3/26/14

From Jeff Miller, Ph.D. .... Zero Energy Balance and Universes Popping Into Existence


Zero Energy Balance and Universes Popping Into Existence

by  Jeff Miller, Ph.D.

Perhaps it seems like common sense to you that universes do not create themselves—popping into existence all over the place, but many naturalistic scientists are latching on to such bizarre ideas due to their lack of a naturalistic explanation for the origin of the Universe. Famous atheist, theoretical physicist, and cosmologist of Cambridge University, Stephen Hawking, said, “Bodies such as stars or black holes cannot just appear out of nothing. But a whole universe can…. Because there is a law like gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing” (2010, p. 180, emp. added). Is there any empirical evidence suggesting that universes can pop into existence? Absolutely not. Is there evidence that anything can pop into existence from nothing? Nope. We have a law of science that prohibits it—the First Law of Thermodynamics (cf. Miller, 2013). Does the idea that something could pop into existence from nothing remind you of a magician’s trick? Probably. But to many in the scientific community today, naturalism must be true. They will not consider God.  He is not allowed in the discussion. “Creation is unacceptable, but witchcraft? Now that…we’ll consider.”

The Problem for the Naturalist

According to the First Law of Thermodynamics, “energy can be neither created nor destroyed; it can only change forms” (Cengel and Boles, 2002, p. 166). This poses a problem for the atheist, since the energy and matter of the Universe had to come from somewhere. Hawking said:
The idea of inflation could also explain why there is so much matter in the universe. There are something like ten million million million million million million million million million million million million million million (1 with eighty zeros after it) particles in the region of the universe that we can observe. Where did they all come from? The answer is that, in quantum theory, particles can be created out of energy in the form of particle/antiparticle pairs. But that just raises the question of where the energy came from (1988, p. 129, emp. added, parenthetical item in orig.).
Evolutionary physicist Victor Stenger, in his book, God: The Failed Hypothesis, said:
[W]here does the energy come from? The law of conservation of energy, also known as the first law of thermodynamics, requires that energy come from somewhere. In principle, the creation hypothesis could be confirmed by the direct observation or theoretical requirement that conservation of energy was violated 13.7 billion years ago at the start of the big bang (2007, p. 116, ital. in orig., emp. added).

The Naturalist’s Response

Hawking believes he has an answer to this problem for the naturalist—one that is in keeping with the First Law:
The answer is that the total energy of the universe is exactly zero. The matter in the universe is made out of positive energy. However, the matter is all attracting itself by gravity…. Thus, in a sense, the gravitational field has negative energy. In the case of a universe that is approximately uniform in space, one can show that this negative gravitational energy exactly cancels the positive energy represented by the matter. So the total energy of the universe is zero (1988, p. 129).
Stenger concurs:
The first law allows energy to convert from one type to another as long as the total for a closed system remains fixed. Remarkably, the total energy of the universe appears to be zero (2007, p. 116).
So, in essence, these physicists assert that there would have been zero energy in the Universe before the alleged big bang (a theory which we do not support, cf. Thompson, et al., 2003), and then there would have been zero energy in the Universe after the big bang, since “matter energy” can be considered to be positive and “gravitational energy” can be considered to be negative. According to Hawking and Stenger, these two amounts cancel each other out, leaving zero energy in the Universe—zero energy before the bang, and zero energy after. Sound reasonable to you?

The Evidence from Science and Sense

First of all, notice that Hawking boldly proclaims two significant assumptions that cannot even remotely be verified. (1) The Universe must be “approximately uniform in space”; and (2) The “negative gravitational energy exactly cancels the positive energy represented by the matter. So the total energy of the universe is zero” (1988, p. 129, emp. added). How, pray tell, could Hawking know such things about this vast and infinitely complex Universe without being omniscient? Not only can he not know such things, but he cannot even claim such things with the meager evidence about the entirety of the Universe he has at his disposal. It is quite a leap to hold to such unverified assumptions. It is a blind faith in a proposition that cannot be established scientifically. The rational man’s beliefs are based on the evidence—not baseless speculation.
Second, notice that he says, “in a sense, the gravitational field has negative energy” (1988, p. 129, emp. added). The words, “in a sense,” are significant, because they highlight the fact that gravitational energy is not really inherently “negative.” We call it “negative” from a certain viewpoint when we have such a thing as a directional axis to compare its effect with; but, in actuality, gravitational energy is simply energy—regardless of its sign. Hawking, himself, used the term “energy” to describe gravity. Whether or not it is considered “negative” is not the question. The question in light of the First Law is, where did it come from?
Third, this line of reasoning implies that things could and should be popping into existence all around us all the time, as long as those items have enough negative gravitational energy to offset them. Particles, rocks, and infinitely complex Universes should be popping into existence, since such occurrences—according to these physicists—would not violate a natural law. But wait. That does not happen. It has never been observed to occur even once. And our common sense verifies that it will not happen. Science does not support such a hypothesis. The hypothesis is unscientific.
Fourth, consider: is there energy in the Universe today that would not have been in existence before the supposed big bang? Yes. If I were to ask Hawking and Stenger if energy exists in the Universe today, what do you suppose they would say? To ask is to answer. But the First Law prohibits the creation of energy. So, the question is not whether the energy balance before and after the big bang is still zero. The important question in light of the First Law is whether or not there is energy in the Universe today that was not there before the big bang. The answer would have to be, “yes.” In fact, there are, by Hawking’s own admission, “negative” and “positive” energies in existence. According to the First Law of Thermodynamics, they could not have created themselves. Therefore, God must exist.
In essence, Hawking and those who hold to his position are playing word games with “zero.” It is like the man who holds out an empty fist and asks a child, “What am I holding in my hand?” The child responds, “Nothing.” The man continues, “What is stronger than God?” The child responds, “Nothing.” The man then concludes, “So, what I’m holding in my hand is stronger than God.” In logic, this is known as a “fallacy of equivocation,” which the Collins English Dictionary defines as “a fallacy based on the use of the same term in different senses, esp. as the middle term of a syllogism, as the badger lives in the bank, and the bank is in the High Street, so the badger lives in the High Street” (2003, ital. in orig.; cf. Baum, 1975, pp. 477-478). While there is a Universal energy balance of zero in Hawking’s model, it does not mean that there is actually zero energy in the Universe. On the contrary, the exorbitant amount of energy in the Universe calls for an explanation that can only be given by the Creation model.

Conclusion

In the words of Stenger:
Conservation of energy [i.e., the First Law of Thermodynamics—JM] and other basic laws hold true in the most distant observed galaxy and in the cosmic microwave background, implying that these laws have been valid for over thirteen billion years [NOTE: we do not hold to this deep time supposition—JM]. Surely any observation of their violation during the puny human life span would be reasonably termed a miracle…. In principle, the creation hypothesis could be confirmed by the direct observation or theoretical requirement that conservation of energy was violated 13.7 billion years ago at the start of the big bang (pp. 115-116, emp. added).
It is truly ironic that Stenger, himself, while attempting to dismiss the necessity of the supernatural in explaining the origin of the Universe, “confirmed” the existence of God through the “theoretical requirement that conservation of energy was violated” in the beginning of time. It is sad that Stenger’s admission on this point illustrates that, prior to Hawking’s development of this argument, Stenger recognized the need for the supernatural in explaining the origin of energy, since no “scientific” argument was available. Why, sir, did you not accept God before that point? And why, sir, do you not accept Him now, since He alone can account for the existence of the awesome Universe in which we reside?

REFERENCES

Baum, Robert (1975), Logic(New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston).
Cengel, Yunus A. and Michael A. Boles (2002), Thermodynamics: An Engineering Approach (New York: McGraw-Hill), fourth edition.
Collins English Dictionary (2003), (New York: HarperCollins Publishers), http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Logical+fallacy%2FEquivocation.
Hawking, Stephen (1988), A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes (New York: Bantam).
Hawking, Stephen (2010), The Grand Design (New York, NY: Bantam Books).
Miller, Jeff (2013), “Evolution and the Laws of Science: The Laws of Thermodynamics,” Apologetics Press, http://www.apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=9&article= 2786.
Stenger, Victor J. (2007), God: The Failed Hypothesis (Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books).
Thompson, Bert, Brad Harrub, and Branyon May (2003), “The Big Bang Theory—A Scientific Critique [Part 1],” Reason & Revelation, 23[5]:32-34,36-47.

From Jim McGuiggan... A CHURCH NOT FAILING ENOUGH

A CHURCH NOT FAILING ENOUGH


We have all those promises from Jesus about our asking “anything” in his name and God will give it. Can you imagine, a God like the God and Father of our lord Jesus Christ and a Lord like the Lord Jesus assuring us that if we ask “anything” in his name he will grant it?

And we, taking him at his word, ask him for what?

We ask advice on…what?

God has given the kingdom to us, we have a new world before us, we have a gospel entrusted to us that brings down castles of rebellion, that tears apart the foundations of forts of evil imagination and despair and we ask for what? We are taught to ask for what?

We’re faced with a world God so loves, a world that’s in darkness and slavery and we ceaselessly ask God to fine-tune our spirituality?

J.A. Stewart said it didn’t trouble him much when he hears people say that the Church is failing. What galls him is that it isn’t failing enough and for the right reasons.
 
It doesn’t engage or attempt to engage in cosmic-sized adventure so when it fails it fails in trivial ways. It is a humble church with a lot to be humble about!

©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.

Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, theabidingword.com

From Mark Copeland... Heeding The Voice From The Mountain (Hebrews 12:18-29)

                      "THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS"

             Heeding The Voice From The Mountain (12:18-29)

INTRODUCTION

1. In encouraging Christians to run the race that is set before them,
   the Hebrews writer has instructed them to...
   a. Lay aside things that would hinder them - He 12:1
   b. Run with endurance - He 12:1
   c. Keep their focus on Jesus - He 12:2-3
   d. Remember the value of the Lord's chastening - He 12:4-11
   e. Run with "style" - He 12:12-13
   f. Pursue peace and holiness - He 12:14
   g. Look diligently lest one fall short of God's grace, stumble
      because of bitterness, or become a fornicator or profane person
      - He 12:15-17

2. Further encouragement is now provided in the last half of chapter
   twelve...
   a. With a reminder of the "mountain" to which they have come
   b. With a warning to heed "Him who speaks"

3. As we "run the race of faith" today, we need this same reminder and
   warning...
   a. Do we appreciate the significance of the "mountain" to which we
      have come?
   b. Are we "Heeding The Voice From The Mountain"?
   -- How we answer such questions can reveal how well we are running
      the race of faith!

[With our text before us, let's take a look at...]

I. THE MOUNTAIN TO WHICH WE HAVE COME (18-24)

   A. IT IS NOT MOUNT SINAI (18-21)
      1. The mountain described first is Mount Sinai, to which Israel
         came following their deliverance from Egyptian bondage - cf.
         Exo 19:12-19
         a. It seems to have been much like a volcano - Exo 20:18; Deu
            4:11
         b. It frightened the people - Deut 5:22-26; 18:16
         c. Even Moses was afraid - Deut 9:19
      2. We have not come to such a mountain, that forces us to stand
         "afar off"

   B. IT IS MOUNT ZION (22-24)
      1. The "mountain" to which we have come is one that encourages us
         to "draw near"
      2. We have come to "Mount Zion"
         a. Zion was originally the stronghold of the Jebusites in
            Jerusalem that became the "city of David" - 2Sa 5:6-10;
            1Ch 11:4-9
         b. The term "Zion" came to be used to refer to:
            1) The city of Jerusalem - Ps 48:2; 84:7; Am 6:1
            2) The heavenly Jerusalem where God dwells - Isa 28:16;
               Ps 2:6 Re 14:1
      3. In coming to "Mount Zion", we have also come to...
         a. "the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem"
            1) The heavenly city longed for by Abraham and the others
               - cf. He 11:10,13-16
            2) The heavenly city longed for by Christians today - cf.
               He 13:14
            3) The heavenly city we will one day experience - Re 3:12;
               21:1-7; 22:14
            -- "This heavenly city is where our Lord dwells and is our
               eternal home. In coming to Christ we have come into the
               covenant which gives us the right to a place in that
               city." (B. W. Johnson, People's New Testament)
         b. "an innumerable company of angels"
            1) The heavenly servants of God, of which there is a great
               number - cf. Re 5:11
            2) Who also minister to those who will inherit salvation
               - He 1:14
         c. "the general assembly and church of the firstborn
            registered in heaven"
            1) The church in the universal sense, made up of all who
               are saved - Ac 2:47
            2) They are the "firstborn ones", who enjoy special
               privileges of their birthright
            3) Their names are in "the Book of Life" - Php 4:3; Re 3:5
         d. "God the Judge of all"
            1) The Judge of all the earth - cf. Gen 18:25
            2) He is the One to whom we must give heed, as we shall
               note shortly
         e. "the spirits of just men made perfect"
            1) Those who died in faith, such as the Old Testament
               saints - He 11:39-40
            2) Note:  They had not been made perfect apart from us, but
               now they are made perfect;  they were redeemed by the
               blood of Christ! - cf. He 9:15
         f. "Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant"
            1) As we've seen, He is the Mediator of "a better covenant"
               - He 8:6
            2) This "new covenant" is by means of His death - He 9:15
         g. "the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than
            that of Abel"
            1) Abel still speaks through the example of his faith
               - He 11:4
            2) But in comparison, the blood of Jesus speaks volumes!
               - He 10:11-14

[In coming to Christ, being redeemed by the blood of the New Covenant,
we have drawn near to this wonderful "mountain"!  It is a place that
offers many wonderful blessings, both now and with promise for the
future.

But the author's purpose is not just to review the blessings we have in
coming to this "mountain"; he is warning us:

       "See that you do not refuse Him who speaks." (He 12:25a)

To appreciate the need for his warning, let's now consider...]

II. WHY WE SHOULD HEED THE VOICE FROM THE MOUNTAIN (25-29)

   A. THOSE AT MOUNT SINAI DID NOT ESCAPE (25)
      1. We have seen from our study that...
         a. "every transgression and disobedience received a just
            reward" - He 2:2
         b. Those who sinned, their "corpses fell in the wilderness"
            - He 3:17
         c. Those who rejected Moses' law died "without mercy" - He 10:
            28
      2. Thus the argument is again one of comparison, from the lesser
         to the greater...
         a. "How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation..."
            - He 2:1-4
         b. "Of how much worse punishment , do you suppose, will he be
            thought worthy..." - He 10:26-31
      3. As Jesus said in Lk 12:48...
         a. "For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be
            required..."
         b. "...and to whom much has been committed, of him they will
            ask the more."
      -- In Christ we enjoy so much more; dare we refuse to heed Him
         who speaks, not from Mount Sinai, but from Mount Zion (i.e.,
         heaven itself)!

   B. THE ONE WHO SPEAKS WILL SHAKE HEAVEN AND EARTH (26-27)
      1. When God spoke at Mount Sinai, the earth trembled - Exo 19:18
      2. The day is coming when both heaven and earth will be shaken,
         even removed!
         a. As promised in Hag 2:6
         b. Which refers to "the removal of those things that are
            being shaken, as of things that are made" - cf. 2Pe 3:
            10-12
      -- Dare we refuse to heed Him who speaks with such impact?

   C. WE ARE RECEIVING A KINGDOM WHICH CANNOT BE SHAKEN (28)
      1. While everything made will one day perish, we "are receiving"
         a kingdom which cannot be shaken!
         a. Note the present tense ("are receiving")
         b. Thus we are in the process of receiving this "kingdom"
      2. It is a kingdom both present and future...
         a. In one sense, we are now "in" the kingdom - cf. Col 1:13;
            Re 1:9
         b. In another sense, we have yet to enter the kingdom - cf.
            2Pe 1:10-11
      3. It is a kingdom...
         a. Inaugurated when Jesus ascended to sit at God's right hand
            on David's throne - Ac 2:30-36
         b. To be culminated when Jesus returns to deliver the kingdom
            to God - 1Co 15:23-26
      4. Thus it is a kingdom...
         a. "which shall never be destroyed...it shall stand forever"
            - Dan 2:44
         b. Of which "there will be no end" - Lk 1:33
      -- Receiving such a kingdom, dare we refuse to heed Him who
         speaks?

   D. THE ONE WHO SPEAKS IS "A CONSUMING FIRE" (29)
      1. We've read of a "fiery indignation which will devour the
         adversaries" - He 10:27
      2. We've seen "it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of
         the living God" - He 10:31
      3. Even Jesus taught us to "fear Him who is able to destroy both
         soul and body in hell" - Mt 10:28
      -- Dare we refuse to heed such an awesome God?

CONCLUSION

1. God has indeed spoken...
   a. He has spoken through His Son - cf. He 1:1-2
   b. He has spoken from Mount Zion, that heavenly city, the New
      Jerusalem...
      1) To which we have come through an obedient faith in Jesus - cf.
         He 5:9
      2) Where we can enjoy the fellowship of angels, the redeemed in
         heaven and on earth, and of Jesus and God Himself!
      3) Where we can enjoy a New and better covenant, based upon the
         better sacrifice of Jesus' blood!

2. But with such wonderful blessings come the responsibility of giving
   heed...
   a. Not to neglect our great salvation
   b. Not to refuse Him who speaks from the heavenly "mountain"

Therefore our goal should be that as expressed by the author himself:

   "...let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with
   reverence and godly fear." (He 12:28b)

With God's grace to help us (cf. He 4:14-16), we can serve Him in a
manner well-pleasing to Him.  Are you "Heeding The Voice From The
Mountain"?

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011

From Gary.... Prove it!!!!

When I saw this chart, I once again thought of the movie "A few good men" and the exchange between the defendants and their lawyer, Daniel Kaffee...

"Daniel Kaffee: "You and Dawson, you both live in the same dreamworld! It doesn't matter what I believe. It only matters what I can prove! So don't tell me what I know, or don't know! I know the LAW!""

And then there was the post that brother Ed Healy made on facebook today.  Something about waking up and thanking God for another day of living...  Suppose then, you put the two together and asked yourself the question: If today was the last day of my life and tomorrow I was to face God for judgment- What would my life prove???? Good question; for an answer, I went to the Scripture listed in the chart above and to its surrounding verses...


1st Thessalonians, Chapter 5
 8 But let us, since we belong to the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and, for a helmet, the hope of salvation.  9 For God didn’t appoint us to wrath, but to the obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,  10 who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.  11 Therefore exhort one another, and build each other up, even as you also do.  12 But we beg you, brothers, to know those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you, 13 and to respect and honor them in love for their work’s sake. 

Be at peace among yourselves.  14 We exhort you, brothers, admonish the disorderly, encourage the faint-hearted, support the weak, be patient toward all.  15 See that no one returns evil for evil to anyone, but always follow after that which is good, for one another, and for all. 

  16  Rejoice always.  17 Pray without ceasing.  18 In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus toward you.  19 Don’t quench the Spirit.  20 Don’t despise prophesies.  21 Test all things, and hold firmly that which is good.  22 Abstain from every form of evil. 

  23  May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.


Want to get to heaven? Want to KNOW that you will be there? Want to be sure? Test your life against the Scriptures!!!  Now, I know that the chart just lists verse 21, but look at its context. Looks like a closing summary, doesn't it?  Its as if Paul is trying to prepare them to meet their God.  Notice all the "short and sweet" statements from verse 16 onward.  They just tend to "stick" with you, don't they.  I think that's the idea.  Today- think; think about the chart, the Thessalonian passage and your life (Gary- this DOES apply to you as well!!!). In a way, Kaffee's quote "It only matters what I can prove!" is real and paramount. Thank God I have today to commit myself to God and test everything about myself.  I hope you will do the same...

and oh, yes... This Scripture says it all...

I John, Chapter 2

 1 My little children, I write these things to you so that you may not sin. If anyone sins, we have a Counselor with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous.

And HE is a better "lawyer" than Tom Cruise ever could BE!!!!