(More Bible Studies Available @ www.marktabata.com)
To Receive These (And Other) Free Bible Studies And Updates Via Email, Contact Mark Tabata @ 606-216-1757 (Text Message) Or hazardhomecoc@gmail.com (Email)
Hebrews 3:4-For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God.
The eighteen year old “elders” from the Mormon mission that I was studying with were very polite. We had met on the side of the road when I had spotted them walking and pulled over to invite them to a Bible study at our church building the following week. They had agreed, and I had purchased plenty of water and non-caffeinated Coke.
After some pleasantries, I got down to some serious conversation.
Mark: So my friends, let’s start by talking about Kolob.
Mormons: We don’t usually get questions about that.
Mark: Humor me.
Mormons: Well, Kolob is where we believe God came from.
Mark: Where is it?
Mormons: It’s a star.
Mark: So you are saying that God is an alien?
Mormons: Pretty much, yes.
Mark: So where did He come from?
Mormons: Well…He was made by other gods from other stars.
Mark: Where did they come from?
Mormons: Well, from other gods before them.
Mark: Interesting. Of course, that really can’t be true.
Mormons: (Polite scoffing). Oh really, why not?
Mark: Because an infinite regress would lead to an infinite number of contradictions that would make existence impossible.
Mormons: Huh?
Mark: I’ll be happy to explain.
(End Of Relevant Conversation)
Many people believe that God “came from” somewhere, and that whatever made Him came from somewhere, etc. This idea of an endless chain of causes and effects stretching back forever is known as “an infinite regress.” The word “infinite” means “unlimited,” and “regress” means “something which stretches.”
For documentation, here is what the Mormon church teaches on the matter. Brigham Young, one of the leaders of Mormonism, preached a sermon on April 9, 1852. It was titled, “Self-Government-Mysteries-Recreation And Amusement, Not In Themselves Sinful-Tithing-Adam, Our Father And Our God (yes, you read that correctly, M.T.). He said:
“When our father Adam came into the garden of Eden, he came into it with a celestial body, and brought Eve, one of his wives, with him. He helped to make and organize this world. He is michael, the archangel, the ancient of days! About whom holy men have written and spoken-he is our father and our god, and the only god with whom we have to do. Every man upon the earth, professing christians or non-professing, must hear it, and will know it sooner or later. They came here, organized the raw material, and arranged in their order the herbs of the field, the trees, the apple, the peach, the plum, the pear, and every other fruit that is desirable and good for man; the seed was brought from another sphere, and planted in this earth…. What a learned idea! Jesus, our elder brother, was begotten in the flesh by the same character that was in the garden of Eden, and who is our Father in Heaven.” (Erastus Snow, Orson Hyde, et al. The Complete Journal of Discourses – Deluxe LDS Reference Edition – with Comprehensive TOPICAL Guide, Multiple Indexes, Speaker Biographies, & Over 12,500 Links, 1490-1509 (Kindle Edition)
More recently, another Mormon scholar has written:
“It is equally clear from the teachings of latter-day prophets, that Eloheim, our Father, was once a mortal being working out his salvation upon another earth in subjection to his Father. Joseph Smith taught: It is the first principle of the gospel to know for a certainty the Character of God, and to know that… he was once a man like us; yea, that God himself, the father of us all, dwelt on an earth. 2 President Joseph Fielding Smith said, “Our Father in Heaven, according to the Prophet, had a Father, and since there has been a condition of this kind through all eternity, each Father had a Father.” 3 Brigham Young explained that “there never was a time when there were not Gods and worlds and when men were not passing through the same ordeals that we are now passing through.” 4 Surely, these divine progenitors of Eloheim are deities in their own right, with worlds, powers, kingdoms, and creations of their own. None of which could have been created by Eloheim or Jehovah.” (Lynn M. Hilton, The Kolob Theorem, a Mormon’s View of God’s Starry Universe, 384-400 (Kindle Edition); Orem, Utah; Granite Publishing and Distribution, LLD)
Logic (and the Bible) teach that God has always existed. He is eternal and non-contingent (which just means that He has everything that He needs for existence within Himself-He doesn’t depend on anything outside of Himself).
Many, however, believe in an infinite regress instead. They maintain that However, an infinite regress cannot actually exist: such would lead to an infinite number of contradictions that would make existence impossible.
Let’s study.
If the universe existed in this fashion….then we could not even do mathematics.
Let’s say that I had an unlimited (infinite) number of marbles (stretching endlessly). Because I like you, I decide to give you half of them. So, I give you the even numbered ones and keep the odd numbered ones for myself.
Now, how many would you have?
You would have an infinite number.
How many would I still have?
That’s right: an infinite number.
So infinity minus infinity would equal infinity!
If the universe existed in this fashion, the ability to do simple mathematics would be impossible.
Indeed, there are lots of other examples that could be provided. Powell clarifies:
“Actual infinites are sets of numbers to which no increment can be added since, by nature of their infiniteness, the set includes all numbers—there is nothing to add. If this is hard to imagine, there is good reason: actual infinites do not exist and cannot exist in the physical world. If actual infinites did exist in the physical world, we would see absurdities and effects we could not live with, literally. For instance, let’s say you had a CD collection that was infinitely large, and each CD had an infinite number of songs on it. If you listened to one CD, you hear as much music as if you had listened to all of the CDs—an infinite amount—and yet those infinites are of different sizes—a nonsensical notion. Let’s also say that there were only two artists in your CD collection, Bach and the Beatles, and that every other CD was by the Beatles. This would mean that you had as many Beatles CDs as you would Beatles and Bach CDs combined; they would both be an infinite number. But at the same time they would be different sized infinites. And would the number of Beatles CDs be odd or even? It must be one or the other, but to speak of infinity in such a way is irrational.” “Or imagine a racecar driver and his son. The racecar driver is making circuit after circuit on a track a mile long. Meanwhile in the infield, his three-year-old son is on his tricycle going in circles. The son is completing a dozen or so circuits to his dad’s one. But if they had each been going for an infinite amount of time, they would have completed an equal number of circuits! If this makes your brain hurt or is confusing at all, then you are beginning to understand why actual infinites do not exist in the physical world. These examples are not just interesting brainteasers or puzzles…The best way to show that time is not infinite, that it had a beginning, is to observe that there is a “now.” If now exists, then time cannot be infinite. To show this, picture the moment “now” as a destination, like a train station. Then picture time as train tracks that are actually infinitely long. If you were a passenger waiting on the train to arrive, how long would you have to wait? The answer is: forever. You can never reach the end of infinity; thus, infinitely long train tracks cannot ever be crossed. There is no end to arrive at, no station. If infinitely long train tracks could be crossed, they would be the equivalent of a one-ended stick, a nonsensical notion. In fact, this is the opposite limitation of potential infinites. Just as potential infinites are finite numbers that can never turn infinite, actual infinites could never reach the end of their infiniteness and turn finite. But there is an end, a “now”; the train did arrive at the station. This means the tracks of time cannot be infinitely long. There cannot be an infinite number of preceding moments prior to the present moment. The past is not an actual infinite. Thus, time had to have a beginning. Time, however, did not cause itself to spring into existence. If it had a beginning, then something initiated it. This is where causality comes into the picture. There is no such thing as an effect that was not caused. You are an effect of the biological process caused by your parents. These words you now read were caused by my typing on a keyboard. The current state of the universe is an effect caused by various astronomical and physical conditions. Note, however, that each of the causes mentioned are also effects. For example, your parents are not only your cause, but they are the effects of their parents who were the effects of their parents, and so on. But, as the non-existence of actual infinites shows, the chain of causes cannot regress forever. The train station in this case is made of present causes; because we have causes now, there must be a beginning to the sequence. Thus, there must be a cause that is not an effect, an uncaused cause, or first cause. Since the universe is an effect, it must have had a cause itself. The Kalam argument tells us that the universe had a beginning and that the beginning was caused by an uncaused cause. At this point there are only two options: either the cause was personal or it was impersonal. Reflection on what this uncaused cause would look like leads us to a conclusion rather quickly. The first cause would require an ability to create. Without this ability nothing could be created. It would also require an intention to create, a will to initiate the universe. Without this will to create, nothing would be created. It would require a non-contingent being, one whose existence depends on nothing but itself. If it was contingent, then it would simply be one more effect in the chain of causes and effects. And it must be transcendent. The cause of the universe must be outside of and apart from the universe. Now add all these things together. What kind of thing relies on nothing for its existence, has the power to create something from nothing, has a will to do it or not do it and has the characteristic of existing outside of the creation? Does this sound like a personal or impersonal being? Personal, of course. Thus, the Kalam argument brings us to the conclusion that the universe had a beginning that was caused by a personal, powerful, transcendent being.” (Doug Powell, olman QuickSource Guide to Christian Apologetics (Holman Quicksource Guides), 594-692 (Kindle Edition); Nashville, TN: Holman Reference)
An infinite regress would lead to an infinite bunny of contradictions that will make existence impossible.
Any religion which has a “god” that had a beginning-or will have an end-is false. This is also why the idea of an “alien” god (like Mormonism) will never work. Stated another way: if aliens are out there, where did they come from?!
The only way to account for the existence of the finite contingent universe is by the existence of the infinite non-contingent God.
Thank You, Lord, for revealing Yourself to us through nature and Scripture. We ascribe all glory, honor, and power to You. Amen.