Thursday, June 18, 2020

THE DESPERATION OF THE LATE NATURALIST STEPHEN HAWKING




In a desperate attempt to naturalistically explain the origin of everything, the late and renowned Stephen Hawking claimed:

·       “Because there is a law like gravity, the universe will create itself from nothing.” (The Grand Design, Bantam, 2010, 180)

How in the world, or out of it, can the universe create itself if it doesn’t already exist! Besides, if there is no universe, from where did gravity arise? From nothing? And what sustains gravity immutably and elegantly? Also, while forces like gravity can act upon matter, there is no evidence that they can create matter or anything else out of nothing. The First Law of Thermodynamics strongly opposes such a wild idea.

It seems that only desperation would grasp upon such a theory, a desperate attempt to avoid the obvious - God. Mathematician John C. Lennox observes:

·       “The laws of physics can explain how the jet engine works, but someone had to build the thing, put in the fuel and start it up. The jet could not have been created without the laws of physics...Similarly, the laws of physics could never have actually built the universe. Some agency must have been involved.” (Salvo Magazine, Spring 2019, 35).

According to Lennox, there is a definite limit to what laws can explain. Besides, they too require an explanation. From this perspective, it seems that Intelligent Design cannot be so easily dismissed.

The science has done such a thorough job in promoting philosophical naturalism that no one is troubled there is not even a single bit of evidence that anything is natural or has a natural cause. However, even the smallest atom is a marvel of design. And why shouldn’t this be so if it’s God’s creation!

In light of this, naturalism has no necessary connection to science and every connection to religion, presenting us with a natural and alternative creator god, while conveniently overlooking the difficult questions like, “How are the laws of science changelessly sustained in a world of molecules in motion?” Why? Desperation has tunnel-vision.

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