God: Fact or Fiction?: Exploring the Relationship Between Science Religion and the Origin of Life

by Brendan Roberts

  In 1994, the world witnessed a dramatic event that symbolized Jupiter’s role as protector of terrestrial life: the planet took a direct hit from Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, an impact that left Jupiter’s atmosphere scarred for months. Had the planet not intervened, the comet might someday have collided with Earth.21

  Without these two planets Earth would most probably be hit by thousands of cometry debris, including comets themselves. These two guardians most probably enabled life to develop and flourish without being interfered with by this space debris colliding with Earth. Crosswell explains another affect Jupiter and Saturn have with protecting Earth:

  Much of the water now on Earth came from comets, and even with Jupiter and Saturn protecting the planet, seawater covers 71 percent of the Earth’s surface. If Jupiter and Saturn did not exist, and comets rained down on Earth more often, the Earth might be a completely water-covered world, and any life would forever remain in the sea – another situation that might have prevented the emergence of intelligent life.22

  Mankind’s Advancement The evolution of mankind, and I mean microevolution, has happened because we have been able to build on the past. We have studied and built on the knowledge of our ancestors; many discoveries in science happened because of the mind and work of others. How could so many planets have been discovered without the telescope? How could the telescope have worked without first discovering how to make glass? It’s important to note that no other creature has been able to improve so much from learning from the past. We have the ability to record history, create multitudes of languages, record visual movies, decode DNA and to dramatically advance technologically. We are the only creatures to so successfully organise and transcend our environment – we can travel across, land, sea and even live in space. We are the only species able to be altruistic and so make efforts of ecology, caring for our environment and other species – not seen elsewhere in nature. Can animals make a conscious choice to make the world a better place for themselves, other animals and humans? In other words can they be ecologically conscious? Furthermore we are the only species to uncover the laws of the universe.

  Yes we have taken huge leaps forward, but as we turn our back on our Creator we seem to take such huge steps backwards; our society struggles to cope with the effects – wars, contraception, abortion, euthanasia, divorces, escalating crime rates, absent parents, suicides, and abuses against the environment which are all linked to societies or cultures rejecting God. I will cover many of these in-depth in my next book.

  Hugh Ross believes that Big Bang cosmology is revealing more of God’s personality: The more we learn about the physics of the universe, the more clearly we see reflected not only the awesome power but also the mind and heart of the One who planned and initiated and sustains all things, inanimate and animate. Big bang cosmology is elucidating the universe and in so doing rendering the design of the universe irrefutable. Astronomers and physicists widely acknowledge that the only reasonable system, our planet – all ingeniously focused on the requirements for life – is the action and ongoing involvement of a personal intelligent Creator.23

  The Anthropic Principle illustrates the order which the Earth depends on for its survival. Intelligent Design seems to take on even more credence when non-Christians confirm the possibility of there being a Creator behind the design. According to science historian, Frederic B. Burnham, scientists now regard the concept that God created the universe ‘a more respectable hypothesis today than at any time in the last hundred years’.24

  I would like to share a poem that I wrote in 1998, which encapsulates the beauty and wonder that the universe displays, and points towards an Intelligent Designer, and a loving Creator:

  GOD’S TOUCH

  The beauty of nature

  Astounds, captures and enthralls

  From the grandeur of mountains To the calmness and power of the sea From the wonder of new life To the uniqueness of creation The virgin forests

  Swarm with wildlife

  Beauty is in every living creature The raw power of the storm And the stillness of the lake

  Are enthralling in themselves All creation has one mark

  There is one print left on all creation

  That is, God’s touch.

  Summary Therefore it is not infeasible that our awe-inspiring universe reflects a Creator in a vast number of ways. Significant evidence of Intelligent Design has been revealed through our universe. God created the universe for you, me, those that have come before us, and those yet to gaze at the stars in awe and wonder. Thus our uniqueness as rational creatures can be viewed as a cosmic gift that has been given to us to use and to enable us to explore our universe. The more we delve into this gift, the more we discover the richness and hidden realities within.

  Our universe is so humungous and spectacular! Earth is merely a drop in a vast ocean of space. The Anthropic Principle (the physical structure of the universe is so precise to support life) is evident throughout many areas of science, especially astronomy. Within the cosmos the laws of nature were so fine tuned for the origin of life, and the origin of our universe. If at the onset these laws were tweaked to a lesser or greater degree then life would not have originated. In fact the Big Bang Theory reveals immaculate fine-tuning.

  Notes

  1. Hugh Ross. Creation and Time (Colorado: Navpress, 1994), p. 8. 2. Chet Raymo. An Intimate Look at the Night Sky (New York: Walker & Company, 2001), p. 171.

  3. Stephen W. Hawking. A Brief History of Time (New York: Bantam Books, 1988), p. 291.

  4. See FAQs on http://stardate.org (27/06/02)

  5. Carl Sagan. Pale Blue Dot (New York: Random House, 1994), p. 29.

  6. Ross, Creation and Time, p. 11.

  7. Paul Davies. The Last Three Minutes (London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1994, p. 22.

  8. Ibid., xiii.

  9. Ibid.

  10. Freeman Dyson. Disturbing the Universe (New York: Harper & Row, 1979).

  11. Dembski, Mere Creation, pp. 372-375.

  12. Ibid., pp. 375-380.

  13. Behe, Dembski and Meyer, Science and Evidence for Design in the Universe, pp. 56-7.

  14. F. Hoyle. “The Universe: Past and Present Reflections”, Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics 20 (1982): p. 16.

  15. Isaac Newton. Mathematic Principles of Natural Philosophy, trans. A. Motte, ed. F. Cajori, (Berkeley; California: University of California Press, 1978), pp. 543-44.

  16. Neil F. Comins. What if the Moon didn’t exist? (New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1993), p. 4.

  17. Ibid., p. 7.

  18. Jack Zirker. Journey from the Center of the Sun (Princeton and Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2002, p. 7.

  19. Ibid.

  20. Ibid.

  21. Ken Crosswell. Planet Quest: The Epic Discovery of Alien Solar Systems, (New York: The Free Press, 1997, p. 167.

  22. Ibid., p. 168.

  23. Dembski, Mere Creation, p. 371.

  24. David Briggs. “Science, Religion, Are Discovering Commonality in Big Bang Theory,” Los Angeles Times, Saturday 2 May 1992, p. 6.

  CHAPTER 10

  EVIDENCE UNCOVERED BY THE SANDS OF TIME Now that we have explored the evidence from non-biblical sources, we can scrutinise the facts uncovered through another science, archaeology. Some archaeological studies include corroborative evidence that confirms the credibility of the writers who gave us painstaking and meticulous details, Sacred Scripture. In itself archaeology is a science which reveals the life of ancient people through excavations. Therefore in this chapter I seek to give you a glimpse of a fraction of the evidence revealed by this science pertaining to Sacred Scripture and characters revealed therein. (I would appreciate for a future book any materials or sources that you the reader may stumble across.)

  There are in fact hundreds of thousands of archaeological sites that have been located within the places mentioned in Sacred Scripture. Each year this number expands with more discoveries, the re-exploration of old sites and recalculat
ions made of the locations and data specified in Sacred Scripture.

  Problems Facing Archaeology Archaeology stumbles upon several obstacles especially within the Biblical lands. Archaeologist, research author and pastor, Dr Randall Price who holds a Ph.D in Middle East Studies from the University of Texas (Austin ) reveals some of them in The Stones Cry Out. Only a fraction of the surveyed archaeological sites have been followed up and excavated. It comes down to finance; most archaeologists are not salaried as they have to raise their own money for their expeditions. Because of this less than ‘2 percent of the surveyed sites in Israel have been excavated’.1

  Unfortunately discoveries also languish for many years in museums left unloved and most importantly untranslated. Many are never published due to lack of resources and expertise. Randall estimates that of the known 500,000 cuneiform texts left in museum storage, only about a fraction, i.e. an estimated 10% have ever been published.

  Biblical People and Places Confirmed An abundance of archaeological evidence confirms the reliability of Sacred Scripture – pertaining to characters, events, conquests, toppling of kingdoms, cities, and buildings; the details reveal lost cultures and practices of ancient peoples – that can be found throughout the Old and New Testaments.

  The unprecedented discoveries began in the 1840’s and uncovered cities, enormous palaces and cuneiform archives (wedge shaped symbols e.g. Babylonian and Persian). Archaeologists Professor Israel Finkelstein (Tel Aviv University) and Neil Asher Silberman (Contributing editor for Archaeology Magazine) in The Bible Unearthed emphasise some dynamic discoveries such as those of Ninevah and Babylon. These were cities whose artists and scribes left valuable evidence as they ‘thoroughly documented the military campaigns and political events of their time’.2 This evidence includes references to a number of important biblical kings through Mesopotamian cuneiform archives such as the Israelite kings Omri, Ahab, and Jehu and the Judahite kings Hezekiah and Manasseh.

  In 1945 archaeologists stumbled across a rare treasure, the Black Obelisk of King Shalmaneser III, in a dig at the ancient Assyrian city of Calah (south of Nineveh on the Tigris river). The ruins of the city which became known as Nimrud are situated in Iraq. They were astounded to discover that the obelisk depicted Jehu who was King of Israel from 841 – 814 BC, composed of limestone and 6.5 feet high. The four-sided obelisk contained sculptures depicting various scenes of the Assyrian court and about 200 lines of cuneiform text. Price gives further details of the discovery:3

  Once the cuneiform text was translated it was found that they catalogued 31 military campaigns by the Assyrian monarch Shalmaneser III. The detailed relief sculptures of tribute and tribute-bearers beautifully picture many different styles of clothing, costly articles, and even exotic animals for the Assyrian zoo. However, the big surprise came when the lines above one register showing a figure kneeling before the Assyrian king were translated:

  Tribute of Jehu, son of Omri. Silver, gold, a golden bowl, a golden beaker, golden goblets, pitchers of gold, tin, staves for the hand of the king [and] javelins, [Shalmaneser] received from him.

  The discovery of one Israelite king was quite a feat. However the discovery of a ‘photo’ of hundreds of Israelites within an actual biblical event is phenomenal! Price states that the depiction of Israel came from a distant land of Assyria. It had been part of a 90-foot long mural decorating a ceremonial suite of one of the palaces of the Assyrian king, Sennarcherib at Nineveh. The mural is now housed in the British Museum and shows realistic depictions of the battle featuring the Assyrians and the people of Lachish, which occurred during the Assyrian conquest of Judah in 701 BC (see 2 Kings 17:5-6; 2 Chronicles 32:1). The scene shows (from left to right) the Assyrians, their siege and conquest of the city with their troops storming the walls, torturing some of the city’s inhabitants, finally exiling the prisoners and presenting them before Sennacherib, who was seated on his throne.4

  This account echoes the Biblical account from the 2nd book of Kings and the 2nd book of Chronicles:

  Shalmaneser king of Assyria made war on Hoshea who submitted to him and paid him tribute. 2 Kings 17:3 After these loyal actions, Sennacherib king of Assyria advanced and invaded Judah, and laid siege to the fortified towns, intending to demolish them. 2 Chronicles 32:1

  2 Chronicles continues with the account of Sennacherib’s pompous attitude and downfall as a result of insulting Israel, especially Yahweh.

  T he earliest record of Israel outside Sacred Scripture was discovered in Egypt. A stele depicted the campaign of Pharaoh Mernetptah (son of Ramesses II) in Canaan at the end of the 13th century BC:

  The inscription tells of a destructive Egyptian campaign into Canaan, in the course of which a people named Israel were decimated to the extent that the pharaoh boasted that Israel’s ‘seed is not!’ The boast was clearly an empty one, but it did indicate that some group known as Israel was already in Canaan by that time. In fact, dozens of settlements that were linked with the early Israelites appeared in the hill country of Canaan around that time.5

  One of the major archaeological discoveries was the uncovering of 26,000 Assyrian tablets found in the palace of Ashurbanipal. Price illustrates the relationship they had with figures from Sacred Scripture: ‘Every reference in the Old Testament to an Assyrian king has proven correct. Even though Sargon was unknown for some time, when his palace was found and excavated, there was a small painting of the battle mentioned in Isaiah 20.’6 In the book of Isaiah in the Old Testament, we see a confirmation of the same battle as mentioned in the Assyrian tablets:7

  The year the general-in-chief, sent by Sargon king of Assyria, came to Ashdod and stormed and captured it at that time Yahweh spoke through Isaiah son of Amoz and said, ‘Go, undo the sackcloth round your waist and take the sandals off your feet.’ And he did so, and walked about naked and barefoot. Yahweh then said, ‘As my servant Isaiah has been walking about naked and barefoot for the last three years as a sign and portent for Egypt and Cush, so the king of Assyria will lead the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Cush…(Isaiah 20:1-4).’

  This confirms Sargon’s existence as mentioned in Sacred Scripture. God told the prophet Isaiah that Israel’s persecutors would in turn become persecuted. Among the discoveries was Sennacherib’s record of the siege of Jerusalem. Isaiah prophesied that it would not be conquered. Sennacherib found a way to save face – by omitting ‘small’ details of Hezekiah’s entrapment:

  But as for Ha-za-qi-ia-u (Hezekiah), the Jew, who did not bow in submission to my yoke, forty-six of his strong walled towns and innumerable smaller villages in their neighbourhood I besieged and conquered (cf. 2 Kings 18:13) by stamping down earth-ramps and then by bringing up battering rams, by the assault of foot-soldiers, by breaches, tunneling and sapper operations…He himself I shut up like a caged bird within Jerusalem his royal city.8

  This confirms what is written in Sacred Scripture: In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria advanced on all the fortified towns of Judah and captured them (2 Kings 18:13).

  In 2 Kings 18:28 the Assyrian cupbearer-in-chief taunts the people of Jerusalem, ‘Listen to the word of the great king, the king of Assyria. The king says this, “Do not let Hezekiah delude you. He will be powerless to save you from my clutches. Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to rely on Yahweh by saying: Yahweh is sure to save us; this city will not fall into the king of Assyria’s clutches.”’

  2 Kings 19:35 reveals the fate of the Assyrian army care of Yahweh’s justice – an angel of Yahweh struck down 185,000 men. Price explains that the Assyrian king confirms that while he surrounded Jerusalem he could not conquer it. He only said that he besieged it – nothing else! We can conclude that if he could have said more he surely would have boasted of this, as his list of conquests precede and follow his attack on Jerusalem.

  Though the Assyrian records are silent about Hezekiah’s outcome, Sacred Scripture is not. It is written: Hezekiah fortified his city

  And laid on a water-supp
ly inside it...

  In his days Sennacherib invaded

  and sent Rabshakeh;

  he lifted his hand against Zion,

  and boasted loudly in his arrogance.

  Then their hearts and hands trembled,

  they felt the pangs of a woman in labour,

  but they called on the merciful Lord,

  stretching out their hands towards him.

  Swiftly the Holy One heard them from heaven

  and delivered them by the agency of Isaiah;

  he struck the camp of the Assyrians

  and his Angel annihilated them (Ecclesiasticus/Sirach 48:17-21).

  Sodom and Gomorrah Price in The Stones Cry Out unveils archaeological discoveries of a site which is highly likely to be the city of Sodom that is mentioned in the book of Genesis. In chapter 19 Lot is hosting a couple of angels, but the local townsfolk of Sodom, both young and old, want to rape his guests (now that’s evil hospitality). Because not even ten righteous men could be found there God destroys the town. A nearby town, Zoar is spared and so Lot flees there. Excavations of the site Bab edh-Dhra, near the Dead Sea, revealed intricate details about Sodom such as the fortification wall surrounding the city was 23 feet thick. Inside they found an interior city of mud-brick houses and a Canaanite temple with an altar and cultic objects. But outside the city the excavators found a remarkable discovery. They found an enormous cemetery with thousands of graves. But it wasn’t the cemetery itself which caught their eyes, the layer of ash several feet thick covering the whole town startled them. They also uncovered bricks that had turned red from an intense heat. But what could cause such destruction? Biblical Archaeologist, Professor Bryant Wood received a doctorate in Syro-Palestinian archaeology from the University of Toronto. He shows that the inhabitants buried their dead in mud brick buildings which curiously had been burned from the inside out.

  In one particular instance when they were excavating one of these charnal houses, they cut what we call a balk through that building as they were digging so that they had a vertical cross section of that house and the destruction, and what they discovered was that the fire started on the roof of the building, then the roof burned through, collapsed into the interior and then the fire spread inside the building. And this was the case in every single charnel house that they excavated.9