What can Lloyd Christmas teach us about the existence of God? To
be honest, not much. But in a roundabout way, Lloyd’s hope-filled denial of
reality might nudge us in the right direction.
God has revealed the reality of His existence in four primary
ways: In creation, in our conscience, in Christ, and in
the canon of Scripture. Regarding His creation, there is abundant evidence in our universe that points to the existence of God. One such witness is the Cosmological Argument. Although there are several variations to
this line of reasoning, the basic argument goes something like this:
Whatever begins to exist has a cause.
The universe began to exist.
Therefore, the universe has a cause.[1]
Intuitively, we know the first premise is true. It is
self-evident that nothing comes from nothing. Whatever begins to exist must have a cause. In other words, nothing pops into existence without something or
someone doing the popping.
It has been less than 100 years since science confirmed the truth
of the second premise, that our universe had a beginning. The Second Law of
Thermodynamics (the universe is running out of steam), Edwin Hubble’s discovery
of the increasing red shift in light coming from distant galaxies (the universe
if expanding), and the radiation echo (leftovers from the initial explosion
when the universe began) are just three examples of scientific
evidence that our universe came into existence. According to science, our universe began with a massive explosion, something known as the Big Bang.
With all that being said, the truth regarding our universe’s
beginning boils down to two possibilities:
The universe was caused by nothing.
The universe was caused by something.
Did our universe come into existence without a cause? I seriously doubt it.
But if the universe was caused by something, that something
would have to be an incredibly powerful entity who transcends time and space. Or, as Greg Koukl often says, "a Big Bang requires a Big Banger."
Starting to sound a little like God.
Is it possible Lloyd will end up with Mary? Though highly unlikely, I guess I’ve got to admit it's possible.
Did our universe come into existence without a cause? While some argue it may be technically possible, it remains
highly improbable.
And I’d guess those odds are
a lot worse than one in a million.
[1] Alister E. McGrath, Mere Apologetics: How to Help Seekers & Skeptics Find Faith (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2012), 97.
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