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Skeptical Christian: 2. The Cosmological Argument

2. The Cosmological Argument

Click here to hear episode #2.

A detailed discussion of the Kalam Cosmological Argument for God’s existence, including responses to a slew of objections. Book reviews of Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris and The Kalam Cosmological Argument by William Lane Craig. For the audience question this week we look at Cantorian set theory and the existence of an actual infinite.

See the full transcript.

  1. This was very good. By the way, you said my name right! :)

    < God bless


    — Parvinder    Mar 5, 07:22 AM    #

  2. Hey! I liked your podcast today. Here is some objections I have heard to the kalam argument:

    1. Making sense of the word “begin to exist” when the universe is the

    subject. Since time is a constituent of the universe, then time

    itself began to exist, which seems a bit paradoxical.

    2. To say the universe had a “cause”. Causal relationships exist

    within the universe, and it just does not make sense to talk

    about “cause” outside this context. Perhaps the universe just popped

    into existence.

    3. Granted that we can talk about a beginning of the universe,

    cosmologically speaking it might not be the case that the sequence

    was Nothing to Something. Perhaps the universe had antecedent

    conditions of which we have no knowledge.

    4. Even if the universe was caused to exist by something else, that

    something else need not be what we call God. Of course, if we have

    other arguments for believing in God, then perhaps the KCA may have

    some merit.


    — Öystein    Mar 11, 09:12 AM    #

  3. Really enjoyed this episode, but will have to listen a couple more times to let it all sink in. Links to references would be helpful, if not otherwise on this site.


    — berad    Mar 12, 12:45 AM    #

  4. Sorry about that berad, I am in the process of posting the transcript for the episode which will contain the references. But if you want more resources on the Kalam Cosmological Argument, check out my series which is located on the “Refutation” page.


    — Kyle Deming    Mar 13, 08:10 AM    #

  5. Hey

    I’m trying to be an openminded atheist, so I figured your podcast would be a good start. However, I feel obliged to give a bit of criticism. About the cosmological argument… While I don’t doubt that you’re sufficiently savvy to understand basic cosmology, I think your philosophical conclusions based on scientific facts skip a few steps. Either I’m supposed to know some arguments you don’t care to tell us in this episode, or you’re literally going from “The universe has a beginning” to “the universe has a creator” to “the creator must necessarily be personal and intelligent”.

    You’ve already blamed Richard Dawkins for mischaracterizing this argument, but as far as I can tell his representation of the cosmological argument is more detailed than yours is. If there truly is a rational reason for me to believe in Christianity, would you be so kind as to include the actual arguments you claim should immediately convince me?


    — Emil Sørensen    Jul 4, 05:06 AM    #

  6. Emil,

    Hmm…Perhaps you missed the discussion where I try to demonstrate this? I argue that there are three attributes that any creator of the universe would need to have. Check out the transcript or re-listen to the podcast and let me know what you think of these points. Thanks.

    Kyle.


    — Kyle Deming    Jul 17, 04:31 PM    #

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