How to Engage Atheists (or Agnostics) if You Are a Believing Scientist 17-09-27

1. Establish that you agree that cosmological, chemical, and biological evolution got us here and the universe began with the Big Bang 17.8 billion years ago.

2.  Establish that you agree that the fundamental constants, forces, and masses are fine-tuned in such a way that it is possible for the processes of cosmological, chemical, and biological evolution to bring us here.  As Nobel Laureate, Freeman Dyson, stated, "the universe appears to have known we were coming¹." 

3.  Establish that you agree that these fundamental constants, forces, and masses interact with one another in logical and often elegantly simple ways that are readily and mysteriously captured by the language of mathematics.

4. Establish that you agree that, assuming these fundamental constants, forces, and masses are independent, the probability that they would have these values without some explanation is very extremely unlikely.

5. Establish that they believe some version of chance playing out through some version of a multiverse is the explanation, while you believe God is the explanation.

6.  Ask them to provide evidence for their belief in a multiverse.

6. After you listen to their evidence (which will be minimal), tell them you respect their worldview and would agree with it if it weren't for something they are intentionally leaving out of their worldview -- the evidence of the Bible.  If we were in a universe without the Bible, their argument would make sense, but for you, the Bible and other evidence related to it provide compelling evidence that God is the explanation.

For more on this check out New Athiests and the “Conflict” Between Science and Religion.

footnotes

¹Freeman Dyson,1979, Disturbing the Universe, (New York), p.250.