The heavens declare the glory of God, 
                  and the sky above declares his handiwork. (Psalm 19:1)

                 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
                 the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
                 what is man that you are mindful of him, 
                 and the son of man that you care for him? (Psalm 8:3-4)

    "Yeah, right," says the evolutionist with a sneer.  "This 'God' thing is so much nonsense!"

    Oh, really?  Well, perhaps that evolutionist, whom we'll call Darwin, would care to debate the existence of God.  And if he did, I presume he would agree that only physical evidence should determine the truth or falsehood of the statements made or implied in the psalms quoted above.  No reference to faith or things unseen will be made.  However, he is obliged to accept the truth and relevance of physical evidence that is presented.  Fair enough, Darwin?

    So let's examine the physical evidence regarding the earth and the "heavens" (celestial bodies) with the stipulation that he who presents the best or most abundant evidence wins the debate.  

    Representing the Bible and what it says about the existence of God, I present the following:

    1.  If the earth was 5% closer to Sol, our sun, all water in the atmosphere would be burned off.  Other gases would remain, but water vapor would disappear.  Hence no life on earth.

    2.  If the earth was 20% further from Sol, there would be insufficient heat in the atmosphere to keep water vapor from migrating to the poles and freezing, a la Mars.

    3.  If the earth was 12% smaller, there would not be enough iron in the core to move about and create the magnetic field which surrounds the earth, protecting it from Sol's powerful solar (radiation) winds.  Thus the earth's atmosphere would be stripped away and blown into space.

    4.  If the moon was not one-fourth the size of earth and placed just where it is relative to earth, its gravity would not be able to maintain the earth's tilt at twenty-three degrees, twenty-seven minutes.  Thus there would be an uninhabitable zone at the equator, narrow temperate zones a few degrees either side of the equator, and solid ice on the rest of the planet.  Similarly, the moon's size and placement allow its gravity to move the tides around the earth, thus continually refreshing the seas and coasts with nutrients.  A smaller moon couldn't do that, and a larger moon at the same distance would collide with the earth due to gravitational forces. 

    5.  If "something" (God, Darwin?) had not set the earth to rotating, there would be perpetual frozen night on one side and perpetual scorching day on the other.  Again, only a narrow band, this time vertically, would support life.  Similarly, if the earth's rotation was not its exact speed, i.e. once per 24 hours, plant and animal life would be lessened or eliminated due to insufficient or too much sunlight.

    6.  If Sol varied more than 3% in size and intensity, it would be too hot or too cold to support life on earth.

    7.  The earth's crust is between five and twenty miles thick.  If it were significantly less, it would not support land masses since they would continually be blown apart by volcanic forces.  If it were significantly more, it would not allow the tectonic plates to move, thus creating continual rebirth (over millenia) of the land masses.

    8.  Four forces determine the existence and state of matter--gravity, electromagnetism, a strong nuclear force, and a weak nuclear force.  All four exist in precise balance with one another.  If any force is "tweaked" more than one-half of one percent, it has enormous consequences for the other three and completely eliminates all possibility of the existence or life-supporting state of matter.

    9.  The earth is situated approximately half-way out from the center of the Milky Way galaxy.  If it were closer, it would be subject to the dangerous novas (exploding stars) and radiation from giant stars that prevent any possibility of life.  If it were farther out, it would not have sufficient heavy metals to constitute matter.

    10.  The earth is situated in between two of the spiral arms of the Milky Way galaxy.  Again, this offers protection from dangerous galactic bodies.

    11.  The earth's moon is 400 times smaller than Sol.  It is also 400 times further from Sol than its distance from earth.  If this were not the case, there could be no total eclipse, where the moon appears to blot out the sun and only the chromosphere, or atmosphere closest to the surface of Sol, could be studied.  Thus Einstein's theory of relativity could not be tested and proven.

    12.  Points 9, 10, and 11 above also demonstrate a truly jaw-dropping fact: the size and location of our moon, combined with the earth's placement in the galaxy, create exactly the best conditions for observing the heavens.  There is little cosmic dust and an open view of the skies from the earth.  Moreover, of the seven bodies in our solar system which have atmospheres, only earth's has little carbon dioxide and an abundance of oxygen and nitrogen, thus creating a clear, unobstructed view of the heavens.

    Now, Darwin, let's assign a value of 1 - 10 to each of these variables, plus a few more essential facts that I haven't explored.  Upon examination, it turns out that each of the variables needs a ten in order to allow life; anything less is like a zero.  Thus ten times ten times ten times ten, for twenty-two iterations necessary to produce the precise conditions we enjoy, yields a probability for intelligent design of 1,000,000,000,000,000 to one.

    Statistically, that means you lose, Darwin.  The crushing weight of evidence just buries you.  Your theory that denies the existence of God is just so much hot air generated by your gaxaxy-sized ego.

    There is indeed a God.  He did indeed create the heavens and the earth, just as He tells us in the first verse of the Bible.  He made it such that we can live, and such that we can clearly see His glory in our planet and in the heavens.

    So that debate is over.  Now another question arises: why would the God who has the power to create all this and hold it together give a hoot about mankind?  The answer is given to us just a few verses later, in Genesis 1:26.  God the Father says to Jesus Christ the Son and to the Holy Spirit, "Let us create man in our image, after our likeness."  Now, this does not mean that God has arms and legs and eyes and skin cells.  Rather, it means that mankind bears the spiritual likeness, or the essence if you will, of the Spirit of God.  That is why we are so important, so precious to Him.  That's also why He gave us a pleasant environment in which to live and a clear view of the magnificence of His creation.

    It's enough to make you want to fall on your face and worship with mind-numbing awe and reverence.  And so we should.

Posted by Hale Meserow
May 3, 2007