Haworth's 10 Ways #1: The Cosmological Argument (Part I)

The best known arguments for God’s existence are the cosmological argument, the teleological argument and the ontological argument. Respectively, these are the arguments from creation (from the Greek word, cosmos meaning “universe” or “world”), the idea of perfect being (ontos, meaning “reality” or “being”) and the apparent design of the universe (telos, meaning “end” or “purpose”).

Haworth's 10 Ways #1: The Cosmological Argument

There is a something rather than nothing. That is, there is a universe rather than nothing at all. This universe must have been caused by something beyond itself. The law of causality says that every finite thing is caused by something other than itself. In other words, nothing comes from nothing. Only what exists can cause existence, since the very concept of “cause” implies that some existing thing has the power to have an effect on another. From absolutely nothing comes absolutely nothing. This can be stated another way: if there were ever absolutely nothing (including God), then there would always be absolutely nothing (including God.) Everything that comes to be has a cause.

So, given that the universe exists (and this is undeniable) on the basis of a cause, the existence of God can be demonstrated as being the cause of the universe. There are two basic forms of this argument. The first is the kalam cosmological argument (the “horizontal argument”), which argues in a linear fashion back to the beginning of time. It was first formulated by Arab philosophers in the middle ages. It rolls out as follows:

a.) A Cause at the Beginning: The universe had a beginning. Anything that had a beginning must have been caused by something else. Therefore the universe was caused by something else (a Creator).

Once you have stated this simple argument, you can go on to support it on the basis of an appeal to scientific evidence. For example, according to the second law of thermodynamics, in a closed, isolated system such as the universe, the amount of usable energy is decreasing. The universe is running down and therefore it cannot be eternal. The widely accepted Big Bang Theory offers major support for this argument. According to this view, the universe exploded into being roughly 15-20 billion years ago. Evidence offered for the Big Bang includes the 1) “red shift” or Doppler effect noticed in the light from stars as they rapidly move away from on another (this movement being caused by an explosion of unthinkable force); 2) the radiation echo from space, which has the same wavelength that would be given off by a gigantic cosmic explosion; 3) discovery of a mass of energy such as would be expected from an initial, cosmic explosion.

Obviously, science cannot offer an explanation for such a cosmic explosion. The scientific pursuit is limited within the bounds of the material universe; it cannot stretch beyond the moment of creation. However, if the universe did come into being at a fixed point in time (as science does demonstrate) then it is very reasonable to conclude that there was a Creator who brought it into being. Thus, basic scientific evidence, as well as intuitive logic, provides compelling evidence for the Biblical witness: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1.1). The universe as a whole does not explain its own existence; as such, it calls for an explanation beyond itself. The most reasonable answer it that there was a first, self-sufficient (independent) cause of the whole universe. That cause is God, who created all things out of nothing.

There is also philosophical evidence that backs up this argument. Time cannot go back into the past forever, because it is actually impossible to pass through an infinite number of moments. If there truly are an infinite number of moments then we would never be able to locate a fixed point of beginning. It is impossible to locate the starting point of infinity; it stretches back in time forever. Furthermore, we have just demonstrated (on the basis of an appeal to science) that the universe did indeed begin at a fixed point in time. As such, there cannot be an infinite number of moments. Time must have had a beginning. If the world never had a beginning, then we could not have reached now. But, we have reached now so time must have begun at a particular point and proceeded to today. Therefore, the world is a finite event after all and needs a cause for its beginning.

This argument can be summarised:

1. An infinite number of moments cannot be traversed.
2. If an infinite number of moments had to elapse before today, then today would never come.
3. But today has come.
4. Therefore, an infinite number of moments have not elapsed before today (the universe had a beginning).
5. But whatever had a beginning is caused by something else.
6. Hence: there muse be a Cause (Creator) of the universe.

...But that is not all: God not only caused the universe to come into being, he also causes the world to continue to be: “And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1.17). The second form of the cosmological argument is the “vertical argument”, which aims to demonstrate the continuing need for a creator. The most famous proponent of this argument was Thomas Aquinas (1225 – 1274). It aims to answer the question: “why is there something right now, rather than nothing?” Tune in for the next post in which we will look at this form of the cosmological argument.