Does God exist?
This is a good question. Is belief in God’s existence based on ignorance, delusion or want? Is knowledge of God’s existence possible? Here, we’ll answer this critical question scientifically.
As mentioned in a previous answer, a few years ago, a Christian uploaded a video attempting to persuade atheists that an infinite God exists. He structured his introduction well, he spoke confidently. But then, he did something that resulted in him being ridiculed - he used the Bible to support his arguments. Dozens of atheists mocked him relentlessly. While their comments were extreme, it made sense why they reacted this way.
Here was a group of atheists, who do not believe in the existence of god/s and reject all religions, and here was a Christian trying to show God’s existence by using a religious book, the very thing they reject. To them, it would have been like trying to prove Peter Pan is real simply because a Disney book says so.
The fact is, if science has proven beyond a reasonable doubt that God does not exist, then Christians are believing in the God of the Bible purely out of ignorance, delusion, and plain stupidity. On the other hand, if science confirms beyond a reasonable doubt that knowledge of God’s existence is possible, then God exists.
The answer to this critical question, “Does God exist?” will not be, “The Bible says so” - that may not be helpful to you if you are a sceptic. Instead, the answer to this question will include well-established cosmological, astronomical, biological, and archaeological facts, along with 30 verifiable references.
Before continuing, it’s important to understand facts are independent of human opinion. They exist regardless of how we feel or think about them. Facts logically can’t be rejected nor be swayed by majority vote - they are objective and exist whether we like them or not. So, either the facts will atheism is true and God does not exist, or the facts will confirm beyond a reasonable doubt that an infinite God does exist, and what that would ultimately mean.
God is the best explanation for the beginning of the universe rather than nothing creating everything. God is the best explanation for why anything at all exists. Why?
For example, a handful of scientific facts and objective truths that confirm beyond a reasonable doubt that the universe had a beginning is:
1. The Expanding Universe: the universe is expanding from a single point – Edwin Hubble’s 1929 discovery and later called ‘Hubble’s Law’
2. The Second Law of Thermodynamics: states, among other things, that the universe has only a limited amount of energy which is running out i.e. like a winding down clock [1]
3. Cosmic Background Radiation: fireball radiation from the Big Bang – supported by Arno Penzias & Robert Wilson’s 1978 Nobel Prize in Physics for their discovery
4. Temperature Ripples in the Cosmic Background Radiation: the ripples show that the explosion and expansion of the universe was precisely tweaked to cause just enough matter to gather to allow galaxy formation – supported by NASA’s Cosmic Background Explorer ‘COBE’ and the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe ‘WMAP’
5. Einstein’s Verified Theory of General Relativity: states space, matter and time are joined, cannot have one without the other, and came into existence at the same time [2]
6. The objective Law of Causality: one of the objective Laws of Nature and commonly referred to as the law of cause and effect, states everything that had a beginning had a cause [3]
Furthermore, atheism at its core is the belief that nothing created all space, matter and time i.e., nothing created everything, while others believe matter created matter even before it began to exist. Yet, this is scientifically and logically impossible and violates the objective Law of Causality (everything that had a beginning had a cause). Even renowned Nobel Prize winning English theoretical physicist, cosmologist and atheist, Stephen Hawking recognised space, matter and time had a beginning and wrote in his book, A Brief History of Time and in his 1996 lecture, The Beginning of Time, “There must have been a beginning to the universe” [4] [5].
In fact, if atheism was true – that nothing created everything (i.e., space, matter and time), the design of the universe simply occurred by coincidence and the creation of all life was merely the result of an unguided chemical accident that spontaneously generated by chance – then all thoughts, regardless of topic, would be wholly the result of irrational causes since all life, including every human being and their thoughts, would be the result of a chemical accident that randomly happened by chance, simply neurons firing. Therefore, if atheism was true, all thoughts would be equally worthless. Meaning, atheism as a belief is worthless. If it is true, then we can know no objective truths. The atheistic belief “cuts its own throat” so to speak [6].
Now, this confirms beyond a reasonable doubt that space, matter and time simultaneously came into existence at the beginning of the universe. So, since everything that had a beginning had a cause and the universe had a beginning, it must have a cause, based on the objective Law of Causality (cause and effect). Thus, whatever created space, matter and time logically must be outside of space, matter and time. Meaning, whatever created space, matter and time must be spaceless, timeless, immaterial, powerful, personal, and intelligent i.e., an infinite God.
God is the best explanation for the design of the universe rather than it occurred by chance. Why?
For example, the astronomical facts confirm if the initial explosion of the Big Bang would have differed in strength 1 part in 10^60 (i.e.,
0.000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000) the universe either would have quickly collapsed back on itself or expanded too rapidly for stars to form. Another example is if gravity had been stronger or weaker by 1 part in 10^40 (i.e., 0.000000000000000000000000000000000000000000) then life sustaining stars and suns would not exist, and this would make life impossible [7] [8]. A further example is everything in the universe is made of matter, and matter is made of atoms, but if neutrons were not precisely 1.001 times the size of protons (i.e., microscopic particles that form an atom), all atoms would not exist, therefore all matter would not exist, and life would be impossible. In either case, life would be impossible [9] [10].
To illustrate, one could think of each instance of fine-tuning [of the universe] as a radio dial: unless all the dials are set exactly right, life would be impossible. Or, one could think of the initial conditions of the universe and the fundamental laws of physics as a dart board that fills the whole galaxy, and the conditions necessary for life to exist as a small one-foot wide target: unless the dart hits the target, life would be impossible. The fact that the dials are perfectly set, or the dart has hit the target, strongly suggests that someone set the dials or aimed the dart, for it seems enormously improbable that such a coincidence could have happened by chance [11].
In fact, renowned theoretical physicist and atheist, Paul Davies admittedly writes that, when looking at the overall structure of the universe, “the impression of design is overwhelming” [12].
At this time, it would be understandable if a person was uncomfortable as to where the evidence was pointing towards. Like other sceptics, may just wanted to cradle the Multiple Universe Theory in their arms in blissful ignorance and convince themselves it all happened by chance, but as mentioned, facts exist whether we like them or not, regardless of how we feel about them.
There is no scientific, experimental, or observable evidence that multiple universes exist. The cosmological facts confirm that all finite reality (i.e., space, matter and time) came into existence at the beginning of the universe. Furthermore, logically the Multiple Universe Theory doesn’t eliminate the need for a Creator by claiming the design of the universe happened by chance – it multiplies the need for a Creator, as since our universe had a beginning and confirms beyond a reasonable doubt an infinite God created it, obviously the outcome would be exactly the same for all other finite universes too [13] [14].
So, since every design has a designer and the universe is intelligently designed, it confirms beyond a reasonable doubt there is an intelligent designer to the universe.
God is the best explanation for the existence of life rather than something came from nothing by chance. Why?
For example, while Micro Evolution (i.e., natural selection and random mutations) is a well-established scientific fact that accurately explains the survival of a species as it is dependent on the pre-existing immaterial organised information stored in DNA, Macro Evolution however is the discredited atheistic spontaneous generation belief that fails to explain the arrival of a species, claiming all life spontaneously popped into existence by chance and chemicals (i.e., non-living material) formed and eventually evolved into all living things including plants, animals and humans over billions of years through numerous, successive, slight modifications – not a scientific fact [15] [16].
In one turns to biology in the hope it would comfort their scepticism, the biological facts did not support the atheistic spontaneous generation belief (i.e., Macro Evolution).
For example, human DNA has a genetic code which consists of 3.1 billion letters, sort of like an alphabet and often called our DNA instruction book, that is organised complex information, not random [17]. In fact, there is enough organised information in a single human DNA cell to fill 1.5 million Encyclopedia Britannica pages, and the human body consists of 37.2 trillion cells designed for specific roles [18]. Meaning, the total amount of organised information stored in a human being’s DNA cells would fill a book 55.8 quintillion pages long (i.e., 55,800,000,000,000,000,000). To put this into perspective, the average book is only 200 to 400 pages long.
Furthermore, in 1987 a breakthrough paper was published in the Journal of Nature by leading evolutionary geneticists who announced the results of a Mitochondrial (i.e., structures within cells that convert food into energy) DNA analysis. These geneticists from the University of California found all humans are descended from one woman who lived in Africa sometime around 100,000 to 200,000 years ago [19]. Not long after the first DNA studies revealed a single mother of all human beings, geneticists found similar results when analysing the arrangements on the male Y chromosome (i.e., genetic material only found in males). In 1997, a team of researchers from Stanford University reported to the American Society of Human Genetics that all men inherited their Y chromosome from a single male ancestor. The results from arrangements of thousands of Y chromosomes from diverse people groups living around the world has revealed all men share the same Y chromosome consistent with a single male ancestor of the human race, who also lived in Africa sometime around 100,000 to 200,000 years ago [20].
In fact, it was the undeniable biological evidence of an intelligent creator that English Philosopher and the world’s most renowned former atheist, Anthony Flew came to believe in God and wrote in his book, There Is A God: How the World’s Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind, “I now believe there is a God...I now think the evidence does point to a creative Intelligence almost entirely because of the DNA investigations. What I think the DNA material has done is that it has shown, by the almost unbelievable complexity of the arrangements which are needed to produce life, that intelligence must have been involved in getting these extraordinarily diverse elements to work together” [21].
The fossil records do not support the atheistic spontaneous generation belief (i.e., Macro Evolution) either.
According to the well-established archaeological facts, modern multi-cellular animals make their first uncontested appearance in the fossil record some 570 million years ago – and with a bang, not a gradual rise. This explosion of life marks the arrival virtually all major groups of modern animals and all within a miniscule span, geologically speaking, a few million years [22]. The history of most fossil species includes two features particularly inconsistent with the atheistic spontaneous generation belief:
1. Stasis: most species exhibit no directional change during their time on earth. They appear in the fossil record looking much the same as when they disappear.
2. Sudden Appearance: in the fossil record, a species does not rise gradually by the steady transformation of its ancestors; it appears all at once and fully formed [23].
Even Darwin recognized this problem, as he wrote in Chapter 6 of his book, Origin of Species, “If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed, which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down” [24].
So, since information is immaterial and cannot be weighed or physically measured nor does it come from chemicals, since books are created from intelligent minds and there is enough organised complex information stored in a human being’s DNA cells that it could fill a book 55.8 quintillion pages long, since all human beings are descended from one literal single male ancestor and one literal single female ancestor, since all animal life exploded into existence within a miniscule span and didn’t form by numerous, successive, slight modifications over billions of years, it confirms beyond a reasonable doubt that all life has been created by an intelligent creator.
God is the best explanation for objective morals and values in the world (commonly and collectively referred to as objective morality or the Moral Law). Why?
First, the Moral Law cannot be instinct or else humans would always act on their strongest impulse, but evidence confirms we don’t. For example, humans sometimes choose duty (e.g., to save a drowning person) over instinct (not to risk our own life) [25]. Second, the Moral Law cannot be the result of mere social law (i.e., majority vote) because the moral law has condemned established social inventions like Nazism. For example, the Nazis at the Nuremberg Trials were not found guilty of committing crimes against social law but were found guilty of defying a higher moral principle (later called Nuremberg Principle) [26]. Third, the Moral Law cannot be identified as the laws of nature since the Moral Law is prescriptive (i.e., commands how people ought to act), not descriptive like the laws of nature (simply describes how people act) [27] [28].
In fact, human beings would not know there was injustice unless there were an objective standard of justice. For example, evil, by definition, is corruption of good; there is no such thing as an evil “substance” or an evil in itself. So, if a sceptic claims something really was evil, how did they get this idea of evil and good. A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What are they comparing this universe with when it’s called evil. Of course, the sceptic can claim the statement, “God can’t exist because the world is so evil and unjust” as nothing but a private idea of their own. But if they did that, then their argument against God collapses too--for the argument is dependent on saying the world is unjust, not simply that it does not happen to please their fancies. Thus, in the very act of trying to prove that God does not exist - in other words, that the whole of reality is pointless - the sceptic is forced to assume that one part of reality - namely their idea of justice - is objective (i.e., discovered not invented). In short, we cannot know evil except on the backdrop of good. If evil is real, then there must be an objective standard of good by which we know that [29].
World renowned geneticist, director of the Human Genome Project and former atheist, Francis Collins wrote in his book, The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief, “After 28 years as a believer, the Moral Law still stands out for me as the strongest signpost to God. More than that, it points to a God that cares about human beings, a God that is infinitely good and holy” [30].
So, since the Moral Law cannot be the result of instinct, since moral principles are universal – apply to all human beings – and cannot be the result of social laws, since the Moral Law is prescriptive (i.e., commands how people ought to act) and not descriptive (simply describes how people act), since it is discovered and not invented thus existed before the invention of human-made social laws, the Moral Law is objective and cannot be subjective (i.e., a matter of personal opinion).
Meaning, since every moral law has a moral lawgiver and there is an objective moral law, it confirms beyond a reasonable doubt there is an objective moral lawgiver.
This inevitably leads to one uncomfortable yet undeniable conclusion. By comparing the well-established cosmological, astronomical, biological, archaeological facts, along with a logical interpretation of the facts, it confirms beyond a reasonable doubt that an infinite God does exists, and thus reveals what this actually means. Not just that atheism is objectively false – this is clear but it isn’t the important bit. It means since God exists then we are accountable to him. But since God is Holy and mankind is accountable to him, no amount of effort, no good deeds, no money, no talent, no achievements are enough to take away our guilt of sin (Isaiah 64:6). How can mankind ever be reconciled to God if we cannot save ourselves?
We see throughout the Bible that God’s plan of salvation through Jesus Christ was laid out before He created time. (Titus 1:1-2, 2, Timothy 1:8-9, Ephesians 1:4-6, Revelation 13:8). In John 3:16-17 it reads, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
God has not only revealed himself through creation, but made a way for his loved creation to be saved through him.
Does God exist? Beyond a reasonable doubt, yes – God does exists. Science has not disproven the existence of God, science affirms God’s existence. Christians do not believe in God out of ignorance or delusion, atheism is the delusion. Christians believe in the existence of God because it is the most rational and logical explanation to why anything exists, including you.
This leaves a choice. Since facts are independent of human opinion and exist whether we like them or not, regardless of how we feel or think about them, there are two options. As facts logically can’t be rejected, a person can choose to simply ignore reality and live a life of ignorance and irrationality. Or, a person can acknowledge what the facts mean, choose to follow the evidence where it leads, regardless of where it leads and come to God.
Jeremiah 29:13, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
References:
1. Robert Jastrow, God and the Astronomers New York: Norton, 1978, p.48
2. N, Giesler & F, Turek. I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist. (4 March 2004) pg. 250 – 340
3. The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science Vol. 16, No. 63 (Nov., 1965), pp. 187-208 (22 pages) Published By: The University of Chicago Press
4. Stephen Hawking, A Brief History of Time, September 1, 1998
5. Stephen Hawking, The Beginning of Time, academic lecture, https://www.hawking.org.uk/in-words/lectures/the-beginning-of-time, 1996
6. C.S. Lewis. God In The Dock. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.; Reprint edition (March 24, 1972) pg. 144
7. Lennox, J.C. God’s Undertaker: Has Science Buried God? (March 20, 2009)
8. J. Warner Wallace: Fine-Tuning of the Force Strengths to Permit Life, August 3, 2014
9. William Lane Craig. Design and the anthropic fine-tuning of the universe. 2003 - In Neil A. Manson (ed.), God and Design: The Teleological Argument and Modern Science. Routledge.
10. John Leslie. Time and the anthropic principle. 1992 (403):521-540.
11. R. Collins. The Fine Tuning Design Argument: A Scientific Argument for the Existence of God. University of Colorado, 1993
12. Paul C. Davies, The Cosmic Blueprint (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1988), p. 203.
13. N, Giesler & F, Turek. I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist. (4 March 2004) pg. 156 –188
14. John D. Barrow & Frank J. Tipler. The Anthropic Cosmological Principle. Revised Edition (August 25, 1988)
15. Oxford Reference. Spontaneous Generation. Spontaneous generation - Oxford Reference
16. Stephen C. Meyer. Darwin's Doubt: The Explosive Origin of Animal Life and the Case for Intelligent Design HarperOne (June 03 2014).
17. Francis. S. Collins. The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief. (9 August 2007)
18. Stephen C. Meyer. Signature in the Cell: DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design. HarperOne (23 June 2009).
19. Rebecca L. Cann, Mark Stoneking & Allan C. Wilson. Mitochondrial DNA and Human Evolution. Journal of Nature, 01 January 1987.
20. M. F. Hammer, A. B. Spurdle, T. Karafet, M. R. Bonner, E. T. Wood, A. Novelletto, P. Malaspina, R. J. Mitchell, S. Horai, T. Jenkins and S. L. Zegura. The Geographic Distribution of Human Y Chromosome Variation. 1997, Genetics Society of America.
21. Anthony Flew, There Is A God: How the World’s Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind, 13 October 2009
22. Gould, S.J. (1989). Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History. W. W. Norton & Company (pg. 24)
23. Gould, Stephen J. The Panda's Thumb, 1980, p. 181-182
24. Charles Darwin, Origin of Species, 1859, Chapter 6
25. Robert Gascoigne. God and Objective Moral Values Robert Gascoigne. Vol. 21, No. 4 (Dec., 1985). Published By: Cambridge University Press. https://www.jstor.org/stable/20006226
26. Moreland, J. P. and William Lane Craig. Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview. Downers Grove, Ill: Intervarsity Press, 2003.
27. J. Budziszewski, Objections, Obstacles, Acceptance.
28. N, Giesler & F, Turek. I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist. (4 March 2004) pg. 290 – 338
29. C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, part 1
30. Francis. S. Collins. The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief, pg. 218
