The idea that there is more than one universe is popular these days. This hypothesis was originally put forward by Hugh Everett, a student at Princeton University in the 1950s, who developed this thought for his PhD thesis. The multiverse notion has since been picked up in popular science fiction, like Dr. Strange… yet some take it seriously. The late Stephen Hawking, for example, was convinced this theory must be the answer to why our universe was so finely tuned for life to exist on Earth. If untold numbers of universes exist, then ours just got the lucky roll of the dice.
The reason the multiverse theory remains popular is primarily because it’s perceived to eliminate any need for an Intelligent Designer, one who must be the Divine Mind behind the Big Bang. But does the multiverse theory give the best explanation for why Earth is finely tuned for life? In any theory, one looks for what gives the best explanation for why something happened. This is known as Occam’s Razor, which means the simplest explanation is probably correct. There exists some basic natural realities and human experiences that show the historic Christian perspective is stronger in its explanatory scope on why there is one universe caused by a Creator rather than the multiverse theory.
Here are valid views that account for an array of accepted realities:
Reality #1: The universe had a distinct beginning – the Big Bang
This is an accepted fact by most scientists. Many used to think the universe was eternal and called this the “Steady-State Theory.” Yet, since Einstein’s theory of General Relativity, and the Second Law of Thermodynamics, that theory is no longer accepted. The Hubble Telescope was also used to discover that the universe was expanding. And with an expansion, there is a cause. Scientists now know that all space, time and material began in this Big Bang phenomenon. So, whatever created it must be outside of the cause, and be spaceless, timeless, immaterial and really, really smart! That sounds like a definition of God.
Reality #2: Non-material things exist
Abstract entities such as mathematics, laws of logic, and knowledge are immaterial yet exist. Nonetheless, a naturalistic worldview, one that does not acknowledge the existence of anything non-material, is firmly planted in the field of most sciences, and denies anything supernatural.
Scientists are often viewed as the truth-tellers of reality. But science can’t even explain why ‘order’ itself exists! The laws of nature, for example, are preexisting; in other words, scientists have merely discovered these laws which show that there are constants, like gravity, that govern the universe. The universe runs on ordered laws that are immaterial in nature. These things can’t be measured empirically (though the five senses), only the effects of using these laws can be measured. This shows that things exist that are not physical. So, one can infer that a nonmaterial cause to the physical universe is plausible.
Reality #3: Universal, moral objectives exist
Just like the laws of nature hint at a “Law Maker”, so do moral laws. Despite today’s relativistic-thinking, which says moral truth is subjective, there exists an innate sense of right and wrong within every mentally-healthy individual. These objective morals, like murder is wrong, are best explained by a Moral Law Maker.
The contrasting view, that says we are moral beings through social constructs, doesn’t hold the best explanation for why we have that innate sense of “ought-ness.” For example, if morals were simply social constructs, then who could say what the Nazis did to the Jews was wrong? German society claimed that the Jews were sub-human, and thus, deserving of death. If morals are subjective social constructs, then this kind of genocide could happen again.
Deep down within ourselves, innately we should know murder is wrong (unless it’s self-defense). You just don’t murder people. Period. That is an objective moral, again, best explained by God, who transcends any human standard of morality. For those who have rebelled against the Law Maker, searing their conscience, we have a written record of morality that God inspired Moses to write down (the Ten Commandments), so there is no excuse. If everyone just followed those laws, we’d not have the problems we face today.
Reality #4: Human beings are a self-reflecting species with a consciousness, free will, and a need for meaning in life
The best explanation for the mind is a human soul created by God. To suggest that the mind is just ‘a brain’ responding to biochemical stimuli renders the person with no free will. To clarify this point, if we merely responded to our environment because of evolutionary programming, that is determinism, not free will. As Tim Stratton of Free Thinking Ministries once said, “If Naturalism were true, people would be meat robots.” It sounds like he’s kidding, but he is serious! If a purely materialistic reality was true, there would be no free will because our brains would have no choice but to respond to chemical stimuli.
Yet common sense tells us that we do have free will. People have choices and make them all the time! They are not biochemical machines programmed by stimuli. People are so much more than their physical forms. We were created in God’s image; part of that image is having free will and a spirit, some of the best gifts God gave us.
Reality #5: Most people experience religious phenomena of some sort. In fact, more than half the world’s population follows a monotheistic religion[1]
Half of the world’s population equals more than 3 billion people. Are all these people deluded? The likelihood is no. Even though Atheism may be trendy (in certain circles), many intelligent people believe in God. And according to Pew research, religious belief is growing. If current trends continue, by 2050 only 13% of the population will be non-religious.
To rely on scientists as the only truth-tellers of our time is very limiting. Science can explain a lot of things materially, but it can’t explain experiences of the human soul, nor does it provide the best explanation for the origin of life.
These five realities show that naturalistic theories for the existence of our universe does not give the best explanatory power for why anything exists at all. The Multiverse Theory is just a “science-of-the-gaps” response to existence. Even if science does find another universe in the future (which is highly improbable), the multiverse theory still fails to account for what created the first universe. As shown philosophically, an infinite regress in event-causing universes is not possible. Science itself shows everything that exists has a cause; so, there must be a first cause that is outside of time and space that created time and space.
Just for fun, let’s say there are multiverses… then there probably would be a universe just like ours, where God created everything and people have religious faith.
[1]Ken Samples,7 Truths That Changed the World (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2012),127.
Very thought provoking
Great post! It’s interesting how people impose God-like traits on the universe when they say things like, “The universe wanted it to happen.” Everyone knows in their gut that life on this planet and within the bigger universe is not random. That there is a Creator, that everything is woven and held together by a being above and beyond us. Thanks for spelling this out so well.
Hi Melinda!
Yeah… I hear people many times saying stuff like: “I guess the Universe wanted it to happen.” Isn’t that odd? It is as if they would rather attribute divine intervention into their lives by an impersonal “force,” or whatever, than to a personal God who loves them. I am not sure why one would prefer the impersonal over the personal, especially since I know the Personal God and it’s an awesome relationship to cultivate. Bless you! Lisa Q
Interesting stuff, Lisa. I’ve always said it takes a lot more faith to believe in the Big Bang than to believe in a Creator. Like, which came first, the chicken or the egg? Easier to wrap my head around an all-powerful God existing and then creating something from nothing. Thanks for this thought-provoking post.
Thanks, Karen. The Big Bang is a phenomenon that actually points towards a Creator. The majority of scientists now recognize that the Universe had a distinct beginning (Let there be LIGHT! Gen. 1:3), when all of time, space and matter began in a precise moment. So, the “egg” was in that event created by an Intelligent Mind or Designer (aka God), which then gave birth, so to speak, to the chicken… all of the known universe. So yeah, it’s a powerful apologetic (defense) for the Christian worldview of what must have started it all. Thanks so your comment!
Interesting. Some of the most open Christians I met as college professors were in the sciences… physicists & such – I think because they saw the pattern, the design, and the things that couldn’t be explained. Not the biologists though – for some reason – the most ardent atheists in my experience.
I do love multi-verse storylines in entertainment though.Makes for some fun “what if” exploration. 🙂
Hi Christina!
Thanks for your comments. I am glad to hear that some of your College professors recognized pattern in the design of nature. I think many open-minded scientists are coming to grips with that, and if they are truly in the pursuit of truth, will follow it where the evidence leads. Regarding the biologists, I agree with you that they seem to be hardened in their presuppositions. I am not sure why that is so, but it does appear to be the case (my brother is an evolutionary biologist, so I am all too familiar with that mindset).
I do love the Multiverse concept, too, and thinks it plays out well in science fiction stories. And as my blog pointed out, there is actually room for that theory in a theistic worldview. God is big enough to have created more than one universe, and maybe that is why heaven will be so fantastic — maybe we will get to explore all those worlds in the next life! Put that in your imagination and go wild with it!
Good information here. Serious stuff. Number five is a bit of an appeal to popularity. Just because many people believe in one God doesn’t make it so. But it is significant that human beings search for that eternal something bigger than ourselves. We are wired for eternity. Thanks for writing! God bless!
Hi Nancy! Thanks for your comments. Regarding the 5th point, that was more of an appeal to religious experience than mere numbers. The point I was attempting to make was that all these people who have had these experiences can’t be wrong. That is a valid point, and one to be considered.
Very interesting! I like how you describe our Creator, “outside of the cause, spaceless, timeless, immaterial and really really smart.” It’s hard to believe that some do not believe in God! It was also interesting what you said the increasing numbers of people who will have some religious belief in 2050. I would have predicted less not more.
Hi Marcie!
Thanks for your comments. I know the stats of religious belief growing seem hard to believe, given the heightened skepticism of our modern culture, but I think it may be primarily because religious people tend to have larger family. So, to put it simply (and not very spiritually), people of faith will out-birth atheists.
Validating post Lisa,
Science can’t help itself it has to keep pushing even if it’s not true.
Hi Tony!
My brother is a scientist and is not a believer. He has told me that science is his way of understanding truths of the world because he has a difficult time with anything he cannot see materially. I think that is an honest statement, and one that many science-minded people can relate to.
For some of us, faith is just easier. Others seem to need more than simple belief, and that is why I write on the evidences of the Christian faith – to help those who may need more concrete facts in order to place their faith in Christ. Studying apologetics has shown me that faith should not be “blind faith,” but should be based on good thinking skills, the evidences that the Lord has left behind for us to discover, and then we can make a reasoned conclusion. Christianity is verifiable, and that is what makes it unique among all world religions.
Yes, you are right to say we should also be thinkers.
Our trials can deliver great wisdom if we think objectively about our circumstance. Your brother is fortunate to have you around when the science runs out.
Thanks, Tony. Well, it won’t be me that my brother turns to. After his divorce, he met a Christian woman and has since married her! So, if he turns to anyone, it will be her, I am sure. Blessings, Lisa Q
Thanks for a thoughtful essay.
I completely agree that we have a need for faith in something outside ourselves. It gives us purpose. Thanks for your reply.
Thank you, Nancy!
I love these arguments that negate so many of the commonly held scientifv theories that try explain away the existence of God. Thanks so much for sharing this!
Thanks, Brittany. The reason I write these arguments is for people who struggle with faith. We live in a day and age where science and technology has left us orphaned from our spiritual senses. Many are too “plugged in” to even trust that there may be more to life than what meets the eye. We’re so focused on the material, and anything immaterial seems suspect in an age of skepticism. My prayer is that the Lord will use my work to help folks like that.
An amazing prayer. The more we address these, the more minds we open to the possibility of God…The rest is up to us to live our faith.
Thanks Brittany! Yes, this is my desire with an apologetics ministry — to help open up the minds of those who struggle with faith to the wonderful possibility of God. There is no higher purpose than to help lost people find the Love of their Creator, God. Blessings, Lisa Q
I learned a lot through this post! Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us all. I love how you put words to the idea of free will pointing to a Creator- since we are clearly not just controlled by our own anatomy or chemicals. Thanks again!
Hi Elizabeth! Thanks for your comments. Yes, I think the Free Will argument (or case making) is a great way to show those who struggle with belief in God that we cannot be merely ‘material’ beings. If we were, then we’d be controlled by biochemistry, and that ultimately leads to everything being “determined” with no free will at all. Common sense tells us differently. Bless you! Lisa Q
Stumbled upon your site and article. Great post, Lisa!!
Hi Jeff! I am glad that stumbling led you to this site and pray that my blogs bless you. Thanks for the visit! Lisa Q