Why the Universe Is the Way It Is (Reasons to Believe)

Modern scientists usually don’t have much to say about the origin of life and the universe, because they just can’t explain how He did what He did. The Bible explains it all, but not in the technical terms scientists can accept. Since they can’t figure out how He did it, they usually avoid the subject, or, as in the case of folks like Richard Dawkins, claim the biblical version of creation is nothing but fairy tales and pipe dreams.Hugh Ross is an astrophysicist at the California Institute of Technology, and he’s one scientist who strongly believes biblical teachings, explaining them in scientific terms in the recommended book and several others. This paper will give you a taste of his reasoning, and you don’t need to know astronomy and mathematics to understand it. It definitely is written on a layman’s level.Our solar system (sun, planets, moons, comets, asteroids, etc.) is in the Milky Way Galaxy. The Milky Way is pinwheel-shaped, and our solar system is located out on one of the arms. Ross goes to great lengths to explain why this location is precisely the right place for life to form and thrive. He also explains why it took so long after the universe formed for life to arrive on Earth.(Ross and I disagree on the age of the universe. He endorses the popular scientific theory that estimates the age of the universe at about 14 billion years. I’m a Bible literalist in that I am convinced the universe is about 8000 years old, as stated in the Good Book. I believe that God created the world and just made it “look” like it was 14 billion years old. However, that’s about the only disagreement I have with Ross—the rest of his treatise is complementary with mine and even reinforces it.)Scientists and laymen alike refer to the Earth’s location as the “Goldilocks Zone.” Things like oxygen and water availability make life possible. The distance from the sun is just right—closer would be too hot, further would be too cool. Even the tilt of the Earth’s axis is perfect, allowing our area of the planet to warm up in the summer and cool off in the winter.There are 100 billion solar systems in the Milky Way, and 100 billion galaxies in the universe. Assuming all solar systems and galaxies are similar, and assuming there is an average of 10 planets per solar system (for a round number), there are about 10 to the 23rd planets (one followed by 23 zeroes) in the universe.With all those other planets floating around out there, the odds seem great that there must be others that have the same life-supporting conditions as Earth. Ross doesn’t believe there are, and I agree with him. So, why are all those other heavenly bodies even necessary and how do they promote life on Earth?Why did it take billions of years, or why did the world have to “look” like it was that old, before life could appear on Earth? Why is our location in our solar system, galaxy, and universe the one and only place that could possibly sustain life?The space between celestial bodies is so vast that collisions are nearly impossible. Why does the universe have to be so big and empty, and how does all that space promote life on Earth?Stipulating Ross’ premise that the universe it 14 billion years old, what was going on before life appeared and how did it cause the proper conditions for life?Now that it’s here, is life going to continue ad infinitum?Ross answers these questions and many more in "Why the Universe Is the Way it Is." Of special interest, he explains that life is not going to continue indefinitely. In far less time than billions of years, the universe will evolve to a point where life is no longer possible. Unless the Second Coming precedes it, that’ll be the day we all meet our Maker.No matter where you are in your spirituality (assuming you have some), this book will reinforce your beliefs. If you have even the slightest doubts, they’ll go away—if you have no doubts, you never will. For any atheists or agnostics who may be reading this, I offer this caveat: Reading "Why the Universe Is the Way it Is" may shake your core beliefs to their very foundation, but read it anyway.Five stars is the highest possible rating, but if I could I’d give this book six!

The book although comprehensive is easily read and understandable 1,2,3. Can be used as a reference for your continuing your study of all things unanswered.

I liked the format a lot as it break down the subjects into chapters then into sub-chapters, each is ~3 to 4 pages long on average. It makes for easy organized reading daily.As a Christian engineer, I always found it hard to harmonize modern science with Christianity. Dr. Ross takes this herculean task and breaks it down to the layman in an easy and smooth way.He is using up to date resources to prove the principles of Judo-Christian cosmos and why we are here and what we should expect in the next life. He also talks about why they are two cosmos. He argues with science, a bit of philosophy, and a ton of scriptures and logic.If you are Christian who is not sure about whether her/his belief can be vindicated via science, I strongly recommend this book and multiple free videos on the web.You will have a new prospective on your own faith and your purpose in this life and the next one.

Excellent insight of how and why the universe has been fine tuned for us humans to be able to live and thrive on this earth at this specific and present time on the cosmic time scale. Appreciated is how the author clarifies space, time and realms. Towards the last chapters, the author deviates from what is and what is relevant today and dives into, what are to come, events described in the last chapter of the Bible.

No matter what your beliefs are, this is a great read to expand your thinking and help you contemplate why we are where we are and all the other possible "whys" of our existence.

Clean, great condition & delivered very quickly, and well packaged. Plus, it's a fantastic read!!!

From this incredibly humble man comes a clear and insightful communication of why the universe is the way it is and how it has to be exactly the way it is for us to exist on this little planet called earth!

Hugh Ross is both a Christian and an astrophysicist, His writings are refreshing because most of the scientists whose writings appear in the popular press are avowed atheists. Christians are stigmatized as believers in fairy tales about a magic sky god invented by those who are too cowardly to accept that they are really God. Ross lists the surprisingly many ways in which the universe, if it were only slightly different than it is, would not have allowed the conditions necessary for life on earth. He demonstrates by the shear weight of those factors that have to be within very close percentages of what they are for man to exist, that some intelligence that is not bound by the dimensions like length, width, height, and time must have created it and intervened repeatedly over its existence to make our environment into what it is today. Disturbingly, he also shows that those conditions have not existed for long and will not exist forever.This is only one of a number of books published by the Reasons to Believe (RTB) ministry. The ministry is working on gathering facts, formulating a theory of creation, and providing testable hypotheses for scientists who may be skeptical about creation but who are not strongly committed atheists to test by experiment. One finishes the book hoping that there are still scientists who are open-minded enough to take up the challenge.Ross cites a number of biblical passages from both the Old Testament and the New Testament as strikingly accurate descriptions of the universe that cosmologists can measure today. RTB's theory of the universe is based on his understanding of how those biblical descriptions match modern observations of the current and past states of the cosmos.If you are an atheist, this book is probably not enough to convince you that you've been wrong all of your life. If you are a believer or one who has been moved into doubt or skepticism by personal experience or by the Progressive attempt to remove faith from the public square, you will enjoy this book.

The book came in very good condition, just as described. Happy with my purchase.

If you are not a Christian but still want to know the rationale behind the Christian faith behind creation account even after all these scientific facts, this book will give you a very detailed insight.

The author, who became an astrophysicist, was given a Bible when a young man, and was amazed to find references there to things that were only discovered long after it was written. Well worth reading

I am a Christian and an engineer who works in science but I had no idea of what science and the Bible teach us. I was surprised that vastness and age of the universe and earth is just right for us to live and develop. Dr Ross really clarified some of what the Book of creation teaches us. Bless you Dr Ross!

Read this and have your current views about the universe expanded and your ideas about the God who created it blown up.Ross is especially thought provoking towards the end of the book as he points out the scientific clues in the Bible and then develops a ‘scientific’ vision of heaven. I’ll be reading this again and again.