What If The World Just An Illusion?
Another objection to a Biblical worldview is the belief that the universe is just an illusion. For example, what if everything that we think is real, really isn’t? What if everything that we call “reality” is just a dream or illusion? How do we know that everything that we experience isn’t just some fantasy or mirage?
Well, let’s start by defining our terms first. To begin, an “illusion” is defined as a false perception of reality or something that doesn’t really exist. Now with this definition in mind, you don’t need to go any farther than your own personal being to answer this objection.
Here’s how it’s done: First, ask yourself this question: Is my own existence an illusion? If you say “no” then the question is irrelevant because you are real at the very least. However, if you say “yes” then it should be noted that you must really exist (and not be an illusion) in order to ask the question in the first place. To put it more simply, it’s impossible for something that doesn’t exist (like an illusion) to question it’s existence. Someone must first exist to in order to ask the question to begin with!
We can also approach this question from a different angle: Let’s say that someone doubts that our existence is real and they are skeptical that everything we see really exists. So far, so good, right? OK, now what is the one thing that this person cannot doubt or be skeptical about?
Well, the one thing that this person cannot doubt is the fact that they are doubting. In other words, the person who is skeptical that our existence is real cannot doubt or be skeptical about their skepticism- that must be real in order for their skepticism to make sense. So with this in mind, let’s follow along with the progression from doubt and skepticism to the conclusion that our existence is an actual reality:
- If someone’s doubt is real, then their thoughts must be real too because someone must be able to think before they can doubt.
- And if someone’s thoughts are real, then their mind must really exist because they cannot think and form doubts without a mind.
- And if someone’s mind really exists then their brain must really exist too because you can’t have a mind that thinks thoughts without a brain.
- If someone’s brain really exists then the body it’s attached to must really exist too. (1)
- Therefore, their existence must be real.
This whole approach was first thought up by the famous French philosopher Rene Descartes who lived in the 1600’s. Now you may have never heard of Descartes but you probably have heard of his famous formula that sums this idea up: “I think, therefore, I am.” So it can’t be true that “everything is an illusion” because we can demonstrate that at least some things are real.
What If The Universe Is Eternal?
Here’s another objection: God does not exist because the universe is eternal and has always existed. This worldview is also known as the “steady-state” theory and it holds that the universe is all that there is, was, and ever will be. This theory also says that since the universe is eternal, there is no need for God. While the steady-state theory was once very popular, there have been some serious objections made to it over the years.
First, science generally agrees that the universe is finite, a word that means “restricted or limited.” Since finite things are not infinite, they must have a cause or a beginning and anything that has a beginning can’t be eternal. So a finite universe means that a “steady-state” worldview can’t be true.
But there’s another problem with this theory that has to do with the existence of time. You see, if the universe is eternal then there can be no such thing as time. Remember that time does not exist in eternity and if the past had no beginning then it would not be possible for us to have reached today. But since we are here today, it means that time must have started at some point in the past. The fact that time exists means that the universe can’t be eternal- it must have had a beginning at some point.
Why Can’t We Just Keep Going Back Through Time?
This is an idea that’s also known as infinite regress. Infinite regress says that we can go back in time through an unending number of events without the need to get to the first event- the point where the universe began. Of course, this theory conveniently avoids the question of how the universe got started in the first place and also ducks the issue of whether or not a Creator really exists. And like the other worldviews that we’ve looked at, infinite regress has some basic problems too.
To illustrate one problem with the idea of infinite regress, let’s imagine that a traveler is walking forward through the cars of a moving railroad train that’s journeying down a flat set of railroad tracks. As our traveler moves forward, he finds that the movement of each car along the track is explained by the pull of the car ahead of it. Finally, he reaches the engine, the point beyond which he cannot move any further. Upon reaching the engine, the traveler finds the explanation for first car’s movement- the engine is causing it to move. This cause also explains why the rest of the cars are moving too.
Unfortunately, infinite regress is like starting at the back of a moving train and walking through an endless set of cars without ever getting to the engine. The problem is that an infinite series of moving railroad cars doesn’t explain the cause of their movement. In a similar way, even if you could go endlessly back in time through infinity it still wouldn’t explain what caused human beings to get here in the first place. This means that we are eventually left with two choices: either the universe caused it’s own existence (which is impossible) or an outside force (like God) caused it’s existence.
(1) Unless, of course, your brain is sitting in a jar of formaldehyde on your Biology teacher’s desk, in which case, you’re on your own.