How do atheists explain the origin of the universe?

[nohorn]

After following all the atheists discussions of various topics, I can't recall any of them attempting to explain the origin of the universe, or is it necessary to even know the origin as an atheists?

[nohorn]

Thank you all for interesting logic! You gave me much to think about. And stretch my mind. I haven't read Dawkin's book yet, the "God Delusion" it is number 999 on my list. Perhaps I should move it up a bit.

[dustypuss]

Dose God believe in a God

And if not dose that make God an atheist?

[naomi24]

Nohorn, may I recommend 'The End of Faith', and 'Letter to a Christian Nation', both by Sam Harris. If you're changing your list may I suggest you put those high in the running along with 'The God Delusion'.

Dustypuss, God believes only in God. He doesn't give a hoot for anyone else.

[beso]

Exactly Naomi. God is utterly and psychotically self obsessed. It is clearly stated in the Bible. See the link. (I think Naomi originally linked to this great site.)

http://www.ebonmusing...heism/atrocities.html

[jake-the-peg]

I have on numerous occasions nohorn - but most are probably in Science.

Of course before we even go there I should point out that I've yet to hear any religious person even attempt to explain the origin of God.

As the religious premise is that God created the Universe and there's no explanation for God's creation. We could just invoke Occam's razor and elliminate unnecessary cmplexity by removing God from the equation.

Now the creation of the Universe - this is difficult because it involves time.

Time doesn't work the way most people (and I'm guessing you ) think it does. We live in a quiet little backwater with mild speeds, mild forces and mild gravity.

But the big bang was anything but mild. Time slow and speed up in different conditions in a black hole it stops completely

The big bang was in many ways a black hole in reverse.

It was not an explosion into a vaccuum it was the creation of physical space and the creation of time.

There was no time before the big bang

This means our whole language falls apart - you can't discuss it in English where verbs imply the passage of time - the very word creation implies cause and effect. Passage in time.

We are so used to this idea of "cause and effect" that the idea that it is invalid in this example just can't be grasped.

The phrase "origin of the Universe" implies that one time it wasn't there and the next it was but that wasn't the case.

In many ways the expression "big bang" has been very unhelpful in the picture it gives people

You really should say that the Universe has always existed because there was never a time in which it did not

In effect what I'm trying to say is that the question is essentially as meaningless as asking someone what they were doing 200 years ago

[beso]

Ah yes. 200 years ago. Many of the faithful also share the recycling of the spirit in another body delusion and will tell you who they were back then.

The original writers of the Bible got around the problem by assigning 1000 year lifetimes to several people and not being too worried about the sequence of events. Very creative.

Perhaps they even understood the concept of time being twisted. Yes, that would be it. Hidden in the parables is the concept of Relativity showing they already posseseed the knowledge as perfect truth years ahead of Einstein.

No doubt Keyplus can show us the equvalent theme in the Koran except it will be more perfect than the perfect truth of the Bible.

[keyplus90]

They just don't now so they call it a mere accident.

[jackthehat]

^ That's not much of an explanation,....................:o(

[RATTER15]

I don't know so it must have been God!!!! how wrong I have been, All those sins I have committed, I will surely go to hell.

<<<<<< imediateley drops to knees and prays forgiveness.

Keyplus, are you real? lol

[LoftyLottie]

I would never attempt to explain the origin of the universe, I simply don't have the capacity, any more than anybody else, to even try and work it out. But neither do I have the need of an know which is basically what believing in a God is all about, man's necessity to have an explanation.

[naomi24]

Keyplus, and you just don't know either - so you call it God.

In fact, you know no more than anyone else. You just think you do.

[Davethedog]

If you start with Copernicus and his research that the universe didn't revolve around the Earth, science has always answered its Theist critics.

As each and every scientific proof occurs so the theist has to redraw his ground and each redrawing needs an alteration to the belief system. I can only speak about Christianity because thats the religion I was born into, but I think it holds true in others.

Science pushes, probes, questions everything and is the first to admit that it doesn't have all the answers. That is why science has the word theory, but even is propagating a theory science invites the theory to be questioned.

500 years ago theists would have been telling all that of course the universe revolved around the Earth. Science has to get everything done in triplicate and prove everything and even then theists don't believe it.

All the theist has to do is say it, Intelligent design anyone

[keyplus90]

///////Keyplus, and you just don't know either - so you call it God.

In fact, you know no more than anyone else. You just think you do.///////

Of course I don’t know more than anyone else so one way or another we are all depending on FAITH.

[naomi24]

Keyplus, //Of course I don’t know more than anyone else so one way or another we are all depending on FAITH. //

We are? How does that work then?

[flobadob]

That is the million dollar question so it is not very relevant to link it to atheism as if it dispels the idea. Just because an atheist cannot explain the origin of the universe doesn't automatically mean that a man in the sky did it.
And nohorn, get off the fence because if fear is the only thing keeping you there, do you really give a flip about the entity causing you that fear. If you knew such a person here on earth you'd probably not bother about them

[naomi24]

If nohorn knew such a person here on earth, the chances are she would only have read about him in the newspapers, because he would have been incarcerated in a mental institution for the rest of his life with no chance whatsoever of ever being released into the community.

[Nadis]

I don't know how it started and neither does anyone else from Religion or Science backgrounds.
We can all make assumptions or guess based on what is on earth and through a telescope.

[boxtops]

I have the God Delusion book upstairs awaiting reading.... I can't grasp the concept of there being Absolutely Nothing before the Big Bang. Beyond my powers of comprehension that there is a huge Nothing, then for no apparent reason there is Something, if there is nothing/no being coordinating it.