It is written:
“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, 4 What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? 5 For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, 7 All sheep and oxen—Even the beasts of the field, 8 The birds of the air, And the fish of the sea That pass through the paths of the seas.” (Psalm 8:3-8)
The more we learn about the complexity of the u inverse, the more the place of man within it shows God’s incredible design.
Scientists recognize a principle known as the Anthropic Principle, which has reference to the way that the universe shows increasingly undeniable evidence of Divine design, specifically for the existence of mankind. Simply stated: the universe (and in particular, our planet Earth) was designed so that humanity can exist.
Speaking of how there are at least 153 known universal parameters for a life-sustaining planet in our universe, one study has documented:
“The probability of a planet anywhere in the universe fitting within all 153 parameters is approximately 10-194. The maximum possible number of planets in the universe is estimated to be 1022. Thus, less than 1 chance in 10172 (100 thousand trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion) exists that even one such planet would occur anywhere in the universe.” (Kenneth Samples, Hugh Ross, et al, Lights In the Sky & Little Green Men: A Rational Christian Look at UFOs and Extraterrestrials, 3104 (Kindle Edition); Glendora, CA; Reasons To Believe)
What are the chances of finding another Earth-like planet in our universe? Amazingly enough, scientists are able to tell us!
““Given that the Milky Way Galaxy likely contains several billion planets, we can anticipate that before long one or more will be found that closely resembles Earth’s mass, orbital distance, and orbital shape. Nevertheless, research findings such as those cited in chapters 3–7 cast a shadow over the optimistic expectation of finding animal life there. Unless the planetary system contains a single star that matches virtually all the Sun’s properties (so far, none does[ 2]), unless that system contains seven other planets that replicate the properties of all Earth’s planetary companions, and unless that system contains asteroid and comet belts that mimic those in the solar system, the possibility that it carries advanced life remains utterly remote. In this respect, we humans are most likely the only sentient, self-aware physical beings.” (Hugh Ross, Improbable Planet: How Earth Became Humanity’s Home, 236 (Kindle Edition); Grand Rapids, Michigan; Baker Books)
If we are speaking strictly in terms of the mathematical odds of finding another Earth-like planet, one scientist has documented:
“These extraordinary cosmic “coincidences” have not escaped secular scientists. “There is, for me, powerful evidence that there is something going on behind it all,” said Paul Davies, a professor of physics at Arizona State University. “It seems as though somebody has fine-tuned nature’s numbers to make the universe . . . The impression of design is overwhelming.” 7 British cosmologist Edward R. Harrison doesn’t hesitate to draw conclusions from the universe’s razor-sharp calibration. “Here is the cosmological proof of the existence of God,” he said flatly. “The fine-tuning of the universe provides prima facie evidence of deistic design.” 8 And Strauss wasn’t done yet. “Not only is our universe precisely calibrated to a breathtaking degree, but our planet is also remarkably and fortuitously situated so life would be possible.” “In what way?” I asked. “To have a planet like ours where life exists, first you need to be in the right kind of galaxy. There are three types of galaxies: elliptical, spiral, and irregular. You need to be in a spiral galaxy, like we are, because it’s the only kind that produces the right heavy elements and has the right radiation levels. “But you can’t live just anywhere in the galaxy,” he continued. “If you’re too close to the center, there’s too much radiation and there’s also a black hole, which you want to avoid. If you’re too far from the center, you won’t have the right heavy elements; you’d lack the oxygen and carbon you’d need. You have to live in the so-called ‘Goldilocks Zone,’ or the galactic habitable zone, where life could exist.” “Are you referring to intelligent life?” I asked. “Anything more complex than bacteria,” he said. Then he continued, “To have life, you need a star like our sun. Our sun is a Class G star that has supported stable planet orbits in the right location for a long time. The star must be in its middle age, so its luminosity is stabilized. It has to be a bachelor star—many stars in the universe are binary, which means two stars orbiting each other, which is bad for stable planetary orbits. Plus, the star should be a third-generation star, like our sun.”…Strauss paused, but I could tell he wasn’t done yet. “There are so many parameters that have to be just right for our planet to support life,” he said. “The distance from the sun, the rotation rate, the amount of water, the tilt, the right size so gravity lets gases like methane escape but allows oxygen to stay. “You need a moon like ours—it’s very rare to have just one large moon—in order to stabilize Earth’s tilt. As counterintuitive as it sounds, you even need to have tectonic activity, which experts said could be ‘the central requirement for life on a planet.’ 9 Plate tectonics drives biodiversity, helps avoid a water world without continents, and helps generate the magnetic field. Also, it’s nice to have a huge planet like Jupiter nearby to act like a vacuum cleaner by attracting potentially devastating comets and meteors away from you.” “Periodically, newspapers tout the discovery of what astronomers call an ‘Earth-like planet,’” I said. “Yes, but generally all they mean is that it has a similar size as Earth or that it might be positioned to allow surface water. But there’s so much more to Earth than those two factors.” “How many conditions have to be met to create an Earth-like planet?” I asked. “Hugh Ross sets the number at 322,” he replied. 10 “So if you run probability calculations, you find that there’s a 10-304 chance you’re going to find another planet that’s truly like Earth.” “Still, there are lots of potential candidates out there,” I pointed out. “One estimate is there could be more than a billion trillion planets.” “Granted,” he said. “So let’s factor that number into our probability equation. That still means the odds of having any higher life–supporting planet would be one in a million trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion.” He let that astonishing number sink in. “In science,” he said, “we have a phrase for probabilities like that.” “Really? What is it?” There came a grin. “Ain’t gonna happen.”” (Lee Strobel, The Case For Miracles: A Journalist Investigates Evidence For The Supernatural, 178-181 (Kindle Edition); Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan)
Instead of searching for meaning “in the stars,” people should focus on the One Who made the stars.
Glory to God!
Leave a Reply