> eric brunsell

“It is a core belief of the world’s major religions – and specifically Judaism, Christianity, and Islam – that man occupies a privileged place in God’s creation. I their view, the universe was made with us in mind – or even for our sake.  How can these traditional beliefs be reconciled with the discovery that we live in a vast universe with innumerable other planets and galaxies, and hundreds of billions of stars, some of them so far away that they have completely burned out b the time their light reaches Earth?

In recent years, physics has given this question a resounding answer that affirms man’s special place in the cosmos. It turns out that the vast size and great age of our universe are not coincidental. They are indispensable conditions for the existence of life on Earth. In other words, the universe has to be just as big as it is and just as old as it is in order to contain living inhabitants like you and me. The entire universe, with all its laws, appears to be a conspiracy to produce the human race.  Physicists call this incredible finding the ‘anthropic principle.’

Physicists stumbled upon the anthropic principle by asking a simple question: Why does the universe operate according to the laws it does? They arrived at a remarkable conclusion. In order for life to exist – in order for humanity to exist – the gravitational force has to be precisely what it is. The Big Bang had to occur exactly when it did. If the basic values were even slightly different, our universe would not exist and neither would we. Fantastic though it seems, the universe is fine-tuned for human habitation.”

With this argument, D’Souza has firmly attempted to place humans back at the center of the Universe…the reason for the universe’s existence.  Well, let’s start with a simple nit-picking.  He claims that the Big Bang had to occur exactly when it did.  Since we set a time for the Big Bang by counting backwards from the present, then I guess that is true….just like I HAD to be born in 1972 in order to be 35 years old on my birthday in September 2007.

 The anthropic principle says nothing about the universe being created for humans. Instead, it postulates that there is an anthropic bias.  We can only observe this universe because if things would have been different, we would not be around to observe it. Is that “proof” of an intelligent designer?  I don’t think so.  Advances in quantum theory of gravity provide some hints that what we call the “big bang” may be just a portion of a greater universe that contains “big bangs” going off all of the time, each with its own set of physical constants…and therefore unique evolution that is not conducive to humans?  In this case, Steven Weinberg (1979 Nobel Prize in Physics) is on target when he says this, “Any possible universe could be explained as the work of some sort of designer. Even a universe that is completely chaotic, without any laws or regularities at all, could be supposed to have been designed by an idiot.” 

Religion and science are two different way of knowing the world. They have different criteria for what is acceptable evidence.  By definition, science attempts to use natural evidence to explain the natural world (no gremlins, magic or deities!), while religion uses faith – an acceptance of a mystery (deity) without natural evidence.  For a religion (For example, the Catholic Knights of Columbus) to fabricate a scientific rationale for God is no different than Thomas the Apostle demanding physical proof (touching the wounds) in order to believe in the resurrection of Christ. The Bible says this: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed (John 20:219).  My modern day translation: Blessed are they that do not try to prove their faith. 

I want to close with the author.  Why would the Knights want D’Souza to write this article?  The Knights of Columbus use this phrase to open the membership page of their website “Imagine being part of an organization that fills your heart and your mind with the joy of giving to others and the feeling that comes with making a difference.” D’Souza, although a Roman Catholic, is an interesting person for the Knights to support through three (paid, I’m sure) essays. Why wouldn’t they have a Vatican Astronomer write this article about the relationship between Catholicism and Cosmology? Obviously, many of them are much more credible than a conservative journalist with and English major and a past romantic relationship with Ann Coulter. More importantly, the following quotes from D’Souza’s sound distinctly out of step with the mission of a charitable organization. In fact, it is quite disgusting that this Christian organization would support someone that profits (quite handsomely) by sowing hatred and divisiveness.  

“The American slave was treated like property, which is to say, pretty well.” (from D’Souza’s book, The End of Racism)  

“If America as a nation owes blacks as a group reparations for slavery, what do blacks as a group owe America for the abolition of slavery?” (from The End of Racism) 

“[f]or many whites the criminal and irresponsible black underclass represents a revival of barbarism in the midst of Western civilization.” (from D’Souza’s book The End of Racism) 

“What disgusts [Muslims] is not free elections but the sights of hundreds of homosexuals kissing one another and taking marriage vows. The person that horrifies them the most is not John Locke but Hillary Clinton.” (from The Enemy at Home)