The universe is so complicated there must be a god. Is this a sensible argument?

Question

If an ant doesn't understand the universe, we say no wonder, it's just an ant. If a cow doesn't udderstand the universe, we say no wonder it's just a cow. If a Christian doesn't understand the universe, he is amazed and says that there must be a god, and that explains everything. Why can't he just realise that we are not very important creatures who don't understand much at all?

Answer 1

False. It is not a reasonable argument. Proof by contradiction.

Assume that the universe is so complicated that it could only exist if God exists.

The universe exists. Therefore, God exists.
So we would have proof that God exists.

Religion is founded on faith. Without faith, there would be no Religion.

Proof that God exists, negates faith in God. People wouldn't worship a God that is proved to exist. People wouldn't found various religions. People wouldn't go forth and spread the word of God. All these things would be unnecessary, since God's existence would be a fact of life, like Gravity, Death, and Taxes.

Religion would not exist.
But Religion does exist.

This contradiction proves that our original assumption is false.

Therefore, the universe is NOT so complicated that it could only exist if God exists. Q.E.D.

Answer 2

I happen to think the universe is TOO complicated for there to be a God. Why not make things simplier if possible? It's Ockam's Razor.

It's like, if you left a camera in the middle of the street, the whole thing would just be a mess of people, cars, and noises. People could say it's a brilliant, complex work of film that conveys city life, or that it symbolizes something, but really it had no creative input at all. Or, better yet, if you took a canvas and left it where it could get covered in paint. The result would have many possible interpretations. Whereas, a film or a painting made by a real person would be easier to grasp and comprehend because it wouldn't have all the superfluous details that come when it's unorganized and spontaneous.

Answer 3

It is interesting question. But how complicated the universe is doesn't prove God, but how the universe works and the time frame that life happenned on earth that gives us something to think about. People who study statistics have came up with numbers , and for life to be on our planet in that short a time is like winning a lottery couple of thousnads of times in a row. We can't know God because God is bigger than us, like an ant can't know a human.
P.S. It is interesting how people live in darkness, are uneducated, don't know the meaning of the words they use,
an atheist is a person that don't believe anything, so they can not be a satanist at the same time or any other religion.

Answer 4

My grandfather knew all about horses, glassblowing, begetting children (12), carpentry and leather (horse) harness making. If he were alive today, then the world would be a very confusing place to live in ...let alone to try and understand.

Medical Doctors and Scientists may know a great deal about How the body ticks, but not Why it ticks.

You asked, 'If a Christian doesn't understand the universe, he is amazed and says there must be a God.'
( well, it is a rational assumption! )

Aside from the fact that it isn't only 'Christians' who do not understand the universe, your ability to put yourself into a place where your level of importance is 'marked' has much to do with you and your life.

To a child, Mummy or Daddy are 'Important.' (so, explaining to a child that its parent is NOT Important is not only not nice, but tantamount to downright Cruelty.
ps: Does one have to understand Love or perceive it, to feel it.!)

Finally: If, in the middle of the night you cannot raise one of those

'un-important'

Emergency Operators, then obviously, it really is no big deal, is it................?

Your question has a great deal to do with ones perceptions, and it reminds me of something I read some years ago.......

'The sky begins at your feet, to an ant.'


You might like to read a very interesting book by a really nice 'Bill Bryson': 'A Short History of Nearly Everything.'

You might not find THEE answer in there, but you might find some more interesting questions to look at.

Regards.
Sash.

Answer 5

There is a difference between believing and knowing.First thing is to believe that there is a super and almighty power who created the universe and all what is within.second thing is to start knowing that majestic power.GOD as three words go GENERATOR+ORGANIZER+DESTROYER.
Any person with a little wisdom wont find it difficult to know who God is.If we look at our own creation,if we look at the flowers in the garden the earth is same but each has different color and smell.if we see the fruits raise from the same earth but some are sweet and some sour and some bitter.so we know it is not just coincidence but it is the mightiest of all.Creator of each and everything.
The man whispered, "God, speak to me"
and a meadowlark sang.

But, the man did not hear.

So the man yelled, "God, speak to me"
and the thunder rolled across the sky.

But, the man did not listen.

The man looked around and said,
"God let me see you."
And a star shined brightly.

But the man did not see.

And, the man shouted,
"God show me a miracle."
And, a life was born.

But, the man did not notice.

So, the man cried out in despair,
"Touch me God, and let me know you are here."

Whereupon, God reached down and touched the man.
But, the man brushed the butterfly away
and walked on.

I found this to be a great reminder that God is always around
us in the little and simple things that we take for granted ... even
in our electronic age.

Answer 6

No one who makes this argument has a clue about the Mathematics of Algorithmic Information Theory or they wouldn't say such a thing. Usually (but not always) when Mathematicians talk about the complexity of a system we mean the Kolmogorov Compexity of the System. This is very loosely defined as the minimum size computer program needed to perfectly simulate the system. The first problem of the claim is we actually have absolutely no idea what the Kolmogorov Complexity of nature as a whole actually is. The fact the local region we observe appears to be complex is no indication what the total complexity is. It is often true as we can see from simple Cellular Automata, such as Wolfram's rule 110, that very simple systems can produce regions containing unlimited amounts of local complexity. So the apparent compexity of the region we observe is quite irrelelevant especially when you consider that the region we find ourselves in is determined by what is called a selection effect. Creatures such as ourselves can only evolve in such seeming complex regions. Its kind of like the fact snowflakes only find themselves in snowstorms.

Now that we realize that nature as a whole could well be very simple. lets examine the second part of the argument, can a god be responsible for complex system. If a God uniquely produces a complex system, then consider what is the complexity of the God. It turns out that the god must be at least as complex as the system. This can easily be seen since the god itself is a description of the system since the god uniquely produces the system. Therefore by claiming the god uniquely produced the complex system. One has not solved the issue of the origin of complexity. One has only produced a bigger problem than one had to begin with. Now one needs to explain why one's god exists. If one argues that their god does not require an explaination. Then the argument that nature requires an explaination because it seems complex is false as well for the same reason.

So what can we make of all this. It seems to me clear that the only possible conclusion is that nature when taken as a whole (not just the infintesimal portion of it we observe) is profoundly simple. That the complexity we observe is only a local complexity resulting from the selection effect of our existence.

Answer 7

No, it is a ridiculous argument. This is a scientific question asking for a scientific approach and eventually a scientific answer. In no way should supernatural arguments be applied to scientific inquiry.

The evolution of the universe is well understood from microseconds after the fireball through today. In the first microseconds, the physics involved is out of the realm of the laws we're familiar with today. This is the area of inquiry researchers are investigating today.

We understand much about the universe today - expansion, galaxy formation, the formation of solar systems, etc. is quite documented through evidence provided by the Hubble.

Answer 8

want more complications have you notice physical resemblance of an atom to the solar system only different in size or maybe the whole universe, composing of clusters of solar systems, galaxies is just a single matter, a ball, a stone or a piece of metal, the point is, the universe is so vast and complicated anything is possible, other justify the complication with supernatural existance or god, or others just a freak of science, others simply dont care, but christian or not, if you live your life the righteous way and follow what you believe in. Don't look for any more complications. The universe has lots of it ................, its endless

Answer 9

Hi Mary. Some people are like the caveman. They can't understand how something works so they put the god factor ( or X-factor) to explain it...just like an ignorant caveman. I think these people should also worship fire. I feel sad for humanity when they say life is so magical and wondrous there must be a god.
I guess we didn't evolve enough yet. I will admit that life is amazing.
Also they never get-it. When you say someone had to design life, then who designed the designer? It's flawed logic.
Instead of them saying God always was, How about saying life always was? It's more believable! Mainworry knows more about the Bible than he knows about God! (in my opinion)

Answer 10

You know, those snowflakes are always coming up with unique designs. I suppose God makes them that way before they fall from heaven! And what about fingerprints! So complicated in design that they never replicate. Only a fool would say that God drew your fingerprints on because they are so complicated. This is like a four year old saying God must have made Final Fantasy X because its so amazing. The ignorant are easily amazed and even more easily convinced that the amazing things they see must have supernatural origins.

Answer 11

You are absolutely correct, according to my stand!
Religions have made Nature/ Universe so complicated, through the introduction of issues not existing and parallel keeping the power and pushing the youth towards non sense!
When "gods" were not interfering with physics and sciences, people used to be capable in doing much more than we can now imagine! All these have been attacked with close attention and only a few have access to those! How come and the libraries of monasteries, Vatican, etc., are not accessed by people?