A PROOF OF GOD FROM THE LAWS OF PHYSICS

  

There are many weighty proofs for the existence and character of God. This is just one more of the many: 
 

PREMISE #1: The laws of physics are immutable, universal, and elegant. 

PREMISE #2: ID—intelligent design, or supernaturalism—is a better explanation for observations from the laws of physics than naturalism. 

CONCLUSION: An intelligent Designer—ID—most likely exists. 

PREMISE #1: The laws of physics are immutable,

universal, and elegant.

THE LAWS OF PHYSICS ARE IMMUTABLE: This should be obvious. If they were in flux, any scientific conclusion or description would be impossible, along with any replication of findings. Textbooks would have to be continuously changed and then discarded. Predictions could not be made. Any form of science would be impossible. Furthermore, there is no way to account for the immutability of the laws of physics, especially when we are dealing with a universe that is always expanding and changing. Therefore, these laws must be transcendently based, requiring a maintaining force outside of the universe. 

THE LAWS OF PHYSICS ARE UNIVERSAL: This too should be obvious. It is only because these laws are universal that we are able to say anything about other galaxies, planets, stars, light, or anything else within the domain of science. The universality of these laws ensures us that the findings of scientists in China should match those of researchers in California.  

THE LAWS OF PHYSICS ARE ELEGANT: This is equally obvious when we observe the elegance and simplicity found in the equations and formulas of physics: 

·       G = 8 pi T

This is Einstein’s field equation. It is the cornerstone of his general theory of relativity, relating the gravitational tensor G to the stress-energy tensor T in a deceptively simple equation.

Many such elegant and precise formulas exist. The following is the formula for the gravitational attraction between two bodies: 

·       Gravitational Attraction = 1/ (distance between two bodies)² 

Here’s how it works. Let’s say that someone weighs 100 pounds on the surface of the earth, which is 4,000 miles from the center of the earth. If that same person were twice as far from the center (2x²), he or she would weigh 25 pounds! About this apparent elegance, Donald DeYoung wrote: 

·       Scientists have long wondered about the factor of [superscript] 2 in this expression. It simply looks “too neat.” In an evolved universe, one would not expect such a simple relationship. For example, why isn’t the distance factor 1.99 or 2.001? The gravity force has been repeatedly tested with sensitive torsion balances, showing that the factor is indeed precisely 2…Any value other than 2 would lead to an eventual catastrophic decay of orbits and of the entire universe.¹

Such precision cannot be the product of chance or of any effect due to an explosion we call the “Big Bang.” Nor is this formula unusual in its beauty and elegance. The whole world of physics speaks of a Design and therefore, a Designer.

Take, for example, the world’s most well-known formula: 

·       E = MC² (Energy = Mass x Speed of Light Squared)

Once again we find the same elegance and precision. The speed of light must be precisely squared. This formula demonstrates the harmonious interconnectedness of various physical elements—energy, mass and the speed of light. Such harmony defies the idea of a random creation set in motion by an explosion.  

Here is what astronomer Fred Hoyle had to say about this and other random processes, including evolution: 

·       The chance that higher life forms arose by evolutionary processes is comparable with the chance that a tornado sweeping through a junkyard might assemble a Boeing 747 from the material therein.² 

Nevertheless, intelligent people continue to believe in the “junkyard to Boeing” theory.  

Without such elegance and simplicity, all the scientific laws that we know would have been undiscoverable and incomprehensible. 

PREMISE #2: ID—intelligent design, or supernaturalism—

is a better explanation for these observations

from the laws of physics than naturalism.

As he considered the origins of the universe and the laws of science, physicist Alexander Vilenkin believed that something was definitely “…in place beforehand—namely—the laws of physics.” However, he admits: 

·       It’s a great mystery as to where the laws of physics come from. We don’t even know how to approach it.³

Perhaps Vilenkin doesn’t know how to “approach it” because he is starting with the wrong paradigm. Certainly, from a naturalistic, atheistic perspective, this question is truly a “great mystery.” However, this might be more than a mystery—it could be a veritable impossibility to find the answers to these big questions, on the basis of science alone:

1.     The laws of physics are elegant, universal, and immutable. Only a cause of equal or greater magnitude could explain their existence and uniform functioning. This consideration alone should eliminate naturalism as a viable explanation. 

2.     A natural explanation for the origins of the universe is impossible because natural causation was not yet in existence at the beginning…to cause the “natural” laws. Nothing was as yet in existence in the universe! 

3.     Invoking any natural cause would also suffer from the problem of infinite regress:  What causes the cause, and then, what causes the cause of the cause, ad infinitum? The only way to avoid this conundrum is to invoke the transcendent—an eternal Causer who doesn’t require a cause.

4.     It is also hard to understand how the unchanging laws of physics could arise from what is always changing. It is equally hard to envision how these laws could remain unchanged in our ever-expanding universe of molecules-in-motion. 

5.     There does not exist even a shred of evidence that anything has ever happened naturally; that is, without intelligence. 

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IMMUTABILITY:  Once again, in a universe of molecules-in-motion, it is hard or impossible to account for the unchanging-ness and origin of the laws of physics. Explosions—like the Big Bang, for instance—do not create laws, let alone immutability. It is therefore more likely that these laws have a Transcendent origin, arising in the Mind of God. This immutable Mind can account for immutable laws and their stability in the midst of change. They affect everything, but nothing affects them. 
 
UNIVERSALITY: Causation within our universe is all localized. The further that we travel away from a radio station, the weaker the signal or reception. The further away from a bonfire, the less the warmth. However, the laws of physics operate uniformly and universally throughout the universe. These laws work the same in the Milky Way as they do on another galaxy. It is easier to account for this as a supernatural phenomenon rather than as a natural one. In fact, it seems that the laws of physics must have originated in a transcendent, rather than a physical, realm. 

ELEGANCE: There is absolutely no natural mechanism that can account for the elegant and knowable design of the laws of physics. Explosions do not create immutable elegance. 

Of course, it could be argued that at the present time, we are simply unaware of natural forces that might account for these laws. While this is true, such a proposal faces major obstacles: 
 

1.     There is absolutely no evidence that anything happens because of natural, un-designed laws. 

2.     Postulating such a collection of possible natural laws strains credulity and seems so much less likely than the postulation of a single Creator God. 

3.     The naturalistic explanation is no explanation at all. It is merely passing the buck to another set of natural laws which also require a causal explanation. Even if a natural mechanism could be identified that creates and maintains natural laws, it too would require its own explanation. This leads to the formidable problem of an infinite regress. 

4.     Causes are always greater than their effects. If a cause is less than its effect, it means that some aspect of the effect is uncaused—a real conundrum for science.  

5.     Some argue that there might be a single, eternal and natural cause that causes all of the other laws of science. However, those who ascribe to this idea are merely replacing “God” with a natural creator having all the powers that God has—but without the ability to produce even one atom out of nothing. 

Instead, an intelligent and eternal Designer/Creator is greater and has more explanatory power than any mindless cause. Therefore, ID can better account for phenomena like the laws of physics, the fine-tuning of the universe, life, intelligence, and consciousness…than what any unintelligent causation could provide—if indeed such a cause even exists. 

CONCLUSION: An intelligent Designer—ID—most likely exists.