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3. Comment #133250 by wooter on February 26, 2008 at 1:24 am
4. Comment #134633 by wooter on February 28, 2008 at 4:03 am
5. Comment #134634 by wooter on February 28, 2008 at 4:04 am
6. Comment #134635 by wooter on February 28, 2008 at 4:06 am
7. Comment #134640 by wooter on February 28, 2008 at 4:09 am
8. Comment #135330 by wooter on February 28, 2008 at 8:50 pm
9. Comment #135491 by wooter on February 29, 2008 at 3:26 am
10. Comment #135493 by wooter on February 29, 2008 at 3:28 am
11. Comment #136284 by wooter on February 29, 2008 at 5:26 pm
12. Comment #136288 by wooter on February 29, 2008 at 5:38 pm
13. Comment #137566 by wooter on March 3, 2008 at 7:32 am
14. Comment #137567 by wooter on March 3, 2008 at 7:34 am
15. Comment #138191 by wooter on March 4, 2008 at 3:39 am
16. Comment #138193 by wooter on March 4, 2008 at 3:41 am
17. Comment #138196 by wooter on March 4, 2008 at 3:43 am
18. Comment #138601 by wooter on March 4, 2008 at 3:44 pm
19. Comment #138954 by wipeout on March 5, 2008 at 1:38 am
20. Comment #138984 by wipeout on March 5, 2008 at 2:21 am
21. Comment #139137 by wooter on March 5, 2008 at 7:48 am
22. Comment #139172 by wooter on March 5, 2008 at 8:53 am
23. Comment #139175 by wooter on March 5, 2008 at 8:54 am
24. Comment #139177 by wooter on March 5, 2008 at 8:56 am
25. Comment #139502 by wooter on March 6, 2008 at 2:13 am
26. Comment #139537 by wooter on March 6, 2008 at 3:35 am
27. Comment #139539 by wooter on March 6, 2008 at 3:37 am
28. Comment #141045 by wipeout on March 9, 2008 at 8:10 pm
29. Comment #141078 by wipeout on March 10, 2008 at 2:22 am
30. Comment #141125 by Wheeler on March 10, 2008 at 5:04 am
31. Comment #141146 by Wheeler on March 10, 2008 at 5:40 am
32. Comment #141148 by Wheeler on March 10, 2008 at 5:43 am
33. Comment #141156 by Wheeler on March 10, 2008 at 6:12 am
34. Comment #141163 by Wheeler on March 10, 2008 at 6:22 am
35. Comment #141170 by Wheeler on March 10, 2008 at 6:30 am
If God does not need an artist, but He is perfect, then the Universe does not need an artist, even though it contains lovely snowflakes.
36. Comment #141174 by Wheeler on March 10, 2008 at 6:33 am
37. Comment #141178 by Wheeler on March 10, 2008 at 6:40 am
Either your statement above is correct, and a person does need an artist. In which case, by the same logic, so does the beautiful and complex God.
38. Comment #141179 by Wheeler on March 10, 2008 at 6:42 am
39. Comment #141183 by Wheeler on March 10, 2008 at 6:45 am
40. Comment #141191 by Wheeler on March 10, 2008 at 6:49 am
41. Comment #141195 by Wheeler on March 10, 2008 at 6:53 am
42. Comment #141204 by Wheeler on March 10, 2008 at 7:00 am
43. Comment #141206 by Wheeler on March 10, 2008 at 7:04 am
There are two reasons I can give why words are not sufficient to define something into existence:
44. Comment #141211 by Wheeler on March 10, 2008 at 7:07 am
45. Comment #141214 by Wheeler on March 10, 2008 at 7:09 am
46. Comment #141223 by Wheeler on March 10, 2008 at 7:18 am
47. Comment #141228 by Wheeler on March 10, 2008 at 7:28 am
48. Comment #141231 by Wheeler on March 10, 2008 at 7:32 am
49. Comment #141233 by Wheeler on March 10, 2008 at 7:35 am
50. Comment #141240 by Wheeler on March 10, 2008 at 7:41 am
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1. Comment #132783 by wooter on February 25, 2008 at 7:50 am
If the universe needs a cause, then why doesn't God need a cause? And if God doesn't need a cause, why should the universe need a cause? In reply, Christians should use the following reasoning:
1.Everything which has a beginning has a cause.1
2.The universe has a beginning.
3.Therefore the universe has a cause.
Its important to stress the words in bold type. The universe requires a cause because it had a beginning, as will be shown below. God, unlike the universe, had no beginning, so doesn't need a cause. In addition, Einstein's general relativity, which has much experimental support, shows that time is linked to matter and space. So time itself would have begun along with matter and space.
Since God, by definition, is the creator of the whole universe, he is the creator of time. Therefore He is not limited by the time dimension He created, so has no beginning in time God is the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity (Isaiah 57:15). Therefore He doesn't have a cause.
In contrast, there is good evidence that the universe had a beginning. This can be shown from the Laws of Thermodynamics, the most fundamental laws of the physical sciences.
1st Law: The total amount of mass-energy in the universe is constant.
2nd Law: The amount of energy available for work is running out, or entropy is increasing to a maximum.
If the total amount of mass-energy is limited, and the amount of usable energy is decreasing, then the universe cannot have existed forever, otherwise it would already have exhausted all usable energy the heat death of the universe. For example, all radioactive atoms would have decayed, every part of the universe would be the same temperature, and no further work would be possible.
So the obvious corollary is that the universe began a finite time ago with a lot of usable energy, and is now running down.
Now, what if the questioner accepts that the universe had a beginning, but not that it needs a cause? But it is self-evident that things that begin have a cause no-one really denies it in his heart. All science and history would collapse if this law of cause and effect were denied. So would all law enforcement, if the police didn't think they needed to find a cause for a stabbed body or a burgled house.
Also, the universe cannot be self-caused nothing can create itself, because that would mean that it existed before it came into existence, which is a logical absurdity.
In summary
1.The universe (including time itself) can be shown to have had a beginning.
2. It is unreasonable to believe something could begin to exist without a cause.
3. God, as creator of time, is outside of time. Since therefore He has no beginning in time, He has always existed, so doesn't need a cause.
From Christian answers web page.
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