Introduction to
Reasonable Faith UTD
Allen Hainline
www.OriginsDiscussion.info
Christianity provides reasons for beliefs:
• People from Berea were said to be more noble
because they researched to verify Paul’s teachings
(Acts 17:11)
• Paul reasoned daily with skeptics for 2 years at
Ephesus (Acts 19:9-10)
• Appeal to belief based on evidence
• E.g., living witnesses testify to resurrection: I Cor 15
Reasonable Faith Chapters
Reasonable Faith Chapters in US
Started by William Lane Craig
– PhD in philosophy and PhD on Resurrection
– www.reasonableFaith.org
– See DrCraigVideos on YouTube
• 5 million views on videos
• Good resource to see debates
Our chapter has autonomy and you can help
drive our topics and focus
– Give us your input!
Everyone would gain:
– Knowledge of philosophy and critical thinking
– Scientific knowledge not widely discussed in class
– Desire to research important topics
– Answers to tough questions
Christians would gain
– Greater understanding of God’s wisdom and glory
– “Be ready to make a defense to everyone who asks
you to give an account for the hope that is in you.”
I Peter 3:15
Atheist philosopher Quentin Smith admits a surprisingly strong
case for theism:
There is “erudite brilliance [in] theistic philosophizing today”
“The vast majority of naturalist philosophers have come to
hold (since the late 1960s) an unjustified belief in naturalism.
Their justifications have been defeated by arguments
developed by theistic philosophers, and now naturalist
philosophers, for the most part, live in darkness about the
justification for naturalism… If naturalism is true, then their
belief in naturalism is accidentally true.”
If professional philosophers underestimate the power of
theistic arguments, there is much for us to learn!
Greater emphasis on discussion this year!
Discussion etiquette
– Discuss the argument, don’t make it personal
• No ad hominem attacks
– Exercise the principle of charity
• Interpret a speaker's statements to be rational
• If someone raises an argument, find the best, strongest
possible interpretation and discuss that
Allen Hainline- Bachelor in physics from UT Austin, some grad
classes in Cosmology, Biology
Dr. Nils Confer - PhD in Biomedical Sciences from UNT, Post-doc
research at UTSW, MBA, former Marine, Presidential Security
Guard
Steve Lee - Degree in history and education from UNT, Masters
in philosophy, pursuing PhD in philosophy at UTD
Dr. Justin Bass - PhD from DTS, pastor, will be speaking on
theological/historical topics
Dr. Ray Bohlin – PhD in evolutionary biology, works for Probe
Ministries
Sept 6 – Moral Argument (Steve Lee)
Sept 13 – A Finely-Tuned Universe: Evidence (Allen)
Sept 20 – A Finely-Tuned Universe: Objections (Allen)
Sept 27 - Could Jesus Have Been Merely a Mythical Figure? (Steve Lee)
Oct 4 - The Trinity – is it a contradiction? (Dr. Justin Bass)
Oct 11 – Protein Evolution (Dr. Nils Confer)
Oct 18 – Origin of Life (Dr. Nils Confer)
Oct 25 – Genetic Evidence Poses Problems for Naturalistic Evolution
(Dr. Ray Bohlin)
Nov 1 – Reliability of the Bible (Dr. Justin Bass)
Nov 8 – How were the books of the New Testament chosen? (Dr. Justin Bass)
Nov 15 – Religious Pluralism (Steve Lee)
Nov 22 – Thanksgiving
Nov 29 – Video and discussion? (something lighter)
Dec 6 – End of the Semester Party
Longest-Standing Debate
Between Science and Christianity
Is the Universe Eternal?
Claims of Bible:
• Creation Ex Nihilo (“out of nothing”)
• Beginning even to time – uses phrases like “before time began”
• Expanding universe
Claims of pre-20th century science:
• Universe is eternal, generally thought to be static
• Therefore, no cause needed
Kalam Cosmological Argument
1. Whatever begins to exist has a cause
2. The universe began to exist
3. Therefore, the universe has a cause
–
A cause outside nature implies a supernatural agent
•
–
–
Outside of time, space, matter; immeasurably powerful
Atheists previously attacked only premise #2
Both atheism and theism require an unexplained starting point
–
Either the universe itself or something beyond the universe
(supernatural)
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Understanding Infinity
– Mathematically coherent but paradoxical
– Represents an unattainable limit
• Can use math to deal with infinities in computations
– But not everything in math applies to the real world
• My wife could not give birth to -1.5iπ kids
• Number of elements in these sets is identical
Natural Numbers: {1, 2, 3, 4, ….}
2x these values: {2, 4, 6, 8, ….}
– If inconsistent with laws of physics then a given aspect of
math is not actualized in our universe
• Actual infinities seem to fit into this category
• For example, you could double the number of protons without
increasing the total number
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Philosophical Arguments for
Universe Not Being Eternal
Many philosophers and mathematicians
such as David Hilbert believe that “actual
infinities are nowhere to be found in the
real world”
Actual infinities lead to absurdities
inconsistent with real world
If physicists assume a theory predicting
infinities is wrong, is it reasonable to expect
actual infinities exist in the actual world?
You can’t traverse an infinite number of
anything one at a time
• But an actually infinite number of past
events would entail this
Any questions about philosophical
arguments?
Has the Universe Always Existed?
What does Science Say?
Leading cosmologist Vilenkin developed models attempting to extend
universe into eternal past but now believes it’s impossible:
“With the proof now in place, cosmologists can no longer hide behind the
possibility of a past-eternal universe. There is no escape: they have to face
the problem of a cosmic beginning.”
Based on Borde-Vilenkin-Guth (BVG) theorem (2003)
His “proof” applies to any multiverse and multidimensional theories of
spacetime
Only assumption is that universe has on average expanded
– If that is violated run into roadblock with 2nd law of thermodynamics
• Eternal universe would have already reached a state of thermal equilibrium in
which nothing really happens
• Usable energy would have been used up by now
Creation out of Nothing
“the coming into being of the universe, as
discussed in modern science . . . is not just a
matter of imposing some sort of organization . . .
upon a previous incoherent state, but literally the
coming-into-being of all physical things from
nothing.” Paul Davies
"There is no doubt that a parallel exists between
the Big Bang as an event and the Christian notion
of creation from nothing.” George Smoot (Nobel
Prize Winner)
Kalam Cosmological Argument (again)
1. Whatever begins to exist has a cause
2. The universe began to exist
3. Therefore, the universe has a cause
But does the cause have to be God?
–
Has many properties of what should rightfully be called God
•
•
Timeless, Spaceless, Immaterial, Immensely Powerful
Personal
–
–
–
Conditions prior to the universe being created never changed
If the cause that initiated the universe always existed, it would have been
created infinitely long ago unless requiring a decision
Therefore the cause is not impersonal but personal
»
i.e. Capable of free will
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Discussion
What are the best objections to premise 1:
“Whatever begins to exist has a cause”?
What are the best objections to premise 2 that
the universe began to exist?
• Note that if either the philosophical or the scientific
arguments work, this premise is valid
Is there any way to accept both premises and
still somehow preserve atheism/naturalism?
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Are Quantum Events Uncaused?
• Don’t conflate epistemic uncertainty with being uncaused
• QM is governed by Schrödinger’s equation
– If something was truly uncaused then how could we make such
accurate probabilistic predictions?
• If the quantum vacuum itself came into existence, there is no
basis for appealing to quantum effects to bring about spacetime
– Even though a few scientists make this appeal
– This is not science – there is no science of non-being
– No experiments have ever been performed outside of spacetime
– Extrapolating laws that govern physical behavior to a domain
without space, time, matter or energy is highly problematic!
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Who Made God?
• Question assumes everything must have a cause
• Theists claim only that what begins to exist must be caused
– Most philosophers historically have accepted this
• Atheists such as Bertrand Russell posited a self-existent universe that
did not need to have been created or explained!
• Cosmological arguments point by deduction to something
eternally existent that brings about the first cause
• Since time itself had a beginning, an infinite regress of causes is
impossible - something is eternal!
– We now know that matter, space and time are not eternal
– So the question is like asking “Who caused the ‘uncaused first cause’ ?”
• A “created God” is not even a coherent concept
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Next Week: Series on the Existence of
God continues
Steve Lee on
“Moral Argument for God’s Existence”
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