National Prayer Breakfast        Dr RobertC. Newman

Naval Air Engineering Center       BiblicalTheological Seminary

Lakehurst, NJ     February 7, 1985

God in theUniverse

Introduction

For many today,prayer is like talking with an unplugged phone, for they have no God in theiruniverse.

Yet many of oursociety's more serious problems are traceable to loss of belief in God and Hisabsolute moral standards.

Many who dobelieve in God are weakened with doubts and fears that they may be mistaken.

Yet an enormousamount of evidence has been uncovered by recent scientific discoveries whichpoints to the existence of God.

We want to sketchsome of this this morning.

Cosmology

We have evidencefor a universe with a beginning, and avoiding this is very difficult.

(1) Evidencethat the universe is expanding and that stars are running down (known since the1920s and 30s).

(2) Discovery ofthe cosmic radio radiation as the remnant of the big-bang (1960s).

(3) Problemsfacing the alternative, a big bounce.

We have evidenceof design in the relative size of the universe's basic forces:

            (1)A delicate balance of cosmic expansion & gravity:

1/10 rho_crit < rho_now < 10 rho_crit

At the Plancktime (T = 10^-43 sec), rho differed from rho_crit by lessthan 1 part in 10⁶⁰ (rho = matter density of universe)

(1) If rho muchlarger, quick collapse of universe, no life.

(2) If rho muchsmaller, quick expansion, no galaxies.

(2) A delicatebalance of forces for element formation: (g = force strength)

(a) If g_s(strong force) weaker, fewer stable elements.

If g_s50% less, Fe C unstable (no elements for life).

If g_s5% less, Deuterium would not exist, stars would not burn

If g_s  a few % larger, diproton would exist, p+ p => D would go by the strong force, stars would burn catastrophically.

(b) If g_w(weak force) much smaller, no supernovas, as neutrinos would not interact with& explode outer shell of star to scatter elements.

If g_wmuch stronger, no supernovs, as neutrinos could not escape core of star toscatter elements.

Thus if g_wmuch different, no heavy elements outside cores of stars.

Planetology

Earth has theright stuff!

(1) right sun

            Lifetime over 4 billion years (if M_* < 1.2 M_sun).

            EnoughUV for photosynthesis (if M_* > 0.8 M_sun).

            Single-starsystem

Not too muchluminosity variation (in fact, sun's variation is too large, rising by 25% overpast 4 billion years).

(2) rightgravity: enough for life, not too much greenhouse 0.25>M_earth>2.

(3) rightatmosphere, sufficient water, right temperature.

Life zone & problemof runaway greenhouse or runaway glaciation: a very narrow window for survivalof life over 4 billion yearsL

(1) If earth 5%nearer suhn, runaway greenhouse near beginning of period.

(2) If earth 1%further, runaway glaciation at about 2 billion years.

Biochemistry

The peculiarproperties of carbon, phosphorus, water:

(1) Carbon:

Only elementforming chains of almost unlimited length, allowing complex life moelcules; 4^thmost common element.

By a strangequirk, C¹² is far more common than nuclear physicists might haveexpected:

Formation instars: rare three-He collision, but thermal energy in stars is right at C¹²resonance! If resonance only 4%higher, almost no C would be formed.

Destruction instars: C + He => O, but thermal energy in stars is above O¹⁶resonance, so C¹² preserved. If this O-resonance only ½ % higher, virtually all C => O(Hoylel see Davies, Accidental Universe,117-118).

This produces abottleneck, giving a large abundance of C in the universe.

(2) Phosphorus:

Certain compoundsof phosphorus (ATP) can store and release large amounts of energy; only suchelement; no higher animals without it.

(3) Water:

Very smallmolecule (molec wt 18 versus N₂ at 28, O₂ at 32), sowould expect it to be a gas at room temperature; but it is liquid due topolymerization (2x or 3x), so able it work as liquid in chemical reactions forlife processes. But gaseous stateis not polymeric, so behaves as lighter than air gas, not hugging surface tostifle breathing. No othersubstance has this property.

Universalsolvent: carries solid chemicalsin blood stream, plant sap and fluid within cell. Other comparable solvents are destructive to living tissue.

High heatcapacity: moderates earth's climate, stabilizes body temperature.

Expands onfreezing: a very rare property, which prevents ocean freeze-up and aids soilformation.

The problem ofsuddenness in the fossil record (just mention)

            (1)origin of life very sudden

            (2)appearance of new forms in the fossil record also quite sudden

Conclusions

God is!  See the book by Alan Hayward with thistitle. See also Paul Davies, AccidentalUniverse.

So, for ourprayer breakfast, we can pray with confidence that there is someone out thereto hear us.

We must not tryto make God to be the way we want him to be, but find out how he really is.