Rabbi Bachya’s logical proof for the existence of a Creator of the Universe:
“There are three premises which lead to the inference that this world has a Creator who created it from nothing:
1. An object cannot make itself.
2. Beginnings (causes) are limited in number; therefore, they must have a First Beginning (First cause) which had no beginning (cause) before it.
3. Anything composite must have been brought into existence (cannot be eternal, i.e. without beginning).”
(“Duties of the Heart”, Gate of Unity of God, by Rabbi Bachya, 11th Century C.E.)
Here are two questions I asked on the ChatGPT artificial intelligence system, and the answers I received.
It is astounding that the book “Duties of the Heart”, written about 1000 years ago, is well validated by an ultramodern intelligent design computer!
How much evidence exists that the Universe had a beginning in the finite past?
As of my last update in September 2021, there was substantial scientific evidence supporting the idea that the universe had a beginning in the finite past. The prevailing model that explains this concept is the Big Bang theory, which is widely accepted by the scientific community. Here are some key lines of evidence supporting the idea of a finite past for the universe: 1. Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation: One of the most compelling pieces of evidence for the Big Bang is the detection of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation. The CMB is a faint glow of radiation that permeates the universe, which is the afterglow of the hot and dense early universe. Its discovery in 1965 provided strong support for the idea that the universe was once in a highly compressed and hot state. 2. Hubble’s Law and Expansion of the Universe: The observations made by Edwin Hubble in the 1920s showed that distant galaxies were moving away from us, and the farther away they were, the faster they were receding. This expansion of the universe implies that if we go backward in time, the universe must have been denser and smaller, eventually reaching a point of infinite density, known as the singularity. 3. Abundance of Light Elements: The Big Bang theory also successfully predicts the observed abundance of light elements (hydrogen, helium, and trace amounts of lithium) in the universe. This consistency between the predictions and observations supports the idea of an early, extremely high-temperature state for the universe. 4. Cosmic Large-Scale Structure: The distribution of galaxies and galaxy clusters across the universe also supports the concept of an expanding universe from a hot, dense state. Numerical simulations based on the Big Bang theory can reproduce the large-scale structure observed in the cosmos. 5. Observations of Distant Objects: Astronomers have observed extremely distant and ancient objects, such as quasars, that are at distances so vast that their light has taken billions of years to reach us. These observations provide a glimpse into the universe’s early history, supporting the idea of a finite past. It’s important to note that while the Big Bang theory provides a well-supported explanation for the universe’s beginning, the exact nature of the initial singularity and what might have happened at that point are still subjects of active research and exploration. Scientists are continually working to refine our understanding of the universe’s early moments and its subsequent evolution. Therefore, it’s always wise to stay updated with the latest scientific research and discoveries to understand the current state of the evidence.
Can an object create itself?
As of our current understanding of the laws of physics and the principles governing the universe, it is not possible for an object to create itself out of nothing. This concept goes against the law of conservation of mass and energy, which is a fundamental principle in physics. The law of conservation of mass and energy states that the total amount of mass and energy in a closed system remains constant over time. In other words, matter and energy cannot be created or destroyed; they can only be transformed from one form to another. This principle also applies to the creation of objects. For an object to come into existence, it must either be formed from pre-existing matter and energy or arise from processes and interactions within the existing system. In the context of the universe’s origin, the prevailing scientific model, the Big Bang theory, suggests that the universe started from an extremely hot and dense state, and it has been expanding and evolving since then. While there are fascinating and complex processes occurring in the quantum realm where particles can appear and disappear spontaneously due to quantum fluctuations, these processes still adhere to the conservation laws. Matter and energy involved in such processes are borrowed from the vacuum or other sources and must be returned, maintaining the overall conservation. In summary, based on our current scientific understanding, objects cannot create themselves out of nothing. The creation or emergence of objects and systems involves pre-existing elements or processes within the framework of the laws of physics.
KNOWING GOD'S PATH 