God on the Internet: Answers to Real Internet Questions about God and the Meaning of Life

Chapter 2

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"Why is the Christian God more ‘right’ than any other God?" – stewart

In the answer to the first question of this book, "Why do you believe God exists?" good arguments for the existence of God were given. The evidence we gathered while answering the first question will help us discern who, of all the gods of all religions, God actually is. Here are the attributes the God that exists must have according to the evidence and implications of the answer to the first question of this book:

A being who can design and create the universe makes the first three points above self-evident. The last point makes sense when one studies the examples of fine-tuning for life found in the universe as given in the answer to the first question of this book.1
 
 
Attribute Reason to Assign the Attribute
Powerful and intelligent.  Immensity and complexity of the universe.
Able to exist outside our space-time domain. Created space and time so cannot only exist in it.
Able to create, not only matter from nothing but a space-time continuum from nothing. All matter and space-time came about at the Big Bang (creation event).
Cares about life. Fine-tuning of the universe for life.

Table 2.1: Attributes of the God that exists.




The following is a list of what sort of being the God that exists might be:

The question left to answer is which of the above best fits the attributes we determined the God that exists has.

Is God an uncaring force? Apparently not, since it appears the entire universe was created to support life's existence. The God that exists must care about life to create such an immense universe for it.

Is God an unintelligent force? Not according to everything we know about intelligence. No one on earth is intelligent enough to understand even a small fraction of the universe. How much more intelligent must the one who designed it be? We know from the answer to the first question of this book that order requires an orderer. Complex, purposeful order, like the order of the universe to support life, requires an intelligent orderer. The order found in the laws of physics alone could not have come from anything but an extremely intelligent orderer/designer.

Is the God that exists one of the many gods known to the multitude of religions around the world? This is the actual question asked at the beginning of this chapter. It seems reasonable to conclude that God has revealed himself to us in one of these religions, since the universe appears to have a purpose and we all seem to have a built-in desire to find meaning and purpose in life. So we must find if any of the world's religions proclaim their god has the attributes we have determined for the God that exists. Lets evaluate each of the attributes previously listed in the context of the world's religions.

The first attribute of the God that exists is he must be unimaginably powerful and intelligent. The gods of most religions are depicted as more human than god-like. Certainly nothing like a God who can create such an immense and complex universe. Greek mythology is a good example. The Greek gods certainly don't fit the description of the incredibly powerful God that created this immensely complex universe. The Greek gods seem limited in their modes of thinking and level of knowledge. They seem to bumble through their existence without any more knowledge than the Greeks who first started speaking of them. Many religions claim that humans can become "gods" or reach some sort of god-like state of being some day (Mormonism, reincarnation-based religions such as Hinduism and some forms of Buddhism). Some religions claim "god" is in everything (animistic religions). It doesn't make logical sense to believe the creation can become the creator or is the creator. Self-creation is a logical impossibility because the creation would have to exist before itself in order to create itself.

The first attribute, the God that exists must be unimaginably powerful and intelligent, perfectly fits the God described in the Bible. For example, the Bible states:

"Who among the gods is like you, O LORD? Who is like you-- majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?" (Ex. 15:11, NIV) Nothing and no one is like God, according to the Bible. No one can equal the knowledge and intelligence of the one who created the universe. God said to a man named Job when Job presumed to know something about God's justice, power and intelligence: "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions?" (Job 38:4-5a, NIV) The above states, in a way Job could understand, that Job cannot imagine the power of the being who created and designed the earth and knows all details about it. The creation story in the Bible states God speaks creation into existence. His very words brought about the universe, showing the immensity of God’s power. Following are a few more examples of what the Bible states about God's power and intelligence: "But God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding." (Jer. 10:12, NIV) and: "Yes, and from ancient days I am he. No one can deliver out of my hand. When I act, who can reverse it?" (Isa. 43:13, NIV) and again: "I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?" (Jer. 32:27, NIV) So God is described in the Bible as being unimaginably powerful and intelligent, just like the God we already determined exists.

The second attribute of the God that exists is he must be able to exist outside our time domain. Some religions hold that some or all matter had a beginning at some point in time. Most do not consider time or space to have had a beginning. Some start the universe in a state of chaos, others start with water and many start with the existence of at least part of the material world. Many religions deal with infinite rejuvenation, which requires an ageless universe. We know the universe and time itself indeed had a beginning from nothing.2

The second attribute, the God that exists must be able to exist outside our time domain, perfectly fits the God described in the Bible. For example, the Bible states:

"'I am the Alpha and the Omega,' says the Lord God, 'who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.'" (Rev. 1:8, NIV) According to the Bible, the God that exists is both the first and the last. He is not confined by time, so he must be looking at and interacting with our time dimension not only from inside of it but also from outside of it. The Bible also states: "Trust in the LORD forever... the LORD, is the Rock eternal." (Isa. 26:4, NIV) According to the Bible, God is eternal. We know our universe is not. Also: "He is before all things..." (Col. 1:17a, NIV) In several places, the Bible refers to "before" the creation event (the "Big Bang" as scientists now call it). This doesn't make too much sense since we know time started at the Big Bang, but how else can one describe the concept of "outside" our time domain when it didn't even exist? The Bible was trying to explain concepts thousands of years before human beings even started to begin to think about such things.

The third attribute of the God that exists is he must be able to create, not only matter from nothing but a space-time continuum from nothing as well.3 I'm not aware of any religion, not including those based on the Bible, whose god is said to have this ability. Some of those gods may be said to be able to travel in time but not exist outside of our time domain altogether, which is a necessary requirement for the God that exists, who must have created our time domain.

The third attribute, the God that exists must be able to create, not only matter from nothing but a space-time continuum from nothing as well, perfectly fits the God described in the Bible. For example, the Bible states:

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." (Gen. 1:1, NIV) Here the Bible states God created the entire universe, which is what the Hebrew for "heavens and the earth" is referring to. Note that it says, "In the beginning." This is an interesting comment since science has only recently started to accept the idea there was a beginning to the universe, including a beginning to time itself. When the Bible states, "God created the heavens and the earth," it is saying everything we see (the earth) and everything else out there (the heavens) was created by God in the beginning of time (T=0). The Hebrew for created here is "bara" meaning to create something new or something from nothing. To do this, God also must have existed "before" the universe and its beginning. Also: "...the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment." (Ps. 102:25b-26a, NIV) The Bible states the universe is finite and wearing down. Additionally: "Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." (John 1:2, NIV) and: "For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible..." (Col. 1:16a, NIV) The Bible mentions there are things that exist that are invisible to the naked eye. By "invisible," could the Bible be talking about atoms and subatomic particles as well as other unseen forces? As an aside, the Bible tells us who the God that exists is: "but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son... through whom he made the universe." (Heb. 1:2, NIV) The Bible says that the universe was made through God’s Son, Jesus. Lastly, according to the Bible: "...the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible." (Heb. 11:3b, NIV) God created the universe from nothing. The word translated "visible" here is not the same word translated "visible" in the previous quote (Col. 1:16a). Here it is saying the universe was not made from anything that exists. Other Bible verses also show the God of the Bible created everything, even space-time.

The fourth attribute of the God that exists is he cares about life. Many religions believe this, though many do not claim their god(s) cares so much that he created the entire universe for life. Some religions claim to have an uncaring or preoccupied god.

The fourth attribute, the God that exists cares about life, perfectly fits the God described in the Bible. For example:

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." (John 3:16-17) Though this passage of the Bible has been quoted so much that it almost seems cliché, there is no better way to make the point that God cares about human beings. God also cares about the rest of his creation. Here is but one bit of evidence: "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them... See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. (Matt 6:26a, 28b-30, NIV) The Bible states God has provided and cares for his creation. Here are a few more quotes to ponder: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" (1 Cor. 2:9b, NIV) and: "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Rom. 5:8, NIV) The gods of the world’s religions fail the test when it comes to identifying who the God that exists is according to the attributes we determined he has. The gods of most of the world's religions fail all of the above tests. Some fail a few. All but Bible-based descriptions of God fail at least one, unless they give almost no information about their god at all. Only the attributes of the God of the Bible perfectly match the attributes of the God that exists, thus they are one in the same.4

The last thing to determine is if the God that exists is an unknown entity. We have already seen the God that exists is not an unknown entity but he matches the description of the God of the Bible exactly. There are only two religions that can be correct about the identity of the God that exists because there are only two religions who base their description of God on the Bible.5 One is Judaism, the other is Christianity.

The most glaring difference between Judaism and Christianity is in the identification of the long awaited Messiah. Despite the fulfillment of the Messianic prophecies by Jesus of Nazareth, Judaism as a whole has chosen not to accept him as their Messiah. From a study of those prophecies,6 one can determine Jesus was the expected one who would save the world. Therefore, the Christian God, as defined in the Bible is the God that exists and is "more right" than any other god, as asked by the question that started this chapter.

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1. One example is the weak nuclear force coupling constant.  If its value was even a little larger, there would be too many heavy elements in the universe to support life anywhere in the universe.  If its value was even a little smaller, there would not be enough heavy elements to support life.  If the electromagnetic coupling constant was even a little different, no chemical bonding could occur.  If the ratio of protons to electrons was even a little different, electromagnetism would dominate gravity, which would prevent galaxy, star, and planet formation.  For more examples of these constants, see Hugh Ross’ book, The Creator and the Cosmos (NavPress, 1995), pp. 118-121, 138-141.

2. The Space-Time Theorem of General Relativity (Hawking, Penrose, Ellis) says that everything, even time, came into existence at the Big Bang.  In addition, numerous books on cosmology give many evidences of a single Big Bang.  Even Hawking's more recent invocation of "imaginary time" does not successfully get around the Big Bang singularity.

3. Hugh Ross, The Creator and the Cosmos (NavPress, 1995), p. 77

4. Though its depiction of the origin of the Bible's creation story is far from accurate, the book "Primal Myths: Creation Myths Around the World" (Harper Collins,
1991) is a good resource for the creation stories of a number of ancient religions.

5. Islam is based on Judaic and Christian traditions and has a fairly accurate description of God in the narrow sense I discuss in this paper.  The religious text of Islam fails for reasons of self-contradiction and contradiction of well established and undisputed scientific fact and logic.  See the book, "The Qur'an and the Bible in Light of History and Science" (Middle East Resources, 1986) for more on this subject.

6. The New Testament of the Bible quotes many of these prophecies that are found in the Old Testament of the Bible and their fulfillment by Jesus.

© Mark Harpt, 2003