Contemplating Our Origins

I. The Universe’s origins
A. Evidence for an uncaused
universe
1. Eternal eventless universe
2. Eternal rebounding
3. Hawking’s infinite time
4. Plasma cosmology
5. Spontaneous eruption
6. The first law of
thermodynamics
7. The steady-state theory
B. Evidence for a caused universe
1. The second law of
thermodynamics
2. Cosmic expansion
3. Radiation echo
C. What kind of cause
1. Contingent
2. Necessary

II. Material Cause
A. Creation ex-materia (out of
pre-existing material)
B. Creation ex-Deo (out of God)
C. Creation ex-nihilo (out of
nothing)

III. Theological Implications
A. A consistent worldview

IV. Practical Applications
A. An eternal infinite cause began
the universe out of nothing
1. Ethics
2. Miracles
3. History

THE UNIVERSE’S ORIGINS

Evidence of an uncaused universe

Eternal eventless universe – The universe is not caused. It’s eternal. Some time long ago, the universe was in a state of quietness. Out of this eternal quietness, a big eruption took place causing an orderly system of galaxies out of some eternal physical matter. However, the law of causality is the most fundamental law on which all science is based. And there are no known natural laws that could account for this big eruption.

Eternal rebounding theory – Somewhere in the universe there is enough matter to cause the universe to collapse and rebound forever. However, there has been no scientific evidence to suggest that there is enough matter to cause this eternal rebounding to occur. Even if there was enough matter, it would still be subject to the Second Law of Thermodynamics. In short, an eternal universe would have run out of usable energy by now.

Hawkings Infinite Time – Time is eternal, according to this view. It has been called the No-boundary Proposal. However, Hawkings himself distinguished between abstract mathematical time (which has no beginning), and the actual time in which we live.

Plasma cosmology – The expansion of the universe is caused by electrically conducting gases of which the universe is composed of. This expansion-contraction has been taking place from eternity past. However, this view does not take into account the second law of thermodynamics. Like the eternal rebound theory, an eternal universe would have run out of usable energy by now.

Spontaneous eruption – The universe simply came into being without a cause. However, this has no scientific support, since even science affirms that every event must have a cause.

The first law of thermodynamics – Many define this law as, “energy can neither be created nor destroyed.” However, this statement incorrectly assumes that some kind of scientific evidence supports the impossibility to create or destroy energy. On the contrary, the second law of thermodynamics states the all usable energy in the universe is slowly running down; thus, the impossibility of uncreated/undestroyed energy. A more scientifically accurate way to state the first law of thermodynamics is, “the actual amount of energy in the universe remains constant.”

The steady-state theory – Hydrogen atoms are spontaneously coming into existence to prevent the universe from running down. However, this contradicts the two principles on which all empirical science is done: observability and repeatability. No one has ever observed a hydrogen atom spontaneously come into existence even once. Even if it did, it would still need a cause, based on the law of causality.

Evidence of a caused universe

The second law of thermodynamics – The first law of thermodynamics says that the actual amount of energy in the universe remains constant. The second law of thermodynamics says that the amount of usable energy in any closed system is decreasing. Now, if the universe is merely a closed system (as held by non-theist), while at the same time running out of usable energy, then it is scientifically impossible for it to be eternal since it would have run out of energy by now. But if the universe is not merely a closed system (as theists hold), then it opens the possibility of a transcendent Being that’s both outside and within the system – an ultimate first cause.

Cosmic expansion – By studies done on the Hubble telescope, scientists confirm that the universe is not in a fixed form. It is expanding outward, as if from some huge explosion. If one were to reverse this “explosion” then we would see that the universe had a central point of origin, what some would call a Big Bang. But if the universe is expanding, then it’s impossible for it to be eternal, since the expanding had to begin somewhere.

Radiation echo – Science has also confirmed that there is a low-level radiation echo being emitted throughout the universe. This static has been found to emit the same wavelength and heat produced from some big explosion.

What kind of Cause?

Contingent – A contingent being is one that has a beginning and an end to its existence. It cannot cause its own being; it’s an effect that’s dependent on something else for its existence. Contingent beings have the potential for change (from potentiality to actuality). A human, for example, is a contingent being, since we have a beginning and an end to our existence. We come to be, and cease to be, and experience change throughout our life. If the universe is not eternal, then it too must be contingent. All contingent things are composed of parts; all things composed of parts experience change; all things that experience change need a cause from outside of it, not only for its origin, but also for its present continuation. All events need a cause. The beginning of the universe was an event. Therefore, the universe had a cause. It is dependent on something or someone else for its existence. And since an actual infinite series of events is impossible, time and matter itself must be dependent upon a necessary being for its origin; they too experience change. And if all the parts of the universe is dependent on a here and now cause, then the whole universe is too.

Necessary – A necessary cause is one whose existence neither came to be, nor will cease to be. It too does not cause its own existence, but neither does it depend on anything else for its existence. A necessary being does not have the potential to change. And since there is no such example of any event in existence with the possibility to regress infinitely, then the universe is dependent on a Necessary being for its existence. An eternal nothing can only cause nothing. Something does exist, therefore an eternal something had to be there to get the whole universe started.

MATERIAL CAUSE OF THE UNIVERSE

Generally, all events in existence have at least 6 causes: efficient cause (what begins the cause), the final cause (the purpose for the effect), the formal cause (the form the effect takes), the material cause (the material effect is produced from), exemplar cause (the pattern the effect is produced from), and the instrumental cause (what the efficient cause uses to produce the effect). If the beginning of the universe was an event, then it too had multiple causes. But more particularly, what was the material cause of the universe? Was it made out of some eternal pre-existing material? Could it have been made out of the same material as the Necessary cause? Or could it have been caused out of nothing? These are the only three alternatives.

Creation ex-materia – Some ancient dualists, such as Plato, believed that the universe was formed out of some eternal “lump of clay”. He believed that God was continually forming and giving shape to the universe. Others, such as Carl Sagan, believed the universe to be all there is, all that was, and all that ever will be. Such a view inevitably leads to theories of evolution, in which man is merely a result of time, plus chance, plus matter.

Creation ex-Deo – If the universe and all that’s in it did not come from some eternal “something” that’s always been around, then maybe it was created out of God. These seem to be the only two possibilities. If God created out of Himself, then He becomes not only the efficient cause, He also becomes the final cause, the formal cause, the material cause, the exemplar cause, and the instrumental cause. In short, He becomes all with no distinction between He and creation. All is God and God is all, the worldview we call Pantheism (pan=all; theism=God). Everything in existence is seen to be identical with itself. But is this really what we experience in reality? As already noted above, whatever began the universe was eternal (has neither beginning nor end). But there are some things in existence that are not eternal (i.e. the universe). All things that are composed of parts are finite. And all things that experience change (whether the body or mind of a human) are finite since what is infinite does not go through change. If it did, it wouldn’t be infinite. Thus, there must be some kind of distinction between Creator and creation, since change is what we experience all the time, unless of course, the “change” we experience is some kind of illusion. But in an ex-Deo universe, there could be no such change.

Creation ex-nihilo – The third and only alternative is that the universe was created out of nothing. This “nothing” is not the affirmation of some kind of eternal something from which the universe was made. Neither was creation caused by nothing. Creation ex-nihilo affirms that the universe was created out of nothing, by something or someone. Whatever began the universe used absolutely no starting material to bring creation into being. In ex-Deo creation, God is the material cause; in creation ex-nihilo, there is no material cause. It came into existence out of nothing. In this case, there is a clear distinction between cause and effect, infinite and finite, changeless and changed, necessary and contingent. The significance of this view is that it introduces the idea of a miracle (in its truest definition), which is found in neither exmateria nor ex-Deo. Even the Ebla Tablets, Archives, 259 states, “Lord of heaven and earth; the heaven was not, you created it, the light of day was not, you created it, the morning light you had not [yet] made exist.”

THEOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS

Now, if an eternal, necessary cause that created the universe out of nothing can be demonstrated scientifically and philosophically, then what implications does that have for us today theologically? One major implication concerns the structure of our worldview.

A worldview is a framework by which we interpret reality. Everyone has a worldview, but not everyone has a worldview that’s consistent with reality. For example, if the universe has a beginning, as shown by the second law of thermodynamics, then how can panentheism, polytheism, and atheism (which affirm an eternal universe) be true? If the beginning of the universe was created ex-nihilo, then how can pantheism (which affirms creation out of God) be true? If the creator of the universe who caused the universe to come into being ex-nihilo was infinite, then how can finite godism (which affirms a finite god) be true? If the creator is still active within the world, then how can deism (which affirms God’s inactivity within the world) be true? Theism, on the other hand, is a worldview that’s consistent with what we know scientifically and philosophically. It affirms 1.) an eternal, infinite creator who has willed to create, 2.) a beginning of the universe, 3.) creation out of nothing, and 4.) a creator who is still active in the world.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

An eternal infinite cause began the universe out of nothing So what good, and what use is it to know that an infinite cause began the world ex-nihilo and is still active within it? There are 3 particular benefits that have to do with how we view ethics, our expectation of miracles, and our place in history.

Ethics – When the ancient Greeks talked about ethics, they used the word ethos. The word ethos means ‘horse stable’, or a place of permanence. Therefore ethics means a stable place of permanence. We use the word today to identify what one’s life is rooted in as a standard of morality. Ethics that are rooted in anything other than that which is eternal ceases to be ethics (stable). Only what is eternal is unchangeable; only what is unchangeable is stable. Therefore, ethics in its truest sense must be rooted in the absolute, since relative ethics is, by definition, no ethics.

Miracle – Creation ex-nihilo also implies the idea of a miracle. In order to get to a true definition of a miracle, a distinction between natural law and the supernatural must be made. When something occurs that’s beyond nature’s ability to produce, the only logical explanation is a miracle. Miracles are interruptions of natural law, not mere violations. No natural law could account for creation ex-nihilo; there were no natural laws in existence before creation. Only by a miraculous act could the creator produce the universe out of nothing and independent of natural laws. And if the miracle-working creator is still active in the world, then we can still expect miracles to occur today.

History – Since the universe is seen to be temporal, it has no guarantee to be here forever. In fact, in a theistic worldview, the universe has a beginning and an end. But between the beginning and the end, time and history are neither cyclical nor without purpose.

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