Do you agree that everything that begins to exist has a cause? If something pops into existence out of nothing, we tend to assume there must be a reason to explain why. If a magician pulled a rabbit out of a hat, we would conclude that the cause was some cleverly concealed trick. It would be quite odd to suppose that the magician had somehow formed the rabbit out of thin air defying Natural Laws.
Did the Universe begin to exist? Ancient philosophers and scientists presumed the Universe was eternal. A fair assumption. If it has always existed – whilst tricky to get your head around – it doesn’t need an explanation. It just is. Deal with it! But secular scientists now tell us that our Universe began 14 billion years ago, for reasons they don’t yet understand. This event is called the Big Bang, which involved the Singularity[1] (thousands of times smaller than a pinhead) suddenly stretching out in all directions at incredible speed. The Singularity was hotter and denser than anything we can imagine and scientists tell us that time, space and matter all began from this point. In a fraction of a second, the Universe grew from a size smaller than an atom to bigger than a galaxy. And its kept on growing at a fantastic rate.
Some scientists have attempted to disprove the scientific account of the Big Bang because deep down they see the problem: we now have a Universe that began to exist in the finite past, which means we have to look for an explanation as to why it happened – what caused it? This is one reason why the Multiverse Theory was put forward. It outlines an infinite, vast Multiverse full of little pocket/bubble universes that pop into and out of existence continuously and randomly. This 'cause' adequately explains why our Big Bang happened. Or does it? Aren’t we now left with the dilemma of explaining what caused the Multiverse? If we happen to answer that conundrum then won’t we need to discover the cause before that one and so on, with the goalposts forever being shifted?
Does the Multiverse offer up an explanation that is even more unlikely than the 'dreaded' other option, i.e. concluding that a different entity entirely must be responsible for the cause of our Universe? One that is made of completely different stuff; that didn’t have a beginning in the way our material Universe did. Can an infinite Multiverse exist for no reason? How do we know the Multiverse is infinite and didn’t have its own beginning trillions of years ago? Does the composition of the Multiverse explain how it has the power within itself to create and sustain its very existence for all of Eternity?
The proposition that the Multiverse is infinite has been formed on the basis of no evidence whatsoever – indeed the existence of any Multiverse currently has no evidence whatsoever. It simply fits as a nice abstract theory to explain away the amazing fine-tuning of our Universe discovered by astronomers and also removes the need to postulate an intelligent designer behind it all. Some argue that it’s a cheap shot to suggest that God as an explanation avoids the criticisms levelled at the Multiverse. Surely you can always ask what caused God to exist? However, God is described in the Bible as being different in every way from this temporary, decaying, material Universe that we live in[2].
Imagine the world’s new complex Quantum-computer – well, who made it? If I tried to convince you that the creator was actually another computer, made of similar materials but bigger and better in every way – would this sufficiently settle your curiosity? We know that intelligent human organisms made of living matter formed this inanimate, inorganic gizmo. Maybe this analogy provides a clue as to how a God who is vastly different to us in form and composition can create a Universe such as ours. If I ask the head engineer on the Quantum-computer project to explain to me how this incredible machine was made (i.e. what caused it?), he would give me a very different answer than if I asked how he himself was made. One is inanimate and inorganic; the other is animate and organic – the answers to the questions are going to be very different. But if a super-giant, vastly-complex computer created the Quantum one, I would ask the same question of them both and anticipate similar answers as they are comparable in kind.
If God is different in every way to the Universe He created, then obviously He needs a different explanation to it – even a different set of questions being asked to explore the depths of who He is:
He is infinite (everlasting; always existed);
The Universe is finite (had a beginning; will have an end);
He is Simplicity (not comprised of different parts like the Multiverse would be, and therefore not subject to decay which explains His everlasting nature);
The Universe has many complex components (made of parts that need to be explained how they come together: i.e. why do atoms create animals, trees, rocks, stars, Lego bricks, and socks? What joins and sustains the configurations over time?);
He is all-powerful (contains the reason for His existence within Himself);
The Universe is limited and contingent (can’t explain itself, so its cause must be external from it, i.e. from outside itself);
He is immaterial (made of a different substance than physical matter and so not subject to the same physical laws that govern our Cosmos);
The Universe is material (matter is more unusual than previously thought and can point in the direction of an awesome Creator – see my post on ‘Miracles & the Quantum Realm’).
God doesn’t require an explanation in terms of a first cause like a temporary, material Universe does. The Big Bang can’t explain itself. You have to look outside the Universe to find its cause. Even scientists accept that conclusion -- that is why they theorised the existence of the Multiverse in the first place! Science aims to form hypotheses that are observable and testable. Great! Sounds like a noble plan to me. One problem though: how do you test and observe the Multiverse that you can’t access and observe? This seems to be more of a faith position than Science that you can verify or falsify.
I do find it curious that tiny, finite beings like us, can mull over things that exist outside the known Universe. Concepts such as infinity, holiness, and purity form in my mind like echoes from a distant dream/memory. I have never experienced these concepts in the world; never interacted with a concrete example of them. So how come I even know of their reality/possibility? Where have I got this knowledge/insight from if it didn’t come via my senses and learning in the physical universe? Does this also need an explanation? The ‘effect’ is these ‘other-worldly’ ideas swirling in my mind – what is their 'cause'? Have I conjured them from nothing? How much power am I willing to attribute to the human brain if it can invent concepts ex nihilo? What is a better explanation?
We are made in God’s image[3] with capabilities that are not our own[4]. The Bible teaches that God “has set eternity in the human heart”[5] so that “you will seek [Him] and find [Him] when you seek [Him] with all your heart”[6]. What other surprising treasures has God hidden in the human heart so we will desire to know Him? Don’t let familiarity breed contempt. Don’t let busyness prevent you from exploring these deeper questions for yourself. Examine your current beliefs and see if they stand up to scrutiny.
References [1] The Big Bang Singularity is where all the mass of the universe used to be concentrated. It had all of the properties of a Black Hole Singularity but from it 'grew' space, time and matter [2] 1 Kings 8:27, Rev 1:8, Isaiah 40:28, 2 Chronicles 2:6, 1 Tim 6:16, Romans 11:33, John 4:24, Numbers 23:19, Psalm 90:2, Romans 1:20, 1 Tim 1:17 [3]Genesis 1:26 [4] 2 Cor 4:7, Acts 3:12, 2 Cor 12:9, Eph 3:20, Col 1:29, Romans 1:20, [5] Ecc 3:11 [6] Jer 29:13
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