Question #1: How did the universe come into being?
The first possibility:
The universe had no beginning. It has always existed and will always exist into the future.
The second possibility:
The universe had a beginning. It had a beginning and is, therefore, finite. This idea also implies that the universe will eventually end.
Based on scientific discoveries of the motion of the galaxies, we have learned that the universe is expanding from one central location. (i.e. the Big Bang). Everything is moving slower now than it was millions of years ago. This suggests that we are not simply in a steady-state holding pattern.
Also, consider the laws of Thermodynamics. The first law of thermodynamics states that the amount of energy in the universe remains constant. The second law of thermodynamics states that, though the total amount of energy remains constant, the amount of usable energy is steadily decreasing. It's running out. Everything is turning to disorder. Therefore, if we're running out of usable energy, it was never an infinite amount. The universe was never designed to exist forever.
Question #2: So, if the universe had a beginning, was this beginning caused or uncaused?
The Universe is Uncaused:
Some scientists once subscribed to the steady-state theory--the theory that the universe was brought about by natural causes. This theory is a bit out-dated, though, since it calls for the universe to be constantly generating hydrogen atoms from nothing. We now know, of course, that this does not happen. This stance also violates the law of casuality, which states that nothing happens without a cause.
The Universe was Caused:
If the universe was caused, what caused the explosion--the Big Bang--that hurled everything into existence? Some believe that the Big Bang was just a series of explosions, but that still leaves us asking, What caused the first explosion?
"Logically, if we are looking for a cause which existed before the entirety of nature (the universe) existed, we are looking for a supernatural cause. Even Jastrow [Robert Jastrow, founder and former director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies], a confirmed agnostic, has said as much: 'That there are what I or anyone would call supernatural forces at work is now, I think, a scientifically proven fact.'"
Norman Geisler & Ron Brooks, When Skeptics Ask
