Introduction: Universe Battles
By Tom DeRosa, Executive Director of CSI.
It’s the night sky, visible to all, that reveals the grand universe. Its countless stars and vast expanses fill us with awe and wonder about the cosmos and its mysteries. It has inspired many to look up at night and witness numerous objects moving in space at incredible speeds. Earth orbitsthe sun at 77,000 miles per hour (mph), while the sun and its solar system travel through space at about 500,000 mph. The Milky Way galaxy, where we live, spins at 1,100,000 mph as it careens through space. And yet, as I write these words, I am at rest. That is the mystery that Einstein studied and described in establishing the laws of relativity.
Astronomy is often called the queen of sciences because the skies were open for everyone to observe and study. During the Scientific Revolution, which coincided with the Great Reformation, the founding fathers of modern science emerged. These include Nicolaus Copernicus (1474-1543), who proposed the heliocentric model with the Sun at the center of our solar system. Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) developed a new telescope to view the heavens more accurately and began working on the law of gravity. Johannes Kepler (1564-1619) formulated the laws of planetary motion, explaining the elliptical orbits of planets. And Isaac Newton (1643-1727) brilliantly demonstrated that the laws governing the cosmos also apply on Earth through the universal laws of motion and gravity. Their central belief was that a Creator of the Universe established these physical laws to operate impeccably. Sir Isaac Newton sums this up best of all.
And from true lordship it follows that the true God is living, intelligent, and powerful; from the other perfections, that he is supreme, or supremely perfect. He is eternal and infinite, omnipotent and omniscient; that is, he endures from eternity to eternity, and he is present from infinity to infinity; he rules all things, and he knows all things that happen or can happen. Sir Isaac Newton (2014). “Newton: Philosophical Writings”, p.111, Cambridge University Press
The New Astronomy
Astronomers have been examining the vast heavens and their stars, planets, galaxies, nebulae, and other objects, trying to solve these mysteries with their scientific instruments, whether it be a Galilean telescope or sending telescopes into space, such as the Hubble (1990) or the most recent James Webb Space Telescope (2021). The cosmos is filled with surprises, as the Hubble Telescope has demonstrated, with its spectacular images of galaxies, interstellar gas clouds, and the precise rate of expansion of our universe, all of which have never been seen before.
Hubble raised more questions about the universe’s complexity and depth, as revealed by the discovery of 100 billion galaxies, each containing hundreds of billions of stars. But the James Webb Space Telescope, which was specifically designed to view deep space with infrared capabilities pierces through interstellar gas and makes visible early galaxies that formed from the Big Bang. Unexpectedly, however, Big Bang cosmologists found that these newly formed galaxies appeared mature, well-structured, and fully developed. In other words, they seemed too old for their age. That presents a problem for Big Bang cosmology. There are many more challenges to this theory. Yet, many stubbornly cling to it today because it is the only model available to offer a naturalistic explanation without a divine Creator.
The late, popular cosmologist Steven Hawking (1940–2018) is known for promoting an atheistic view of the universe’s origins. He earned a Ph.D. in Cosmology from Cambridge and, at age 21, developed amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Despite this affliction, he became known for speaking through a voice synthesizer, being wheelchair-bound, popularizing the study of Cosmology, and having an impact on the public similar to that of Carl Sagan in the past and Neil deGrasse Tyson today. Hawking’s atheistic beliefs, like those of his predecessors, appeared in many venues, including in the Discovery Network TV series, Curiosity (2011-2014), Episode 1states,
So when people ask me, “Did God create the universe?” I tell them the question makes no sense. Time did not exist before the Big Bang. So there is no time for God to make the universe. …It’s my view, the simplest explanation is that there is no God. No one created the universe, and no one directs our fate. This leads me to the profound realization that there is probably no heaven and no afterlife either. We have this one life to appreciate the grand design of the universe, and for that I am extremely grateful.
The atheistic quote above by Hawking illustrates the views shared by many secular cosmologists today, as many deny or question the existence of God. Hawking is also well known for his theoretical work on black hole physics and for refining singularity theorems. He proposed that all matter and energy in the universe was concentrated at a single point due to gravitational forces. This highly theoretical theorem predicted that both time and space curvature would become infinite. The singularity principle is a core concept in the Big Bang theory, which states that the universe originated from a singularity.But that is certainly something that cannot be repeated. It makes the origin of the Universe highly speculative, with conditions that have never been observed before.
According to the Big Bang theory, the origins of the universe include the singularity that occurred 13.7 billion years ago, which led to the development of life through evolution. This is the accepted naturalistic explanation—the only scientific model—and is taught dogmatically to students at all levels of education. Many are never told that the energy and matter expanding space—and all its massive stars and galaxies—are missing. We can only measure about 5%, while 95% is thought to be dark energy and dark matter. There are many scientific problems with the Big Bang theory, which most cosmologists agree is still a work in progress. The biggest challenge regarding the origin of the universe is explaining how a highly organized system of celestial bodies, moving at unimaginable speeds and governed by universal laws with precise mathematical constants, can exist by the Big Bang Cosmology when the answer can only be attributed solely to the all-powerful mind of God. It’s futile to dismiss the source of everything when we are so ignorant and humbled by the universe’s grandeur—so immense and filled with mysteries that remain to be revealed.
The Heavens Declare God’s Glory
King David, who was a shepherd in his youth, tended his father’s sheep at night and states,
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Psalm 8:3-4
He saw the magnificence of the universe in space and time as the work of an all-powerful, all-knowing, and ever-present God who has a direct connection with the creation of mankind, made in His image. We were created by Him and for Him to have an eternal hope-filled relationship that surpasses anything on this earth. This motivated him, out of pure love, to come to earth in the form of a man — a mystery of all mysteries — so that God would become man, a sacrificial lamb, to take away our sins and allow us to overcome death and gain eternal life with Jesus Christ. This highlights how attentive and caring God is toward us, as shown in the popular verse John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
David continues, detailing the special place we have in the Cosmos,
Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet. Psalm 8:5-6 ESV
We are cared for in every way and saved by the Creator of the grand universe and the earth,along with all things that have life, from the smallest microorganisms to the largest giants of the seas. And he has also chosen us to be crowned “with glory and honor.” We would be Christ’smajestic representative on this earth to shine His light and have dominion “over the works of Your hands.” To rule includes studying and understanding His creation, and that’s why there are universities, colleges, schools, and educational systems, most of which were originally built to honor and witness to God’s handiwork, so we can manifest Him by utilizing His creation for His glory. That’s how true discovery is made, manifested in the advancement of culture.
5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands, you have put all things under his feet.
Psalm 8:5-6 ESV
