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Why the Universe Is the Way It Is
Increasingly astronomers recognize that if the cosmos had not unfolded exactly as it did, humanity would not, could not, exist. Yet these researchers--along with countless ordinary folks--resist belief in the biblical Creator. Why? They say a loving God would have made a better home for us, one without trouble and tragedy. In Why the Universe Is the Way It Is, Hugh Ross draws from his depth of study in both science and Scripture to explain how the universe's design fulfills several distinct purposes. He also reveals God's surpassing love and ultimate purposes for each individual. Why the Universe Is the Way It Is will interest anyone who wonders where and how the universe came to be, what or who is responsible for it, why we are here, or how and when the universe ends. Far from leaving the reader at this philosophical jumping-off point, Ross builds toward answering the big question of human destiny and the specific question of each reader's personal destiny.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2008
597 people are currently reading
1377 people want to read
About the author
Hugh Ross
141 books325 followersAstrophysicist Hugh Ross is founder, senior scholar, and former president of Reasons to Believe (RTB).
He earned a degree in physics from the University of British Columbia and a PhD in astronomy from the University of Toronto. He continued his research on quasars and galaxies as a postdoctoral fellow at Caltech. In 1986, Ross launched RTB to research, develop, and communicate the harmonious relationship between science and Christianity.
Ross has authored or coauthored numerous books, including Rescuing Inerrancy, Designed to the Core, and The Creator and the Cosmos. He has also presented his testable creation model in countless interviews, peer-reviewed articles, videos, and podcasts, as well as at hundreds of speaking engagements at venues around the world.
He earned a degree in physics from the University of British Columbia and a PhD in astronomy from the University of Toronto. He continued his research on quasars and galaxies as a postdoctoral fellow at Caltech. In 1986, Ross launched RTB to research, develop, and communicate the harmonious relationship between science and Christianity.
Ross has authored or coauthored numerous books, including Rescuing Inerrancy, Designed to the Core, and The Creator and the Cosmos. He has also presented his testable creation model in countless interviews, peer-reviewed articles, videos, and podcasts, as well as at hundreds of speaking engagements at venues around the world.
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October 20, 2015
COSMOLOGY & ASTRONOMY:
1. The earth free-floats in space, affected only by gravity. While other sources declared the earth sat on the back of an elephant or turtle, or was held up by Atlas, the Bible alone states what we now know to be true.
Job 26:7: He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing.
2. The earth is an orb or sphere. At a time when many thought the earth was flat, the Bible told us that the earth is spherical.
Isaiah 40:22: It is He that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in.
Webster's 1828 Dictionary's definition of CIRCLE. "In popular use, the line that comprehends the figure, the plane or surface comprehended, and the whole body or solid matter of a round substance, are denominated a circle; a ring; an orb; the earth."
3. Scripture assumes a revolving (spherical) earth. Jesus said that at His return some would be asleep at night while others would be working at day time activities in the field. This is a clear indication of a revolving earth, with day and night occurring simultaneously.
Luke 17:34-36: I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
4. Black holes and dark matter anticipated. Cosmologists now speculate that over 98% of the known universe is comprised of dark matter, with dark energy and black holes. A black hole's gravitational field is so strong that nothing, not even light, escapes. Beyond the expanding universe there is no measured radiation and therefore only outer darkness exists. These theories paint a seemingly accurate description of what the Bible calls "outer darkness" or "the blackness of darkness forever."
Matthew 25:30: And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Jude 13: Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
5. Incalculable number of stars. At a time when less than 5,000 stars were visible to the human eye, God stated that the stars of heaven were innumerable. Not until the 17th century did Galileo glimpse the immensity of our universe with his new telescope. Today, astronomers estimate that there are ten thousand billion trillion stars - a 1 followed by 25 zeros! Yet, as the Bible states, scientists admit this number may be woefully inadequate.
Jeremiah 33:22: As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured: so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites that minister unto me.
6. The number of stars, though vast, are finite. Although man is unable to calculate the exact number of stars, we now know their number is finite. Of course God knew this all along.
Isaiah 40:26: Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.
7. The Bible compares the number of stars with the number of grains of sand on the seashore. Amazingly, gross estimates of the number of sand grains are comparable to the estimated number of stars in the universe.
Genesis 22:17: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies.
8. The universe is expanding. Repeatedly God declares that He stretches out the heavens. During the early 20th century, most scientists (including Einstein) believed the universe was static. Others believed it should have collapsed due to gravity. Then in 1929, astronomer Edwin Hubble showed that distant galaxies were receding from the earth, and the further away they were, the faster they were moving. This discovery revolutionized the field of astronomy. Eisntein admitted his mistake, and today most astronomers agree with what the Creator told us millennia ago - the universe is expanding!
Isaiah 42:5: Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein.
Jeremiah 51:15: He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heaven by his understanding.
Zechariah 12:1: The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.
9. Each star is unique. Centuries before the advent of the telescope, the Bible declared what only God and the angels knew: each star varies in size and intensity!
1 Corinthians 15:41: There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.
10. The sun goes in a circuit. Some scientists scoffed at this verse thinking that it taught geocentricity - the theory that the sun revolves around the earth. They insisted the sun was stationary. However, we now know that the sun is traveling through space at approximately 600,000 miles per hour. It is literally moving through space in a huge circuit - just as the Bible stated 3,000 years ago!
Psalm 19:6: [The sun's] going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.
PHYSICS:
1. Creation is made of atoms and particles, indiscernible to our eyes. Not until the 19th century was it discovered that all visible matter consists of invisible elements.
Hebrews 11:3: Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
2. Light can be divided. Sir Isaac Newton studied light and discovered that white light is made of seven colors, which can be "parted" and then recombined. Science confirmed this four centuries ago - God declared it four millennia ago!
Job 38:24: By what way is the light parted, which scattereth the east wind upon the earth?
3. Light travels in a path. Light is said to have a "way" [Hebrew: derek, literally a traveled path or road]. Until the 17th century it was believed that light was transmitted instantaneously. We now know that light is a form of energy that travels at 186,000 miles per second in a straight line. Indeed, there is a "way" of light.
Job 38:19: Where is the way where light dwelleth? and as for darkness, where is the place thereof.
4. The Bible says that light can be sent, and then manifest itself in speech. We now know that radio waves and light waves are two forms of the same thing: electromagnetic waves. Therefore, radio waves are a form of light. Today, using radio transmitters, we can send "lightnings" which indeed speak when they arrive.
Job 38:35: Canst thou send lightnings, that they may go, and say unto thee, Here we are?
5. The First Law of Thermodynamics established. The First Law states that the total quantity of energy and matter in the universe is a constant. One form of energy or matter may be converted into another, but the total quantity always remains the same. Therefore the creation is finished, exactly as God said way back in Genesis.
Genesis 2:1-2: Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
6. The Second Law of Thermodynamics (Entropy). This law states that everything in the universe is running down, deteriorating, and constantly becoming less and less orderly. Entropy (disorder) entered when mankind rebelled against God - resulting in the curse (Genesis 3:17-19; Romans 8:20-22). Historically most people believed the universe was unchangeable. Yet modern science verifies that the universe is growing "old as doth a garment'' (Hebrews 1:11). Evolution directly contradicts this, the most tested of all scientific laws.
Psalm 102:25-26: Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed.
Romans 8:20-22: For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
BIOLOGY:
1. Law of Biogenesis explained. Scientists observe that life only comes from existing life. This law has never been violated under observation or experimentation (as evolution requires). Therefore, life, God's life, created all life.
Genesis 1:11, 20, 24: And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. ... And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. ... And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
Genesis 2:7: And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
2. The earth was designed for biological life. Scientists have discovered that the most fundamental characteristics of our earth and cosmos are so finely tuned that if just one of them were even slightly different, life as we know it couldn't exist. This is called the Anthropic Principle and it agrees with the Bible which states that God formed the earth to be inhabited.
Isaiah 45:18: For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.
3. God has given us just the right amount of water to sustain life. We now recognize that if there was significantly more or less water, the earth would not support life as we know it.
Isaiah 40:12: Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?
4. Our bodies are made from the dust of the ground. Scientists have discovered that the human body is comprised of some 28 base and trace elements - all of which are found in the earth.
Genesis 2:7: And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Genesis 3:19: In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
5. Life begins at fertilization. God declares that He knew us before we were born. The Biblical penalty for murdering an unborn child was death (Exodus 21:22-23). Today, it is an irrefutable biological fact that the fertilized egg is truly an entire human being. Nothing will be added to the first cell except nutrition and oxygen.
Psalm 139:15: "My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth."
Jeremiah 1:5: Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
6. God fashions and knits us together in the womb. Science was ignorant concerning embryonic development until recently. Yet thousands of years ago, the Bible accurately described God making us an intricate unity' in the womb.
Job 10:8-12: "Thine hands have made me and fashioned me together round about; yet thou dost destroy me. Remember, I beseech thee, that thou hast made me as the clay; and wilt thou bring me into dust again? Hast thou not poured me out as milk, and curdled me like cheese? Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh, and hast fenced me with bones and sinews. Thou hast granted me life and favour, and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit."
7. The seed of a plant contains its life. As stated in the Book of Genesis, we now recognize that inside the humble seed is life itself. Within the seed is a tiny factory of amazing complexity. No scientist can build a synthetic seed and no seed is simple!
Genesis 1:11-12: "And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good."
8. A seed must die to produce new life. In John 12:24 is remarkable confirmation of two of the fundamental concepts in biology: 1) Cells arise only from existing cells. 2) A grain must die to produce more grain. The fallen seed is surrounded by supporting cells from the old body. These supporting cells "give their lives" to provide nourishment to the inner kernel. Once planted, this inner kernel germinates resulting in much grain.
John 12:24: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit."
1 Corinthians 15:36-38: "Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body."
www.jw.org
1. The earth free-floats in space, affected only by gravity. While other sources declared the earth sat on the back of an elephant or turtle, or was held up by Atlas, the Bible alone states what we now know to be true.
Job 26:7: He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing.
2. The earth is an orb or sphere. At a time when many thought the earth was flat, the Bible told us that the earth is spherical.
Isaiah 40:22: It is He that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in.
Webster's 1828 Dictionary's definition of CIRCLE. "In popular use, the line that comprehends the figure, the plane or surface comprehended, and the whole body or solid matter of a round substance, are denominated a circle; a ring; an orb; the earth."
3. Scripture assumes a revolving (spherical) earth. Jesus said that at His return some would be asleep at night while others would be working at day time activities in the field. This is a clear indication of a revolving earth, with day and night occurring simultaneously.
Luke 17:34-36: I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
4. Black holes and dark matter anticipated. Cosmologists now speculate that over 98% of the known universe is comprised of dark matter, with dark energy and black holes. A black hole's gravitational field is so strong that nothing, not even light, escapes. Beyond the expanding universe there is no measured radiation and therefore only outer darkness exists. These theories paint a seemingly accurate description of what the Bible calls "outer darkness" or "the blackness of darkness forever."
Matthew 25:30: And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Jude 13: Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
5. Incalculable number of stars. At a time when less than 5,000 stars were visible to the human eye, God stated that the stars of heaven were innumerable. Not until the 17th century did Galileo glimpse the immensity of our universe with his new telescope. Today, astronomers estimate that there are ten thousand billion trillion stars - a 1 followed by 25 zeros! Yet, as the Bible states, scientists admit this number may be woefully inadequate.
Jeremiah 33:22: As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured: so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites that minister unto me.
6. The number of stars, though vast, are finite. Although man is unable to calculate the exact number of stars, we now know their number is finite. Of course God knew this all along.
Isaiah 40:26: Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.
7. The Bible compares the number of stars with the number of grains of sand on the seashore. Amazingly, gross estimates of the number of sand grains are comparable to the estimated number of stars in the universe.
Genesis 22:17: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies.
8. The universe is expanding. Repeatedly God declares that He stretches out the heavens. During the early 20th century, most scientists (including Einstein) believed the universe was static. Others believed it should have collapsed due to gravity. Then in 1929, astronomer Edwin Hubble showed that distant galaxies were receding from the earth, and the further away they were, the faster they were moving. This discovery revolutionized the field of astronomy. Eisntein admitted his mistake, and today most astronomers agree with what the Creator told us millennia ago - the universe is expanding!
Isaiah 42:5: Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein.
Jeremiah 51:15: He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heaven by his understanding.
Zechariah 12:1: The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.
9. Each star is unique. Centuries before the advent of the telescope, the Bible declared what only God and the angels knew: each star varies in size and intensity!
1 Corinthians 15:41: There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.
10. The sun goes in a circuit. Some scientists scoffed at this verse thinking that it taught geocentricity - the theory that the sun revolves around the earth. They insisted the sun was stationary. However, we now know that the sun is traveling through space at approximately 600,000 miles per hour. It is literally moving through space in a huge circuit - just as the Bible stated 3,000 years ago!
Psalm 19:6: [The sun's] going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.
PHYSICS:
1. Creation is made of atoms and particles, indiscernible to our eyes. Not until the 19th century was it discovered that all visible matter consists of invisible elements.
Hebrews 11:3: Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
2. Light can be divided. Sir Isaac Newton studied light and discovered that white light is made of seven colors, which can be "parted" and then recombined. Science confirmed this four centuries ago - God declared it four millennia ago!
Job 38:24: By what way is the light parted, which scattereth the east wind upon the earth?
3. Light travels in a path. Light is said to have a "way" [Hebrew: derek, literally a traveled path or road]. Until the 17th century it was believed that light was transmitted instantaneously. We now know that light is a form of energy that travels at 186,000 miles per second in a straight line. Indeed, there is a "way" of light.
Job 38:19: Where is the way where light dwelleth? and as for darkness, where is the place thereof.
4. The Bible says that light can be sent, and then manifest itself in speech. We now know that radio waves and light waves are two forms of the same thing: electromagnetic waves. Therefore, radio waves are a form of light. Today, using radio transmitters, we can send "lightnings" which indeed speak when they arrive.
Job 38:35: Canst thou send lightnings, that they may go, and say unto thee, Here we are?
5. The First Law of Thermodynamics established. The First Law states that the total quantity of energy and matter in the universe is a constant. One form of energy or matter may be converted into another, but the total quantity always remains the same. Therefore the creation is finished, exactly as God said way back in Genesis.
Genesis 2:1-2: Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
6. The Second Law of Thermodynamics (Entropy). This law states that everything in the universe is running down, deteriorating, and constantly becoming less and less orderly. Entropy (disorder) entered when mankind rebelled against God - resulting in the curse (Genesis 3:17-19; Romans 8:20-22). Historically most people believed the universe was unchangeable. Yet modern science verifies that the universe is growing "old as doth a garment'' (Hebrews 1:11). Evolution directly contradicts this, the most tested of all scientific laws.
Psalm 102:25-26: Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed.
Romans 8:20-22: For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
BIOLOGY:
1. Law of Biogenesis explained. Scientists observe that life only comes from existing life. This law has never been violated under observation or experimentation (as evolution requires). Therefore, life, God's life, created all life.
Genesis 1:11, 20, 24: And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. ... And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. ... And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
Genesis 2:7: And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
2. The earth was designed for biological life. Scientists have discovered that the most fundamental characteristics of our earth and cosmos are so finely tuned that if just one of them were even slightly different, life as we know it couldn't exist. This is called the Anthropic Principle and it agrees with the Bible which states that God formed the earth to be inhabited.
Isaiah 45:18: For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.
3. God has given us just the right amount of water to sustain life. We now recognize that if there was significantly more or less water, the earth would not support life as we know it.
Isaiah 40:12: Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?
4. Our bodies are made from the dust of the ground. Scientists have discovered that the human body is comprised of some 28 base and trace elements - all of which are found in the earth.
Genesis 2:7: And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Genesis 3:19: In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
5. Life begins at fertilization. God declares that He knew us before we were born. The Biblical penalty for murdering an unborn child was death (Exodus 21:22-23). Today, it is an irrefutable biological fact that the fertilized egg is truly an entire human being. Nothing will be added to the first cell except nutrition and oxygen.
Psalm 139:15: "My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth."
Jeremiah 1:5: Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
6. God fashions and knits us together in the womb. Science was ignorant concerning embryonic development until recently. Yet thousands of years ago, the Bible accurately described God making us an intricate unity' in the womb.
Job 10:8-12: "Thine hands have made me and fashioned me together round about; yet thou dost destroy me. Remember, I beseech thee, that thou hast made me as the clay; and wilt thou bring me into dust again? Hast thou not poured me out as milk, and curdled me like cheese? Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh, and hast fenced me with bones and sinews. Thou hast granted me life and favour, and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit."
7. The seed of a plant contains its life. As stated in the Book of Genesis, we now recognize that inside the humble seed is life itself. Within the seed is a tiny factory of amazing complexity. No scientist can build a synthetic seed and no seed is simple!
Genesis 1:11-12: "And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good."
8. A seed must die to produce new life. In John 12:24 is remarkable confirmation of two of the fundamental concepts in biology: 1) Cells arise only from existing cells. 2) A grain must die to produce more grain. The fallen seed is surrounded by supporting cells from the old body. These supporting cells "give their lives" to provide nourishment to the inner kernel. Once planted, this inner kernel germinates resulting in much grain.
John 12:24: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit."
1 Corinthians 15:36-38: "Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body."
www.jw.org
December 29, 2014
From the back cover of the book:
"Reasons to Believe scholars proclaim the powerful message that logic and science support, rather than erode, trust in the transcendent God of the Bible. The harmony becomes clear as they present testable truth."
I put that here because that was exactly what this book set out to do (and in my opinion accomplished) in the specific area of cosmology. Since I'm already a believer in the Bible and Christianity what was most exciting to me was learning about astrophysics and the 13.73 billion year history of our universe as scientists have discovered it so far. (Please note, like some Christians, I do not hold a "young earth creationist" worldview and neither does the author.) For instance, did you know that in Ontario is our planet's richest nickel deposit and that it is the result of an asteroid collision during an uninhabitable time in our planetary development (p. 50)? Facts like this and many others about mass, gravity, the second law of thermodynamics had me both fascinated and educated about what has been going on since the big bang and what we can expect to happen as this universe continues to age. Soaking up words like "galactic habitable zone," "solar twin" and "dark energy" had me feeling like a Trekkie throughout much of the book - I felt I could almost talk authoritatively on the subject! (But then one of the appendices went just a bit less "layman-y" and I was bored to tears - so I probably won't quit my day job for astronomy just yet!)
Ross did an excellent job handling the scientific evidence of the universe and, true to the Reasons to Believe model, he intertwined it with theological/philosophical discussion as well - referencing relevant Biblical verses at many points. While there was nothing really "wrong" with his theology I did find his theological language a bit overly superlative and flowery at times - an unfortunate common practice in religious discussions. Personally, I much prefer the blunt, to-the-point style of scientific discussion and think it carries through nicely to philosophical discussions as well, especially in a book like this. However, I wouldn't say his language reduced the force of his conclusions in any way, but only caused a minor personal irritation in the handling of the "testable truth."
Perhaps the most exciting thing about this book for me was having a few new insights into both the physical world I live in and how it relates to the Biblical account. Let's just say that this book gave my worldview an updated framework... the following passage may better explain my meaning. In discussing the fall of man (Adam and Eve leaving Eden), Ross writes:
=====
God did not curse the world directly. There's no evidence to suggest alterations occurred in the physics of the universe or Earth. Few cosmic features could be more important for revealing their Maker than the constancy of the physical laws. If the force of gravity or the velocity of light changed occasionally, the result would be chaos and confusion (not to mention extermination). The universe would be indecipherable, at best, if each star and planet formed by different principles and processes.
The biblical prophet Jeremiah declared that the laws that govern the heavens and Earth are as "fixed," or secure, as God's promises to Israel (see Jer. 33:25-26). The apostle Paul said the entire universe (which would include all its space-time realm) is subject to the law of decay (see Rom. 8:18-23). ...
Rather than the laws being changed, the ground became cursed as Adam and his descendants altered the manner of their work. Instead of wisely administering resources for the benefit of the plants, animals, and all life as God commanded (see Gen. 1:28-30), Adam and Eve and their descendants allowed greed, laziness, and selfishness to ruin their environment. ... When humans practice evil, they experience additional pain and work. Extra work that serves no purpose but to partially reverse the effects of sin becomes "painful toil." (pp. 168-169)
=====
What is so ground-breaking about this to me personally is that like so many other personal learnings, this about our vast, mysterious, almost-incomprehensible universe has only reinforced once-mysterious biblical accounts. The Garden of Eden wasn't heaven! It was part of the same Earth we all inhabit today and subject to the same laws. Adam and Eve weren't super heroes with special abilities! They were human beings subject to the same physical laws we all abide by today.
Thinking about this led me to consider that superstition (acting as though some parts of your physical life on Earth doesn't abide by physical scientific laws) has no place in a functional worldview - an accurate worldview will honestly deal with the facts of the world around us, not conveniently "magic" them away.
At the end of the book Ross discusses the end of the universe and what we might expect of life in a realm not restricted by space-time. (Think stick figures trying to comprehend life outside their piece of paper.) This is a pretty exciting section and shines a light of hope on an otherwise bleak inevitability to life in a permanently decaying universe.
With this book Ross has helped me simultaneously understand more about our physical universe and further develop my worldview in an intellectually honest way. I look forward to reading and learning more like this from the Reasons to Believe scholars.
"Reasons to Believe scholars proclaim the powerful message that logic and science support, rather than erode, trust in the transcendent God of the Bible. The harmony becomes clear as they present testable truth."
I put that here because that was exactly what this book set out to do (and in my opinion accomplished) in the specific area of cosmology. Since I'm already a believer in the Bible and Christianity what was most exciting to me was learning about astrophysics and the 13.73 billion year history of our universe as scientists have discovered it so far. (Please note, like some Christians, I do not hold a "young earth creationist" worldview and neither does the author.) For instance, did you know that in Ontario is our planet's richest nickel deposit and that it is the result of an asteroid collision during an uninhabitable time in our planetary development (p. 50)? Facts like this and many others about mass, gravity, the second law of thermodynamics had me both fascinated and educated about what has been going on since the big bang and what we can expect to happen as this universe continues to age. Soaking up words like "galactic habitable zone," "solar twin" and "dark energy" had me feeling like a Trekkie throughout much of the book - I felt I could almost talk authoritatively on the subject! (But then one of the appendices went just a bit less "layman-y" and I was bored to tears - so I probably won't quit my day job for astronomy just yet!)
Ross did an excellent job handling the scientific evidence of the universe and, true to the Reasons to Believe model, he intertwined it with theological/philosophical discussion as well - referencing relevant Biblical verses at many points. While there was nothing really "wrong" with his theology I did find his theological language a bit overly superlative and flowery at times - an unfortunate common practice in religious discussions. Personally, I much prefer the blunt, to-the-point style of scientific discussion and think it carries through nicely to philosophical discussions as well, especially in a book like this. However, I wouldn't say his language reduced the force of his conclusions in any way, but only caused a minor personal irritation in the handling of the "testable truth."
Perhaps the most exciting thing about this book for me was having a few new insights into both the physical world I live in and how it relates to the Biblical account. Let's just say that this book gave my worldview an updated framework... the following passage may better explain my meaning. In discussing the fall of man (Adam and Eve leaving Eden), Ross writes:
=====
God did not curse the world directly. There's no evidence to suggest alterations occurred in the physics of the universe or Earth. Few cosmic features could be more important for revealing their Maker than the constancy of the physical laws. If the force of gravity or the velocity of light changed occasionally, the result would be chaos and confusion (not to mention extermination). The universe would be indecipherable, at best, if each star and planet formed by different principles and processes.
The biblical prophet Jeremiah declared that the laws that govern the heavens and Earth are as "fixed," or secure, as God's promises to Israel (see Jer. 33:25-26). The apostle Paul said the entire universe (which would include all its space-time realm) is subject to the law of decay (see Rom. 8:18-23). ...
Rather than the laws being changed, the ground became cursed as Adam and his descendants altered the manner of their work. Instead of wisely administering resources for the benefit of the plants, animals, and all life as God commanded (see Gen. 1:28-30), Adam and Eve and their descendants allowed greed, laziness, and selfishness to ruin their environment. ... When humans practice evil, they experience additional pain and work. Extra work that serves no purpose but to partially reverse the effects of sin becomes "painful toil." (pp. 168-169)
=====
What is so ground-breaking about this to me personally is that like so many other personal learnings, this about our vast, mysterious, almost-incomprehensible universe has only reinforced once-mysterious biblical accounts. The Garden of Eden wasn't heaven! It was part of the same Earth we all inhabit today and subject to the same laws. Adam and Eve weren't super heroes with special abilities! They were human beings subject to the same physical laws we all abide by today.
Thinking about this led me to consider that superstition (acting as though some parts of your physical life on Earth doesn't abide by physical scientific laws) has no place in a functional worldview - an accurate worldview will honestly deal with the facts of the world around us, not conveniently "magic" them away.
At the end of the book Ross discusses the end of the universe and what we might expect of life in a realm not restricted by space-time. (Think stick figures trying to comprehend life outside their piece of paper.) This is a pretty exciting section and shines a light of hope on an otherwise bleak inevitability to life in a permanently decaying universe.
With this book Ross has helped me simultaneously understand more about our physical universe and further develop my worldview in an intellectually honest way. I look forward to reading and learning more like this from the Reasons to Believe scholars.
September 12, 2016
One of the most mind blowing books I've ever read.
October 21, 2015
COSMOLOGY & ASTRONOMY:
1. The earth in space, affected only by gravity. While other sources declared the earth sat on the back of an elephant or turtle, or was held up by Atlas, the Bible alone states what we now know to be true.
Job 26:7: He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and Suspending the earth upon nothing.
2. The earth is an orb or sphere. At a time when many thought the earth was flat, the Bible told us that the earth is spherical.
Isaiah 40:22: It is He that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in.
Webster's 1828 Dictionary's definition of CIRCLE. "In popular use, the line that comprehends the figure, the plane or surface comprehended, and the whole body or solid matter of a round substance, are denominated a circle; a ring; an orb; the earth."
3. Scripture assumes a revolving (spherical) earth. Jesus said that at His return some would be asleep at night while others would be working at day time activities in the field. This is a clear indication of a revolving earth, with day and night occurring simultaneously.
Luke 17:34-36: I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
4. Black holes and dark matter anticipated. Cosmologists now speculate that over 98% of the known universe is comprised of dark matter, with dark energy and black holes. A black hole's gravitational field is so strong that nothing, not even light, escapes. Beyond the expanding universe there is no measured radiation and therefore only outer darkness exists. These theories paint a seemingly accurate description of what the Bible calls "outer darkness" or "the blackness of darkness forever."
Matthew 25:30: And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Jude 13: Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
5. Incalculable number of stars. At a time when less than 5,000 stars were visible to the human eye, God stated that the stars of heaven were innumerable. Not until the 17th century did Galileo glimpse the immensity of our universe with his new telescope. Today, astronomers estimate that there are ten thousand billion trillion stars - a 1 followed by 25 zeros! Yet, as the Bible states, scientists admit this number may be woefully inadequate.
Jeremiah 33:22: As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured: so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites that minister unto me.
6. The number of stars, though vast, are finite. Although man is unable to calculate the exact number of stars, we now know their number is finite. Of course God knew this all along.
Isaiah 40:26: Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.
7. The Bible compares the number of stars with the number of grains of sand on the seashore. Amazingly, gross estimates of the number of sand grains are comparable to the estimated number of stars in the universe.
Genesis 22:17: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies.
8. The universe is expanding. Repeatedly God declares that He stretches out the heavens. During the early 20th century, most scientists (including Einstein) believed the universe was static. Others believed it should have collapsed due to gravity. Then in 1929, astronomer Edwin Hubble showed that distant galaxies were receding from the earth, and the further away they were, the faster they were moving. This discovery revolutionized the field of astronomy. Eisntein admitted his mistake, and today most astronomers agree with what the Creator told us millennia ago - the universe is expanding!
Isaiah 42:5: Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein.
Jeremiah 51:15: He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heaven by his understanding.
Zechariah 12:1: The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.
9. Each star is unique. Centuries before the advent of the telescope, the Bible declared what only God and the angels knew: each star varies in size and intensity!
1 Corinthians 15:41: There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.
10. The sun goes in a circuit. Some scientists scoffed at this verse thinking that it taught geocentricity - the theory that the sun revolves around the earth. They insisted the sun was stationary. However, we now know that the sun is traveling through space at approximately 600,000 miles per hour. It is literally moving through space in a huge circuit - just as the Bible stated 3,000 years ago!
Psalm 19:6: [The sun's] going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.
PHYSICS:
1. Creation is made of atoms and particles, indiscernible to our eyes. Not until the 19th century was it discovered that all visible matter consists of invisible elements.
Hebrews 11:3: Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
2. Light can be divided. Sir Isaac Newton studied light and discovered that white light is made of seven colors, which can be "parted" and then recombined. Science confirmed this four centuries ago - God declared it four millennia ago!
Job 38:24: By what way is the light parted, which scattereth the east wind upon the earth?
3. Light travels in a path. Light is said to have a "way" [Hebrew: derek, literally a traveled path or road]. Until the 17th century it was believed that light was transmitted instantaneously. We now know that light is a form of energy that travels at 186,000 miles per second in a straight line. Indeed, there is a "way" of light.
Job 38:19: Where is the way where light dwelleth? and as for darkness, where is the place thereof.
4. The Bible says that light can be sent, and then manifest itself in speech. We now know that radio waves and light waves are two forms of the same thing: electromagnetic waves. Therefore, radio waves are a form of light. Today, using radio transmitters, we can send "lightnings" which indeed speak when they arrive.
Job 38:35: Canst thou send lightnings, that they may go, and say unto thee, Here we are?
5. The First Law of Thermodynamics established. The First Law states that the total quantity of energy and matter in the universe is a constant. One form of energy or matter may be converted into another, but the total quantity always remains the same. Therefore the creation is finished, exactly as God said way back in Genesis.
Genesis 2:1-2: Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
6. The Second Law of Thermodynamics (Entropy). This law states that everything in the universe is running down, deteriorating, and constantly becoming less and less orderly. Entropy (disorder) entered when mankind rebelled against God - resulting in the curse (Genesis 3:17-19; Romans 8:20-22). Historically most people believed the universe was unchangeable. Yet modern science verifies that the universe is growing "old as doth a garment'' (Hebrews 1:11). Evolution directly contradicts this, the most tested of all scientific laws.
Psalm 102:25-26: Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed.
Romans 8:20-22: For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
BIOLOGY:
1. Law of Biogenesis explained. Scientists observe that life only comes from existing life. This law has never been violated under observation or experimentation (as evolution requires). Therefore, life, God's life, created all life.
Genesis 1:11, 20, 24: And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. ... And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. ... And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
Genesis 2:7: And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
2. The earth was designed for biological life. Scientists have discovered that the most fundamental characteristics of our earth and cosmos are so finely tuned that if just one of them were even slightly different, life as we know it couldn't exist. This is called the Anthropic Principle and it agrees with the Bible which states that God formed the earth to be inhabited.
Isaiah 45:18: For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.
3. God has given us just the right amount of water to sustain life. We now recognize that if there was significantly more or less water, the earth would not support life as we know it.
Isaiah 40:12: Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?
4. Our bodies are made from the dust of the ground. Scientists have discovered that the human body is comprised of some 28 base and trace elements - all of which are found in the earth.
Genesis 2:7: And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Genesis 3:19: In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
5. Life begins at fertilization. God declares that He knew us before we were born. The Biblical penalty for murdering an unborn child was death (Exodus 21:22-23). Today, it is an irrefutable biological fact that the fertilized egg is truly an entire human being. Nothing will be added to the first cell except nutrition and oxygen.
Psalm 139:15: "My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth."
Jeremiah 1:5: Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
6. God fashions and knits us together in the womb. Science was ignorant concerning embryonic development until recently. Yet thousands of years ago, the Bible accurately described God making us an intricate unity' in the womb.
Job 10:8-12: "Thine hands have made me and fashioned me together round about; yet thou dost destroy me. Remember, I beseech thee, that thou hast made me as the clay; and wilt thou bring me into dust again? Hast thou not poured me out as milk, and curdled me like cheese? Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh, and hast fenced me with bones and sinews. Thou hast granted me life and favour, and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit."
7. The seed of a plant contains its life. As stated in the Book of Genesis, we now recognize that inside the humble seed is life itself. Within the seed is a tiny factory of amazing complexity. No scientist can build a synthetic seed and no seed is simple!
Genesis 1:11-12: "And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good."
8. A seed must die to produce new life. In John 12:24 is remarkable confirmation of two of the fundamental concepts in biology: 1) Cells arise only from existing cells. 2) A grain must die to produce more grain. The fallen seed is surrounded by supporting cells from the old body. These supporting cells "give their lives" to provide nourishment to the inner kernel. Once planted, this inner kernel germinates resulting in much grain.
John 12:24: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit."
1 Corinthians 15:36-38: "Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body."
www.jw.org
1. The earth in space, affected only by gravity. While other sources declared the earth sat on the back of an elephant or turtle, or was held up by Atlas, the Bible alone states what we now know to be true.
Job 26:7: He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and Suspending the earth upon nothing.
2. The earth is an orb or sphere. At a time when many thought the earth was flat, the Bible told us that the earth is spherical.
Isaiah 40:22: It is He that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in.
Webster's 1828 Dictionary's definition of CIRCLE. "In popular use, the line that comprehends the figure, the plane or surface comprehended, and the whole body or solid matter of a round substance, are denominated a circle; a ring; an orb; the earth."
3. Scripture assumes a revolving (spherical) earth. Jesus said that at His return some would be asleep at night while others would be working at day time activities in the field. This is a clear indication of a revolving earth, with day and night occurring simultaneously.
Luke 17:34-36: I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
4. Black holes and dark matter anticipated. Cosmologists now speculate that over 98% of the known universe is comprised of dark matter, with dark energy and black holes. A black hole's gravitational field is so strong that nothing, not even light, escapes. Beyond the expanding universe there is no measured radiation and therefore only outer darkness exists. These theories paint a seemingly accurate description of what the Bible calls "outer darkness" or "the blackness of darkness forever."
Matthew 25:30: And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Jude 13: Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
5. Incalculable number of stars. At a time when less than 5,000 stars were visible to the human eye, God stated that the stars of heaven were innumerable. Not until the 17th century did Galileo glimpse the immensity of our universe with his new telescope. Today, astronomers estimate that there are ten thousand billion trillion stars - a 1 followed by 25 zeros! Yet, as the Bible states, scientists admit this number may be woefully inadequate.
Jeremiah 33:22: As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured: so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites that minister unto me.
6. The number of stars, though vast, are finite. Although man is unable to calculate the exact number of stars, we now know their number is finite. Of course God knew this all along.
Isaiah 40:26: Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.
7. The Bible compares the number of stars with the number of grains of sand on the seashore. Amazingly, gross estimates of the number of sand grains are comparable to the estimated number of stars in the universe.
Genesis 22:17: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies.
8. The universe is expanding. Repeatedly God declares that He stretches out the heavens. During the early 20th century, most scientists (including Einstein) believed the universe was static. Others believed it should have collapsed due to gravity. Then in 1929, astronomer Edwin Hubble showed that distant galaxies were receding from the earth, and the further away they were, the faster they were moving. This discovery revolutionized the field of astronomy. Eisntein admitted his mistake, and today most astronomers agree with what the Creator told us millennia ago - the universe is expanding!
Isaiah 42:5: Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein.
Jeremiah 51:15: He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heaven by his understanding.
Zechariah 12:1: The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.
9. Each star is unique. Centuries before the advent of the telescope, the Bible declared what only God and the angels knew: each star varies in size and intensity!
1 Corinthians 15:41: There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.
10. The sun goes in a circuit. Some scientists scoffed at this verse thinking that it taught geocentricity - the theory that the sun revolves around the earth. They insisted the sun was stationary. However, we now know that the sun is traveling through space at approximately 600,000 miles per hour. It is literally moving through space in a huge circuit - just as the Bible stated 3,000 years ago!
Psalm 19:6: [The sun's] going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.
PHYSICS:
1. Creation is made of atoms and particles, indiscernible to our eyes. Not until the 19th century was it discovered that all visible matter consists of invisible elements.
Hebrews 11:3: Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
2. Light can be divided. Sir Isaac Newton studied light and discovered that white light is made of seven colors, which can be "parted" and then recombined. Science confirmed this four centuries ago - God declared it four millennia ago!
Job 38:24: By what way is the light parted, which scattereth the east wind upon the earth?
3. Light travels in a path. Light is said to have a "way" [Hebrew: derek, literally a traveled path or road]. Until the 17th century it was believed that light was transmitted instantaneously. We now know that light is a form of energy that travels at 186,000 miles per second in a straight line. Indeed, there is a "way" of light.
Job 38:19: Where is the way where light dwelleth? and as for darkness, where is the place thereof.
4. The Bible says that light can be sent, and then manifest itself in speech. We now know that radio waves and light waves are two forms of the same thing: electromagnetic waves. Therefore, radio waves are a form of light. Today, using radio transmitters, we can send "lightnings" which indeed speak when they arrive.
Job 38:35: Canst thou send lightnings, that they may go, and say unto thee, Here we are?
5. The First Law of Thermodynamics established. The First Law states that the total quantity of energy and matter in the universe is a constant. One form of energy or matter may be converted into another, but the total quantity always remains the same. Therefore the creation is finished, exactly as God said way back in Genesis.
Genesis 2:1-2: Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
6. The Second Law of Thermodynamics (Entropy). This law states that everything in the universe is running down, deteriorating, and constantly becoming less and less orderly. Entropy (disorder) entered when mankind rebelled against God - resulting in the curse (Genesis 3:17-19; Romans 8:20-22). Historically most people believed the universe was unchangeable. Yet modern science verifies that the universe is growing "old as doth a garment'' (Hebrews 1:11). Evolution directly contradicts this, the most tested of all scientific laws.
Psalm 102:25-26: Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed.
Romans 8:20-22: For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
BIOLOGY:
1. Law of Biogenesis explained. Scientists observe that life only comes from existing life. This law has never been violated under observation or experimentation (as evolution requires). Therefore, life, God's life, created all life.
Genesis 1:11, 20, 24: And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. ... And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. ... And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
Genesis 2:7: And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
2. The earth was designed for biological life. Scientists have discovered that the most fundamental characteristics of our earth and cosmos are so finely tuned that if just one of them were even slightly different, life as we know it couldn't exist. This is called the Anthropic Principle and it agrees with the Bible which states that God formed the earth to be inhabited.
Isaiah 45:18: For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.
3. God has given us just the right amount of water to sustain life. We now recognize that if there was significantly more or less water, the earth would not support life as we know it.
Isaiah 40:12: Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?
4. Our bodies are made from the dust of the ground. Scientists have discovered that the human body is comprised of some 28 base and trace elements - all of which are found in the earth.
Genesis 2:7: And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Genesis 3:19: In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
5. Life begins at fertilization. God declares that He knew us before we were born. The Biblical penalty for murdering an unborn child was death (Exodus 21:22-23). Today, it is an irrefutable biological fact that the fertilized egg is truly an entire human being. Nothing will be added to the first cell except nutrition and oxygen.
Psalm 139:15: "My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth."
Jeremiah 1:5: Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
6. God fashions and knits us together in the womb. Science was ignorant concerning embryonic development until recently. Yet thousands of years ago, the Bible accurately described God making us an intricate unity' in the womb.
Job 10:8-12: "Thine hands have made me and fashioned me together round about; yet thou dost destroy me. Remember, I beseech thee, that thou hast made me as the clay; and wilt thou bring me into dust again? Hast thou not poured me out as milk, and curdled me like cheese? Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh, and hast fenced me with bones and sinews. Thou hast granted me life and favour, and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit."
7. The seed of a plant contains its life. As stated in the Book of Genesis, we now recognize that inside the humble seed is life itself. Within the seed is a tiny factory of amazing complexity. No scientist can build a synthetic seed and no seed is simple!
Genesis 1:11-12: "And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good."
8. A seed must die to produce new life. In John 12:24 is remarkable confirmation of two of the fundamental concepts in biology: 1) Cells arise only from existing cells. 2) A grain must die to produce more grain. The fallen seed is surrounded by supporting cells from the old body. These supporting cells "give their lives" to provide nourishment to the inner kernel. Once planted, this inner kernel germinates resulting in much grain.
John 12:24: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit."
1 Corinthians 15:36-38: "Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body."
www.jw.org
August 9, 2020
Написао сам солидан број реченица и онда ми се није свидјело то што сам написао и онда сам то избрисао. Сад ми је малчице жао, али над проливеним млијеком не вриједи плакати. Ово је као оно кад вас нервира властита фризура и једва чекате да одете да се ошишате и онда таман кад сједнете на столицу помислите "Хеј, па ова коса заправо и није тако л...", али доцкан, фризерка је већ замахом своје машине направила корито кроз вашу косу.
Углавном, свако ко се бар некад нашао у једном од оних забавних и потпуно бесмислених атеистичко-вјерничких препуцавања упознат је са аргументом из финог подешавања, нејмли да су разноразне константе, параметри, особине и сл. подешене тако да обезбјеђују постојање интелигентног живота и да би најминималније могуће одступање било које(г) од њих то у потпуности онемогућило, из чега очигледно слиједи да постоји Бог. Нот српрајзингли, ово је аргумент вјерника. Атеисти, за дивно чудо, не негирају лијеву страну импликације, али негирају посљедицу тј. закључак и имају своје противаргументе зашто је то тако. Апсолутно нећу да улазим у причу око тога ко је у праву а ко није, али чисто да ово не буде баш скроз лишено личне перспективе, мени као тоталном лаику фајн тјунинг аргумент изгледа доста убједљиво, али и неки атеистички одговори изгледају вриједни разматрања (а неки не - нпр. мултиверзум, како је само то дебилна хипотеза).
Ова књига представља поглед на аргумент из финог подешавања из хришћанске перспективе. Међутим, немојте одмах да бјежите. Наиме, чак и ако сте невјерник, ова књига може да вам послужи као врло добар водич за то како аргумент уопште изгледа, а и као лијепа научнопопуларна књига (овде је врло мало тј. скоро нимало полемике, само на два или три мјеста Рос цитира Виктора Стенгера и даје одговоре на неке његове констатације). То се бар односи на први дио књиге - у другом се аутор бави будућим вјечним животом и другим стварима које су суштински од интереса само за вјернике. Рос је компетентан да говори о овој теми јер је по струци астроном и по свему што сам имао прилику да видим/чујем/прочитам од њега један врло образован човјек, дакле не нека блентовина попут Кента Ховинда или Кена Хема (на ЈуТјубу можете да видите његове дебате са дотичном двојицом и рецимо само да се то није баш најбоље завршило по њих).
Што се мојих утисака о књизи тиче, они су отприлике овакви: Прво, на почетку сам био помало збуњен тј. неколико пута сам се запитао "Добро, Хју, све је то лијепо, али гдје је ту АРГУМЕНТ?". Тј., иако назив сваког поглавља почиње са "Зашто то-и-то?", имао сам утисак да Рос само описује ствари како јесу, а да се то "зашто?" нигдје у тексту не види. Након неког времена ипак је почело да ми свањива о чему се у суштини ради. Наравно, пошто сам неук, није ми лако да то пренесем, али отприлике - теза је да интелигентни живот може у свемиру да постоји само у једном врло ограниченом временском интервалу и да се потрефило његово формирање управо у том интервалу управо на најпогоднијем мјесту, тј. у најпогоднијем дијелу најпогодније галаксије итд, а Млијечни Пут је најпогоднија галаксија ваљда због некакве симетрије некаквих спирала и сл., немојте ме држати за ријеч, нисам то најбоље попамтио. Као што рекох, ово је врло детаљно описано, наводе се особине и тамне енергије, тамне материје и мноштва других чудеса. Међутим, аргументи против финог подешавања, као што рекох, не негирају премисе него закључак, тако да мноштво коинциденција које је Рос навео вјероватно неће неког атеисту напрасно пребацити у хришћанство, али мислим да је невезано за вјерска убјеђења ова књига врло добар аргумент у прилог тези да интелигентног живота нема нигдје ван Земље (што иначе није главна теза ове књиге, али дође онако успут).
Иако ми је Хју Рос врло драг, он има помало контроверзну особину да скоро да сматра Библију неким научним уџбеником, тако да често прилично натегнуто одређеним библијским стиховима даје научна тумачења. Најпознатији (али далеко од тога да је и једини) је његов примјер са стиховима нпр. из Исаије и Јеремије, гдје се спомиње "разапињање небеса", што Рос тумачи као да ти стихови говоре о ширењу свемира, што је по мени ван сваке памети, али ето. То за ОВУ књигу није проблем, пошто њена тематика није сама Библија већ свемир, али за неке друге књиге би могло да представља проблем, о чему ћу да вас извијестим чим их прочитам.
Углавном, свако ко се бар некад нашао у једном од оних забавних и потпуно бесмислених атеистичко-вјерничких препуцавања упознат је са аргументом из финог подешавања, нејмли да су разноразне константе, параметри, особине и сл. подешене тако да обезбјеђују постојање интелигентног живота и да би најминималније могуће одступање било које(г) од њих то у потпуности онемогућило, из чега очигледно слиједи да постоји Бог. Нот српрајзингли, ово је аргумент вјерника. Атеисти, за дивно чудо, не негирају лијеву страну импликације, али негирају посљедицу тј. закључак и имају своје противаргументе зашто је то тако. Апсолутно нећу да улазим у причу око тога ко је у праву а ко није, али чисто да ово не буде баш скроз лишено личне перспективе, мени као тоталном лаику фајн тјунинг аргумент изгледа доста убједљиво, али и неки атеистички одговори изгледају вриједни разматрања (а неки не - нпр. мултиверзум, како је само то дебилна хипотеза).
Ова књига представља поглед на аргумент из финог подешавања из хришћанске перспективе. Међутим, немојте одмах да бјежите. Наиме, чак и ако сте невјерник, ова књига може да вам послужи као врло добар водич за то како аргумент уопште изгледа, а и као лијепа научнопопуларна књига (овде је врло мало тј. скоро нимало полемике, само на два или три мјеста Рос цитира Виктора Стенгера и даје одговоре на неке његове констатације). То се бар односи на први дио књиге - у другом се аутор бави будућим вјечним животом и другим стварима које су суштински од интереса само за вјернике. Рос је компетентан да говори о овој теми јер је по струци астроном и по свему што сам имао прилику да видим/чујем/прочитам од њега један врло образован човјек, дакле не нека блентовина попут Кента Ховинда или Кена Хема (на ЈуТјубу можете да видите његове дебате са дотичном двојицом и рецимо само да се то није баш најбоље завршило по њих).
Што се мојих утисака о књизи тиче, они су отприлике овакви: Прво, на почетку сам био помало збуњен тј. неколико пута сам се запитао "Добро, Хју, све је то лијепо, али гдје је ту АРГУМЕНТ?". Тј., иако назив сваког поглавља почиње са "Зашто то-и-то?", имао сам утисак да Рос само описује ствари како јесу, а да се то "зашто?" нигдје у тексту не види. Након неког времена ипак је почело да ми свањива о чему се у суштини ради. Наравно, пошто сам неук, није ми лако да то пренесем, али отприлике - теза је да интелигентни живот може у свемиру да постоји само у једном врло ограниченом временском интервалу и да се потрефило његово формирање управо у том интервалу управо на најпогоднијем мјесту, тј. у најпогоднијем дијелу најпогодније галаксије итд, а Млијечни Пут је најпогоднија галаксија ваљда због некакве симетрије некаквих спирала и сл., немојте ме држати за ријеч, нисам то најбоље попамтио. Као што рекох, ово је врло детаљно описано, наводе се особине и тамне енергије, тамне материје и мноштва других чудеса. Међутим, аргументи против финог подешавања, као што рекох, не негирају премисе него закључак, тако да мноштво коинциденција које је Рос навео вјероватно неће неког атеисту напрасно пребацити у хришћанство, али мислим да је невезано за вјерска убјеђења ова књига врло добар аргумент у прилог тези да интелигентног живота нема нигдје ван Земље (што иначе није главна теза ове књиге, али дође онако успут).
Иако ми је Хју Рос врло драг, он има помало контроверзну особину да скоро да сматра Библију неким научним уџбеником, тако да често прилично натегнуто одређеним библијским стиховима даје научна тумачења. Најпознатији (али далеко од тога да је и једини) је његов примјер са стиховима нпр. из Исаије и Јеремије, гдје се спомиње "разапињање небеса", што Рос тумачи као да ти стихови говоре о ширењу свемира, што је по мени ван сваке памети, али ето. То за ОВУ књигу није проблем, пошто њена тематика није сама Библија већ свемир, али за неке друге књиге би могло да представља проблем, о чему ћу да вас извијестим чим их прочитам.
December 7, 2012
This is the most inspiring scientifically driven case for a theological reason for existence I have read. If you are coming from an atheistic perspective, you may react bitterly to some assumptions made but if you currently subscribe to a world-view that includes the possibility of a God, I hope this book inspires you and fills you with hope. That was my reaction.
February 1, 2009
In Why The Universe Is the Way It Is, Christian astonomer and apologist Hugh Ross attempts to show that there is scientific proof of the existence of god, that a scientific examination of the universe shows it was created specifically to allow for life on earth, and earth only, and that the Bible and science are not contradictory. Although it's an interesting effort, what he proves most of all is that the Bible is not a science text book.
Ross starts off with a pretty standard treatment of the anthropic principle illustrated with his own set of examples. Using such parameters as the size of the moon in relationship to the earth, and the amount of matter versus dark matter, Ross argues that the universe is "fine tuned" for life on earth. But not just any life -- high tech human life capable of exploring and understanding the universe. Ross claims that there are 824 characteristics of the universe which are fine tuned for such human life, and from this, he argues that the odds of all this happening are 10 to the 1050th power, and that this is far too high to be mere chance or coincidence, inevitably and scientifically meaning that the universe was created by a super powerful and super intelligent Being.
Having accomplished the task (at least in his own head) of proving that God created the universe, Ross moves on to his next task -- to prove that the identity of this God is The Christian God. Ross attempts to do this by showing that the Bible is scientifically accurate. He's on pretty thin ground here. First, he argues that the Bible(and only the Bible among all the world's holy books and creation stories) says that the universe had a beginning, and this is consistent with the Big Bang theory of the beginning of the universe. Next, he points to Bible verses which he says predict the expanding universe, i.e., that the universe is expanding and has continuously expanded from its beginning. Example: Psalm 104:2 describes the continuous expansion of the universe by saying that God "stretch[ed:] out the starry curtain of the heavens." And Romans describes the Seond Law of Thermodynamics by saying that "all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time." Ross argues that this amazing congruence of the Bible and science proves that the Bible must have been divinely inspired, and is the Word of God. His reasoning seems more than a little forced. On balance, I think he would have been better off saying as the Dali Lama does, that if modern science and religion conflict, we should regard science as true.
The rest of the book reads like a sermon on the second coming of Christ, and how wonderful the next life will be. If you were a believer to start with, Ross probably gives you some further arguments to support your belief. But regardless of whether you are a believer or not, it's hard to escape the conclusion that Ross began at the end, and reasoned backward to reach the conclusion he wanted to reach all along.
Ross starts off with a pretty standard treatment of the anthropic principle illustrated with his own set of examples. Using such parameters as the size of the moon in relationship to the earth, and the amount of matter versus dark matter, Ross argues that the universe is "fine tuned" for life on earth. But not just any life -- high tech human life capable of exploring and understanding the universe. Ross claims that there are 824 characteristics of the universe which are fine tuned for such human life, and from this, he argues that the odds of all this happening are 10 to the 1050th power, and that this is far too high to be mere chance or coincidence, inevitably and scientifically meaning that the universe was created by a super powerful and super intelligent Being.
Having accomplished the task (at least in his own head) of proving that God created the universe, Ross moves on to his next task -- to prove that the identity of this God is The Christian God. Ross attempts to do this by showing that the Bible is scientifically accurate. He's on pretty thin ground here. First, he argues that the Bible(and only the Bible among all the world's holy books and creation stories) says that the universe had a beginning, and this is consistent with the Big Bang theory of the beginning of the universe. Next, he points to Bible verses which he says predict the expanding universe, i.e., that the universe is expanding and has continuously expanded from its beginning. Example: Psalm 104:2 describes the continuous expansion of the universe by saying that God "stretch[ed:] out the starry curtain of the heavens." And Romans describes the Seond Law of Thermodynamics by saying that "all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time." Ross argues that this amazing congruence of the Bible and science proves that the Bible must have been divinely inspired, and is the Word of God. His reasoning seems more than a little forced. On balance, I think he would have been better off saying as the Dali Lama does, that if modern science and religion conflict, we should regard science as true.
The rest of the book reads like a sermon on the second coming of Christ, and how wonderful the next life will be. If you were a believer to start with, Ross probably gives you some further arguments to support your belief. But regardless of whether you are a believer or not, it's hard to escape the conclusion that Ross began at the end, and reasoned backward to reach the conclusion he wanted to reach all along.
January 15, 2013
I sort of always wondered about so much about why the universe is so dark, so few stars, so far apart, galaxies in weird shapes, was the universe really as old as 14 billion years ?
Well lots of those curiosities have been satisfied with this book. The universe is so mind numbingly big that you cannot grasp hold of it without concluding it was made by someone for us to enjoy and marvel at. Wow there is lots to marvel at.
Marvel that we can marvel at all !
Well lots of those curiosities have been satisfied with this book. The universe is so mind numbingly big that you cannot grasp hold of it without concluding it was made by someone for us to enjoy and marvel at. Wow there is lots to marvel at.
Marvel that we can marvel at all !
April 28, 2021
Mind-blowing book, with subject matter and content that often went soaring way over my head, yet I could usually comprehend enough to say "hmmm..." once or twice on just about every page. Ross postulates something that I have often said too, that we are given the Word in two forms: the Holy Bible and the wonder of nature. In some ways, it reminded me of Darwin's Black Box, which probes the smallest corners of our bodies and biology, but in the opposite direction, to the furthest reaches of our galaxy and vast universe, in a persuasive attempt to document and detail the utter complexity of literally every single detail of God's magnificent creation.
My head is spinning, and I stand amazed in His presence...
My head is spinning, and I stand amazed in His presence...
January 5, 2019
As always, it's good to read those whom you don't completely agree with it. I like Hugh Ross and count him a substantial contributor to the origins genre. For me, in this book he introduced a more thorough understanding of the habitable galactic zone wherein the earth resides. I found it mildly surprising that he embraces long lifetimes for those living before the flood, and reassuring that he recognizes the unlikelihood of the early atmosphere to permit prebiological evolution. His ideas of what the new creation holds were both thoughtful and insightful.
January 3, 2023
I love reading Hugh Ross. He's a brilliant astrophysicist and theologian. This combination makes for wonderful insights into God and strong evidence for the reality and truth of Biblical & Christian claims.
June 27, 2018
The first half of Hugh Ross's book demonstrates the evidence of incredible fine-tuning of our universe for advanced life. The second half discusses how the Bible reflects an unheard-of understanding of cosmology for the time it was written, then discusses possible physics for the biblically-promised new creation. Basically, Dr. Ross makes a case for a creator from the cosmological evidence, and then makes a case for that creator being the God of the Bible.
The first half was incredibly interesting to me, and the arguments are convincing. The fine-tuning argument is not hard to support, with more and more evidence having been discovered in recent years. In the book's favor, you don't have to have a back-ground in physics and math to understand Dr. Ross's arguments, though it does help to have a passing familiarity with cosmology.
As I understand it, the main argument against fine-tuning being the work of a creator is the possibility of a multi-verse, wherein our universe is a winner by lottery. Given an infinite number of chances, even the most unlikely event will occur; this would be my main point of skepticism. While not conclusive proof, I believe Dr. Ross gives good reasons to believe ours is the only universe, and thus the odds against it being hospitable for life are too great to ignore.
Relatedly, he strives to show that the universe is not only fine-tuned for advanced life, but extraordinarily fine-tuned for that life to view the universe and understand it, which is evidence that the creator wants us to see that evidence. I hadn't thought of this before, and I'm impressed by the thought.
The second-half of the book is, on the other hand, completely unimpressive. Dr. Ross cherry-picks Bible verses that seem to support his view and leaves other contrary ones unaddressed. He admits that the Bible is not a science textbook and should leave it there. He apparently has a background in theology, but I'm not impressed with his application of it.
One of his examples in particular comes to mind. That is, many verses state that, in creation, God "spread" or "stretched" out the heavens. Dr. Ross's claim is that these verses refer to the continual expansion of the universe. First of all, these verses are in the past tense and would not support a continuing expansion. And secondly, to see the heavens as a stretched out canopy over the earth is the kind of earth-centric view that does not reflect modern cosmological understanding. Actually, it's poetic license and doesn't provide evidence either way. Furthermore, Dr. Ross claims there is a biblically-predicted rate of expansion, which, when graphed, coincides with what physicists have shown. This is pretty far-fetched.
In any case, the concept of this fine-tuning is a big debate, and there are people on both sides who think those on the other side are short-sighted and stupid. Big surprise, as people love to polarize and judge each other. If you don't want to believe in God, this book is not going to prove him to you. However, if you are checking out the arguments honestly, and find that - as I believe - that the evidence is there, (or even probably there!) you owe it to yourself to do some spiritual searching as well. Aren't the potential rewards or consequences for your eternal destiny worth looking past your resistance to the idea of God?
The first half was incredibly interesting to me, and the arguments are convincing. The fine-tuning argument is not hard to support, with more and more evidence having been discovered in recent years. In the book's favor, you don't have to have a back-ground in physics and math to understand Dr. Ross's arguments, though it does help to have a passing familiarity with cosmology.
As I understand it, the main argument against fine-tuning being the work of a creator is the possibility of a multi-verse, wherein our universe is a winner by lottery. Given an infinite number of chances, even the most unlikely event will occur; this would be my main point of skepticism. While not conclusive proof, I believe Dr. Ross gives good reasons to believe ours is the only universe, and thus the odds against it being hospitable for life are too great to ignore.
Relatedly, he strives to show that the universe is not only fine-tuned for advanced life, but extraordinarily fine-tuned for that life to view the universe and understand it, which is evidence that the creator wants us to see that evidence. I hadn't thought of this before, and I'm impressed by the thought.
The second-half of the book is, on the other hand, completely unimpressive. Dr. Ross cherry-picks Bible verses that seem to support his view and leaves other contrary ones unaddressed. He admits that the Bible is not a science textbook and should leave it there. He apparently has a background in theology, but I'm not impressed with his application of it.
One of his examples in particular comes to mind. That is, many verses state that, in creation, God "spread" or "stretched" out the heavens. Dr. Ross's claim is that these verses refer to the continual expansion of the universe. First of all, these verses are in the past tense and would not support a continuing expansion. And secondly, to see the heavens as a stretched out canopy over the earth is the kind of earth-centric view that does not reflect modern cosmological understanding. Actually, it's poetic license and doesn't provide evidence either way. Furthermore, Dr. Ross claims there is a biblically-predicted rate of expansion, which, when graphed, coincides with what physicists have shown. This is pretty far-fetched.
In any case, the concept of this fine-tuning is a big debate, and there are people on both sides who think those on the other side are short-sighted and stupid. Big surprise, as people love to polarize and judge each other. If you don't want to believe in God, this book is not going to prove him to you. However, if you are checking out the arguments honestly, and find that - as I believe - that the evidence is there, (or even probably there!) you owe it to yourself to do some spiritual searching as well. Aren't the potential rewards or consequences for your eternal destiny worth looking past your resistance to the idea of God?
November 8, 2014
This book responds to the question “Couldn’t God have done a better job in creating the universe?” Astrophysicist Dr. Hugh Ross tackles questions such as: Why is the Universe so old? Why is it so big? Why a decaying Universe? Ross does an admirable job of answering these (and other) queries from his perspective (while dumbing it down for us non-rocket-scientists), at times my head was ready to explode. I had a difficult time following the dynamics of dark matter and other uber space physics nerdy fare.
However where Ross really shines is the last part of the book in which he discusses why we should believe the Bible and in which he describes the universe to come. Really, the last couple of chapters describing the New Earth is very reminiscent of Randy Alcorn’s Heaven book.
Hugh Ross and the Reasons to Believe ministry is unique in the presentation of content from the Bible coupled with the “second book” of the natural world that we inhabit. His references are always impressive (typically, the bibliography takes up about a fifth-ish of his works) and draws from a number of disciplines. It’s really mind-expanding – even if you aren't convinced of the theology, you will learn more about the universe. It’s really a great read! (You may even enjoy the astrophysical examination of dark matter, cosmic dust, black holes, etc.)
This is one of the best formatted Kindle books I’ve ever read! The references to other parts of the book are properly linked. The end-notes (I read every one!), illustrations, tables, and index all are linked. This is the way Kindle content should be formatted.
However where Ross really shines is the last part of the book in which he discusses why we should believe the Bible and in which he describes the universe to come. Really, the last couple of chapters describing the New Earth is very reminiscent of Randy Alcorn’s Heaven book.
Hugh Ross and the Reasons to Believe ministry is unique in the presentation of content from the Bible coupled with the “second book” of the natural world that we inhabit. His references are always impressive (typically, the bibliography takes up about a fifth-ish of his works) and draws from a number of disciplines. It’s really mind-expanding – even if you aren't convinced of the theology, you will learn more about the universe. It’s really a great read! (You may even enjoy the astrophysical examination of dark matter, cosmic dust, black holes, etc.)
This is one of the best formatted Kindle books I’ve ever read! The references to other parts of the book are properly linked. The end-notes (I read every one!), illustrations, tables, and index all are linked. This is the way Kindle content should be formatted.
March 22, 2011
The book starts off interestingly with a discussion of how the universe appears to be "fine-tuned" for the development and existence of life as we on Earth know it. This concept is often labelled the Anthropic Principle, and the fine-tuning actually does exist. Ross uses this fine-tuning to make a case for a creator God, and that is certainly a possibility. However, Ross far overstates the case for fine tuning and then begins to insist that all of modern physics is represented specificaly in passages in the Bible. In some cases, his attempts to shoehorn the laws of physics into biblical passages are just simply ludicrous when you read the actual passages.
Ross then goes on to throw out the standard lie about evolution being "undirected," although he at least has the sense to avoid calling it random as so many creationists do. He also engages in the usual misleading langauge, as when he suggests that the Cambrian explosion of lifeforms occurred in a "geological instant," when that "instant" is known to be millions of years. Up until that point I was giving him credit for being relatively balanced in his presentation. After that the balance was gone, and he ends the book in full evangelical mode.
Ross then goes on to throw out the standard lie about evolution being "undirected," although he at least has the sense to avoid calling it random as so many creationists do. He also engages in the usual misleading langauge, as when he suggests that the Cambrian explosion of lifeforms occurred in a "geological instant," when that "instant" is known to be millions of years. Up until that point I was giving him credit for being relatively balanced in his presentation. After that the balance was gone, and he ends the book in full evangelical mode.
November 26, 2016
If you ever thought science and faith were at odds with each other, think again. This is a book is a great example of how believing in Christ and the Bible does NOT require you to check your brain at the door! Here is intellectual rigor presented in clear and precise writing. Hugh Ross, astrophysicist and Christian apologist, tackles some big questions in Why the Universe Is the Way It Is.
Here's a few of the questions addressed in the book (from the back cover):
"If God made the universe:
Why would he make it so vast?
Why would he wait to bring humans onto the scene?
Why would he allow decay and death to be part of it?
Why would he let one man and one woman ruin it for everyone?
Why is the future of the cosmos so bleak?
Why should I believe my life has any real meaning?"
I know I'll be reading this book again to further digest some of the scientific details.
Here's a few of the questions addressed in the book (from the back cover):
"If God made the universe:
Why would he make it so vast?
Why would he wait to bring humans onto the scene?
Why would he allow decay and death to be part of it?
Why would he let one man and one woman ruin it for everyone?
Why is the future of the cosmos so bleak?
Why should I believe my life has any real meaning?"
I know I'll be reading this book again to further digest some of the scientific details.
December 22, 2014
The author has a good goal of showing how the parameters of the equations governing the structure of the universe couldn't be changed much without eliminating the possibility of human development. We humans are made of heavy elements made only in the hearts of supernovae so the universe has to age some before those are produced. Another example is that the solar system is far from the radiation storm at the center of the galaxy. There are lots of examples of such requirements, but the author seems to go overboard trying to make so many things fit his theory that God designed this all for our benefit. Lots of food for thought, but overdone.
January 5, 2025
― “Evidence shows that a wide variety of independent conditions all reached optimality during the identical narrow epoch when human beings appeared on the cosmic and terrestrial scene testifies of supernatural design and purpose rather than mere coincidence.”
― Hugh Ross, Why the Universe Is the Way It Is
Author Hugh Ross is an astrophysicist and Christian theologian. He has a B.S. degree in physics and earned a Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Toronto. He also completed postdoctoral research at the California Institute of Technology. Ross is also the founder of Reasons to Believe, an organization designed to open people to the gospel by revealing God in science. Initially a skeptic, Ross became convinced that the Bible is trustworthy after investigating the consistency and accuracy of natural and human history in the biblical text.
In his book, Why the Universe Is the Way It Is, Dr. Ross addresses several of the most common questions he receives from both Christians and non-Christians as he presents his case for scientifically accurate and biblically sound reasons for believing in the existence of God. The book is divided into thirteen chapters. In the first eight chapters, Ross discusses the reasons why the present creation is the way it is. In the last five chapters, he discusses what the Bible says about the future new creation described in the Bible. I won’t describe every chapter but will illustrate his approach by describing a few chapters.
In chapter 2, he answers the question, “Why is the universe so vast.” Some skeptics claim that the universe did not need to be so large to support life. They use this as an argument against intelligent design. Ross uses some of the fine-tuning arguments to counter skeptic claims that the universe does not need to be as large to support life. He counters their claims by demonstrating from recent discoveries the fine tuning that is evident in the universe.
― “The mass of the universe is fine-tuned to provide two life-essential features simultaneously: (1) the just-right amounts and diversity of elements, and (2) the just-right expansion rates throughout cosmic history so that certain types of stars and planets form at the just-right times and in the just-right locations. Fine tuning to provide two life-essential characteristics at once hints louder than a whisper at purposeful design.”
― Hugh Ross, Why the Universe Is the Way It Is
In chapter 3, Ross answers the question, “Why such an old universe?” Ross argues that recent evidence indicates that the universe is not only 13.73 billion years old, that amount of time was necessary for Earth to be a life supporting planet. While this claim will disappoint “young earthers,” it makes sense to me. One of my Bible college professors who has a PhD in Hebrew told our Old Testament survey class that the Hebrew word translated “day” in Genesis could mean a literal 24-hour day or it could also be translated as “eon.”
In chapter 4, the author discusses why the universe seems so lonely. He cogently argues that the limitations with the laws of physics make interstellar space travel virtually impossible. He points out that the SETI Institute has been looking for evidence of other life forms beyond earth for more than fifty years. They have scanned every star within 200 light years of Earth, listening for intelligible signals. None have been detected.
In chapter 5, Dr. Ross reveals how Earth, being in one of the darkest regions of the universe, is in an ideal location to have an unobstructed view of the universe. He argues that, if a personal God created the universe and wanted to be discovered, He would not only fine-tune the universe for life, but also fine-tune it so His creatures could discover the unmistakable hallmarks of design in the universe and understand that it is the product of a Designer.
In chapter 6, he uses the second law of thermodynamics to explain that the universe is decaying. The expansion of the universe is accelerating, which will ultimately lead to a cosmic heat death. He concludes that the purpose of this decay must involve a realm outside our universe. The Bible and the Christian worldview teach that this universe is not our final destination.
In chapter 7, Ross uses the foundation he has laid to discuss why there might be a realm beyond this one.
In chapters 9-13, Ross expands on his conclusion that the universe has been exquisitely fine-tuned not only for human life but for the purpose of making possible a global high-tech human civilization.
― “Astronomers’ observation of the universe’s past, tests of general relativity’s reliability, and confirmations of the space-time theorems combine to establish that the universe was brought into existence by a causal Agent with the capacity to operate before, beyond, unlimited by, and transcendent to all cosmic matter, energy, space and time. In coming to these conclusions, the scientific community has confirmed, beyond reasonable doubt, this biblical description of the creation of the universe.”
― Hugh Ross, Why the Universe Is the Way It Is
In Why the Universe Is the Way It Is, Ross shows how cutting edge research agrees with key biblical principles. Why the Universe Is the Way It Is will open your mind to a wonderfully new view of our Creator God. Although I have taken a class in Christian apologetics, almost everything I learned from reading this book was new information to me. It was both challenging and incredibly interesting.
― Hugh Ross, Why the Universe Is the Way It Is
Author Hugh Ross is an astrophysicist and Christian theologian. He has a B.S. degree in physics and earned a Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Toronto. He also completed postdoctoral research at the California Institute of Technology. Ross is also the founder of Reasons to Believe, an organization designed to open people to the gospel by revealing God in science. Initially a skeptic, Ross became convinced that the Bible is trustworthy after investigating the consistency and accuracy of natural and human history in the biblical text.
In his book, Why the Universe Is the Way It Is, Dr. Ross addresses several of the most common questions he receives from both Christians and non-Christians as he presents his case for scientifically accurate and biblically sound reasons for believing in the existence of God. The book is divided into thirteen chapters. In the first eight chapters, Ross discusses the reasons why the present creation is the way it is. In the last five chapters, he discusses what the Bible says about the future new creation described in the Bible. I won’t describe every chapter but will illustrate his approach by describing a few chapters.
In chapter 2, he answers the question, “Why is the universe so vast.” Some skeptics claim that the universe did not need to be so large to support life. They use this as an argument against intelligent design. Ross uses some of the fine-tuning arguments to counter skeptic claims that the universe does not need to be as large to support life. He counters their claims by demonstrating from recent discoveries the fine tuning that is evident in the universe.
― “The mass of the universe is fine-tuned to provide two life-essential features simultaneously: (1) the just-right amounts and diversity of elements, and (2) the just-right expansion rates throughout cosmic history so that certain types of stars and planets form at the just-right times and in the just-right locations. Fine tuning to provide two life-essential characteristics at once hints louder than a whisper at purposeful design.”
― Hugh Ross, Why the Universe Is the Way It Is
In chapter 3, Ross answers the question, “Why such an old universe?” Ross argues that recent evidence indicates that the universe is not only 13.73 billion years old, that amount of time was necessary for Earth to be a life supporting planet. While this claim will disappoint “young earthers,” it makes sense to me. One of my Bible college professors who has a PhD in Hebrew told our Old Testament survey class that the Hebrew word translated “day” in Genesis could mean a literal 24-hour day or it could also be translated as “eon.”
In chapter 4, the author discusses why the universe seems so lonely. He cogently argues that the limitations with the laws of physics make interstellar space travel virtually impossible. He points out that the SETI Institute has been looking for evidence of other life forms beyond earth for more than fifty years. They have scanned every star within 200 light years of Earth, listening for intelligible signals. None have been detected.
In chapter 5, Dr. Ross reveals how Earth, being in one of the darkest regions of the universe, is in an ideal location to have an unobstructed view of the universe. He argues that, if a personal God created the universe and wanted to be discovered, He would not only fine-tune the universe for life, but also fine-tune it so His creatures could discover the unmistakable hallmarks of design in the universe and understand that it is the product of a Designer.
In chapter 6, he uses the second law of thermodynamics to explain that the universe is decaying. The expansion of the universe is accelerating, which will ultimately lead to a cosmic heat death. He concludes that the purpose of this decay must involve a realm outside our universe. The Bible and the Christian worldview teach that this universe is not our final destination.
In chapter 7, Ross uses the foundation he has laid to discuss why there might be a realm beyond this one.
In chapters 9-13, Ross expands on his conclusion that the universe has been exquisitely fine-tuned not only for human life but for the purpose of making possible a global high-tech human civilization.
― “Astronomers’ observation of the universe’s past, tests of general relativity’s reliability, and confirmations of the space-time theorems combine to establish that the universe was brought into existence by a causal Agent with the capacity to operate before, beyond, unlimited by, and transcendent to all cosmic matter, energy, space and time. In coming to these conclusions, the scientific community has confirmed, beyond reasonable doubt, this biblical description of the creation of the universe.”
― Hugh Ross, Why the Universe Is the Way It Is
In Why the Universe Is the Way It Is, Ross shows how cutting edge research agrees with key biblical principles. Why the Universe Is the Way It Is will open your mind to a wonderfully new view of our Creator God. Although I have taken a class in Christian apologetics, almost everything I learned from reading this book was new information to me. It was both challenging and incredibly interesting.
August 5, 2012
His live presentation of the same material is 10 times better but this is one of the fundamentally insightful books at the intersection of astrophysics and the Bible.
April 13, 2015
The scientist in me loved this book. There is a faction of Evangelicals that consider Hugh Ross a heretic for his old earth view. I have already looked at the next book I want to read of his
March 12, 2023
Авторът е доста интелигентен и начетен физик, астроном и исти ски радикален християнин, т.е. ученик на истината.
Ще наричам този жанр книги християнски футуризъм.
Бог е истината и търсенето на Бог в търсенето на истината и обеаното. Всичко което реално е наука, (а не лъже религия или философия замаскирана като наука - както са някои социални науки като социологията, джендър "науките" и пр.) е 100% съвместимо с Бог.
Т.е. точните науки, физика, генетика, компютърни науки, всичко което е довело до технологиите във филм като Космическа одисея 2001 на Кубрик е 100% съвместимо с християнството.
Даже не само е съвместимо, то е очаквано.
Едно радикал християнско общество, което се вълнува преди всичко какво е вярно, какво е истина, как наистина работи както духовния, ТАКА И МАТЕРИАЛНИЯ свят неизбежно ще завладее както семята, каквото са направили хората от западната християнска цивилизация, така ще завладее и космоса.
Докато объркването и нихило-хедонистично живот на атеистите ги кара да искат да режат пишките, на синовете си и да не разбират разликата между мъже и жени, и значението на брака, че това са мъж и жена вплетени в една плът чиято цел е да властват над материалния свят и да създават нов човешки живот.
В радикал християнския футуризъм така както си го представям 80% от земята и 100% от космоса ще се населява от християни. Технологията ще се използва по предназначение, за завладяване на небесата, а не за порно, хазарт, суета (Инстаграм и др. Соц мрежи), преяждане и пр.
Денят на всеки колонист, миньор в астероид, пасажер на космическа совалка, лекар в международна станция... Ще започва с искрена молитва в стил Отче наш.
На земята вероятно ще има останали намаляващи наброй антихристи, феминистки и пр. Объркани, живеещи в лъжи, както все повече ги виждаме на запад, роби на пороци, зависими към порно, наркотици, суета... Режещи пишките на синовете си, осакатявайки дъщерите си. Как такива хора очакваме да нарастват, ако нямат власт върху пропагандата и образователната система. Те ще се свият до малката отричаща истината секта, която напрактика са и днес. Просто няма да имат никаква власт извън нея.
За да стане това космическо, християнско бъдеще просто навсякъде властта - пропагандата и образователната система трябва да бъде завладяна от хора които са ученици на истината. От хеистияни.
Бог ни е заповядал да владеем земята. А не да ни е срам и да позволяваме на антихристи - ортодоксални или секуларни - отричащи Истината, мразещи я, те да управляват вместо нас. Ние да не би да се изцапаме с власт.
В това бъдеще очаквам края на света да е след хиляди години, когато вече ептем знанието за бога е загубено от гордостта от постигнатото, и вече възвръщането към Бога и злоупотребата с технологиите е взела връх.
Но Ако християните не се осъзнаят и просто не вземат това, което по заповед от шефа ни принадлежи то Откровения на Йоан може да се случи още приживе в нашия век.
Според мен от нас зависи. От това християните да спрат да бягат като дявол от тамян, и да спрат да правят компромиси с някои истини, да спрат да вярват на пропагандата, произвед на от хора, които работят за нашите врагове. Но също и да намалят фарисейството. Бог (истината) се разкрива по два взаимно допълващи се начини - книгата за духовния свят и Бога, и книгата на творението.
Всички научни открития които са истина са абсолютно съвместими с Бога. За характера на бога може да се разбере много когато един покаял се християнин чете истинска наука. Не философия на науката като еволюция или социология, а истинска наука.
И мисля, че е крайно време християните да спрат да се притесняват да обидят, шокират дори разгневят някой който работи за нашия враг.
Исус много са го слушали в захлас, но много и са го мразили.
Християните не са хипита, и някой път, ако някоя истина трябва да бъде казана, дори на цената да бъде човек обвинен в антисемитизъм, сексизъм ,расисъм, то това значи, че тя НАИСТИНА трябва да бъде казвана.
Не Хитлер и концлагерите няма да се върнат, когато хората започнат да говорят истината. Напротив. Режимите на 20ти век до един са били режими на лъжи. Именно истината, а не цензурата и мълчанието е спасението от такива режими.
Християните трябва да намалят култа към Исус, и да си спомнят, какво той е казал за себе си, че е. ИСТИНАТА. Т.е те са ученици на истината.
Т.в. ако нещо е вярно, ако нещо е истинна описване на реалността то това е ПЪТ към Бога.
Не е възможно да съществуват истини на омразата. Защото Бог е истина и бог е любов.
Ако нещо е вълни с омраза към хора (а не към врага) то то просто не е истина, или не е пълна истина.
Но и само защото някаква истина обижда някой човек работещ за врага, това не я прави по-малко истина или по-малко добра.
Християнин не е човек който просто ходи на църква моли се и пее за Исус.
Християнин е човек който ходи и живее в истината, и който НЕ ПРАВИ КОМПРОМИСИ с истината.
Не се задоволява с полуистини.
Християнството не е просто култ към Исус, християнството е или поне би трябвало да бъде КУЛТ КЪМ ИСТИНАТА.
А християните е по-правилно да се наричат Ученици на Истината.
Ще наричам този жанр книги християнски футуризъм.
Бог е истината и търсенето на Бог в търсенето на истината и обеаното. Всичко което реално е наука, (а не лъже религия или философия замаскирана като наука - както са някои социални науки като социологията, джендър "науките" и пр.) е 100% съвместимо с Бог.
Т.е. точните науки, физика, генетика, компютърни науки, всичко което е довело до технологиите във филм като Космическа одисея 2001 на Кубрик е 100% съвместимо с християнството.
Даже не само е съвместимо, то е очаквано.
Едно радикал християнско общество, което се вълнува преди всичко какво е вярно, какво е истина, как наистина работи както духовния, ТАКА И МАТЕРИАЛНИЯ свят неизбежно ще завладее както семята, каквото са направили хората от западната християнска цивилизация, така ще завладее и космоса.
Докато объркването и нихило-хедонистично живот на атеистите ги кара да искат да режат пишките, на синовете си и да не разбират разликата между мъже и жени, и значението на брака, че това са мъж и жена вплетени в една плът чиято цел е да властват над материалния свят и да създават нов човешки живот.
В радикал християнския футуризъм така както си го представям 80% от земята и 100% от космоса ще се населява от християни. Технологията ще се използва по предназначение, за завладяване на небесата, а не за порно, хазарт, суета (Инстаграм и др. Соц мрежи), преяждане и пр.
Денят на всеки колонист, миньор в астероид, пасажер на космическа совалка, лекар в международна станция... Ще започва с искрена молитва в стил Отче наш.
На земята вероятно ще има останали намаляващи наброй антихристи, феминистки и пр. Объркани, живеещи в лъжи, както все повече ги виждаме на запад, роби на пороци, зависими към порно, наркотици, суета... Режещи пишките на синовете си, осакатявайки дъщерите си. Как такива хора очакваме да нарастват, ако нямат власт върху пропагандата и образователната система. Те ще се свият до малката отричаща истината секта, която напрактика са и днес. Просто няма да имат никаква власт извън нея.
За да стане това космическо, християнско бъдеще просто навсякъде властта - пропагандата и образователната система трябва да бъде завладяна от хора които са ученици на истината. От хеистияни.
Бог ни е заповядал да владеем земята. А не да ни е срам и да позволяваме на антихристи - ортодоксални или секуларни - отричащи Истината, мразещи я, те да управляват вместо нас. Ние да не би да се изцапаме с власт.
В това бъдеще очаквам края на света да е след хиляди години, когато вече ептем знанието за бога е загубено от гордостта от постигнатото, и вече възвръщането към Бога и злоупотребата с технологиите е взела връх.
Но Ако християните не се осъзнаят и просто не вземат това, което по заповед от шефа ни принадлежи то Откровения на Йоан може да се случи още приживе в нашия век.
Според мен от нас зависи. От това християните да спрат да бягат като дявол от тамян, и да спрат да правят компромиси с някои истини, да спрат да вярват на пропагандата, произвед на от хора, които работят за нашите врагове. Но също и да намалят фарисейството. Бог (истината) се разкрива по два взаимно допълващи се начини - книгата за духовния свят и Бога, и книгата на творението.
Всички научни открития които са истина са абсолютно съвместими с Бога. За характера на бога може да се разбере много когато един покаял се християнин чете истинска наука. Не философия на науката като еволюция или социология, а истинска наука.
И мисля, че е крайно време християните да спрат да се притесняват да обидят, шокират дори разгневят някой който работи за нашия враг.
Исус много са го слушали в захлас, но много и са го мразили.
Християните не са хипита, и някой път, ако някоя истина трябва да бъде казана, дори на цената да бъде човек обвинен в антисемитизъм, сексизъм ,расисъм, то това значи, че тя НАИСТИНА трябва да бъде казвана.
Не Хитлер и концлагерите няма да се върнат, когато хората започнат да говорят истината. Напротив. Режимите на 20ти век до един са били режими на лъжи. Именно истината, а не цензурата и мълчанието е спасението от такива режими.
Християните трябва да намалят култа към Исус, и да си спомнят, какво той е казал за себе си, че е. ИСТИНАТА. Т.е те са ученици на истината.
Т.в. ако нещо е вярно, ако нещо е истинна описване на реалността то това е ПЪТ към Бога.
Не е възможно да съществуват истини на омразата. Защото Бог е истина и бог е любов.
Ако нещо е вълни с омраза към хора (а не към врага) то то просто не е истина, или не е пълна истина.
Но и само защото някаква истина обижда някой човек работещ за врага, това не я прави по-малко истина или по-малко добра.
Християнин не е човек който просто ходи на църква моли се и пее за Исус.
Християнин е човек който ходи и живее в истината, и който НЕ ПРАВИ КОМПРОМИСИ с истината.
Не се задоволява с полуистини.
Християнството не е просто култ към Исус, християнството е или поне би трябвало да бъде КУЛТ КЪМ ИСТИНАТА.
А християните е по-правилно да се наричат Ученици на Истината.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 12, 2023
Hugh Ross's book "Why the Universe is the Way It Is" is an in-depth look at the origins and nature of the universe. It is a tour of the cosmos that blends scientific knowledge with theological insights. Ross's interesting writing style and amount of knowledge make a strong case for cosmic design. He shows how the universe's physical constants are finely tuned and how a delicate balance is needed for life to exist.
Ross's ability to explain complicated scientific ideas in a way that anyone can understand is one of the book's best qualities. He explains the Big Bang theory, the anthropic principle, and other basic ideas in astrophysics and cosmology in a way that is easy to understand by using simple words, analogies, and examples. This way, readers can enjoy the mind-boggling wonders of the world and understand how complicated the subject is, even if they don't know much about science.
Another interesting thing about the book is that Ross mixes science and faith. He walks carefully and carefully around the intersection of religious beliefs and scientific discoveries, making sure to stress that science and religion can live together in peace. Ross encourages readers to look at the universe as a whole, including both the wonders of the natural world and the spiritual parts of life, in order to learn more about the universe's purpose and our place in it.
Ross's "Why the Universe is the Way It Is" is based on his Christian worldview, but he talks about and admits other points of view all throughout the book, which encourages a respectful discussion. But people with different ideas about religion or philosophy might find the book's spiritual point of view limiting.
In short, "Why the Universe is the Way It Is" is a thought-provoking and in-depth look at the mysteries of the universe. Hugh Ross's knowledge of astronomy and his deep understanding of religion come together to make a compelling story that makes readers think about how and why the world began. This book takes you on an interesting journey that will help you learn more about the world's complex design and deep mysteries, whether you are a scientist, a theologian, or just someone who is interested in the wonders of the universe.
Ross's ability to explain complicated scientific ideas in a way that anyone can understand is one of the book's best qualities. He explains the Big Bang theory, the anthropic principle, and other basic ideas in astrophysics and cosmology in a way that is easy to understand by using simple words, analogies, and examples. This way, readers can enjoy the mind-boggling wonders of the world and understand how complicated the subject is, even if they don't know much about science.
Another interesting thing about the book is that Ross mixes science and faith. He walks carefully and carefully around the intersection of religious beliefs and scientific discoveries, making sure to stress that science and religion can live together in peace. Ross encourages readers to look at the universe as a whole, including both the wonders of the natural world and the spiritual parts of life, in order to learn more about the universe's purpose and our place in it.
Ross's "Why the Universe is the Way It Is" is based on his Christian worldview, but he talks about and admits other points of view all throughout the book, which encourages a respectful discussion. But people with different ideas about religion or philosophy might find the book's spiritual point of view limiting.
In short, "Why the Universe is the Way It Is" is a thought-provoking and in-depth look at the mysteries of the universe. Hugh Ross's knowledge of astronomy and his deep understanding of religion come together to make a compelling story that makes readers think about how and why the world began. This book takes you on an interesting journey that will help you learn more about the world's complex design and deep mysteries, whether you are a scientist, a theologian, or just someone who is interested in the wonders of the universe.
January 25, 2026
Mood: Reflective, analytical
Theme: God made the universe and his planning and strategy are evident through scientific advances that explore the depths of his plans.
Pace: Slow, redundant
Writing Quality: Lacking and technical
Length: 205 pages
Hugh Ross is founder and president of "Reasons to Believe" and the author of many books. He has also been a frequent speaker at college campuses in the United States and abroad, offering a scientific perspective to the Bible. Ross grew up in a secular household but with access to library books he found answers to his burning questions. He delved into sacred holy books as a teenager and found the Bible to be inspired as it contained prophetic and scientific points he felt no man could have just made up.
The first part of this book examines the widely perceived enigmas of the universe to determine from a scientific perspective each one's underlying significance for humanities existence. The second part of this book explores how the Bible accurately and uniquely described the major features of the origin structure in history of the universe, thousands of years before any scientist discovered them.
Some fascinating facts in my opinion were:
-When astronomers observe the sun, they see it 8 minutes and 20 seconds ago, the amount of time it takes light to travel to the earth.
-The universe is 13.73 billion years old.
-99.73 percent of everything that exists in the universe is "dark"
-Earth resides in the darkest location within the Milky Way galaxy where physical life is possible...and our Milky Way galaxy lives in the darkest location in the universe where physical life is possible.
Although the book was filled with many fascinating facts, it was written in a technical and somewhat jumbled way lacking cohesion. At times the facts were confusing and over my head, heavy on physics, but overall I did find it informative and enjoyed the melding of biblical scriptures (of which there were many) with scientific facts.
Theme: God made the universe and his planning and strategy are evident through scientific advances that explore the depths of his plans.
Pace: Slow, redundant
Writing Quality: Lacking and technical
Length: 205 pages
Hugh Ross is founder and president of "Reasons to Believe" and the author of many books. He has also been a frequent speaker at college campuses in the United States and abroad, offering a scientific perspective to the Bible. Ross grew up in a secular household but with access to library books he found answers to his burning questions. He delved into sacred holy books as a teenager and found the Bible to be inspired as it contained prophetic and scientific points he felt no man could have just made up.
The first part of this book examines the widely perceived enigmas of the universe to determine from a scientific perspective each one's underlying significance for humanities existence. The second part of this book explores how the Bible accurately and uniquely described the major features of the origin structure in history of the universe, thousands of years before any scientist discovered them.
Some fascinating facts in my opinion were:
-When astronomers observe the sun, they see it 8 minutes and 20 seconds ago, the amount of time it takes light to travel to the earth.
-The universe is 13.73 billion years old.
-99.73 percent of everything that exists in the universe is "dark"
-Earth resides in the darkest location within the Milky Way galaxy where physical life is possible...and our Milky Way galaxy lives in the darkest location in the universe where physical life is possible.
Although the book was filled with many fascinating facts, it was written in a technical and somewhat jumbled way lacking cohesion. At times the facts were confusing and over my head, heavy on physics, but overall I did find it informative and enjoyed the melding of biblical scriptures (of which there were many) with scientific facts.
January 8, 2023
A friend once remarked that wherever the Bible touches science the Bible is accurate. Hugh Ross, an astrophysicist, echos my friend's prescient observation and in fact made that observation the basis for this book. Ross's scientific study of the universe has reenforced his Christian faith by revealing the perfect nature of the universe from its created beginning, to the present and into its future. He shares his observations in a manner comprehensible by the non-scientist which makes his reasoning all the more compelling. For example, in making the point that the universe is so perfect in its balance that any imperfection would completely change it, he uses the example of an aircraft carrier; a nuclear powered ship that fully loaded displaces over 100,000 tons, serves as living and working quarters for a 5000 humans who operate one of the world's most sophisticated and mobile airfields and communications facilities. In comparing the universe's perfect balance to the carrier, Ross tells us the universe's balance is so perfect that were it a carrier and a fleck of paint had gone missing on its superstructure the carrier would become uninhabitable. IOW, a missing fleck of paint which is a billionth of a trillionth of that carrier's mass, if it's harmony was same as the universe's, would destroy it. Ross fills this book with similar such examples of the perfect, created universe in which we live and offers Biblical insights on our Creator's plans for the future.
February 2, 2022
My grandma gave me this book and I figured I’d give it a read. I think if you are already religious and not familiar with logic theory, it would be a good book for you to read your way through, but I had some issues with it: 1. If you look at his references while reading the chapter, over half reference other books he or fellow employees of his ministry wrote. You cannot use yourself and your own theories as an expert witness as to why your ideas have merit. 2. His logic is very circular in some places. For example he would make a wild claim, and then claim it is true because of a bible verse. He would then bend a physics example illogically to fit his argument. The strongest example of this is discussing how the laws of physics caused Hitler’s death and thereby saved millions of Jews and Germans. 3. The charts/graphs he used could have been placed in a scientific book about cherry-picking and misinterpreting data until it means nothing at all.
The second half of the book had almost no science and was merely a biblical book report on what he believed happens post death and what the “second creation” might be.
Overall, I gave it a couple stars because the first half of the book made me want to do more research into astrophysics and got me thinking on some good topics. I was actually fairly engaged at that part of the book even though I wasn’t bought in.
The second half of the book had almost no science and was merely a biblical book report on what he believed happens post death and what the “second creation” might be.
Overall, I gave it a couple stars because the first half of the book made me want to do more research into astrophysics and got me thinking on some good topics. I was actually fairly engaged at that part of the book even though I wasn’t bought in.
February 15, 2021
The author is a physicist, a mathematician and a theologian. This gives him a unique background from which he uses his research and science to defend why the universe is as it is. It's an easy to read, conversational trip through space, time, dark matter, physics and scripture. I learned about the perfect placement of the earth that allows us to see the stars, how the moon and planets affect Earth's tides and protect the earth from radiation and asteroidal damage, and that UFOs are usually IFOs or identifiable flying objects (pg 59).
The author presented many thoughts on God's reasons for creating the universe the way it is. But always backed his arguments with reason or science. He even quoted Galileo in saying that the Bible says how to go to heaven, not how the heavens go.
He states that the earth is temporary, made for the purpose of showing God's glory and teaching man, not to be perfect and last forever. Being in the world reveals human nature. He presents the Christian gospel several times in several beautiful ways. He concludes that suffering is temporary in this world, and we're made to glorify God if we'll accept His redemption. After the world ends, human life continues for those who do.
The author presented many thoughts on God's reasons for creating the universe the way it is. But always backed his arguments with reason or science. He even quoted Galileo in saying that the Bible says how to go to heaven, not how the heavens go.
He states that the earth is temporary, made for the purpose of showing God's glory and teaching man, not to be perfect and last forever. Being in the world reveals human nature. He presents the Christian gospel several times in several beautiful ways. He concludes that suffering is temporary in this world, and we're made to glorify God if we'll accept His redemption. After the world ends, human life continues for those who do.
August 18, 2019
Overall this is a good book if you being a theist want to understand what actually universe is, what it contains and how actually it operates. Book gives a lot of interesting information about it. Book gives even more interesting information about fine-tuned universe describing many constants and characteristics of the universe that are narrowly fine-tuned to permit possibility of advanced life forms (humans) to exist. You will have quite good understanding what actually 'anthropic principle' really is when reading this book.
However, after reading this book, I had a feeling that author is too uncritical about prevailing Big Bang cosmological model. It seems that reader is enforced to take all aspects of this model (i.e. Lambda-CDM) here as truths, and the reasoning that God's creation is somehow restricted to this model specifically as the best possible explanation of creation is inconclusive.
Theological part at the end of the book (where author tries to explain and solve 'problem of evil'), I think, is the weakest part of this book. Nevertheless it contains some valuable ideas.
However, after reading this book, I had a feeling that author is too uncritical about prevailing Big Bang cosmological model. It seems that reader is enforced to take all aspects of this model (i.e. Lambda-CDM) here as truths, and the reasoning that God's creation is somehow restricted to this model specifically as the best possible explanation of creation is inconclusive.
Theological part at the end of the book (where author tries to explain and solve 'problem of evil'), I think, is the weakest part of this book. Nevertheless it contains some valuable ideas.
February 7, 2019
I really thought this book might be over my head, but for the most part, the author takes complex subjects and writes in such a way that a reader with little background in astronomy can follow the thinking.
I want to identify something in this book that is a golden nugget to me - "What could explain God's 'failure' to rescue all 'innocent' people from criminal acts? If 'good' people were never harmed by criminal acts, abusive treatments or natural disasters, human authorities might never take action to restrain evil or even take evil seriously."
I have always felt that no words can explain why bad things happen to seemingly innocent people, and the explanations I have heard in the past leave me with more questions than answers. There is some context to this idea in the book that involves human responsibilities, so plucking it out may obscure it a little, but I think this philosophical thought is the first time I have felt that someone has given me an answer that doesn't make me have a lot of follow-up questions.
I want to identify something in this book that is a golden nugget to me - "What could explain God's 'failure' to rescue all 'innocent' people from criminal acts? If 'good' people were never harmed by criminal acts, abusive treatments or natural disasters, human authorities might never take action to restrain evil or even take evil seriously."
I have always felt that no words can explain why bad things happen to seemingly innocent people, and the explanations I have heard in the past leave me with more questions than answers. There is some context to this idea in the book that involves human responsibilities, so plucking it out may obscure it a little, but I think this philosophical thought is the first time I have felt that someone has given me an answer that doesn't make me have a lot of follow-up questions.
June 21, 2023
Why the Universe is the Way It Is is not one of Ross’s better books. There are numerous “rabbit hole” excursions throughout. Further, his expertise in science does not extend as well to his biblical work. The book's first part gives many solid and sometimes startling evidence of how God has structured the universe for humanity. The incredible balance built into nature is compelling evidence of a watchful creator. And while I agree with Ross that this universe is necessarily limited in time, his exploration of the new creation was not particularly compelling. In some ways, it seemed he was describing what will come with the same certainty as the description he gives to a current physical phenomenon. This is impossible because the biblical description of what is to come while tantalizing, is vague and incomplete. The book is well worth engaging, primarily because of the first section.
July 14, 2024
This book was a gift from my brother-in-law who knows I love science and also a Christian. The book was mind-boggling with all the science. It was fascinating. I got half-way through the book and felt that I hadn't really grasped the information deeply enough. So, I restarted it and after reading it a second time I understood it a lot better. The numbers used were astounding. How many zeros are there in a quadrillion, quadrillion, and so forth? I found his explanations of the universe's creation very plausible. He used good examples, like cars and blowing up a balloon to illustrate some of the points. These were helpful. I did disagree with him on his explanation of the triune god, his comment on Satan being the most powerful being God created, and his explanation of angels. But we are all entitled to our own opinions.
I'd really rate the book at 3.5 of 5 stars. Loved the science!
I'd really rate the book at 3.5 of 5 stars. Loved the science!
March 2, 2018
I am a Hugh Ross fangirl. I usually love everything I read from him. This, however, felt very repetitive of things I've read in his other books. Because of this, I rated it 3.5 stars.
But ... as a stand-alone, it is full of information. It is basically a detailed explanation of the anthropic principle -- "the observation that the universe appears to have been engineered for the specific benefit of the human species." His explanation is, as always, very clear and persuasive. If you've read many of his other books you could easily skip this one. If you've never read a book of his, this would serve as a solid introduction to the design of the universe.
But ... as a stand-alone, it is full of information. It is basically a detailed explanation of the anthropic principle -- "the observation that the universe appears to have been engineered for the specific benefit of the human species." His explanation is, as always, very clear and persuasive. If you've read many of his other books you could easily skip this one. If you've never read a book of his, this would serve as a solid introduction to the design of the universe.
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