Why did the Cosmic Chicken cross the road?
The universe is everything that ever is, was, or will be. It is infinitely vast, and mankind is infantile in his ignorance of it. In Stephen Hawking’s “Our Picture of the Universe,” he discusses the beginning of space, time, the universe, and existence. Hawking states that thousands of millions of years ago, the universe began to expand. This was, as he claims, the beginning of time and he implies that anything prior to this expanding simply doesn’t matter, because it can affect nothing afterwards (our Universe) and can be ignored. Contrary to this knowledge, is the belief in Creationism; the idea that a divine “super-being” created the universe. If the “big bang” is a cosmic egg expanding outward, where is the cosmic chicken? Creationists think that the chances of the universe randomly becoming so complexly structured without divine intervention and intelligent design is absolutely ludicrous. Jonathan Sarfati, in his essay titled “If God created the universe, then who created God?” gives his opinion on why he thinks God is the creator of the universe, asserting that God is the beginning of time, inhabiting eternity. Hawking states that the universe has a beginning expansion, anything before the beginning expansion does not matter, and that science and math can eventually give a complete description of the universe, while Sarfati is of the persuasion that God created the universe: God has and needs no cause or creator, and that man already has a complete picture of the universe’s beginnings as explained by scripture.
The very last line of “Our Picture of the Universe” is a perfect summarization of the goals of two groups: creationists and those believing in science. “And our goal is nothing less than a complete description of the universe we live in” (311). People that believe God created the universe and people that believe in the universe needing no creator are both racing towards the same finish line: to have a completely comprehensive picture of everything. Each group comes up with different ways to explain the origins of the universe and time. Describing quite literally every single thing that will ever be is a daunting task, and it seems most logical to start at the beginning; the beginning of time and the beginning of the universe. Was the universe always around, or does it have a definite beginning? Both authors agree that the universe definitely began. However, they disagree quite vehemently about how and why it began. Hawking states:
Hubble’s observations suggested that there was a time, called the big bang, when the universe was infinitesimally small and infinitely dense. Under such conditions all the laws of science, and therefore all ability to predict the future, would break down. If there were events earlier than this time, then they could not affect what happens at the present time. Their existence can be ignored because it would have no observational consequences. (307)
This is a statement that the universe needs no cause- it just is. In another interview, Hawking asserts that “Asking what came before the big bang is meaningless- it’s like asking what lies north of the North Pole.” Sarfati has an entirely different opinion on the subject- God did it. If the big bang was a cosmic egg exploding and expanding outward, surely there must be a cosmic chicken, and that cosmic chicken is God. Nothing can have a beginning without having a cause, and Sarfati thinks that:
‘If God doesn’t need a cause, why should the universe need a cause?’ In reply, Christians should use the following reasoning:
2. The universe has a beginning.
3. Therefore the universe has a cause. (1)
The two authors clearly have differing perceptions of the universe’s creation. Hawking knows that, if such a thing could even be defined, anything before the beginning of time could affect nothing after the beginning of time. Sarfati believes that since the universe began, it definitely has a cause, and that cause is Creation by God. “God, by definition, is the creator of the whole universe; he is the creator of time. Therefore He is not limited by the time dimension He created, so has no beginning in time—God is ‘the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity’ (Is. 57:15)” (1). This statement by Sarfati is in total contrast to Hawking’s view that nothing before the beginning of the universe matters because it can affect nothing.
Another discrepancy between Hawking and Sarfati is the difference in what we do know about the universe. Hawking believes that science and humanity as a whole can and will eventually find out exactly how the universe began because it is our deepest desire as a species.
…A little old lady at the back of the room got up and said: “What you have told us is rubbish. The world is really a flat plate supported on the back of a giant tortoise.” The scientist gave a superior smile before replying, “What is the tortoise standing on?” “You’re very clever, young man, very clever,” said the old lady. “But its turtles all the way down!” Most people would find the picture of our universe as an infinite tower of tortoises rather ridiculous, but why do we think we know better? (301)
Hawking explains that humans are curious and want to know as much as they can about their origins, because, like the old lady says, who is to say that the universe isn’t supported by an infinite tower of tortoises? The Bible states “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). Sarfati feels that this is a complete picture of the origins of the universe- that God spoke the words, and the universe began. While Sarfati seems content to accept the Bible as primary source of information on the origins of the universe, Hawking wants to know more. He is working towards trying to figure out as much as he can about the origins of the universe, using math, physics and science. Trying to describe the entire universe in one fell swoop is exceedingly difficult. “Instead, we break the problem up into bits and invent a number of partial theories. Each of these partial theories describes and predicts a limited class of observations” (309). Hawking is saying that right now, the science of humanity can’t quite comprehend the entire universe, but with each new discovery, it comes closer to finding out how the universe began. Sarfati thinks that all of the open ended theories to science all point to the same conclusion: God created the Universe.
…The first moment of time is the moment of God’s creative act and of creation’s simultaneous coming to be. … Some skeptics claim that all this analysis is tentative, because that is the nature of science. So this can’t be used to prove creation by God. Of course, skeptics can’t have it both ways: saying that the Bible is wrong because science has proved it so, but if science appears consistent with the Bible, then well, science is tentative anyway.” (2)
It is important to note that Hawking doesn’t seem completely opposed to the idea of a deity creating the universe, saying:
One could still imagine that god created the universe at the instant of the big bang, or even afterwards in just such a way as to make it look as though it was created before the big bang. An expanding universe does not preclude a creator, but it does place limitations on when he might have carried out his job! (307)
Sarfati doesn’t seem as open-minded toward the opposing view as Hawking does. He seems to feel that there is one logical conclusion, and that science only helps to support the theory that God is the sole creator of the universe and the beginning of time.
Unfortunately they are too friendly towards the unscriptural ‘big bang’ theory with its billions of years of death, suffering and disease before Adam’s sin. But the above arguments are perfectly consistent with a recent creation in six consecutive normal days, as taught by Scripture. (2)
Both men can agree, however, that science can help to give a picture of the universe, but Sarfati believes absolutely that the origin of the universe is a supreme deity.
While the two authors disagree on most points, they both share a common theme: discussing the universe’s origins. While Sarfati thinks that God created the universe, as is evidenced by scripture and the empty spaces that science can’t quite seem to define; Hawking thinks that the universe needs no cause, because it is everything, and anything before everything is nothing of importance, but he doesn’t rule out the possibility of an intelligently designed universe. Both authors do an excellent job of elaborating on their points, while Hawking focuses more on examples and proven science, Sarfati chooses to use laymen’s metaphors to explain his claims. Hawking is perfectly content in not knowing what came before the existence of the universe, but Sarfati is convinced that the universe needs a cause, the only logical cause being God’s will. After all, a cosmic expanding egg must be laid by a cosmic chicken, but the logical answer is that a circle is infinite and needs no cause for beginning.
Works Cited
Sarfati, Jonathan. "If God created the universe, then who created God?". Creation Ministries International. May 7 2010 .
Hawking, Stephen William. “Our Picture of the Universe.” Mercury Reader. Ed. Janice Neulib, Kathleen Shine Cain, Stephen Ruffus. Boston: Pearson Custom Publishing. 2008. 300- 311. Print.
The Bible. King James Version.
Hawking, Stephen. Interview. Richard and Judy. Channel 4, United Kingdom. October 2005.
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