a Perfect life or the perfect illusion?
‘Something Is Missing’, What Is It?
A clear night sky can leave you cold, wide-eyed, and restless. The scale is stunning, but it also highlights what people still want most, clear answers about life, death, and purpose.
One science journalist, Marcus Hale, once said his real question for a famous physicist wasn’t about galaxies. It was about what happens when we die. That blunt honesty fits our time. Many people aren’t satisfied with equations alone.
Another writer, Daniel West, noted that as religion fades for some, scientists can start to feel like a new priesthood. They promise explanations, bit by bit, in specialist language. But modern cosmology still runs into gaps.
When Theories Don’t Settle the Big Questions
Cosmologists debate the Big Bang model and its many variations. Yet even supporters admit it doesn’t answer everything. Observations change, models get patched, and certainty stays out of reach. The result is a familiar feeling, plenty of talk, but something basic still missing.
Astronomer Lydia Garner summed it up well in plain terms, science explains a lot, but it still doesn’t explain enough.
What’s Often Missing, The Willingness to Follow the Evidence
Most researchers accept evolution and reject any role for purpose or design. Many won’t even consider God as Creator. Still, some leading thinkers have admitted that the universe looks unusually suited to life.
Astrophysicist Alan Hargreaves wrote that explaining the universe can feel like solving a puzzle that seems to require a mind. Physicist Martin Dyer said the more he studied the cosmos, the more it looked as if it “knew” life would appear. Others have pointed to the same issue, the universe has many settings that look finely balanced.
Fine-Tuning and the Constants of Physics
Reports on physics often highlight how exact key values must be, such as the charge of the electron, the speed of light, and the strengths of basic forces. Tiny shifts could mean no stable atoms, no stars, and no life. Some commentators have said it looks more reasonable to suspect a bias in the process, even the work of an intelligent power.
In his book on cosmic fine-tuning, professor Ethan Silver listed multiple constants that appear precisely set. He also admitted the emotional pushback this can trigger. If the evidence points towards a Creator, many people simply don’t want that conclusion. His final line was blunt, ‘God is not an explanation’.
A Need People Don’t Grow Out Of
Scientific work matters. It reflects a real human need to understand why we exist and what comes next. The Bible says this longing is built in.
‘ For his invisible qualities are clearly seen from the world’s creation onward, because they are perceived by the things made, even his eternal power and Godship, so that they are inexcusable.’,(Romans, 1, 20)
‘He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has even put eternity in their heart; yet mankind will never find out the work that the true God has made from start to finish.’,(Ecclesiastes, 3, 11)
The Bible also sets expectations, people won’t “know it all”, no matter how hard they try.
‘Then I saw all the work of the true God, that mankind are not able to find out the work that is done under the sun; however much mankind keep working hard to seek, they do not find it out. And even if they should say that they are wise enough to know, they would be unable to find it out.’ (Ecclesiastes, 8, 17)
The Invitation to Look Up, and Look Further
The heavens invite attention, but they don’t answer moral and spiritual questions on their own.
‘Raise your eyes high up and see. Who has created these things? It is the One who brings out their army by number; He calls all of them by name. Because of his vast dynamic energy and his awe-inspiring power, Not one of them is missing.’,(Isaiah, 40, 26)
The Answers Are Found in a Book
The Bible doesn’t just describe the universe, it explains purpose, responsibility for the earth, what happens at death, and the hope of life again. If you want to read its answers directly, start with: Genesis 1:1, 26-28; 2:15; Isaiah 45:18; Psalm 146:4; Ecclesiastes 9:5; Acts 24:15; John 5:28, 29; Revelation 21:3-5.
The invitation is open to anyone who wants life and truth.
‘And the spirit and the bride keep on saying: “Come!” And let anyone hearing say: “Come!” And let anyone thirsting come; let anyone who wishes take life’s water free.’,(Revelation, 22, 17)
The universe declares power. The Bible explains the Person behind it.
‘The heavens are declaring the glory of God; The skies above proclaim the work of his hands.’,(Psalm, 19, 1)
Some Physical Constants Often Mentioned in Fine-Tuning Discussions
Small mismatches can collapse the chemistry of life. Examples often cited include the balance of proton and electron charge, the exact strength of the strong nuclear force, and the conditions needed for photosynthesis. Even the number of spatial dimensions matters. Change them slightly and stable stars, atoms, or orbits may be impossible.
‘Missing Mass’ and the Dark Matter Problem
Spiral galaxies rotate as if they contain far more matter than telescopes can see. Astronomers infer a wide halo of unseen mass, often called dark matter. Some estimates suggest about 90% of mass is still unaccounted for. The forms it takes remain unknown, despite decades of work.
