Astrophysics and Creation: Perceiving the Universe Through Science and Participation

Written by a prominent and active scientist, this book, based on personal experience and biblical theology, does not try to derive God's existence from science. It is critical of scientific inferences on the notion of God (Natural Theology). Cosmic fine-tuning and other coincidences are no proof of the divine, but they are astounding and have never been fully explained. Amazement, therefore, is the appropriate emotional perception of reality. Human life, the beauty of nature, and the habitability of planet Earth can be considered undeserved gifts. In the light of these gifts, the universe is metaphorically interpreted and existentially believed, by many, to be a divine Creation. Science cannot create such faith, but it can foster it. This volume asks: Is God necessary to explain the universe? Is the idea of a Creator excluded by modern science? Why continue speaking of a Creator and to believe in His continuing creation, when God cannot be demonstrated in scientific data? Arnold Benz, a renowned astrophysicist and Christian, insists that human perception reaches further than science and demonstrates this in various examples--personal, biblical, and literary.

Arnold O. Benz of ETH Zurich is an expert in the exploration of star and planet formation, using ESA and NASA satellites. He is a past-president of Div.II of the International Astronomical Union and a member of the European Academy of Science.