CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY 1
1.1 BRIEFEST SUMMARY OF GOD ISSUE 2
1.2 A DIFFICULT TASK 4
1.3 KEY QUESTION 6
1.4 SUMMARY - CASE AGAINST GOD 8
1.5 SUMMARY - CASE FOR GOD 16
CHAPTER 2: LIFE’S PURPOSE 27
2.1 DIFFICULT QUESTIONS 29
CHAPTER 3: GOD’S CHARACTERISTICS 31
3.1 GOD ISN’T OMNIPOTENT 32
3.2 GOD ISN’T PRESCIENT 33
3.3 GOD ISN’T OMNI BENEVOLENT 34
3.4 GOD’S INVOLVEMENT IN INDIVIDUAL LIVES 35
3.5 GOD’S CHARACTER 35
CHAPTER 4: FIRST CELLS 37
4.1 CATEGORIES OF LIFE FORMS 38
4.2 LIFE FORMS AND FIRST CELLS 40
4.3 CHARACTERISTICS OF LIFE FORMS 41
4.4 ARCHAEA 43
4.5 BACTERIA 43
4.6 EUKARYOTES 43
4.6.1 PLANTS VS ANIMALS 44
4.6.2 FUNGI 44
4.6.3 PROTISTS 45
4.7 VIRUSES 45
4.8 LIFE’S ACCIDENTAL BEGINNING 45
CHAPTER 5: GENETIC BIOLOGY 49
5.1 GENOME 50
5.2 DNA MOLECULES 51
5.3 CHROMOSOMES 56
5.4 GENES 58
5.5 HUMAN CELL TYPES 59
5.6 HUMAN CELL DIVISION 61
5.6.1 MITOSIS 61
5.6.2 MEIOSIS 62
5.7 BIRTH, AGING, NATURAL DEATH 64
5.7.1 CELL SUICIDE (APOPTOSIS) 65
5.7.2 CELL DEATH (NECROSIS) 66
CHAPTER 6: EVOLUTION 69
6.1 BASICS OF EVOLUTION 70
6.2 MACRO-EVOLUTION VS MICRO-EVOLUTION 71
6.3 EVIDENCE FOR EVOLUTION 72
6.4 EVIDENCE AGAINST EVOLUTION 74
6.4.1 LIFE 76
6.5 CLASSIFICATION AND COMPARATIVE ANATOMY 78
6.6 FOSSIL RECORD 79
6.7 HOMOLOGIES AND ANOMALIES 82
6.8 GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF SPECIES 82
6.9 VESTIGIAL FEATURES IN HUMANS 83
6.10 EMBRYOLOGY AND ONTOGENY 83
6.11 BIOLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR SYSTEMS 85
6.12 TRIVIAL CHANGES ARE LOST 89
6.13 GOD - A POOR DESIGNER 90
6.14 MISSING LINKS 92
6.15 EVOLUTION AND CREATIONISM 93
6.16 RELIGIOUS NOTIONS BANNED FROM SCIENCE 94
6.17 MICROBIOLOGY 95
6.18 SPIRITUALITY IN INTELLIGENT LIFE 96
6.19 ACCIDENTAL DEVELOPMENT AND TIME 97
6.20 ACCIDENTS VS MIRACLES 98
6.21 FALSIFIABILITY 100
6.22 EVIL AND SUFFERING 101
CHAPTER 7: INTELLIGENT DESIGN 103
7.1 UNIVERSAL CONSTANTS 105
7.2 IRREDUCIBLY COMPLEX LIFE SYSTEMS 108
7.2.1 IRREDUCIBLY COMPLEX BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS 109
7.2.2 IRREDUCIBLY COMPLEX MOLECULAR SYSTEMS 112
7.3 MATHEMATICS IN NATURE 116
CHAPTER 8: PHYSICS 117
8.1 TIME 117
8.2 SPACE 119
8.3 SUBSTANCE 120
8.4 MATTER 121
8.4.1 MASS 122
8.4.2 WEIGHT 123
8.5 ANTIMATTER 123
8.6 ENERGY 124
8.7 FREE ENERGY - PHOTONS 127
8.8 HIERARCHY OF LIFE COMPONENTS 128
8.9 STANDARD MODEL OF FUNDAMENTAL PARTICLES 129
8.10 COMPOSITE PARTICLES 131
8.11 PAULI EXCLUSION PRINCIPLE 134
8.12 NEUTRINOS 136
8.13 POSITRONS 137
8.14 ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION AND LIGHT 138
8.14.1 SUMMING VELOCITIES 141
8.15 HEAT 142
8.16 TEMPERATURE 142
8.17 ELECTRIC CHARGE 142
8.18 SPIN 143
8.19 DARK MATTER 144
8.20 DARK ENERGY 145
8.21 MOMENTUM 146
CHAPTER 9: COSMOLOGY 147
9.1 BIG BANG 147
9.2 COSMIC BACKGROUND RADIATION 155
9.3 MYSTERIES 159
9.3.1 SCIENTIFIC MYSTERIES 159
9.3.2 RELIGIOUS MYSTERIES 161
9.4 ZERO-POINT ENERGY 162
9.5 BLACK HOLES 164
CHAPTER 10: SPECIAL AND GENERAL RELATIVITY 167
10.1 SUMMARY OF RELATIVITY 167
10.2 SPECIAL RELATIVITY 168
10.3 GENERAL RELATIVITY 174
10.4 GRAVITATIONAL WAVES 175
CHAPTER 11: QUANTUM MECHANICS 177
11.1 SINGLE-SLIT EXPERIMENT 179
11.2 DOUBLE-SLIT EXPERIMENT 179
11.3 SINGLE-SLIT - INDIVIDUAL PHOTONS 180
11.4 DOUBLE-SLIT - INDIVIDUAL PHOTONS 180
11.5 DOUBLE-SLIT - PHOTONS MEASURED 181
11.6 DOUBLE-SLIT - RECAPITULATION 182
11.7 DOUBLE-SLIT - SINGLE ELECTRONS 184
11.8 INTUITION 184
11.9 WAVE-PARTICLE DUALITY 184
11.10 HEISENBERG UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLE 185
11.11 QUANTUM ENTANGLEMENT AND TELEPORTATION 190
11.12 THREE PHYSICS VIEWS 191
CHAPTER 12: SUPERSTRING THEORY 195
CHAPTER 13: JESUS 197
13.1 EARLY LIFE OF JESUS 197
13.2 PUBLIC LIFE OF JESUS 198
13.2.1 MIRACLES OF JESUS 205
13.3 DEATH OF JESUS 207
13.3.1 TITLE BOARD OF THE CROSS 212
13.4 WHO KILLED JESUS? 212
13.5 JESUS’ SIBLINGS 213
CHAPTER 14: APOSTLES 215
CHAPTER 15: JESUS’ RESURRECTION 217
15.1 EVIDENCE FOR RESURRECTION 217
15.2 EVIDENCE AGAINST JESUS’ RESURRECTION 218
CHAPTER 16: SHROUD 221
16.1 JESUS’ DEATH AND BURIAL 221
16.2 DISCOVERY OF SHROUD 222
16.3 SHROUD IMAGES 223
16.4 ANALYSIS OF SHROUD IMAGES 224
16.5 SHROUD A FORGERY? 225
16.6 CARBON DATING TESTS 227
16.7 IMAGE FORMATION 228
CHAPTER 17: SUDARIUM 231
17.1 HISTORY 232
17.2 STAINS 233
17.3 POLLEN 233
17.4 SUDARIUM AUTHENTICATES SHROUD 233
CHAPTER 18: PRAYER AND FAITH 235
18.1 PRAYER 235
18.2 FAITH 238
18.3 RELIGIONS ARE WEIRD 240
CHAPTER 19: HEAVEN, WAR, CRUSADES, INQUISITIONS 243
19.1 HEAVEN AND HELL 243
19.2 WAR AND SELF-DEFENSE 244
19.3 CRUSADES 245
19.4 INQUISITIONS 246
CHAPTER 20: ATHEISM, MORALITY, RELIGION 249
20.1 DEFINITIONS 249
20.2 CRITICISMS OF RELIGION 249
20.3 MORALITY AND ATHEISM 253
20.4 BELIEVING WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING 256
20.5 PACIFISM 257
20.6 ATHEISM 257
20.7 RELIGIONS 259
20.7.1 BUDDHISM 259
20.7.2 CHRISTIANITY 260
20.7.3 CONFUCIANISM 261
20.7.4 CHURCH OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS 261
20.7.5 HINDUISM 261
20.7.6 ISLAM 261
20.7.7 JAINISM 262
20.7.8 JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES 262
20.7.9 JUDAISM 262
20.7.10 SHINTOISM 263
20.7.11 SALVATION ARMY 263
20.7.12 SIKHISM 263
20.7.13 TAOISM 264
CHAPTER 21: CHRISTIAN DOCUMENTS 265
21.1 BIBLE 265
21.2 GOSPELS 267
21.3 ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 268
21.4 PARABLES AND SAYINGS OF JESUS 269
21.4.1 CAMEL THROUGH EYE OF A NEEDLE 270
21.4.2 THE GOOD SAMARITAN 271
21.4.3 LABORING IN THE VINEYARD 271
21.4.4 TURN OTHER CHEEK 271
21.4.5 I AM THE WAY 274
21.5 PUZZLING OLD TESTAMENT WRITINGS 275
21.5.1 ABRAHAM AND HIS SON ISAAC 275
21.5.2 GOD APPROVES MURDER 275
21.6 VALIDATED BIBLICAL PROPHECIES 276
CHAPTER 22: TEN COMMANDMENTS 281
22.1 HISTORY 281
22.2 DIFFERENT BIBLE VERSIONS 281
CHAPTER 23: REFLECTIONS 285
23.1 ORIGINAL SIN 285
23.2 DEVIL OR SATAN 285
23.3 MIRACLES 286
23.4 TRINITY 286
CHAPTER 24: WHAT NOW? 287
CHAPTER 25: REFERENCES 289
INDEX 300