The advent of big bang cosmology in this century was a watershed for theists. Since the times of Copernicus and Darwin, many theists regarded science as hostile to their world-view and as requiring defence and retrenchment on the part of theism. But big bang cosmology in effect reversed this situation. The central idea of this cosmology, that the universe exploded into existence in a 'big bang' about 15 billion years ago or so, seemed tailor made to a theistic viewpoint. Big bang cosmology seemed to offer empirical evidence for the religious doctrine of creation ex nihilo. The theistic implications seemed so clear and exciting that even Pope Pius XII was led to comment that 'True science to an ever increasing degree discovers God as though God w ere waiting behind each door opened by science.'1 But the theistic interpretation of the big bang has not only received widespread dissemination in popular culture and official sanction but also a sophisticated philosophical articulation. Richard Swinburne, John Leslie and especially William Lane Craig2 have developed powerful arguments for theism based on a well-grounded knowledge of the cosmological data and ideas.
The response of atheists and agnostics to this development has been comparatively weak, indeed, almost invisible. An uncomfortable silence seems to be the rule when the issue arises among nonbelievers or else the subject is briefly and epigrammatically dismissed with a comment to the effect that 'science has no relevance to religion.' The reason for the apparent embarrassment of nontheists is not hard to find. Anthony Kenny suggests it in this summary statement:
According to the big bang theory, the whole matter of the universe began to exist at a particular time in the remote past. A proponent of such a theory, at least if he is an atheist, must believe that the matter of the universe came from no thing and by nothing.3
This idea disturbs many for the reason it disturbs C. D. Broad:
I must confess that I have a very great difficulty in supposing that there was a first phase in the world's history, i.e., a phase immediately before which there existed neither matter, nor minds, nor anything else.… I suspect that my difficulty about a first event or phase in the world's history is due to the fact that, whatever I may say when I am trying to give Hume a run for his money, I cannot really believe in anything beginning to exist without being caused (in the old-fashioned sense of produced or generated) by something else which existed before and up to the moment when the entity in question began to exist.… I…find it impossible to give up the principle; and with that confession of the intellectual .............................
My opinion, god created the earth, on the 7th day he rested
2006-06-29 16:32:33
·
answer #1
·
answered by G. M. 6
·
0⤊
0⤋
atheism... 1 Disbelief in or denial of the existence of God or gods. 2The doctrine that there is no God or gods. keeping this definition in mind think about this question... "could god make a mountain that he could not move?: now god "should" be able to make/create anything, right?? and he/she "should" be able to move/do anything also, right?? in another question by possibly the same philosopher... "did god create man, or did man create god?" think about these questions with an atheist's viewpoint. furthermore, the recent Da Vinci Code. which seems to suggest that jesus was just a man and the people, the churches who “rewrote" the bible, choosing which books to put in, leaving out others... about important people, like Mary Magdalene. MAYBE... think about the female / pagan religions prior... there is also religion all around the world with different gods, which one is right? blah blah blah... right so
2006-06-29 16:58:23
·
answer #2
·
answered by the queen is here 3
·
0⤊
0⤋
Deism, as a philosophical argument, in the end depends upon the believer suspending not only any but actually all proof which we humans can use to measure actuality. With no tools to measure the actuality of a deistic entity, we are left with no ability to prove that actuality and therefore cannot demonstrate any existence at all.
2006-06-29 16:28:16
·
answer #3
·
answered by PermDude 4
·
0⤊
0⤋
The analyzation of the world easily disproves the existence of a God.
2006-06-29 16:28:17
·
answer #4
·
answered by High On Life 5
·
0⤊
0⤋
Basically the existence of god is not a falsifiable theory - so it can't be tested. Similarly, the fact that I have invisible green men in my head also can not be tested.
The burden of proof is on the one who claims this god exists, in the absence of any evidence whatsoever - and in the absense of any specific predictions (not post-hoc explanations).
2006-06-29 16:26:29
·
answer #5
·
answered by Anonymous
·
0⤊
0⤋
Will an omnipotent, omniscient, perfect and good GOD create an evil corrupt imperfect world?
2006-06-29 16:29:08
·
answer #6
·
answered by Anonymous
·
0⤊
0⤋
In order for a people to accept genocide and the other heinous evils of Marxism, it is first necessary to strip them of their faith.
2006-06-29 16:27:50
·
answer #7
·
answered by Anonymous
·
0⤊
0⤋
God DOES exist, the Bible is NOT fiction. and do you SERIOUSLY think that we evolved from dumber than a sack of hammers, butt scratching apes?
2006-06-29 16:26:20
·
answer #8
·
answered by Anonymous
·
0⤊
0⤋
Lesse....
"The bible is nothing but a mere book scribed by word of mouth and it can be proven if you look throughout history"
Iono...
2006-06-29 16:28:36
·
answer #9
·
answered by Travis C 2
·
0⤊
0⤋
try to read darwin's theory
evolution is a proven fact
bible is a fiction
2006-06-29 16:24:58
·
answer #10
·
answered by cooler 2
·
0⤊
0⤋