Ross - The creator and the cosmos : how the greatest scientific discoveries of the century reveal God

THE

C REATOR

AND THE

C OSMOS

HOW THE GREATEST
SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES OF
THE CENTURY REVEAL GOD

HUGH ROSS, Ph.D.

1993, 1995, 2001 by Reasons To Believe

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without written permission from NavPress, P.O. Box 35001, Colorado Springs, CO 80935.

www.navpress.com

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 92-64094

ISBN 1-57683-288-0

Photograph: Stock Imagery

Unless otherwise identified, all Scripture quotations in this publication are taken from the HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ( NIV ). Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Another version used is the King James Version ( KJV ).

Ross, Hugh (Hugh Norman), 1945

The creator and the cosmos : how the greatest scientific discoveries of the century reveal God / Hugh Ross.p. cm.Originally published: Colorado Springs, Colo.: NavPress, c1993.Includes bibliographical references and index.ISBN 1-57683-288-0 (pbk.)1. Creation. 2. Anthropic principle. 3. GodProof, Cosmological. I. Title.BS651.R76 2001231.7'652dc21 2001030509

CONTENTS

Summary of Scientific Evidences for a Big Bang Creation Event

LIST OF FIGURES
AND TABLES

Figures

4.1 The Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) Satellite4.2 COBEs First Measurements of the Spectrum of the Cosmic Background Radiation at the North Galactic Pole of the Heavens4.3 Microwave Map of the Whole Sky Made from One Year of Data Taken by COBEs Differential Microwave Radiameters (DMR)4.4 The Latest COBE Satellite Results of the Spectrum of the Cosmic Background Radiation4.5 A Photo Album History of the Universe5.1 The Sky Over Mt. Erebus?5.2 Simple Geometry5.3 Just As Predicted6.1 The Principle of Invariance6.2 Hubbles Original Velocity-Distance Relation6.3 Einstein and Hubble7.1 Big Bang Growth Versus Steady State Growth7.2 Images from the Hubble Space Telescope of New-Born Quasars8.1 The Infinitely Oscillating Universe Model8.2 Thermodynamic Dissipation Within an Oscillating Universe9.1 Binary Pulsar9.2 The First Image of a Complete Einstein Ring at Optical Wavelengths10.1 Gods Time Frame Relative to Our Time Frame12.1 Quantum Tunneling17.1 An Analogy for Some of the Steps Needed in the Assembly of Life Molecules

Tables

5.1 Latest Measurements of the Cosmic Expansion Rate5.2 Latest Measurements of the Oldest Population II Stars5.3 Exotic Matter Candidates8.1 Mechanical Efficiencies of Some Common Systems10.1 Some Bible Verses Teaching Gods Extra-Dimensional Capacities14.1 Evidence for the Fine-Tuning of the Universe16.1 Evidence for the Fine-Tuning of the Galaxy-Sun-Earth-Moon System for Life Support16.2 An Estimate of the Probability for Attaining the Necessary Parameters for Life Support

PREFACE TO
THE THIRD EDITION

The first and second editions of The Creator and the Cosmos focused attention on twentieth-century scientific discoveries that contributed most profoundly to the credibility of faith in the God of the Bible. Since the dawn of the twenty-first century, several more scientific discoveries of great theological importance have been made. Therefore, I have rewritten much of the book, giving it a twenty-first century facelift.

This third edition includes more than seventy pages of new content. Three new chapters and an appendix have been added. The number of references to the scientific literature has nearly doubled.

This edition has benefited significantly from the comments and suggestions of people who were compelled by their reading of the second edition to commit their lives to Jesus Christ. Thanks to them and to the many other friends who recommended improvements, readers will, I trust, find much in this third edition to further inspire and strengthen their faith in the awesome Creator.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

My wife, Kathy, deserves the most credit for this books timely publication. Her support and encouragement during times of stress and deadlines for this and other projects allowed me to persevere. In addition to doing the majority of the editing and rewriting, she spent many hours discussing with me the points of this book and helping me to communicate them more clearly.

Janet Kobobel, former director of publications for Reasons To Believe, was also a major contributor to the editing and rewriting. Several of the word pictures used to clarify technical points are hers. She also kept us coordinated and handled communications with the publisher, artists, and others.

I benefited greatly from discussions with Drs. David and Lynn Carta, Sam Conner, and Allan Sandage. And all of them provided me with important research papers and references. Mal Scharer spent many hours in various libraries hunting down additional references.

Sheila Cherney obtained all of the photographs and permissions. Patty Bradbury provided extra care for my sons, Joel and David, enabling Kathy and me to work as a team. Thanks to Tani Trost and Sandra Frantz for their tireless work in proofreading the text and in updating the indexes.

Lastly, I want to thank Lauren Libby and Dr. Jerry White of The Navigators and Melissa Munro, Greg Clouse, and Pat Miller of NavPress for their enthusiasm and support of this third edition.

CHAPTER ONE

THE AWE-INSPIRING
NIGHT SKY

W hen I was eight, I started saving to buy a telescope. It took several years, but finally I pulled together enough coins to purchase the optics. With my fathers help, I designed and built a mount and, at last, peered through the telescope to the heavens above.

I was stunned. I had never seen anything so beautiful, so awesome. The spectacle was too good not to share. I carried my instrument from the back yard to the front so I could invite my neighbors to join me. But no invitation was necessary. No sooner had I planted my telescope on the sidewalk than an enthusiastic crowd formed, a crowd that stayed late into the night.

That evening I began to realize many people, maybe all people, are fascinated with the starry hosts. I once thought that the sheer immensity of the heavens was responsible for that fascination. Thats part of it, but theres more. Theres the mystery of whats really out there, what those specks of light may be, the mystery of how they all got there and of what lies above and beyond. Gazing at the night sky seems to raise profound questions not only about the universe but also about ourselves.

The Universe and You

Cosmology is the study of the universe as a wholeits structure, origin, and development. Its not a subject just for ivory tower academics. Cosmology is for everyone.

In the words of historian, economist, and college president Dr. George Roche, It really does matter, and matter very much, how we think about the cosmos. Roches point is that our concept of the universe shapes our worldview, our philosophy of life, and thus our daily decisions and actions.

For example, if the universe is not created or is in some manner accidental, then it has no objective meaning, and consequently, life, including human life, has no meaning. A mechanical chain of events determines everything. Morality and religion may be temporarily useful but are ultimately irrelevant. The Universe (capital U) is ultimate reality.

On the other hand, if the universe is created, then there must be reality beyond the confines of the universe. The Creator is that ultimate reality and wields authority over all else. The Creator is the source of life and establishes its meaning and purpose. The Creators personality defines personality. The Creators character defines morality.

Thus, to study the origin and development of the universe is, in a sense, to investigate the basis for any meaning and purpose to life. Cosmology has deep theological and philosophical ramifications.

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