Recommended Book Review: Why the Universe is the Way it is? Dr. Hugh Ross

 

Right now, maybe you are in your room or friend's house or somewhere reading this post. But here is simple question that you may never realize that is why I am indeed able to see this post, why I am still alive inside my room? Why the place from where I am reading this post is habitable? What if you are looking but not seeing anything!  What if you play music but hear nothing! What if you touch the things but cannot feel anything! What if the air that you take and gives your life becomes the life destroyer eventually! Friends, you are able to read this post only because everything including tiny air molecules that you are taking to massive milky way galaxy where you and I live to whole Universe, is exquisitely balanced.  You are living because the universe is just in the right way where it should? Slight changes in the parameters would make whole cosmos sterile. The size, age, distance of our star, sun, is at right proportion, the atmospheres, air, moon, solar system, galaxy, radiation, everything is at right proportion. I would say if even the Multi-verse hypothesis is true empirically, even then we see greater balance in entire cosmos. So, ultimately why is the universe is the way it is? This is all what this book is about.

Today I am going to share the book called, “Why the Universe is the Way It Is", from the person to whom I have due respect and he is also the first person in my life to whom I encountered in my journey of apologetics. He is an astrophysicist Hugh Ross from Canada. Way before going to the materials from Lewis, Craig, Zacharias, Lennox, Frank Turek, Licona, Stephen Myers, David Wood, Wallace, Paul Copan, to name just a few, I met Ross.   I think it was in the middle of first year of my bachelor degree, I was driven towards the existential questions like why is there universe? what is my origin? what am I doing here? who am I actually? Why I am the way I am? I have sent sleepless nights thinking about these stuffs, searching where I could get the answer. Initially I was specially fascinated by the enigma of universe and its origin. And it was the time when I met Hugh Ross, who currently runs the Reasons to believe.

If you are interested in relation of Scripture and cosmology, the teleological (design) argument for the existence of God then this book is inevitably essential for you and it is written for you. The first part of this book examines the widely perceived enigmas of the universe to determine from a scientific perspective each one’s underlying significance for humanity’s existence. The second part explores how the Bible accurately and uniquely described the major features of the origin, structure, and history of the universe thousands of years before any scientist discovered them. And how scripture gives a viable answer to the way why universe behaviors the way it does.

Here is the list of chapters and main points in each chapter of this book given by author;

  1.  Why Ask Why Questions?

The Search for Answers

To Address Complaints and Concerns

To Embrace the Incomprehensible

  2.  Why Such a Vast Universe?

Super-Sized

The Matter of Mass

An Exquisite Balance

Dark Matter

Dark Energy

Clear and Present Purposes

  3.  Why Such an Old Universe?

Just-Right Age to Support Humanity

Just-Right Terrestrial Age for Support of Humanity

Just-Right Age

  4.  Why Such a Lonely Universe?

The Search for Answers

A Matter of Mediocrity

It’s a Jungle Out There

A Prime Location

Finding Simple Life

One Viable Option

Alone in the Cosmos

Not So Alone

  5.  Why Such a Dark Universe?

Dark Moon

Dark Planetary Companions

Distant Star Clusters

Dark Nebulae

Dark Galaxy Clusters

Other Kinds of Darkness

Where Does Cosmic Darkness Reside?

Signs of Design and Purpose

  6.  Why a Decaying Universe?

Cosmic Heat Death

No Escape Clause

Time Line of Cosmic Consequences

7.  Why a Realm beyond This One?

Temporal and Spatial Coincidences

Providential Time Windows

Just Right for Humankind

So Much Invested for Such a Short Time

Drive for Preservation

Unique Human Drives

Greater Reasons

  8.  Why This Particular Planet, Star, Galaxy, and Universe?

Echoes of Goldilocks

The Case for Fine-Tuning Grows

  9.  Why Believe the Bible?

Cosmic Owner’s Manual

A Trustworthy Testament

10.  Why Not a Perfect Universe—Now?

A Lavish Domain

Perfectly Prepared

Perfection Defined by Purpose

Triumph of Good over Evil

11.  Why These Physical Laws and Dimensions?

God’s Training Program

Laws of Physics and Behavior Modification

“Curses” on Humanity

A Primary Purpose of the Physical Laws

Natural Consequences Curb Poor Choices

A Primary Purpose of Space and Time

The End of Cosmic Physics, the End of Evil and Suffering

Ideal Stage for Redemption

A Primary Purpose and Destiny for Humanity

Cosmologists’ Oversight

Two Creations

12.  Why Two Creations?

An Unimaginable Realm

Distinct Differences

One Realm Makes Way for Another

Eternal Freedom

A Necessarily Arduous Process

Transformed Will

13.  Why Is the New Creation Better?

Beyond Imagination

Where “Up” and “Down” Are Located

A Matter of Time

“Physical” Features and Laws

Different Dimensions

Work

Prepared by Grace

Learning without Limits

Play and Rest

Relationship Pleasures

Better Than . . .

All for Us

The Just-Right Vehicle

Genre: Science 

Review Credit: Brother Shanta Tamang 

About brother Shanta Tamang:

-Guitarist, Composer, Song Writer and Apologist(Science and Scripture, Evolution Theory, Historical Jesus)

-Guitar, Music Instructor and Apologist at Exodus Ministry

-Studies MA/Msc. Mathematics at Central Department of Mathematics Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal (T.U).

-Completed BTh from Nepal Korea International College