In the first of his “Five Ways,” philosopher Thomas Aquinas (c. 12251274) presents an argument for the existence of God based upon a simple concept: motion. His “Argument from Motion” follows the simple logic that things in the world move about and change. These moving things include not only physical entities, such as our bodies and the planets in the cosmos, but also nonphysical entities, like time and temperature, which also change from moment to moment. Moreover, all movements of things occur because something before them that caused their movement. We used the example of a billiard ball being moved by a cue ball, which is moved by a cue stick, which is moved by arms, etc., etc. However, this chain of movements cannot go backward forever. In other words, there must be a beginning to all movement. This, the beginning of all movement, Aquinas calls the Unmoved Mover. Likewise, Aquinas’ “Second Way” to the existence of God is often referred to as the “Argument from Cause.” Although it shares similarities with the previous argument, the Argument from Cause differs somewhat, stating that everything that begins to exist has a cause. We also know this through both observation and reason. For example, I was caused by my parents, who were caused by their parents, who were caused by their parents, and so on. The same holdstrueforeverythingthatbegins to exist. The paper this newspaper is printed on was “caused” by the processing of wood pulp, which was caused by a tree, which was caused by a seed, which was caused by a seed before that. All things that begin to exist have a cause. Even so, and much like the Argument from Motion, a chain of causes cannot be infinite; causes cannot go back forever. Somewhere in the past, there must have been a first cause. In this case, the first-ever tree seed was caused by some supernatural creativePower.Or,asAquinassays, it was caused along with everything that begins to exist by an uncaused Cause, which is God. This concept becomes particularly interesting and important when applied to the universe as a whole, where it is argued that, since everything that begins to exist has a cause, and since the universe began to exist, the universe must have had a Cause as well. That Cause is God. But it is not just philosophical reasoning that tells us the universe had a beginning; modern science now screams it loud and clear. Thanks to advances in astrophysics, made possible in part by data collected by the Hubble Telescope, scientists are convinced that the universe had a beginning, which they term the “Initial Singularity.” It is that moment in time when the universe began to exist. Even atheist scientists agree that there was a singular moment in time when the universe burst into existence, whereas a moment before, there was absolute nothingness. Scientists know this based on evidence that the stars and planets are moving farther away from a central point, meaning that the universe is ever-expanding. This phenomenon, originally suggested by Albert Einstein and now confirmed by data from the Hubble Telescope, appears to support the idea that there was an initial moment in the universe’s beginning when all matter was concentrated into a tiny, infinitely dense point that then expanded, giving rise to all the stars and planets. Scientists also know that the universe had a beginning because all stars exist with only a limited amount of fuel that will someday burn out, bringing about the “heat death of the universe.” Stellar burning cannot go on indefinitely with a limited amount of fuel. This fact also indicates that theuniversehadabeginningintime when the stars were all “gassed up.” Finally, as Aquinas argued, a chain of causes cannot go back forever. Suppose a person were to stand on a timeline beginning on today and walking backward in time. If the universe has existed from all of eternity, then that person could never reach back to the beginning because they could never traverse an infinite number of days in order to ever reach a beginning. Likewise, a person walking along the timeline from eternity past could never cross an infinite number of days to arrive at today. Therefore, the history of the universe cannot go back indefinitely. There must have been a beginning at some point in time past, and that beginning required a Beginner, a Mover, and a Cause. And that Christians know as God. All considered, Paul spoke with great wisdom when he told the RomansthatGodhasclearlyshown Himself to man in the things that have been made. So clear, in fact, that those who deny His existence are “without excuse” (cf Rom 1:1920). However, even though Paul says God’s existence is clearly evident, many people, both within the church and without, argue that if God truly exists, why does He seem so inaccessible and hidden? Join us next time as we dig into the Argument from Divine Hiddenness. The answer may very well help us in our quest to answer the big question: Is God dead?
Gloria in excelsis Deo! Ty B. Kerley, DMin., is an ordained minister who teaches Christian apologetics, and relief preaches in Southern Oklahoma. Dr. Kerley and his wife Vicki are members of the Waurika church of Christ, and live in Ardmore. You can contact him at: dr.kerley@isGoddead.com.