Divine plan

Imagine looking at the sky on a clear night. Picture millions of stars glittering in the darkness. And then picture a cluster of stars forming a ring the size of fifteen moons. If you had a powerful enough telescope, that is what you would see.

Scientists have discovered the Big Ring, a circle of galaxiesA system of gas and dust and billions of stars, held together by gravity. nine billion light years away. Nearby is the Giant Arc, another cluster of galaxies the same distance away. According to current models of physics, both structures should be impossible.

The cosmologicalRelating to the origin of the universe. principle states that matter is spread evenly across the universe. Zoom out far enough and none of the galaxies will gather into shapes. But the Big Ring and the Giant Arc defy this rule.  

The ring was identified by a PhDAn abbreviation for a Doctorate of Philosophy. Students study for several years and usually do their own extensive research to gain a PhD. student called Alexia Lopez, who also found the arc in 2021. As she explained, they provide "a big cosmological mystery".¹

This is not the only mystery in the universe. Scientists are still trying to understand black holesA region of space where gravity is so strong that nothing can escape from it, including particles and radiation. , dark matterA hypothetical substance that can not be detected by scientific instruments. Its existence is inferred from evidence that the universe consists of more mass than we can perceive. and dark energy. Perhaps the biggest mystery is why there is something rather than nothing. Most scientists agree that our universe started with the Big BangThe moment the universe came into being. It is thought that this took place in a kind of explosion from a dimensionless singularity. 14 billion years ago. For some people, this is proof of God.

The Kalam cosmological argument is based on the theory that whatever begins to exist must have a cause. The universe began to exist, so it must have a cause, and that cause we call God.

But, according to quantum mechanicsA fundamental theory in physics describing the properties of nature on an atomic scale. Unlike general relativity, which works when applied to large objects, quantum mechanics helps describe the world on a tiny level - at a scale where things can be in several places at once, and measurement can affect reality. - one of the most cutting-edge and confusing areas of physics - it is possible for events to happen without a cause. Even if the universe did start with the Big Bang, that might have been a random energy fluctuation.

As Lawrence Krauss, the physicist and popular science writer, argues: "The lack of understanding of something is not evidence for God."

However, the astronomer Karin Oberg thinks that science has its own fundamental beliefs, just like religion. After all, it "relies on there being order and intelligibility in the universe, which is not something that science can prove that there is".

So, all scientists share the idea that the universe makes sense and merits their efforts to understand. That may not be a proof of God, but it is a kind of faith.

Is it evidence for God?

Yes: The fact that the universe has a structure, order and beginning suggests that it was created. God is the best name we have for whatever was responsible.

No: The fact that physics cannot explain everything does not mean that God exists. In fact, unexplained mysteries are the best reason for scientific research.

Or... Science can reveal some of the wonders of the universe, but cannot tell us what they mean. How we interpret these mysteries depends on our own beliefs.