The Age of the Universe Depends on WhereYou Are

My wife and I sometimes enjoy watching nature programs on cable television about life in the sea or life in Africa.  During the show, usually sometime close to the beginning of the program we will hear the narrator mention how many millions of years ago a species came into existence and what the species evolved from. There is never an explanation of the basis for the claim; it is simply stated as fact. This post is not an attempt to debate the controversy of humans evolving from lower animals. We will certainly blog about that at a later time. This post is to educate the reader about the methods devised to determine how old something is and the assumptions that are made to support these methods.

 According to secular scientist, it is settled that the universe is approximately 13.7 billion years old and the Earth is approximately 4.5 billion years old. A variety of “scientific” methods have been developed to support these claims. One thing we plan to do is to interview college students and ask their opinion as to the age of the Earth and ask them to explain how they arrived at their opinion. We will publish these results in a later blog.

Let us begin at the beginning and discuss the age of the universe. In the book, Starlight and Time, Dr. Russell Humphreys explains that the measure of time in the universe is not the same everywhere; in fact, time passes at different rates depending on factors including the magnitude of the force of gravity. The accepted theory of Black Holes in the universe is that any object or even light sucked into a Black Hole cannot escape because of the massive force of gravity. In other words, the velocity of light is not a constant. This understood theory means that light will travel at a much slower rate under the influence of massive amounts of gravity. Dr. Humphreys' theory is that the creation event took place in the vicinity of where the earth now resides and that the entire mass of the universe was centered here. As the universe rapidly expanded, time passed much faster away from the center of mass. As the universe expanded, time would pass faster as the mass increased its distance from the center of gravity. If you were able to be on the outside edge of this expansion, the rate of the passage of time would not seem unusual to you just as it would not seem unusual to someone left behind at the center of gravity. Both would experience time passing at a normal rate but there would be a vast comparative difference. In other words, one could experience 13.7 billion years while the other could experience only 6000 years. The math is complicated, but it has been worked out and it is in the realm of possibilities. This phenomenon is due to the fact that the rate of time passing is not a constant but varies depending on the value of gravity at a point in the universe.

What about the theory that we see light from galaxies that are 13.7 billion light years from earth? If the Earth is near the center of the universe, this would be the original point of the source of the light.

When astrophysicists measured the rate of the acceleration of the universe, they understood that there was not enough visible matter in the universe to explain the rate. Their solution was that the overwhelming type of matter in the universe was “dark matter”, the kind we cannot see.  As a counter to that theory, in the Proceedings ofthe National Academy of Science, two mathematicians, Blake Temple and Joel Smoller suggest a solution to the accelerating universe that doesn’t require conjuring up anything like “dark matter” — in fact, it doesn’t require conjuring up anything new at all. Their solution works with the current laws of physics we already have. Their solution? That the acceleration seen is due to an expanding shockwave that occurred after the Big Bang–a shockwave that would have originated very near the Earth. Did you catch that? A shockwave, plowing through the universe and spreading out the galaxies that originated near the Earth.

It is understood that this will not sit well with established science in that it flies in the face of The Copernican Principle that states that the Earth is not in a special place in the universe and has no special significance. Actually the only thing that Copernicus demonstrated was that the whole universe did not rotate around the Earth, but that the Earth rotated around the Sun. His discoveries were later expanded by scientist to claim that Earth was mediocre and not privileged in any way.

This blog post is not an attempt to claim that it is absolutely true that the earth is at or near the center of the universe, but an exercise in critical thinking so that we understand the concepts that are presented as scientific fact, are not necessarily the truth.

When you let your mind challenge scientific statements and start asking questions about the veracity of what you have been taught, you find that behind some claims is not the truth, but a desire to validate someone’s philosophy.  Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free, John 8: 32 NIV.

A Universe Fine Tuned for Life

 

Last Christmas season, my wife and I were invited to a party at a friend’s home. We met several people including a young man that was a physics professor with a PhD in physics. I engaged him in conversation about the universe by asking him a series of questions. For example, I ask him “How do you think the universe came into existence?” His answer was predictable. He answered that it all started in the Big Bang about 14 billion years ago. Then I ask him “What was the cause of the Big Bang?” His answer was that he did not know and as far as he knew, no one did. When we started talking about evolution and I asked him “From what did protons, neutrons and electrons evolve”, he got a concerned look on his face and he changed the subject.

In the book The Privileged Planet, the authors show, by statistical analysis, that the universe is fine tuned for life and the odds that life exists in this universe is almost negligible. In other words, the conditions in the universe necessary for life to exist are very complex to the point that except for a Designer, we could not be here. A couple of examples of the conditions needed for life are the values of gravity and the electromagnetic force.  These are the only two forces in the universe except for the strong and weak nuclear forces-forces that we mere mortals cannot personally observe.

When I used to teach mechanical engineering at the University of Louisville in the 1980’s, the first thing I would always share with my class was the formula for the value of gravity- F=G x m1 x m2/r squared. I explained that the “F” stood for the force due to gravity and the “m1 & m2” represented two masses in the universe such as a human being and the earth and the “r” was the distance between the 2 masses. The only symbol that doesn’t represent anything tangible is the “G”. This is the fudge factor inserted into the equation to make everything work in the computation.  The value of “G” is 0.0000000000667384.  I then ask the class “Why is that the value?” Science did not decide the value; science observed the value. Who designed the value? A similar philosophical analysis can be made concerning the formula for the electromagnetic force between two electrically charged bodies and the constant “k”.

Getting back to the conditions necessary for life, if these constants were only slightly different values life would not be possible in the universe. In the book, The Privileged Planet, there are 20 other factors necessary for life detailed and discussed. The Truth is, science is not a participant in nature, it is only an observer and may I add a somewhat less than enlightened observer. It does take some intellect to observe God’s handiwork but it takes arrogance to try to eliminate Him from the formula.

I leave you with Psalm 19: 1-4

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.
 They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them.
 Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.

“Then you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free.” John 8: 32.

The Simplicity of the Complexity

God's design is both astoundingly simple and unbelievably complex. The simplicity begins with the activity of three separate persons performing the functions of the creation. God the Father initiating design (Genesis 1:1), the Son carrying out His plan (John 1:1-3) and the Holy Spirit observing and hovering over it (Genesis 1:2). Just as God utilized the three persons of the Trinity to speak the universe into existence, He designed the universe and its laws with three characteristics. As science teaches, we experience our universe through three parameters-Time, Space and Matter. "In the beginning..."-Time, "...God created the heavens..."-Space, "...and the Earth."-Matter. Some may ask "What about energy; isn't that a parameter we experience." As we have learned, matter and energy are two forms of the same as expressed in the formula for the Theory of Relativity developed by Albert Einstein, E=mc squared. Where the amount of energy, E, available in the universe is dependent on mass, m, and the speed of light, c.

 

So far we have the Triune God that created and the triune universe that was created. Now let's look at the three parameters of the universe. As we experience time, we are aware of three dimensions-past, present, and the future. We experience space in three dimensions, length, width and depth or X,Y and Z as science denotes it. And finally, matter has three forms, solid, liquid, and gas. When we examine matter on the microscopic level we find that the primary subatomic particles that make up all matter are protons, neutrons and electrons. We could also go further into protons and neutrons and find that on a quantum level, protons and neutrons are made of three quarks each. By the way, science has decided that all of these particles exist without ever seeing any quarks, protons, neutrons, electrons or even atoms. On a Macro-scale, the triune universe is so vast, science is only guessing how vast it is; if you blink it is much bigger than it was. Now we are getting into the complexity of these simple triune things and parameters at which we marvel. This is stuff for another blog.

Please continue to follow along with us to examine the complexity of God's marvelous creation. “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” John 8:32. We will go were the truth takes us.

The Triune God at Creation

All through the Bible, God is presented as three persons-God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. During creation, the three persons of the Godhead were all active performing their tasks. As we find in Genesis 1:1-2: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” The Hebrew word used here is “Elohim” which is considered by some theologians to be the plural noun for God.  Whether “Elohim” is singular or plural or not, the involvement of all three persons of the Godhead in the acts of creation is clear. The word used for hovering in verse 2 is a term of protection and care. It is recorded in Genesis 1:26 that God made man (Adam): “Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’” It is clear that God is including all three persons of the Trinity in the making of mankind.  

God the father was the designer, the Holy Spirit was the observer/helper and the Son was the active agent in the creation of all things. This is clear in the reading of John 1:1-3: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” Allowing the Bible to interpret the Bible, we understand clearly that the Son was the Father’s agent in creating the universe.

The Father directed the Son to create the complexity of the universe; the Son obeyed. While Jesus was on earth as fully man and fully God he confirmed this in John 8:28-29: “ So Jesus said, ‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. The one who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do what pleases Him.’”  

In my first blog titled A Problem with a Definition I referred to the most popular definition of the term “Science”: the systematic study of the nature and behavior of the material and physical universe, based on observation, experiment, and measurement, and the formulation of laws to describe these facts in general terms.” If we are limited to this secular definition, “…material and physical universe…”, it would make it extremely difficult to assert that the universe is the miraculous creation of the Triune God.

As we investigate the evidence of God’s exceedingly complex and magnificent creation, we can experience  The Story of His Grace and have fellowship with Him. Join me as we allow the truth to set us free.

Beginning in the Beginning

Something is eternal! This is a self-evident truth. Try to imagine the universe coming into existence without a cause. To believe that you would certainly deny all of science. Even secular science teaches without exception that everything and every event that we observe has a cause. Wait a minute; I miswrote. Secular science has accepted that the universe with all its complexity, sprung into existence without a cause anyone can discern. Whoops! One more thing. Secular science has no credible explanation for the cause of the origin of life. 

A thing came into existence at some point in time or it has always been here. Think about it. When I was in high school in the 60’s, we were taught that the universe(matter and space) was eternal; it had no beginning and will have no end. Now students are taught that the universe came into existence out of nothing and will end at some point. They are told that science has proven that the universe is expanding rapidly and had a beginning. The question is not “was there a beginning of the universe” but “how did the universe come into existence”. In this blog we will explore the evidence from true science. 

Many believers in the Bible say that we should not mix science and faith. True, the Bible is not a text book, but where it speaks about the earth and the universe, it is accurate. For example, science teaches that we live in a space, time and matter universe. You may ask what about energy; all energy comes from matter therefore they are the same. In first verse in the Bible, the writer described this scientific principal when he wrote “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” The beginning-Time. He created the heavens-Space and the Earth-matter. Genesis 1:1 described the scientific basis for our existence. 

Secular scientist have a story about how the first element was Hydrogen and all the other naturally occurring elements, 97 of them, were formed by fusion at very high temperatures. There is a serious problem with this story. All of the elements are made of sub-atomic particles such as protons, neutrons, electrons, quarks etcetera. We think we know that protons and neutrons are made of quarks, but no one seems to know what quarks are made of for that matter, where they came from. The chemical evolutionist has a major problem with the question “How did quarks evolve?” or “How did electrons evolve?”. When you go back to the beginning, evolutionary theory has no answers.  

It seems to me that we need to go where the evidence leads us. So the question remains, “What is eternal?”, matter or a Creator of matter.  Since secular science has decided that the universe had a beginning and that matter is not eternal, it seems logical that whoever created the matter is eternal.

When, As disclosed in the book, published in 1994 and the corresponding DVD, The Privileged Planet, it became obvious that the mathematical odds of life existing in the universe was so low that it was basically impossible, secular origin of life researchers were driven to a theory of an infinite number of parallel universes dubbed “The Multiverse”. This theory exists without a shred of scientific evidence therefore has become an article of “faith” by those scientist that believe that the admission that a Supreme Creator can possibly exist violates their “theology”. They certainly do not subscribe to Biblical theology but a theology nonetheless. 

To illustrate the lack of facts to support the “Multiverse” belief, Scientific American published an article about the concept. The article states:

        The notion of parallel universes leapt out of the pages of fiction into scientific journals in the 1990s. Many scientists claim that mega-millions of other universes, each with its own laws of physics, lie out there, beyond our visual horizon. They are collectively known as the multiverse.

The trouble is that no possible astronomical observations can ever see those other universes. The arguments are indirect at best. And even if the multiverse exists, it leaves the deep mysteries of nature unexplained.

The intro to the article also states, “Proof of parallel universes radically different from our own may still lie beyond the domain of science.” 

Back to the Privileged Planet. The authors have made a case that the mathematical odds for life existing, nether the less coming into being by pure chance, in our universe is somewhere between statistically negligible to downright impossible. Guillermo Gonzalez is an Assistant Professor of Astronomy at Iowa State University, received his Ph.D. in Astronomy in 1993 from the University of Washington and Jay W. Richards is Vice President and Senior Fellow of the Discovery Institute in Seattle. He received his Ph.D. with honors in philosophy and theology from Princeton Theological Seminary. As they pen in  the aforementioned book:

Elsewhere you might learn that Earth and its local environment provide a delicate, and probably exceedingly rare, cradle for complex life. But there's another, even more startling, fact, described in The Privileged Planet: those same rare conditions that produce a habitable planet-that allow for the existence of complex observers like ourselves-also provide the best overall place for observing. What does this mean? At the least, it turns our view of the universe inside out. The universe is not "pointless" (Steven Weinberg), Earth merely "a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark," (Carl Sagan) and human existence "just a more-or-less farcical outcome of a chain of accidents" (Steven Weinberg). On the contrary, the evidence we can uncover from our Earthly home points to a universe that is designed for life, and designed for discovery. 

By the way, the odds documented in the DVD of life existing in our universe is 1000 trillion to 1.

In conclusion, the beginning of time is well documented in Genesis 1, meanwhile science is still struggling with its version of the truth.  As we have stated previously, we will follow the evidence where it leads. The question that we ask in this particular blog is “What is supported by the facts that we know, a universe that sprung into existence by the power of an eternal God or by an eternal something that science has no clue about?” 

Please follow me in our journey to the truth.

A Problem with A Definition

 

The word “science” came from the Latin word “scientia” meaning simply “knowledge”. As we know, knowledge is what we learn by observing everything around us. One of the most profound questions of our existence is “How did we get here?”

The definition of science as found in the World English Dictionary is: “the systematic study of the nature and behavior of the material and physical universe, based on observation, experiment, and measurement, and the formulation of laws to describe these facts in general terms.” If we are limited to this most common definition of science in answering this important question, we are prohibited from drawing on any event that is “supernatural” by nature.  Of course this eliminates a universe created by a supreme, all-powerful being. By defining the term “science” with the limits of the “material and physical universe”, the definers (secular scientists) preclude any miraculous event such as the creation of matter from nothing. Although it is interesting that “settled science” actually infers that the “Big Bang” did just that.

Some believers in the Bible are amazed that the study of science is so belligerent to scriptural miracles but as you can see, one who subscribes to the accepted definition of the word would be required to consider the miraculous creation of everything we observe a myth. It would also be difficult to square this science with the bodily resurrection of Jesus along with many of the other happenings in the scripture.

As believers in the Bible, we need to understand how the Scriptures are consistent with “true science”. We need to explore the creation and learn that what we discover is consistent with Psalm 19:1-2, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.”

As we explore this subject in this blog, it will prepare us to be ready to follow the Apostle Peter’s admonition in 1 Peter 3:15, ”But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect”. We will find that what we see before us is explained more accurately by what we find in God’s Word than what the “scientific world” has decided.

If you investigate these important issues, you will find that it all points to the wonderful Story of Grace. Follow me as we explore the truth.