Argument for God from Mathematics

“In physics, we see an uncanny degree of harmony, symmetry, and proportionality.  And we see something that I call “discoverability.” By that, I mean that the laws of nature seem to have been carefully arranged so that they can be discovered by beings with our level of intelligence.  That not only fits the idea of design, but it also suggests a providential purpose for humankind-that is to learn about our habitat and develop science and technology.”[1]

It’s been 30 years since I learned quantum mechanics in college, so I set out to relearn it this week.  Armed with YouTube videos and a couple books, I started at the “beginning” by reviewing some linear algebra and vector spaces, along with Hilbert Spaces and Dirac notation. It is coming back slowly; but in doing this review, I am again awestruck that something we invent in our minds (math) matches up perfectly with what we observe in the universe.  Why is this the case? The answer that makes the most sense to me is that God created the universe with regular and discoverable laws.

“The important point is not merely that there are regularities in nature, but that these regularities are mathematically precise, universal, and “tied together.”  Einstein spoke of them as “reason incarnate.”  The question we should ask is how nature came packaged in this fashion.  This is certainly the question that scientists from Newton to Einstein to Heisenberg have asked – and answered.  Their answer was the Mind of God.”[2]

To do science at all, one must assume that you can observe and know the material world; which would be impossible if nature wasn’t orderly.  Christians see God as a Lawgiver, as a rational mind, and as the Creator. Because of this, the world must be rational, must follow prescribed laws, and must have a reason for its existence. Science is the way we study the world, the laws, and the reasons. Christian theology also teaches that man was created in the image of God, so we also have the ability to comprehend God’s laws and reasons.

“Christianity depicted God as a rational, responsive, dependable, and omnipotent being and the universe as His personal creation, thus having a rational stable structure, awaiting human comprehension. Christians developed science because they believed it could be done and they thought it should be done.”[3]

To use math to do science, you must assume that numbers (and maybe other mathematical concepts) and logic both exist and that they can’t be discovered through the scientific method. You also must assume that the human mind is able to describe and explain the physical universe.

“There is a deep-seated congruence between the rationality present in our minds, and the rationality – the orderedness – which we observe as present in the world. Thus, the abstract structures of pure mathematics – a free creation of the human mind – provide important clues to the understanding of the world.”[4]

A classic example of this is Mendeleev’s organization of the periodic table; done solely by investigating the properties of the elements and first described in the 1860’s, 30 years before anyone knew about electrons and 60 years before quantum mechanics.  Why would physical observations about elements match exactly with discoveries about electrons and then match the mathematics developed solely in someone’s mind?  Being able to use mathematics to describe the natural world is reasonably and rationally explained by the universe being a product of an intelligent designer. It should not be a surprise when mathematical theories created in the minds of humans made in the image of God apply to a universe created by the same God.

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[1] Lee Strobel, The Case for a Creator, Zondervan, 2004.  Quote on page 147, attributed to Robin Collins, PHD.

[2] Anthony Flew, There Is A God, page 96, HarperOne, 2007

[3] Rodney Stark, For the Glory of God, Princeton University Press, 2003, page 147

[4] Alister McGrath, Science and Religion, Oxford: Blackwell, 1999