SCIENCE SPEAKS ABOUT GOD

“…[The fine-tuning problem] For the past 50 years or so, physicists have become more and more aware that various fundamental parameters of our universe appear to be fine-tuned to allow the emergence of life —not only life as we know it but life of any kind. For example, if the nuclear force were slightly stronger than it is, then all of the hydrogen atoms in the infant universe would have fused with other hydrogen atoms to make helium, and there would be no hydrogen left. No hydrogen means no water. On the other hand, if the nuclear force were substantially weaker than it is, then the complex atoms needed for biology could not hold together. In another, even more striking example, if the cosmic “dark energy” were a little denser than it actually is, our universe would have expanded so rapidly that matter could never have pulled itself together to form stars. And if the dark energy were a little smaller, the universe would have collapsed long before stars had time to form. Atoms are made in stars. Without stars there would be no atoms and no life. So, the question is: Why? Why do these parameters lie in the narrow range that allows life? If our particular universe did not have the right parameters to allow the emergence of life, we wouldn’t be here to talk about it. In a similar way, Earth happens to be at the right distance from the sun to have liquid water, a nice oxygen atmosphere and so on. We can ask why our planet has all these lovely properties, amenable to life. …But if we lived on Mercury, where the temperature is 800 degrees Fahrenheit, or on Neptune, where it is 328 degrees Fahrenheit below zero, we could not exist.” (The Washington Post, April 10, 2014) o Science discovers the marvels of nature, but the question arises as to who created these marvels? When we try to find out the answer to this question, we cannot help arrive at the conclusion that God exists. USA Centre for Peace and Spirituality 2665 Byberry Road, Bensalem, PA 19020 kkaleemuddin@gmail.com