Did God Create the Universe?

I watched this episode of Curiosity hosted by Stephen Hawking, recently, on the topic of "Did God Create the Universe?". I made some notes on the episode and will summarise them here. I will also end with some counter responses to this episode that have been made by the website creation.com - the reason why I'm including both for and against arguments on this topic is to highlight the point that debating this age-old question is futile and very subjective to individual belief.

Full episode: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLkf78_rcu4

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Summary - Did God Create the Universe? Season 1 Episode 1 of Curiosity:

The episode begins by presenting a selection of belief systems throughout history that have been made redundant by scientific progress. Hawking starts by describing how the Vikings of Norse Mythology assigned a different deity for phenomenons of nature they could not explain. For example, Thor was the god of lightning, Aegir the god of sea, and Skoll - was a wolf god who allegedly ate the Sun to cause what is now known as the solar eclipse. The Vikings would try to scare Skoll away with their waving swords and when the sky returned to normal, they believed their actions had worked.

It was Aristarchus of Samos, Greece, in 300BC who began to study the sky and draw geometrical diagrams to assist his observations. He suggested that the eclipse is not a divine occurrence, and was merely due to the Earth casting a shadow over the moon. He rationalised that the stars were not cracks in the floor of heaven as his peers believed, but were of the same nature as our Sun. Aristarchus also supported the heliocentric model.

Hawking then proceeds to Galileo Galilei's story from 1609. Galileo constructed a telescope and observed that the moons of Jupiter were orbiting the planet - hence proving that not all entities in space revolves the Earth. Galileo was under house arrest for 9 years for his groundbreaking discovery and was made to renounce his heresy by the Church.

Aristarchus' calculations from 3rd century
Source: Wikipedia.org

Those who studied the nature of the Universe were often dubbed as heretics and the Church was threatened by their ideas and rationality. Ultimately a solution to this threat was proposed by the religious-minded: the laws of nature are governed/owned by God, and He may break them if he so wished. However, Hawking stresses that there is a distinct difference between arbitrary made-made laws that continuously adjust and readjust to accommodate progress in society, and the absoluteness of nature's laws. From the above stories it is apparent that over time scientific knowledge has gradually eliminated the need for religion, and ultimately God.

So, how did the Universe originate?

Hawkings explains that there are three fundamental ingredients required for the formation of our universe.

1. Matter/Mass - i.e. dust, ice, rocks, gas, liquids, etc
2. Energy - this drives the processes and masses within the universe
3. Space

In the 1900s, Albert Einstein theorised that mass is equivalent to energy by his famous equation E=mc2. This reduced the above ingredients list to only two items: mass/energy and space. Now, when the big bang occurred, it produced enormous amounts of positive energy. But this positive energy is countered by an unseen negative energy which is stored in space. To illustrate, Hawking asks his audience to imagine a man who decides to build a hill from soil. He digs up the ground and produces a mound of dirt, but in the process, also creates a depression in the ground where he has dug. This is the nature of positive and negative energy. These energies cancel one another out, implying that there was nothing at the start of our universe. However, even if on a macroscopic level it may seem like the universe was created from nothing, at a quantum level, traditional physics breaks down completely, and particles appear (and disappear) from nothing all the time. I'm not quite sure how this works - but Briane Greene's documentary The Elegant Universe may give you some idea.

Hawking states that the Universe was once a minuscule black hole smaller than a proton, which warped space-time to such a degree that time was at a standstill, and therefore did not exist at all. I'm not a physicist/astronomer so I will try to explain to the best of my knowledge how a black hole works. A black hole is basically a very big (usually dead) star which has collapsed under it's own gravitation to form a kind of funnel, or a deformed region of space-time from which even light cannot escape. If light enters a blackhole, it is slowed down, and hence, time itself from an outside observer appears to slow down. This effect is known as gravitational time dilation. 

So if time did not exist prior to the big bang, then a God/Creator was unlikely to be present before the bang to have caused it. On this premise, and along with the history of science-religion conflict in which science consistently won out, Hawking justifies the non-existence of God.

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Creation.com posited that the above argument made by Hawking can be negated by two simple counter-points in relation to the positive-negative energy analogy provided by Hawking. They say:

1. The formation of the hill needed a cause - i.e. the man with the shovel
2. This 'cause', i.e. the man, existed before he built the hill

They also argue that:

• The universe could not have created itself because until it existed, it was not in a position to create itself
• According to critics of the big bang - scientists Alex Williams and John Hartnett (both Australian) - believe that the universe could not have materialised by a quantum fluctuations alone as the laws of quantum physics were not established prior to the bang. 
• They also state that the life-time of quantum events are inversely proportional to their mass, and therefore the lifetime of our universe should be less that 10^-103 seconds (i.e., incomprehensibly short). 
• Furthermore, particles today appear within space. Before the big bang, there was no space/vacuum for particles to appear in.
• Some of the competing theories presented in a Curiosity episode on Parallel Universes also debunk Hawking's stance as one claims that when a blackhole swallows a star, it ejects it out the other end - and this is how our Universe could have been born. This implies that time before the big bang did exist.

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What's my opinion on all of this? I think that the question of God's existence is beyond us. The problem with religion is NOT spirituality, or the belief in some great and mysterious omnipresent power/force. The problems with religion lie within the superstitions, traditions and separatist mindsets that cause divide within communities and breed intolerance and dislike towards people of another faith/caste/gender/race/sexual orientation/social status/etc.

I remember watching a debate between Hassanain Rajabali (a Shia Muslim) and Dan Barker (an atheist) in which Rajabali argues that to dismiss the existence of God through science is irrational as God cannot be compartmentalised by time/space or any other relative dimension. I doubt one's belief in God can be swayed by insisting that time did not precede the big bang, as most would say God is not restricted by time or the laws of our present universe, but sits outside it all. (Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9c5-vVwJ2eQ)

If believing in God gives purpose to one's life, then so be it. As long as it is not imposed on others, I am happy to simply not comment on their personal belief.

March Wrap Up

So there were a number of articles that I found interesting over last month, but either didn't get time to write about them or had forgotten that I had saved their links. I will share each one here and make short comments also.

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Full Article: http://www.opposingviews.com/i/religion/christianity/creation-scientist-offering-10000-anyone-who-can-disprove-genesis-creation

March 27, 2013

A Californian scientist "Dr. Mastropaolo is certain that the Biblical creation narrative found in Genesis can be defended in the face of evolutionary science. In fact, he’s so sure of this that he’s willing to bet $10,000 on it." Dr Mastropaolo is a Young Earth Creationist, i.e., he believes the world is between 6000 and 10000 years old.

I am really not sure where this guy received his "science" education from, but your average high school student should be able to tell him about a phenomenon called radioactive dating from the decay of unstable isotopes, and fossil layers. Chapter 4 - Silence and Slow Time - of Richard Dawkins book, The Greatest Show on Earth, explains both the difficulties and the successes of the method. He says that although fossils are generally embedded within sedimentary rock which cannot be dated, layers of igneous rock associated with sedimentary layers CAN be dated. He also explains that there are 158 unstable isotopes of which 121 are extinct. The extinct isotopes are those with half-lives of under 200 million years, while the surviving isotopes have half-lives greater than 700 million years. This alone shows the world is not 6000-10000 years old because if it was, all 157 isotopes would still be present. 

The reason why evolutionary science cannot disprove the creation story is because religious fruitcakes insist on it being a metaphor, and re-interpret it for every scientific discovery that invalidates it. So there is no way to challenge a shifting story.

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Full Article: http://www.smh.com.au/world/delhi-has-four-rapes-a-day-says-minister-20130307-2fopq.html

March 8, 2013

Just a few horrifying statistics on the number of rapes in India. You will all remember the barbaric incident from late last year where a 23 year old girl in Delhi had been raped on a bus, beaten, had her genitals mutilated by an iron bar and stripped of her clothing before being dumped naked with her boyfriend on the side of the road by five men. She died from her internal injuries two weeks later. This grueling story has put India in the hot seat and brought worldwide attention to their neglect of rape cases. Since then more women have become braver about coming forward with complaints. The report states:

"Minister of State for Home Affairs Mullappally Ramachandran told the Indian Parliament's upper house 181 rapes had been reported in the city between January 1 and February 15, an average of about four a day." (OMG!)

"In 2012, 706 rapes were reported, at an average of less than two per day. The increased rate might be attributable to increased reporting of assaults."

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Full Article: http://www.smh.com.au/world/push-to-make-black-magic-a-crime-in-indonesia-20130308-2fpc7.html

March 8, 2013

I found this article mostly amusing. The black magic law is harmless, but just a little bit out of place in the 21st century. What is of concern though is the prospect of jailing those who live together outside of wedlock. It says:

"Australian travellers to Indonesia beware: smuggling drugs will still earn you jail time but, if an official draft of the country's new criminal code becomes law, witches and people practising "black magic", even adulterers and those living together outside wedlock, may also be locked away. 

The new draft law is meant to modernise Indonesia's 1918 Criminal Code, which was last updated in 1958, but some of its proposals constitute a big step back to the Middle Ages. 

In a country where many people earnestly believe that they could be killed, injured or robbed by a sorcerer using black magic, that crime will, for the first time, become part of the criminal law."

Oh, and it also states that "white" magic is perfectly legal :-P Sometimes articles like these make me realise how futile my hope for enlightenment is, where so many people in the largest Islamic population in the world still believe magic is real. If only it was real, I would have asked for an end to poverty and injustice with the wave of a wand.

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Full Article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/14/britons-iraq-invasion-wrong-poll

March 14, 2013

Thought this survey was interesting and showed how the people of Britain and probably other Allied nations understand that all the rhetoric about fighting terrorism and weapons of mass destruction from over 10 years ago has not made a lasting impression on good people, and that the majority now know how destructive the wars have been for their own countries and its international relations.

"More than half the British public believe the decision to invade Iraq was wrong and more than a fifth believe Tony Blair should be tried as a war criminal, according to a poll conducted to mark the 10th anniversary of the conflict.  

A majority (56%) of the public believe the war has increased the risk of a terrorist attack on Britain. More than half, (53%), of those questioned think the invasion was wrong, while just over a quarter (27%) think it was right, according to the YouGov survey.... 

More than a fifth (22%) believe Blair knowingly misled parliament and the public and should be tried as a war criminal over the conflict, according to the poll."

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Full Article(s): http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/15/muslim-brotherhood-backlash-un-womens-rights
http://www.ikhwanweb.com/article.php?id=30731

March 15, 2013

Ok so my comments for the above two articles (which should be read in conjunction with one another) might shound ranty, but is oh-so-necessary for me cause it simply makes my blood boil. The articles are about the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt's denouncement of the very rational, humanistic and egalitarian conclusions of a UN declaration that seeks to 'End Violence against Women" (see link to conclusions at the end of post). Between the 4th and 15th of March 2013, at the New York UN Headquarters, the 57th session on the UN Commision on the Status of Women (CSW) convened to discuss the declaration. 

The Brotherhood's denouncement states:

"...The (declaration) includes articles that contradict established principles of Islam, undermine Islamic ethics and destroy the family, the basic building block of society, according to the Egyptian Constitution. 

This declaration, if ratified, would lead to complete disintegration of society, and would certainly be the final step in the intellectual and cultural invasion of Muslim countries.... 

A closer look at these articles reveals what decadence awaits our world, if we sign this document: 

1. Granting girls full sexual freedom, as well as the freedom to decide their own gender and the gender of their partners (ie, choose to have normal or homo- sexual relationships), while raising the age of marriage. 

2. Providing contraceptives for adolescent girls and training them to use those, while legalizing abortion to get rid of unwanted pregnancies, in the name of sexual and reproductive rights.

3. Granting equal rights to adulterous wives and illegitimate sons resulting from adulterous relationships. 

4. Granting equal rights to homosexuals, and providing protection and respect for prostitutes. 

5. Giving wives full rights to file legal complaints against husbands accusing them of rape or sexual harassment, obliging competent authorities to deal husbands punishments similar to those prescribed for raping or sexually harassing a stranger. 

6. Equal inheritance (between men and women). 

7. Replacing guardianship with partnership, and full sharing of roles within the family between men and women such as: spending, child care and home chores. 

8. Full equality in marriage legislation such as: allowing Muslim women to marry non-Muslim men, and abolition of polygamy, dowry, men taking charge of family spending, etc. 

9. Removing the authority of divorce from husbands and placing it in the hands of judges, and sharing all property after divorce. 

10. Cancelling the need for a husband’s consent in matters like: travel, work, or use of contraception.  

These are destructive tools meant to undermine the family as an important institution; they would subvert the entire society, and drag it to pre-Islamic ignorance... 

In conclusion, we call on women's organizations to commit to their religion and morals of their communities and the foundations of good social life and not be deceived with misleading calls to decadent modernization and paths of subversive immorality..."

It saddens me that words like equal rights, sexual rights, reproductive rights, protection, sharing, partnership, respect and freedom are seen to be threatening by these people. In  no way do any of the above points undermine family. There are so many practices in Islamic countries that undermine family, and force women to remain in households that are harmful and belittling for themselves as well as well as their children. And although it may be true that abortion should essentially be an upsetting concept or experience for a parent, a number of benefits with regards to family life have been observed in areas in the United States where abortion was legalised and made safe and accessible to women. Benefits can be found on the Planned Parenthood website here: http://www.plannedparenthood.org/files/PPFA/med_social_benefits_2009-11.pdf

Egyptian people have fought hard to overthrow the Mubarak government, against its dictatorship, corruption and violation of human rights. It will be absolutely heartbreaking if the revolution became wasted on the mere transferal of one dictatorship to another.

CSW Conclusions 2013: daw/csw/csw57/CSW57_agreed_conclusions_advance_unedited_version_18_March_2013.pdf