ten trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion times more intelligent, more knowledgeable, more creative, and more powerful than human beings. i (Of course this is an estimate, but it is recognized that the number is past human comprehension.) 2 P a g e
One of the great incomprehensible mysteries for the average person is the vastness of our universe. Now we know that our universe needs to be vast, in fact if it were smaller we could not exist. No universe can provide several billion years of stellar cooking time unless it is several billion light years across. If the size of the universe were reduced from 10 22 to 10 11 stars, that smaller but still galaxy-sized universe might seem roomy enough, but it would run through its entire cycle of expansion and recontraction in about one year. (See John A. Wheeler, "The Universe as Home for Man." in Owen Gingerich, editor, The Nature of Scientific Discovery.) By Holmes Rolston III Change slightly the strengths of any of the four forces that hold the world together (the strong nuclear force, the weak nuclear force, electromagnetism, gravitation forces ranging over 40 orders of magnitude), or change various particle masses and charges, and the stars would burn too quickly or too slowly, or atoms and molecules, including water, carbon and oxygen, would not form or would not remain stable. When one does turn to the odds of our solar system and our life here on earth, we find that the 128 such parameters that must be fine-tuned are fine-tuned to an incredible degree. (See Addendum for Some of These Parameters) Not only does each of these finely tuned parameters have to be met for us to exist, but they all have to be met at the same time. The probability for the occurrence of all 128 parameters is 10-166. This is fantastic given that the only maximum possible number of planets in the universe is 10 22. Thus, less than 1 chance in 10 144 (trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion) exists that our planet would exist and even the same odds that another such planet would occur anywhere in the universe. ii This leads one to the question that demands an answer; who created all of this against all odds. Against all odds means just that, it has to be understood that these odds are actually incomprehensible for the scientist much less the average person. The one thing that we have learned in the past is that the God of the Bible has not been considered by scientist. The evidence now points to a designer and many scientists are unhappy that God has shown His face. Complexity means a designer, and a design means information; scientists now know our very existence is made up of tremendous amounts of information. In fact, our DNA alone has more information than mere chance could ever account for. Scientists are now faced with their own calculations refuting their original thinking on evolution. Reason and science brings us to the fact that such a finely tuned universe had a designer and a beginning, and that designer was the first cause: (1) Whatever had a beginning had a cause; (2) the universe had a beginning; (3) therefore, the universe had a cause. Believers know that first cause is God; atheists believe in rolling the dice a trillion trillion times more to see if they can eliminate God. If rolling the dice endlessly is not enough, than non-believers argue that anything is possible with infinity, but infinity does not help the atheist. There is one simple argument against infinity and that the universe has always existed. There cannot be an infinite number of moments before today because infinity cannot be traversed. You cannot get here from there, which means that today would have never arrived, but it has. iii 3 P a g e
Whenever we see complexity in the design of any product or piece of art, we automatically admire such wonderful work. We intuitively understand that for such a work to exist a person or persons were involved a designer. One would not look at an exquisite pocket watch and assume that it evolved by chance. The one question that now faces not only scientist, but each of us, is that science now better understands how complex our very chance for existence is what is the cause and who is the designer of this complexity? This next illustration highlights the dilemma that confronts us. If you were digging for fossils and found only broken pieces of stone with no markings, you would conclude that this was a result of natural processes, but if under one of the rocks there was an exquisitely built pocket watch you would immediately conclude that someone designed this watch. You could not get around the complexity of the watch and its designer by using the infinite odds argument. If you stated that you turned over a trillion rocks than the odds are that one of them would have this exquisitely made watch under it, that only adds complexity for the sake of argument, it does not answer the question of the first watch and its maker. In fact if you were to turn over a trillion rocks and found another watch you would conclude now I know there is a designer, because he made two watches. Now you might as Richard Dawkins does, ascribe this to a blind watchmaker even if he were blind, you cannot escape that there is still a watchmaker. What Does The Bible Say? God gives existence to everything else that exists. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1); So God created... every living and moving thing (Gen. 1:21); Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made (John 1:3); He himself gives all men life and breath and everything else (Acts 17:25); For by him all things were created:... all things were created by him and for him (Col. 1:16); You created all things, and by your will they were created (Rev. 4:11). iv The Bible declares that God is eternal. He was before time, and he created time. Hence, he cannot be a part of time, though he can relate to time as its Creator in the way a cause relates to its effect. Many verses of Scripture support God s eternality: God said to Moses, I AM WHO I AM (Exod. 3:14); Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God (Ps. 90:2); For this is what the high and lofty One says he who lives forever (Isa. 57:15); No, we speak of God s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began (1 Cor. 2:7); This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time (2 Tim. 1:9); God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time (Titus 1:2); He has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe (literally, framed the ages ; Heb. 1:2); To the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and for evermore! Amen (Jude 25). v 4 P a g e
Support in Scripture for God s moral perfection is plentiful: He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he (Deut. 32:4); As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless (2 Sam. 22:31); It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect (2 Sam. 22:33); Do you know how the clouds hang poised, those wonders of him who is perfect in knowledge? (Job 37:16); As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless (Ps. 18:30); The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul (Ps. 19:7); The LORD will fulfill [perfect] his purpose for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever do not abandon the works of your hands (Ps. 138:8); O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago (Isa. 25:1); Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matt. 5:48); Then you will be able to test and approve what God s will is his good, pleasing and perfect will (Rom. 12:2); But when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears (1 Cor. 13:10); Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows (James 1:17); But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom... will be blessed in what he does (James 1:25); There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear (1 John 4:18). There is also a theological basis for God s moral perfection. First of all, knowledge of the imperfect implies the perfect. We know what is imperfect. But this would not be possible unless we knew what is perfect. Hence, there must be a perfect (called God). Likewise, God s metaphysical attributes demand that God s perfection is absolute. As we have seen, God s nature is morally perfect. But God is infinite and necessary by nature. Hence, God is infinitely and necessarily morally perfect. In summation, according to the Bible there is one, transcendent, personal, infinite, eternal, selfexistent, immutable, morally perfect God who is the first uncaused cause of everything else that exists. vi i Geisler, N. L., & Hoffman, P. K. (2001). Why I am a Christian : Leading thinkers explain why they believe (133). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books. ii Ross, H. (2001). The creator and the cosmos: How the greatest scientific discoveries of the century reveal God (195 198). Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress. iii Geisler, N. L., & Hoffman, P. K. (2001). Why I am a Christian : Leading thinkers explain why they believe (91). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books. iv Geisler, N. L., & Hoffman, P. K. (2001). Why I am a Christian : Leading thinkers explain why they believe (82). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books. v Geisler, N. L., & Hoffman, P. K. (2001). Why I am a Christian : Leading thinkers explain why they believe (84 85). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books. vi Geisler, N. L., & Hoffman, P. K. (2001). Why I am a Christian : Leading thinkers explain why they believe (88 89). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books. 5 P a g e