Why Something Rather Than Nothing?

The Cosmological Evidence
what can we deduce from the things that exist?

The things that exist give strong evidence for a creator.

--Why is there something rather than nothing?
--We know that something cannot be created by nothing.
--We know that the “something” that we have is not self-created—which is impossible.

In the science of Physics, the 1st law of Thermodynamics is often stated ‘Energy can be neither created or destroyed’ and is often used by atheists to say that the universe is eternal and there is no need for a God. A more accurate way of stating this law of conservation is ‘The amount of actual energy in the universe remains constant and just changes forms’ meaning our universe is a closed system not receiving any energy from an outside source and possesses all the energy it will ever have. This also says nothing about how the energy came to be in the universe in the first place. This does not prove or disprove the idea that God at some point in past or future did or could add energy to the universe, but only that we do not observe any actual energy being added or leaving our universe at this point. This is also why the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics does not contradict the 1st Law but amplifies it.

The 2nd Law of Thermodynamics is an observation that in a closed system (a system that doesn't get or give energy or matter from anywhere else, like our universe) the amount of heat-energy usable for work always decreases and moves toward increased entropy (the amount of unavailable energy to do work). This overall loss of energy is irreversible as randomness and disorder become permanent. This is why you will never create a perpetual-motion machine. This is also why you can't unscramble an egg, or why when you put a hot rock in cold water, the rock and water will eventually become the same temperature as the surrounding atmosphere (equilibrium) and will be this way forever unless energy is applied to either one. This constant decrease in useable energy in the universe could someday, in theory, lead to Total Heat Death (nothing but random, cold, dark, lifeless matter) implying that at some point in the past Someone or Something had to make the matter and give energy to it (Even a “Big Bang” would need a “Big Banger”!). There are no violations to the 2nd Law. Even something that seems like it goes on forever like babies being born still need the sun to power the hydrology of the earth which will burn out one day and all life will be lost. And this will eventually be the case with the entire universe.

The principal of existential causality
all things that begin to exist have a cause

Everything that has a beginning (humans, stars, chocolate cake, etc.) is:
Finite—limits on length of existence
Contingent—relies on something else for its creation
Dependent—relies on something else for its continued existence—air, food, sun, water, gas, gravity, etc.
Changing—something that changes over time—i.e. decays, breaks down, is acted upon by physical forces

Everything like this has a cause—i.e. was brought into existence by something else

We know that nothing cannot create something, and since things are here that have had beginnings, those 'somethings' are; finite, contingent, dependent and changing.

Therefore the creator must be:
Eternal—has no limit on length of existence
Non-contingent—was not created by something else
Non-dependent—does not rely on anything for Its continued existence
Unchanging—has always been and always will be the same—not bound by space or time or the action of physical forces playing upon It

This Being cannot be caused by something else but must be the causer of everything else. We call this Being, God.

Principle of external creator
the creator is ‘outside’ the creation

Since there is something rather than nothing we must ask, “How did it get here?”
This is illustrated by taking all matter in the universe and putting it into a circle.

There are 4 possibilities:
1. Matter created itself. This is impossible because it would need to proceed itself to create itself. Also, nowhere does life arise from non-life (Law of Biogenesis).
2. Matter is eternal. 2nd Law of Therm. suggests that energy and matter had a beginning as usable energy is decreasing and matter can’t come from nothing.
3. The creator (X) is within the circle. (or is “matter”) This cannot be because all matter inside the circle needs a beginner to exist and therefore needs to be created, which would make ‘X’ part of the creation not the creator. A creator cannot be part of the creation it creates.
4. The creator (X) is outside the circle. If everything that begins to exist inside the circle is finite, contingent, dependent and changing, the creator must be infinite, non-contingent, non-dependent, and unchanging and can create at will.

The statement "If God created everything, who/what created God?" is neither logical nor practical because God must necessarily exist for our reality to exist, therefore God cannot have a ‘creator’—God cannot not exist if we exist. In other words, if we exist, an eternal God must necessarily exist.

The Human Regression Evidence
what can we logically deduce from our existence?

The human cause and effect reality gives strong evidence for an uncaused Causer.

1. Some things undeniably exist like myself—I cannot deny my existence without affirming it.
2. My non-existence is possible.
3. Whatever has the possibility not to exist (me), is currently caused to exist by another. (mother/father, every person had someone before them that existed)
4. There cannot be an infinite regress of current causes of existence. (humans don't go back eternally, so the first person would need to be created as well)
5. Therefore, a first uncaused cause of my current existence exists. (the first causer of existence isn't caused to exist by anything else)
6. This uncaused cause must be infinite, unchanging, all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-perfect. (Nothing can impose limits on the cause of everything—whatever power/characteristics the Cause has, it has in totality)
7. This infinitely perfect being is appropriately called God.
8. Therefore God exists.
9. This God who exists is identical to the God described in the Christian Bible.
10. Therefore, the God described in the Bible exists.