Does God Really Exist?

NAPOLEON once asked the leading French astronomer of his day, Laplace, why he had not mentioned God in his recently published book Celestial Mechanics. His reply was, “Sire, I had no need for that hypothesis.”a Obviously, Laplace was neither the first nor the last to take such a slighting view of God.

But in contrast with such unbelievers stand such “giants” of science as Sir Isaac Newton, who once stated that in writing his Principia he had his eye on stressing proofs of God’s reality, His existence. Today it appears that more and more astronomers are veering from Laplace’s position and toward that of Newton.

For example, Robert Jastrow, one of America’s foremost astronomers, wrote on the subject “Have Astronomers Found God?” Among other things, he stated: “Theologians are delighted that the astronomical evidence leads to a biblical view of Genesis​—but curiously, astronomers are upset.”

Regarding these astronomers, Jastrow goes on to say: “Their reactions provide an interesting demonstration of the response of the scientific mind​—supposedly a very objective mind—​when evidence uncovered by science itself leads to a conflict with the articles of faith in our profession. It turns out that the scientist behaves the way the rest of us do when our beliefs are in conflict with the evidence. We become irritated, we pretend the conflict does not exist, or we paper it over with meaningless phrases.”

Interestingly, Jastrow presents three lines of evidence that point to the fact that some 20 billion years ago there occurred a great explosion resulting in galaxies being driven apart at tremendous speeds, some actually at the rate of 100 million miles an hour! Too, it has been determined that the farther out these galaxies are the faster they keep receding. He also reports that at first Einstein​—and not only Einstein—​was very skeptical regarding this “big bang” theory of the origin of the universe, making such observations as: “To admit such possibilities seems senseless to me.” “This circumstance of an expanding universe is irritating.”

However, to Einstein’s credit, later he did acknowledge that the theory made sense to him, even as it now does to ever so many other scientists. Such a view of the origin of the universe, as Jastrow noted, at least agree with the Bible’s statement that there was a beginning to the material universe: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”​—Gen. 1:1.

OTHER EVIDENCES THAT GOD REALLY EXISTS

Not only does the fact that the universe had a beginning argue that God, the Creator, really exists, but so do the harmony and orderliness manifested on every hand. Thus one of England’s leading astronomers, Sir Bernard Lovell, wrote of his “rapturous amazement at the harmony of natural law, which reveals an intelligence of such superiority that, compared with it, all the systematic thinking and acting of human beings is an utterly insignificant reflection.”

Consider, for example, all the factors that work together to make life possible on our planet, the Earth. The sun is 93 million miles away from the earth. If the earth were just a few million miles closer to the sun, no life would be possible because of the intense heat. On the other hand, were the earth just a few million miles farther away from the sun than it now is, no life would be possible on the earth because of the cold.

Contemplate also the air that we breathe. We cannot get along without oxygen, and 21 percent of the atmosphere is oxygen. But were there half as much oxygen or twice as much oxygen as there is now, life as we know it could not thrive upon the earth. Then there is the harmony or balance between plant and animal life. Plants absorb carbon dioxide but give off oxygen, whereas all breathing creatures take in oxygen and give off carbon dioxide. How did all such harmony and balance come about? Is it not evidence that God exists?

Equally forceful evidence that God really exists is seen in the literally millions of millions of cells that compose a human body. How tiny they are! Yet each of these millions of cells can be likened to a walled city where chemicals, proteins and hormones are produced. All this activity is directed by a nucleus, and the products produced are transmitted into and out of the cells by means of a network of channels. Some of the particles in these cells are so tiny that they cannot be seen even when magnified 200,000 times! No wonder that America’s leading medical journal stated that at least 80 percent of scientists in the field of biology will readily admit that biology and life are regulated by some higher power.

Further evidence that God truly exists is seen in the instincts of animals. Why can birds fly unerringly many thousands of miles to their chosen destination, and that regardless of the weather? What wisdom insects, such as bees and ants, display! Note also the wonder of the eels. Both European and American eels come to the Sargasso sea to spawn and there they die. When their eggs hatch, the baby eels go back to the place their mothers came from. It is said that never has a European eel been found in American waters, nor an American eel in European waters. What accounts for this?

The evidence is undeniable: There is a great First Cause. God really does exist. He has indeed performed countless miracles. Some men, in the name of science, would reject miracles. However, as the English poet Cowper once observed: “All we behold is miracle, but seen so [regularly], all is miracle in vain”​—but not to those who acknowledge that God really does exist!

[Footnotes]

[Pictures on page 4]

The living cell​—a marvel of design

The unerring migration of birds

[Picture on page 5]

Baby eels​—they swim back to their parents’ home waters