Best-selling author Eric Metaxas' Christmas day op-ed about scientific evidence for the existence of God became the most popular article ever published on the Wall Street Journal's website, according to the op-ed's writer. Criticisms of the article came from many corners, including some fellow Christians.
Science
increasingly supports the hypothesis that the universe has a creator,
Metaxas wrote. By calculating the probability that life on Earth emerged
from random events, the evidence
suggests a designer. The existence of life, and the universe itself, is
so highly improbable, according to recent scientific findings,
disbelief in an intelligent creator has become far fetched, Metaxas
argued.
With more than 200 parameters now known to be necessary for the existence of life on Earth, he wrote, "the odds against life in the universe are simply astonishing."
The probability of the universe itself coming into existence are even higher, Metaxas continued. Citing the work of astrophysicists, he noted that the odds of the universe even coming into existence is equivalent to tossing a coin and it coming up heads 10 quintillion (a one followed by 18 zeros) times. He quoted astronomer Fred Hoyle, theoretical physicist Paul Davies and mathematician John Lennox all making a similar point: credible evidence suggests that the universe has (or had) a creator.
Metaxas is a popular Evangelical author and public speaker. His previous books include biographies of William Wilberforce and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The op-ed was drawn from Metaxas' most recent book, Miracles: What They Are, Why They Happen, and How They Can Change Your Life.
Lawrence Krauss, a theoretical physicist at Arizona State University and director of the Origins Project, had four critiques of the op-ed: 1) While scientists know the factors that led to life on Earth, life on other planets could be based upon a different set of factors. 2) The odds of life on other planets have increased, not decreased with greater scientific evidence. 3) Life is fine-tuned for the universe rather than the universe being fine-tuned for life. 4) The appearance of design in life on Earth is due to the "remarkable efficiency of natural selection."
Continued, here.
With more than 200 parameters now known to be necessary for the existence of life on Earth, he wrote, "the odds against life in the universe are simply astonishing."
The probability of the universe itself coming into existence are even higher, Metaxas continued. Citing the work of astrophysicists, he noted that the odds of the universe even coming into existence is equivalent to tossing a coin and it coming up heads 10 quintillion (a one followed by 18 zeros) times. He quoted astronomer Fred Hoyle, theoretical physicist Paul Davies and mathematician John Lennox all making a similar point: credible evidence suggests that the universe has (or had) a creator.
Metaxas is a popular Evangelical author and public speaker. His previous books include biographies of William Wilberforce and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The op-ed was drawn from Metaxas' most recent book, Miracles: What They Are, Why They Happen, and How They Can Change Your Life.
Lawrence Krauss, a theoretical physicist at Arizona State University and director of the Origins Project, had four critiques of the op-ed: 1) While scientists know the factors that led to life on Earth, life on other planets could be based upon a different set of factors. 2) The odds of life on other planets have increased, not decreased with greater scientific evidence. 3) Life is fine-tuned for the universe rather than the universe being fine-tuned for life. 4) The appearance of design in life on Earth is due to the "remarkable efficiency of natural selection."
Continued, here.
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