In
this chapter the author sets out to not prove man was created by god, but to
merely disprove the notion that the universe came into existence from nothing.
He did a very good job explaining his facts. I sat for around an hour throwing
ideas back and forth in my head trying to grasp this idea and put it into play
in regards to the ideas set forth in the bible.
When I try to relate what I read to what I know and
understand. I could not help but think of the question; what came first the
chicken or the egg? This relates to the idea of infinity because the argument
could go on forever either way. However, at some point one had to exist or be
“created” first. This is the basic argument of the chapter; that the universe
at some point had to be created because something cannot merely form from
nothing. The universes could not have always existed because then you could not
add or take from it.
This is directly tied to the idea of where and when did
we come into existence. I came to the conclusion that the point of this chapter
doesn’t impede on the ideas of evolution but instead on only the existence of
the universe. This chapter does not relate the idea of creation to the earth or
even humans. When I finally came to
grips with this idea I only had more questions. Does this mean that the
creation in his image only applies to the universe? With the idea that the
universe was created and ever expanding, or the oscillating theory; are we only
a mere step in the process?
Did this mean that god created a scenario that would play
out and have purpose? This mirrors or impart is connected to
the teleological argument. In short the universe had to have a creator.
This once again raises the question did god only create the universe? Which
would mean we are merely a byproduct, or was his plan for us to be created by
the creation of the universe.
This like all other discussions we have tended to answer
one question but in turn open up more. The problem with this is that we are
left with more questions than answers and are back to square one. Granted if
what the author has proved that the universe was created by a personal being,
we are still left with the questions I have stated before. I hope that the
ideas I have presented about our beginnings are not upsetting to anyone’s
beliefs but I think it is a reasonable question.
This was a tough reading!! Russ, I kept thinking of Frankl...we should bring him up! Oh and they solved the riddle...chicken wins :)
ReplyDeleteWhen discussing the terms of which came first, the most popular argument I hear is that everything started from a single cell and developed from there. And my response to that is maybe they are correct. I am a strong believe in God, and my belief is that God created all of us, however why not incorporate creation, with evolution? Some people my say this is blasphemous but even if the evolutionist are correct and we all did start from a single cell billions of years ago... Where did the cell come from? It certainly didn't just poof into existence? Maybe God created the very first cell, and from that we all evolved into what the world is today? Maybe there is a gray area. Perhaps instead of looking at it as; there has to be a God, or there cannot be a God. Look at the best of both worlds...
ReplyDeleteI recently read an article about last year's winners of the Nobel Prize in Physics. The article is here if anyone cares to read it
ReplyDeleteNobel Prize in Physics 2011–The Accelerating Universe
Just fair warning, it's a little long and technical, but very interesting. It describes the research of two teams that both found conclusive evidence that the expansion of the universe is not slowing down, but is accelerating. I think that this would cause some problems with Craig's points about both "The Evidence from the Expansion of the Universe" and "The Evidence from Thermodynamics".
I thought the article was kind of hard to wrap my head around. The author is trying to say that everything is created from nothing. It's what came first?-The Chicken or the Egg? I believe that how can something be created if there is no creator? I have a hard time understanding that.
ReplyDelete