As I ramp-up to a post on the origins of the universe I thought it might be helpful to set the stage for evaluating the reasonableness for any model of universal causation by surveying the landscape of knowledge. Because this can get very wordy, I am providing a very stripped-down model of these things.

First, the “Ism’s”

There seems to me to be only three possibilities for a metaphysics:
• Materialism, which believes all reality is material and only material;
• Idealism, which believes all reality is nothing more than an Idea or Thought or Mind (whether our thoughts or God's thoughts);
• A moderate Realism which accepts the independent objectivity of the material world, while allowing for some sort of nonmaterial or immaterial reality as well.

I am a Christian moderate realist. I believe there is an “is” out there (the material world) that we can know, judge and evaluate. I also believe there are good reasons to assert that there is an immaterial reality. While one can and should accept the existence of an immaterial reality based on God’s revelation of Himself in Scripture, one can also find reasons to accept that God may well exist.

Degrees of Certitude

From a philosophical perspective there are different degrees of certainty or, as the highbrows call it, certitude. The highest level of certitude is metaphysical certitude. It is certitude based upon a metaphysical law. An exception to a metaphysical law is inherently impossible because it would involve a contradiction in itself. For example, “a circle is no square” is metaphysically certain.

The next level of certitude is physical certitude. Physical certitude is certitude based upon a physical law of nature and this law is considered to be uniform, necessary and universal. An apple tree will bear apples and not (barring an in-grafted branch) plums. But my certitude is not absolute.

Below physical certitude is moral certitude (don’t think of ethics). Moral certitude is based upon the evidence of normal human conduct. For instance, I am certain that a normal mother loves her child, even though it is possible than an aberrant mother might detest her child.

Finally we come to opinion. Opinion is a state of mind where a person has decided on the truth of something; yet, there remains a probability of error. In an opinion, the best we can attain with regard to the truth of a judgment is a certain degree of probability. Most newspapers have an Op Ed section, which is the opinion page of the publication. On the Op Ed page the editors and others offer their best judgment on political and social issues recognizing that they have a real possibility of being wrong on any particular issue.

Summary

I admit to being a Christian moderate realist and I think that at this point a sound case can be made for a theistic Causer of the universe. The question is what level of certitude are we talking about here? Are we just dealing with opinion? Or can moral, physical or metaphysical certitude be reached? My “opinion” is that, in general, the battle lines are drawn between those who believe physical certitude must be reached through an empirical process and those who believe that metaphysical certitude can be reached though a combination of evidence and reasoning.

However, I am pretty sure that I personally cannot provide the reasoning and evidential horsepower to reach the threshold of metaphysical certitude. But, on the other hand, this has never stopped me before from sharing my opinions.

I have gotten involved in a couple of blog-fests over the reasonableness of believing that an uncaused being (God) caused the universe to come into existence. These have usually been “on the fly” comments arguing the validity of a theistic origin for the universe. My basic case has been that Aristotle’s maxim “That which does not exist cannot be the cause of anything” is still valid and to simply plead that the universe “just is”—or that it is a brute fact that needs no explanation—is ducking the most important question generated by the existence of the physical world; namely, why is there something instead of nothing? Well, I am now ready to get more serious about this issue; but before I put my chops on the line, what do you think? Is it reasonable to believe that the universe came from absolute nothingness (including no quantum vacuum), or is it reasonable to believe that the universe is contingent and therefore was caused by an uncaused being—God? This could be interesting.

Recently, William Kilpatrick wrote an outstanding opinion piece for “Investor’s Business Daily.” Kilpatrick is the author of “Why Johnny Can’t Tell Right From Wrong” and has served as professor in the School of Education at Boston College. He connects the dots between Hollywood’s current obsession with message-movies, the culture war in America and the war on terrorism. This year, in case you missed it, the Academy Awards were dominated by politically charged movies (most of which tanked at the box office) such as “Brokeback Mountain” (homophobia-gay marriage); “Capote” (death penalty); “Crash” (racism); “Good Night and Good Luck” (national security paranoia); and “Munich” (overly aggressive reaction to terrorism).

Kilpatrick notes that Hollywood always takes their message-movies very seriously and they see themselves as important players in molding the opinion of the American electorate (did you pay attention to George Clooney’s little political speech at the Oscars?). However, whereas before and during WWII, Hollywood produced films that helped the American public understand the brutality of our enemies and the importance of our resolve; now, Hollywood works overtime to cause the public to “lose the conviction that anything is worth fighting for.” Kilpatrick states:

“Our ability to defend ourselves depends in large measure on the conviction that we have something worth defending. During the Cold War, some Americans lost that conviction and came up with the slogan, ‘better red than dead.’ Nowadays the equivalent slogan might be something along the lines of ‘better capitulation than decapitation.’"

He ends his article by noting that Hollywood’s efforts are about, “how a culture can lose its soul when it’s subjected to a constant barrage of such confidence-sapping fare.”

Again, I would draw your attention to the fact that we are engaged in a titanic “clash of civilizations.” Currently the West with its Christian past is facing an implacable enemy from without—Islamic extremists. Though the majority of Muslims are not extremists, it is the extremists that have the winds of history at their back. But we also face an implacable enemy from within. That enemy is not a sleeper-cell or a group of people; rather, it is an ideology. It is the ideology of moral equivalence which is the modern face of antinomianism (the heresy that there is no moral law). It propagates the idea that no morality is better or worse than any other morality; therefore, who are we (or you) to assert the superiority of our beliefs over those of others. Sawing the heads off of innocent civilians is no better or worse than citizen-soldiers attempting to dislodge a brutal dictator with minimal collateral damage. Living in polyamory (group marriage) is no better or worse than a stable monogamous marriage. Once moral equivalence is accepted, then there is no reason to defend one’s civilization; in fact, there is no real reason to exist. Existence is no better or worse than non-existence.

In the West, the one thing standing in the way of the ideology of moral equivalence and its ensuing cultural/moral capitulation is Christianity. This is why orthodox Christianity is bitterly detested by the elites (get ready for Hollywood’s next blockbuster, The Da Vinci Code). However, do not lose heart, “behold the king of glory” is still on His thrown and His holy Son has promised to be with us to the end of the age.

Reasons for Answered Prayer

If you have ever been around a campfire you know that the closer you get to the fire the hotter you become. On a cold night you can stand close enough to the fire that your side facing it gets uncomfortably warm while your other side remains cold. Likewise, as a general principle, the closer one is to God the more likely it is that one’s prayers are going to be answered. The nearer we are to God the more suitable we come for God’s will to be done in our lives, the more our requests are likely to be godly, and the more we tend to desire the same things that God desires.

Another reason why our prayers are answered is because we ask for things that are truly good. Because God is the Ultimate Good, He desires to give “good and perfect gifts” from “above” (James 1:17) and, therefore, when we ask for good things, God is more likely to grant our requests.

How we ask in prayer is also important. The Bible teaches that we are to come to God with affection for Him in humility and a firm desire to receive His gifts. God regards the prayers of the humble (Psalm 101:18) and responds to an unwavering attitude of faith (James 1:7).

If we expect God to grant our prayers, it is very important that we come to Him in holiness. This does not mean that we must achieve moral perfection before God will answer our prayers. It does mean; however, that we are to confess our sins and resolve to become more Christ-like. In other words, if I am harboring sin in my life, I should not expect God to hear and answer my prayers (Psalm 66:18).

Reasons for Unanswered Prayer

One of the top reasons for unanswered prayer is that what is asked for is not truly good. I may think that my request is going to be really good for me; but, God knows the first from the last and He may see that my request is not truly good or that I am asking with a wrong motive. Asking God to help you win the lottery so that you can live in the lap of luxury is exactly what James warned against when he wrote, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures” (James 4:3).

An often misunderstood concept in the 21st century is the need for perseverance in prayer. We want microwave answers—push a couple of buttons, wait 30 seconds and presto, the answer. Just as in a journey, we must continue to travel until we reach our destination; so, in prayer we must continue until the answer comes. Prayers sometimes fail to get answers because we “faint” in prayer (Luke 18:1).

As mentioned above, one’s attitude in prayer is very important to God. If I am not affectionate toward God, if I do not come humbly before Him with expectant faith then I will not receive the blessing of answered prayer.

Finally, God at times does not answer the prayers of godly and humble Christians. God does not grant the requests of those He especially loves in order to provide something that is more helpful for them. An example of this is Paul’s thorn in the flesh recorded in 2 Cor. 12. St. Augustine said, “The Lord is good, for He often does not grant what we desire, so that He may give us what we desire even more.” (Epistola, XXXI, 1). Therefore, if my greatest desire is to grow in character and Christ-likeness, I will rarely be disappointed when God does not give me what I ask for but instead gives me what is good for me.

1. We’re Hard-Wired for Prayer

The first and most obvious reason (therefore often over looked) why God answers prayer is that He gave humans a rational nature that is “hard-wired” to seek well-being (the “good”). Whenever you hear a baby cry because it is hungry or needs a diaper change, that is a willful act of the child seeking its own well-being. What springs from this desire for well-being is the insight that because God Himself is the epitome of all that is good--whether we realize it or not—all of our seeking after well-being is ultimately seeking after God. In Acts 14 it tells us that Paul and Barnabas healed a man and the people of the town thought they were gods and tried to worship them, so Paul said this:

Acts 14:15-17 (NIV) "Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them. [16] In the past, he let all nations go their own way. [17] Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy."

I think Paul was telling the pagans that God’s testimony (proof of existence) to them was that He provided them the things that they sought after for their daily well-being. Consequently, Paul told them they should turn to Him and give up idol worship. Then at Athens Paul said this:

Acts 17:26-27 (NIV) From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. [27] God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.

Here, again, we see that Paul tells pagans that even human political history is a means by which God moves men to reach out to Him. In short, we have a natural longing to live in secure, safe and satisfying environments; but, beneath this desire for physical well-being is a desire for union with God as the true source of all good. Prayer is a means to that union.

2. Human Respect for Generosity Points to God’s Nature

It is considered a good thing for men to be generous, merciful and kind. This does not mean that humans necessarily act very kind and generous, but there is a nearly universal recognition that these characteristics are noble. This recognition points to the wonderful and generous nature of God who in His goodness grants the prayers of the upright. John 3:16 says “God so loved the world that He gave…”—need I say any more.

3. Lovers Love to Fulfill the Desires of their Beloved

It is central to the whole concept of friendship for the lover to want to fulfill the desires of his/her beloved, because he/she wishes the very best for the beloved. God loves all of the creatures that He has created but He has a special love for those of His creatures that can willfully return love to Him—angels and humans. Consequently, the more a human participates in a loving relationship with God being conformed to His character, the more God loves it and He, therefore, desires that the beloved has his/her desires fulfilled. Psalm 37:4 (NIV) “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

4. God Made Us Voluntary Creatures

Perhaps the most amazing thing about humans is that God created us to have free will—we are voluntary creatures. Humans are not robots nor are we animals acting by instinct. This means that we must willfully choose to do things—including believing in God and seeking Him in prayer. Just as it is necessary for humans to reach out to other humans for comfort and assistance, so, we must reach out—by choice—to God in prayer. Prayer is by definition a voluntary act of relating to God. God gave us this ability and He relates to us through its expression which is prayer. Hebrews 11:6 (NIV) “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”