Today I was thinking about one of the arguments for naturalism (atheism) that I discussed in a recent oral presentation.
Pierre-Simon Laplace (1749-1827) was a French scholar who contributed to the eclipse of theistic science in the 19th Century by observing that the origin of the solar system could be explained mechanically. Under the force of gravity, a “proto-planetary disc” formed, and as it collapsed and became denser and denser, it clumped together, forming a system of star and planets.
My only comment at that time was that that was all very fine, but where did Laplace suppose the gravity came from?
And that, of course, remains a perfectly good critique; but today it dawned on me that there is a lot more that can be said. Readers of this blog know about stellar nucleosynthesis, whereby the elements of the periodic table (oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, iron, chromium, etc., etc.) are by-products of the fusion reactions still taking place in the stars. When the stars reach the end of their life cycle, they collapse and explode, spreading these elements into space, where they become the material for another generation of stars, which continue the process. Eventually all 90 naturally-occurring elements are formed and spread abroad in space. It was those materials which formed Laplace’s proto-planetary disc, which became our sun and our home, the Earth.
They also became our food source.
What is even more wonderful is that as that magnificent cosmic process produced our planet, it at the same time assembled all the elements we need for all our bodily functions; and we take those nutrients into ourselves whenever we consume plants grown in the soil or the animals that consume them.
Now, while the majority of our bodies are made up of common elements like oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen, some “exotic” elements are present in trace amounts: silicon, fluoride, iron, zinc, copper, lithium, manganese, iodine, cobalt, chromium, selenium, and molybdenum. In large proportions many of these elements would be extremely toxic to us, but are required in very small quantities for proper bodily function. And that is what we have: lots of carbon for our muscles and bones, and trace amounts of copper, zinc, selenium, and iron, essential for healthy hearts. Why did stellar nucleosynthesis produce all the elements in exactly the right proportions that we needed in order to thrive?
And there is more! Our planet has a surfeit of iron and uranium, much more than is typical of most planets. And it’s a good thing, too, as it is the molten iron core of our planet which produces the magnetic field which surrounds the Earth and deflects the solar wind which otherwise would strip away our atmosphere, and it is the uranium whose decay produces the heat that keeps that iron core molten so that it can circulate and produce that magnetic shield!
Glory to God!
Joshualetter 