Posted by Chris Blair 03/25/26
Why not Naturalism? Part-1
Whether discussing the origins of the universe through the big bang theory or from a multiverse theory, or an infinite loop theory, the secular humanist leaves no place for God as the designer. In his book Transcendental Temptation, Paul Kurtz claims, “God is a purely speculative idea lacking any identifiable empirical content.”[1] He further goes on to argue that the universe or multiple universes are self-existing and there is no evidence that they are reliant on God. Kurtz further states, “Belief in the transcendent—in God and immortality—is deeply rooted in custom and tradition.” He makes the position that the standard objective view is no God created the universe and there is no evidence of Him effecting the universe, therefore the burden of proof for God as the creator is completely on the one claiming any specific deity.
Naturalism further claims that all phenomena can be accounted for through physical laws and material processes. As Lawrence Krauss argues in A universe from Nothing, quantum fluctuations allow for the emergence of space and matter from a state of zero energy, suggesting that the beginning of the universe is a byproduct of physics rather than a miracle.[2] Krauss argues this is just one possible explanation for reality and completely reject the idea of invoking a deity to fill temporary holes in scientific knowledge. Relying on empirical evidence, secular humanists claim that the universe is self-existing, is completely stand alone, and functions without supernatural or divine intervention.
To counter the secular humanists’ claim that the universe is self-existing, is completely stand alone, and functions without supernatural or divine intervention, we need only look at the gaps in their arguments. As St. Thomas Aquinas argued in his “Five Ways,” there must be a First Mover who set everything in motion but was not moved by anything else.[3] If the universe is just a series of causes and effects, you eventually have to ask; what started the very first action? Secular theories like the Big Bang describe the process of the beginning but fail to explain the reason or the cause. As Dr. William Lane Craig continues the debate; without a First Mover who existed outside of space and time, we are left with an impossible “infinite regress” where nothing ever truly starts.[4] It begs the question of; if the past stretches infinitely behind us, how could we ever make it to this current point in time?
The Kalam Cosmological argument answers the questions that many secular humanists do not even attempt. William Lane Craig states, “Whatever begins to exist has a cause of its existence.”[5] If something could come from nothing by natural law, what is stopping matter and energy from randomly appearing out of nothing at any time or place? The fact that a huge rock doesn’t just appear above your head and then gravity takes over is a miracle itself. Therefore, the cause of all time, space, and matter – the foundations of our natural laws – must be created by something greater than and preceding the beginning of the universe. The universe itself cannot explain how it created itself and regulates itself with constant order.
Christianity provides the answer for the creation of the universe that secular humanist cannot, God is the cause of the caused universe. He created everything in both the heavens and the earth for a reason and in order, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1). This is more than just a religious statement; it is a logical solution to the problem of origins. By establishing God as the Creator, Christianity accounts for the “why” and “how” that secular theories like the Big Bang or the multiverse simply cannot reach. If you have a complex and beautifully coded video game, you don’t assume the code wrote itself over billions of years; you look for the programmer. In the same way, the order we see in the cosmos points to a Mind that intended for us to be here.
The Bible further explains that this creation wasn’t a chaotic accident that came about by random chance. In Genesis we see a methodical and deliberate step-by-step process where God speaks light, atmosphere, dry land, and life into existence (Genesis 1:3-31). After each stage of creation, God declares that it was “good”, showing that the universe has inherent value and purpose. This is a direct contradiction to the secular humanists’ view that we are just the sum of moving parts. If we were to believe in the secular humanists view, then our lives would have no purpose, and we would have no reason to exist. However, if we are created in the image of God, then our existence has both value and purpose. Isaiah points us to the truth, “Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” (Isaiah 43:7 ESV).
God is the ultimate Designer, Creator, and Maintainer of the universe, giving our existence meaning beyond the matter that we are made from and the time that we move through. He makes all things with purpose for purpose and maintains them through order. By accepting the biblical account of creation and miracles, we find a reality that is not only scientifically stable, but through the design of God, also deeply personal.
[1] Paul Kurtz, The Transcendental Temptation: A Critique of Religion and the Paranormal (Buffalo, NY: Prometheus Books, 1986), 330, ProQuest Ebook Central.
[2] Lawrence M. Krauss, A Universe from Nothing: Why There Is Something Rather Than Nothing (New York: Atria Books, 2012), 18-24, ProQuest Ebook Central.
[3] Thomas Aquinas, “The Classical Cosmological Argument,” in Christian Apologetics: An Anthology of Primary Sources, ed. Khaldoun A. Sweis and Chad V. Meister (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012), 79.
[4] William Lane Craig, Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics, 3rd ed. (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2008), 101-110, ProQuest Ebook Central.
[5] William Lane Craig, “The Kalam Cosmological Argument,” in Christian Apologetics: An Anthology of Primary Sources, ed. Khaldoun A. Sweis and Chad V. Meister (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012), 82
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