Evidence for God from Probability, and Statistical Zero

The Power of Probability   

This is an interesting article I ran across the other day while looking at probabilities at work.

Statisticians believe ‘Statistical Zero” to be:  
    1 / 10^50
or to write it out long-hand:
    1 / 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000
Or indecimal notation it is represented:
    0.00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001

The article's author lists 322 items which must be in place for earth to support life (out of many more), and assigns a probability of 1 / 10 to all of these items (which is extremely or even excessively generous).  Even with the qualifications, it still means...

... that there is less than 1 chance in 1 million trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion exists that even one planet like earth could ever exist and support life as earth supports it if the only mechanisms available are natural mechanisms. 

Evidence for God from Probability 

Do you see the problem here? Based on the statistical probability of the universal constants described here, it’s pretty clear that a planet like earth simply should not exist! If natural causes are the only factors involved here, the odds are just prohibitively small. Earth simply cannot exist if natural causes are the only forces in the universe. The ONLY way to account for the Earth’s existence is to introduce a supernatural cause that can overcome the tremendous improbability.

The Statistical Probability Argument:

1) Statisticians Agree that When the Probability of an Event Reaches 1/1050 the Odds of the Event’s Occurrence Are “Statistically ZERO”

2) The Odds of the NATURAL Existence of a Life Supporting Planet Like Earth are Less than 1/10322 (10272 Times Less Likely than “Statistical Zero”), Yet the Earth Exists and Supports Life

3) For This Reason, the Existence of a Life Supporting Planet Like Earth (Which CANNOT Be Attributed to Natural Forces or Causes), Must Be the Result of Supernatural Intervention

4) The Supernatural Intervening Cause (God) of Our Universe, Galaxy and Planet Must Exist

Source: http://pleaseconvinceme.com/2012/evidence-for-god-from-probability/

Purpose of Sunday gathering in early church?

"We are told in the book of Acts that from the very beginning, the early church had the custom of gathering on the first day of the week for the breaking of bread. The reason for gathering on the first day of the week was that this was the day of the resurrection of the Lord. Therefore, the main purpose of this service of worship was not to call the faithful to repentance, or to make them aware of the magnitude of their sins, but rather to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and the promises of which that resurrection was the seal. This is why Acts describes those gatherings as happy occasions: “they partook of food with glad and generous hearts, praising God for having favor with all the people” (Acts 2: 46– 47). Those early communion services did not focus their attention on the events of Good Friday, but rather on those of Easter. A new reality had dawned, and Christians gathered to celebrate that dawning and to become participants in it."

The Story of Christianity,  Vol. 1, by Justo Gonzales, chapter 11

Whose children are they, anyway?

Back in January, I wrote on Statism.  If we keep our eyes and minds attuned to this perspective, other instances of growing confidence in the state, and promotion of the state, will be found.

For instance, a colleague recently brought this controversy to my attention:  one of our media elites, whether unintentionally revealing her perspective or honestly misspeaking, seems to suggest that the community (state) is responsible for children, over against parents.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/04/11/melissa-harris-perry-and-the-firestorm-over-collective-parenting.html

Amazing, and frightening.

(Written April 28 2013, published January 1 2014)