What Atheism Cannot Explain, part 1

           “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no God.” (Isaiah 44:6b)

             Whenever scientists are confronted by natural phenomena,[1] they aren’t satisfied to just dismiss out-of-hand the hypotheses (educated speculations) that others propose, but rather they seek to offer superior explanations.  Simply rejecting the views of others is a sub-scientific endeavor while positively reconciling the evidence into a theory fulfills the ultimate goal of scientific investigation.  Since skeptics habitually dismiss Christian claims concerning the providence of God it is consequently appropriate to expect from them an accounting for the following body of phenomena on naturalistic grounds:  

1.      The universe had an absolute beginning from out of nothing at the Big Bang[2] in a manner that is consistent with Genesis 1:1.  Atheists cannot appeal to scientific causes since, prior to the Big Bang, neither space, time, matter, nor energy existed by which scientific events could happen.  Speculations by theoretical physicists about the potential existence of prior universes likewise cannot be tested scientifically.  The cause of the universe therefore was the God of the Bible.

2.      The initial creation exhibited a plethora of extremely-high fine-tuning characteristics with respect to the structure of the strong and weak nuclear forces within the atom, the strength of gravity, and the electromagnetic force, all of which have been necessary to yield a universe that has the capacity to support life.[3] Since these factors were present at the very beginning, they cannot, by definition, be the result of evolutionary processes.

3.      The presence of a genetic code within the DNA of the oldest and most primitive forms of life.  Bill Gates describes DNA as “like a Computer Program but far, far, more advanced than any software ever created.”[4]  Furthermore, genomic research indicates that “”not even [the most primitive of life forms] a parasite…can survive without at least 250 functioning gene products.”[5]  Just a single uncoiled gene would extend thousands of miles and contain information that would require hundreds of telephone books to hold it if each letter represented a single base-pair.[6]

4.      Personal Consciousness.  The reality of both our awareness of ourselves and our perceptions of other phenomena through our senses, coupled with our capacity to distinguish the two, is an aspect of our nature that is easily reconcilable with being intentionally formed by an Intelligent God “in His own image” (Genesis 1:26).  On the other hand, devotees to materialism cannot account for consciousness which utterly transcends[7] mere physical matter (I can appreciate a rock; but that rock does not return the favor).

To be continued...     

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[1] A “phenomenon” is a fact or situation that is observed to exist or occur, such as the landing of an airplane.

[2] William Lane Craig. Reasonable Faith 3^rd ed. (Crossways, 2008), p. 126f.

[3] Hugh Ross. The Creator and the Cosmos 4^th ed. (RTB, 2018), p. 233f.

[4] Bill Gates. The Road Ahead.

[5] Hugh Ross. Creation as Science: A Testable Model Approach to End Creation/Evolution Wars. NavPress, 2006), p. 127.

[6] YouTube.com. The Open University. “The Information in DNA-DNA, RNA, and Protein Formation.” July 26, 2011.

[7] To transcend is to exist outside of a phenomenon that is under consideration, e.g. Christians say God stands outside of nature as its creator.

[8] By “ontology” is meant the features of our nature as opposed to our social circumstances.

[9] Dr. John C. Lennox. https://evolutionnews.org/2020/07/why-science-and-atheism-dont-mix/