cosmological argument

What is the best explanation for the fine-tuning of the universe? Philosopher of science Stephen Meyer digs into the evidence of fine-tuning and shows how it points to intelligent design. Along the way, he responds to those who claim that the multiverse hypothesis defeats the need for intelligent design.

The New York Times bestselling author of Darwin’s Doubt presents groundbreaking scientific evidence of the existence of God, based on breakthroughs in physics, cosmology, and biology.  Beginning in the late 19th century, many intellectuals began to insist that scientific knowledge conflicts with traditional theistic belief — that science and belief in God are “at war.” Philosopher of science Stephen Meyer challenges this view by examining Read More ›

In this special series of The John Ankerberg Show, Dr. Stephen Meyer presents a cosmological argument for God’s existence. In part 4, Dr. Meyer summarizes new evidence from cosmology showing the universe had a beginning and is finely tuned for life on Earth to exist. He also presents theism as the worldview best explained by the scientific evidence. Videos posted Read More ›

In this special series of The John Ankerberg Show, Dr. Stephen Meyer presents a cosmological argument for God’s existence. In part 3, Dr. Meyer describes how the physical constants of the universe are finely tuned for life and presents intelligent design as the best theory to explain the evidence. Videos posted with permission. Stephen Meyer is the author of The New Read More ›

In this special series of The John Ankerberg Show, Dr. Stephen Meyer presents a cosmological argument for God’s existence. In part 2, Dr. Meyer discusses evidence from Edwin Hubble, Albert Einstein, and Stephen Hawking that the universe had a definite beginning. Videos posted with permission. Stephen Meyer is the author of The New York Times best selling book Darwin’s Doubt: Read More ›

In this special series of The John Ankerberg Show, Dr. Stephen Meyer presents a cosmological argument for God’s existence: the universe, space, and time all had a beginning, the universe has been fine-tuned for life, and every living cell contains the information and design necessary for life. In part 1, Dr. Meyer describes the development of a naturalistic view of Read More ›

Does God exist? You can answer that question in at least two ways, including, notably, “yes.” But how do you argue for that particular answer?

A new cottage industry among the religiously minded is the re-articulation of the so-called “cosmological argument” for the existence of God. Its proofs work backward. They start with visible creation and reason that it can only be the work of an uncreated First Cause. Such proofs were once compelling to educated people. Now the average college graduate can do without them. He doesn’t know exactly why this is so; he simply believes that Darwin and Stephen Hawking have somehow managed to explain creation without reference to a Creator.

Darwin and Hawking, of course, have done no such thing. Science can never answer the question: Why is there something rather than nothing? The universe is a massive fact that does not account for its existence and — some would say, following Goedel’s incompleteness theorems — cannot do so. This does not stop certain astrophysicists from trying to generate whole universes from mathematical equations. But a mathematical model does not tell us why there is a universe to describe in the first place.

If we cannot so easily dismiss the brute fact of the universe, neither can we ignore its appearance of having been designed. As one staunchly atheistic 20th-century astronomer put it: “A common sense interpretation of the data suggests that a superintellect has monkeyed with physics, as well as with chemistry and biology.” How do you get around such a “common sense” interpretation? Darwin supplied the answer: Any “design” in nature is only apparent, the work of blind mechanisms. All you need to produce the bombardier beetle, for example, is random variations directed by natural selection — and a lot of time.

Contemporary science presents us with the remarkable theory that the universe began billions of years ago with a cataclysmic explosion, the “Big Bang.” But was this explosion created by God? The question of whether Big Bang cosmology supports theism or atheism has long been a matter of discussion among the general public and in popular science books, but has received Read More ›