PaulSacramento wrote:The world, the Universe, is the way it is because it can't be any other way.
I agree with this one, my logic goes like this:
Man was made in Gods' image.
Therefore, God can do anything man can, only a lot better.
Man can make fiction, even science firction, dreaming up universes different than this one, where things come out differently than here.
If man can, so can God, God dreams up an infinity of possible universes, and chooses to create the one that works best, that accomplishes his perposes, this one.
If that takes a very large, very complext universe, well, who are we to argue?
Also, the "anthropic principle" says that for a universe to support life, it must be exactly like this one, otherwise, it won't support life. It also says that for such a universe to be like this by random chance is essentially impossible, it must be planned. Therefore, the entire universe says that there must be a God. The entire universe, just how much evidence do you want? Make a simpler universe, you will just have less evidence, how would that convince people? Look what the bible says about that Rom 1:18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness,
Rom 1:19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.
Rom 1:20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
Rom 1:21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Rom 1:22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools
Rom 1:23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
In other words, God gave an entire universe full of evidence, so much that we are 'without excuse", yet people still made and worshipped idols. If the universe where much simpler, people would just do the same, maybe different idols, but idols just the same.And people in Jesus time saw his miracles and did not believe, and he even said Luke 16:31 "He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'"
In short, the universe is already a miracle that points to God, and many still will not believe, how would making it a different kind of miracle be any different?
And if God wants everyone to believe, well, there are even easier ways, he could just force the belief into their minds, why doesn't he? Perhaps he wants to give them a choice, rather than force the issue onto them. Perhaps he wants to make a universe where the evidence is "plain" and "clearly seen" yet people can CHOOSE to ignore it anyway IF THEY REALLY WANT TO.