"If you see a tortoise on a fence post, you know it didn't get there by itself"
Image generated with the assistance of Microsoft Copilot
When I was a child, I would look into the starry sky and conclude that this universe never created itself. Despite only being an infant, something metaphysical was taking place, something existential. This conclusion has become more forceful as I have aged and come to the current knowledge of the majestic earth, its life and the moral fabric that lies behind us humans.
Many people, scientists among them, have concluded like me, that the Earth and the universe were purposefully designed because of how complex and perfectly arranged they are. One of the main points in favour of this idea is the "fine-tuning" of the universe. This means that certain key things, like the force of gravity and the speed of light, have very specific values. If these values were even slightly different, life as we know it wouldn't exist. The chances of these values being perfect by random luck are super low, which makes some people believe that an intelligent being set them on purpose.
Another point comes from looking at how complicated living systems are. Take the human body, for example—it's made up of many parts like cells and organs that work together to keep us alive. The eye is a commonly used example because it's so complex and effective at turning light into the images we see. This complexity makes it hard for some to believe that it all happened by chance through evolution.
Then there's the "anthropic principle," which says that the universe seems specially set up for human life. Things like Earth's distance from the Sun, its atmosphere, and the presence of water are exactly right for us to live. It looks like the universe was made with humans in mind.
From a philosophical angle, the idea of design fits with the teleological argument, which suggests that the purposeful setup of the universe implies there's a designer. Many religious beliefs also support this by saying a divine being created the universe, which offers a neat explanation for its order and design.
Critics, however, point to natural explanations like evolution and the multiverse theory (the idea that there are many universes with different settings, and we just happen to live in one that supports life). They argue that evolution explains the complexity of life through natural selection and random changes, and that the multiverse theory could explain the perfect settings of our universe without needing a designer.
Despite these arguments, those who believe in design say that the natural explanations don't fully account for the extreme unlikelihood of the universe's fine-tuning happening by chance. They think the precise and complex nature of the universe more strongly points to intentional design rather than a random event.
These features of the Earth and the universe, like the exact settings needed for life, the complexity of living systems, and the conditions that specifically support human life, all suggest that there might be an intelligent design behind everything. While there are other views, the idea of a purposeful creator remains a compelling explanation for the wonders we see in the world around us.
“Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power,
for You created all things; by Your will they exist and were created.”
Revelation 4:11 (BSB).