n “the first particles of matter appear” (p. 4). If the eternal “something” is not matter, it must be Mind, namely, God.
Notice that Stenger petitions his readers to lay aside “everyday experience and common sense” in considering his theory. That is a telling admonition indeed. It is “everyday experience” that determines how scientific laws are recognized. There is nothing in experimental science to suggest that matter can create itself, and Stenger is quite aware of this fact. It is a real “thorn” in his theory. Moreover, is it not astoundingly revealing when a scientist begs his readers to put “common sense” on the shelf when considering a proposition. Such an admission reveals the desperation of the cause.
But also note Stenger’s statement that “our normal experiences are but a tiny fraction of reality.” That admission intrigues me. When Christians contend that Jesus and his apostles performed miracles 2,000 years ago, the common skeptical response is this: “We do not believe in miracles. They are contrary to our normal experience.”
Miracles are alien to our “normal experience” because they served a special and limited role in the divine scheme of things (cf. 1 Cor. 13:8ff). We believe in the biblical miracles, not because we have observed them, but because of the credibility of the New Testament.
But remember this: the next time some unbeliever ridicules your belief in Jesus’ miracles, because such are beyond “our normal experiences,” just refer them to Stenger! He says normal experiences are “but a tiny fraction of reality.”
One of the amazing features of the biblical record is the fact that the Genesis account of origins, though penned some 3,500 years ago, is still as fresh and accurate as if it had been produced today. There is not a solitary phrase in Genesis 1 that is at variance with any known fact of science. This can be explained only on the basis of the divine inspiration of the narrative. What a sublime document! How vastly superior to the utterly foolish theories of infidelity.
- Chown, Marcus. 1998. “In the Beginning,” New Scientist. January 24.
- Jastrow, Robert. 1977. Until The Sun Dies. New York, NY: Warner Books.
- Russell, Bertrand. 1957. Why I Am Not A Christian. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.
- Smith, Quentin. 1998. “Big Bang Cosmology and Atheism,” Free Inquiry. Spring.
- Stenger, Victor. 1987. “Was the Universe Created?,” Free Inquiry. Summer, Vol. 7, No. 3.