Why is there a universe at all? Few questions are bigger. The Kalam cosmological argument, made popular in our time by Dr. William Lane Craig, offers a simple, three-step answer. Here it is without the jargon.
The argument
- Whatever begins to exist has a cause.
- The universe began to exist.
- Therefore, the universe has a cause.
The logic is valid: if steps 1 and 2 are true, step 3 follows. So the real question is whether the two premises are true.
Step 1: Whatever begins to exist has a cause
Things don’t pop into being from nothing, without any cause. If they could, it would be strange that it never happens with bicycles, bagels, or buffalo. Our everyday experience and the practice of science both assume that things which come into existence have causes. Note that the premise says whatever begins to exist, not “everything.” That’s why “Then what caused God?” misses the point: God, by definition, never began to exist.
Step 2: The universe began to exist
Two kinds of reasons are usually given.
- Philosophical: an actually infinite series of past events seems impossible. If the past were infinite, we could never have “arrived” at today, any more than someone could count down from infinity and finish.
- Scientific: Big Bang cosmology describes an expanding universe that traces back to a beginning. The second law of thermodynamics points the same way: if the universe were infinitely old, it should have run down already.
Step 3: So the universe has a cause
If the universe (all space, time, matter, and energy) has a cause, that cause must be beyond space and time. It must be immaterial, enormously powerful, and, Dr. Craig argues, personal: a being who freely chose to create. That sounds a lot like what Christians mean by God.
Common objections
- “Quantum physics shows things come from nothing.” Quantum events occur within a quantum vacuum: a sea of energy governed by physical laws. That isn’t “nothing.”
- “Maybe there was a universe before ours.” Proposals like a multiverse or cyclic models face their own problems, and many still seem to require a beginning.
- “Even if there’s a cause, why the Christian God?” Fair question. The Kalam points to a Creator. Other arguments, like the evidence for Jesus’ resurrection, help identify who that Creator is.
Go deeper
- Watch Dr. Craig’s short animated video on the Kalam at ReasonableFaith.org [LINK THE SPECIFIC VIDEO].
- Bring your questions to our next meeting in Bentonville.