nlerd writes:
So far as I understand God created all that exists for man (am I wrong in that assumption?), if that is the case then why is the universe so vast? Seems to be a huge waste of space seeing as how man's purpose (whatever that is) should be achievable on Earth.
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What I'm trying to get at is why would God create one small habitable zone in a massive dead universe? Whats the point of all that useless space out there? I'm not asking why the universe is the size that it is, I'm asking why would GOD make it that big?
Yes, according to the Genesis 1 creation account, man is the pinnacle and goal of God's creation. And yes, God could have created the universe in any way that He wished. He could have created it all last Thursday and placed us here with realistic memories, if He wished. So why did He do it this way? I think David gives a hint:
quote:
When I look up at the heavens, which your fingers made, and see the moon and the stars, which you set in place, of what importance is the human race, that you should notice them? Of what importance is mankind, that you should pay attention to them, and make them a little less than the heavenly beings? You grant mankind honor and majesty; you appoint them to rule over your creation; you have placed everything under their authority, including all the sheep and cattle, as well as the wild animals, the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea and everything that moves through the currents of the seas.
--Psalm 8:3-8
Perhaps the reason God made such a huge universe is to show us our intrinsic insignificance, to help us see that our true significance comes only through Him?
"Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind." — Albert Einstein
I am very astonished that the scientific picture of the real world around me is very deficient. It gives us a lot of factual information, puts all of our experience in a magnificently consistent order, but it is ghastly silent about all and sundry that is really near to our heart, that really matters to us. It cannot tell us a word about red and blue, bitter and sweet, physical pain and physical delight; it knows nothing of beautiful and ugly, good or bad, God and eternity. Science sometimes pretends to answer questions in these domains, but the answers are very often so silly that we are not inclined to take them seriously. — Erwin Schroedinger
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