Why is the universe so big?

[philadiddle]

If we are the purpose of God's creation, then why is it necessary for God to make the universe so big? We occupy the tiniest spec of the universe imaginable, in a nondescript galaxy, dwarfed by millions of galaxys with billions of stars. So what's the point of all that?

I'll just tell you right now what my agenda is with this question. Some YECs claim that God would not need to drag out creation over billions of years, and that for humans to have existed for such a short period of history isn't how God would work. There are atheists who would agree with that. There are also atheists who take that same argument about time and apply it to space. If we're so special, why aren't we in a special place in the universe? I'd like to hear your answers about why God made the universe so big, and see if those same answers apply to why the universe is billions of years old.

 

[dana3262]

So what's the point of all that?

I been searching for the answers to questions like these for years and i have come to the conclusion that we can never know the answers.

Some things are not meant to be known,some things are impossible to know and somethings are better off not known.

Man has struggled to understand the universe from the beginning of time and we are no closer now than then,all we have is hypothesis,theories and dreams,nothing conclusive.

I believe if man was still around in 10 thousand years then maybe we would know some of these things, but we can never know everything so its best to accept that we can never know everything.

Wonder is part of the fun of life,if we didn't wonder about things everything would be worn out and boring.We need stimulation to think,i know i cant stop thinking about the universes mysteries,24/7 its on my mind.

I know this doesn't answer your OP,but thats because it cannot be answered,anyone that says it can is just speculating and making false assumptions.

 

[HypnoToad]

Why is the universe so grand?

"I will give you thanks because your deeds are awesome and amazing." - Ps.139:14

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the sky displays his handiwork. Day after day it speaks out; night after night it reveals his greatness." - Ps.19:1

For the universe to declare God's glory, it would HAVE TO be so grand.

 

[Deamiter]

Why is the universe so grand?

"I will give you thanks because your deeds are awesome and amazing." - Ps.139:14

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the sky displays his handiwork. Day after day it speaks out; night after night it reveals his greatness." - Ps.19:1

For the universe to declare God's glory, it would HAVE TO be so grand.

Perhaps then the question should be, why isn't the universe grander?

 

[HypnoToad]

Perhaps then the question should be, why isn't the universe grander?

You seriously think it's not grand enough???

 

[Taure]

If it were to adequatly depict God's glory, it would have to be infinitely grand. Since the universe is finite, this is not so.

Therefore, "to show God's glory" is not an adequate explanation of why there is so much apparently superfluous universe.

If you accept evolution and abiogenesis then you have an answer for why the universe to be so big: it would have to be, to result in life when you think of the odds involved.

 

[Deamiter]

You seriously think it's not grand enough???

I think it's just fine in terms of grandness. Your argument was that the universe would have to be the size it is in order to display the glory of God as the Bible asserts. I submit that God's glory could easily be displayed if the universe was 10% smaller or 10% larger. The verses cited note that the universe shows God's work and thereby show part of the glory of God, not all of the glory of God.

I just think that you're taking a very poor route to respond to the OP. It's similar to arguing that God "would not" have used evolution because one can't imagine how it would glorify God. The Bible makes it clear that creation glorifies God and in Job God cites even the raven and the eagle's ruthless killing and feeding prey to its young as a part of creation that displays God's glory.

Creation could never be grand enough to display God's full glory. The glory is not in the size or even in the details although both can reflect some part of God's glory. In fact, I'd be hesitant to claim that any particular detail (like quantum mechanics or 6-day creation or geocentrism or evolution) reflects God's glory. That's been done so often about our misunderstandings of the universe in the past and it seems presumptuous to me to pin God's glory to any particular understanding of the universe.

The true expression of God's glory in creation was the act of creation itself -- the details of the universe he created are a much lesser reflection of God than his decision to create in the first place. As a scientist, I love the details, but I would hardly want to pin God's glory to my personal understanding as many creationists and even some evolutionists are determined to do.

Anyway, I honestly didn't intend to lead you on and then pounce on your response -- I just felt uncomfortable with your (probably unintentional) implication that the universe has to be JUST as grand as it is to reflect God's glory. If that were God's intention it'd be even more grand would it not? I also don't think the universe is as large as it is to allow the probability of life. Again, details may reflect part of the glory of God, but we err when we say God "must" have created the universe one way or another to fit our understanding of God.

 

[HypnoToad]

If it were to adequatly defict God's glory, it would have to be infinitely grand. Since the universe is finite, this is not so.

Therefore, "to show God's glory" is not an adequate explanation of why there is so much apparently superfluous universe.

If you accept evolution and abiogenesis then you have an answer for why the universe to be so big: it would have to be, to result in life when you think of the odds involved.

Nonsense. Obviously it can't be "infinite" as we're talking about the physical world.

If you guys refuse to accept the grand scale of the universe as reflecting God's glory (I never said it was a perfect/complete reflection), all I can see is that you simply want to be contentious toward something because it was stated by a creationist.

 

[Deamiter]

You seriously think it's not grand enough???

Nonsense. Obviously it can't be "infinite" as we're talking about the physical world.

If you guys refuse to accept the grand scale of the universe as reflecting God's glory (I never said it was a perfect/complete reflection), all I can see is that you simply want to be contentious toward something because it was stated by a creationist.

Hmm, I thought I was answering the OP and being just as contentious toward the original argument as I was toward you. You've made the same mistake as Mallon's question in suggesting that the universe has to be as grand as it is to reflect some of God's glory whereas Mallon suggested that God should have some ulterior motive for making the universe as large as it is if humans are the purpose of the universe.

While I'm sure God had a reason for the size of the universe, I reject both the reasoning that it must be the size it is to somehow reflect enough of God's glory and that the size is related to the purpose of the universe (implying that the large size rules out the possibility that God created the universe for humans). Of course, the answer "for the universe to declare God's glory it would HAVE to be so grand" is much easier to refute since as you have admitted, the universe doesn't declare ALL of God's glory and thus doesn't particularly HAVE to be any measure of "grand" in order to declare only some part of God's glory.

And when you discuss the physical world, if you're talking about the universe, there really is no evidence that it is finite. We only see an "edge" to the universe because that's how far light has traveled since the beginning of the universe -- not because we can actually see the edge of space. Every year, the 'edge' of what we can see gets one light-year further away, not because the universe is expanding but because light has traveled that far in the last year.

 

[Taure]

But the fact that it is expanding proves that it's finite, as something infinite cannot expand as it is already at maximal size.

 

[KerrMetric]

But the fact that it is expanding proves that it's finite, as something infinite cannot expand as it is already at maximal size.

That is not true - you can mathematically have an infinite expanding universe.

Now whether the universe is finite or infinite is currently unknown BUT that you can have an infinite universe that expands is not mathematically forbidden.

 

[Taure]

Hmm...I disagree. If you have something that is infinite, and then it expands, then it was not infinite in the first place. If something is infinitely big, then there is no possibility for it to get bigger.

 

[philadiddle]

Hmm...I disagree. If you have something that is infinite, and then it expands, then it was not infinite in the first place. If something is infinitely big, then there is no possibility for it to get bigger.

Imagine all the possible whole numbers written in a straight line. The line would be infinite, with no beginning and no end. If you increase the spacing between the numbers, they will expand creating more space between them, and at the same time the chain of numbers is infinite.

 

[Fed]

Take the set of all natural numbers (positive numbers) - infinite. Now take the set of all real numbers - it's infinite but BIGGER. You can read about it here.

 

[Gottservant]

If we are the purpose of God's creation, then why is it necessary for God to make the universe so big? We occupy the tiniest spec of the universe imaginable, in a nondescript galaxy, dwarfed by millions of galaxys with billions of stars. So what's the point of all that?

[...]

I'd like to hear your answers about why God made the universe so big, and see if those same answers apply to why the universe is billions of years old.

The universe is so big because God used the stars of heaven to depict the words of Jesus in a way that would reveal more of their meaning to us (Isa 14:13). I have found several groups of stars that depict the words of Jesus already... I am really looking forward to finding "Heaven and Earth will pass away but My words will by no means pass away."

Now that I know that the words of Jesus are depicted up there, I no longer wonder what it is all for. It seems silly to me now, to think that I had ever imagined travelling into space. To talk about travelling into space now, to me, seems like talking about walking into a painting of someone you love.

 

[Critias]

If we are the purpose of God's creation, then why is it necessary for God to make the universe so big?

First, I haven't read the rest of this thread, so my apologies if I've missed something.

I find this to be a bit of a misplaced question. One could ask why did Jesus turn the water to wine if His purpose was to die for our sins?

Your question, to me, is one that doesn't require an answer because we don't have God's knowledge or wisdom. I'm also not in the position to question why God did what He has done. He has a purpose and His purpose is true, regardless of what I can say or do will make His will "wrong". It never it is.

 

[archaeologist]

to answer the question in the originalpost:

1. yes it displays the glory of god and His handiwork.

2. as i have stated in other threads, when God does something, whether big or small, He leaves no doubt who did it and shows that no one else can do it.

as an example reference elijah and the priest of baal as they competed to bring rain. the priests had a dry alter, prayed and prayed and danced and danced etc. but no answer. elijah, poured water and water on his alter etc. and prayed once.

who got the answer? elijah and that answer was i a small cloud with lots of water. read the story and you will see this is a common theme with God as He is wants to draw men unto Him and leave no doubt who gets the glory.

3. people are left without an excuse when the final judgement comes.

 

[Rudolph Hucker]

But the fact that it is expanding proves that it's finite, as something infinite cannot expand as it is already at maximal size.

How can something at maximal size be referred to as infinite?

 

[artybloke]

The universe is big to show off how big God is? That turns God into nothing but a show-off: "Look at the size of my universe..." The universe is this big because it's the only place you can keep God's ego?

methinks your God is too petty...

 

[Critias]

methinks your God is too petty...

When you say, "your God", are you suggesting:

1. That "his God" is not your God?
2. He serves someone different than the almighty God?

"your God" comes off that He isn't your God, or that you both don't serve the same God. I thought this was the "Christian" area and that would mean that we all serve the same God.