The Universe Maker and a Book for Early Teens

In a past post, I shared a chapter out of a book I’m attempting to write for young teens. Now, anyone can read it, but they are my target audience. While the going is slow, it is still on the path to completion.

Early teens have questions, but, from my experience, they want an enjoyable read. However, I wanted it to be somewhat humorous and have a more conversational style, among other things. Some may not like the methods I’m using, such as a conversational feel, humorous tone and the use of literary devices. However, from my experience with teens, they like those types of ancient rhetorical devices. I like them too. I think it makes the text come alive.

Let me show you another proposed chapter of the book. This is one of a couple chapters that talk about how science and philosophy point to the description of the biblical God. Now, be forgiving, please, it’s still the first draft. On the other hand, feel free to share your thoughts below. Enjoy!

The Universe Maker

Once, while walking through the mall, I saw a small booth surrounded by shirts hanging on hangers with painted pictures on them. Inside the booth, an airbrush armed artist stood brandishing the tool. Custom painted pictures seemed to appear on the shirts as he painted with his airbrush, like magic.

First, a plain white T-shirt clipped on a board sat there, and then, as if it was magic, it turned into a T-shirt full of lines and colors that then turned into a pretty picture. An image was born, one that never existed before. And it looked fabulous. I draw, I know how hard it is to do this. I know how much talent it takes to do what he did. But he made it look so easy!

When artists sing or paint or draw, they do it with emotion, creativity, individual style and skill. The cinematographer, the choreographer and the photographer all do the same. Complex movement, beauty and shape must all come together for a masterpiece. Foresight and skill are required to make dull things beautiful.

We must not forget personality, personality is seen in a writer’s work, a builder’s building and an engineer’s design. You learn much about the artist, the potter and the architect by the designs, right? Of course, you can.

Detectives can learn much about a criminal’s personal attributes by studying the crime scene. They look at the fingerprints, shoe marks, handwritten notes, dropped objects and even the method of the crime. Archaeologist learn about an ancient culture by the text people have written and the artifact left behind.

I think we can do the same as we look for the Universe Maker’s attributes as we study the clues in the universe, the on earth and in life.

Finding the guilty Universe Maker

We already know, from experience, that things that start to exist have a cause. We also know that the universe came into existence at one time in the past, right? Thus, we can rightly conclude that the universe had a cause.

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First question, did the universe make itself? I don’t think so. You know a thing can’t cause itself to exist. A red ball did not make itself. The universe can’t make itself. You did not make yourself. Are you concerned that a big purple gorilla just made itself in your basement? No. So here is the important point, the Universe Maker can’t be part of the universe!

Also, since thoughts, tennis rackets and tractors exist because something else caused them to exist, they don’t need to exist. Nor does the universe need to exist, since it had a beginning. It exists because there was a Universe Maker who seemed to decide to make it.

The Universe Maker seems to be a personal being, who can decide. How could an impersonal force make such a decision? The only way you could think that is if you believe in magic.

Plus, since we are personal beings, it seems to me that a creator that was a personal being is a better explanation. Personal beings making another person being seems much more likely than an impersonal force causing a personal being to come into existence.

Like a detective finding clues from a criminal, as I made the case that it was a personal being, we also uncovered some other interesting fingerprints. Did you catch them? Well, if not, let me point them out.

Out of space!

The first one is this, it is perfectly reasonable for us to think this Universe Maker is not made of matter, has no dimensions, does not take up space and not made of parts. Why would I say this?

Well, if you recall, we already concluded that the Universe Maker can’t be part of the universe. Things don’t make themselves, right? In addition, as far as we know, the universe contains all matter. While that is impossible to prove, it is perfectly reasonable to think this. In other words, it is reasonable to think that this Maker is not made of physical stuff.

This is where someone pipes up and says, “what if this Universe Maker lived in a different universe, a universe much like ours?” While this is a great question, we have no evidence to think that this is true. Plus, unless that universe and the Maker were eternal, we would still need to explain how they came into existence. So, we are back at square one.

Out of time!

Now, if your head is not spinning yet, let me point out another fingerprint. We know that time is a physical property, meaning that is part of the universe. I hope you are seeing where I’m going. If the Universe Maker is not part of the universe, it must not be dependent upon time. In other words, this Maker is timeless! There is another reason to think that the Universe Maker has always existed too, let me tell you about it.

Creators creating creators that create creators forever

Once, I heard a really smart person say, “but what if that creator was created by a different creator?” Could this be the case? Could the Universe Maker be made by another creator?

Well, maybe it would be the case. However, it would also be quite interesting. If that was the case, who would have made the creator who made the Universe Maker? Then we have the same problem again, who or what created that last creator? So now we have a problem, we have a creators creating creators forever into eternity past. It seems to me that creators creating creators forever sounds a little silly.

A timeless or eternal creator that always existed seems to be a simpler and more reasonable answer then the creators creating creators that create creators forever, right? Thus, some people have called this Universe Maker the “uncreated creator” or “uncreated first cause”.

Adorable, beautiful and pretty

Now, if your brain has not yet exploded with all that thinking, let me add one more fingerprint, this one is not so deep.

Have you ever looked at a seascape, a landscape or a “spacescape”? Have you ever looked at trees, animals and people? Think of a flower unfurling, a songbird singing, and an antelope skipping. What about fruit full of flavor and spices full of fragrance? A kitten’s silky soft fur and a cute kid’s curly hair. An adorable cooing baby, and cute, but annoying, terrible two-year-old. A handsome masculine groom and a pretty feminine bride, strength and beauty.

Is not nature, the universe, and all that is in it very majestic and very beautiful? It seems to me that this Universe Maker must love and appreciate beauty! If you think that is cool, there’s another point to I would like to make.

Beauty doesn’t just exist, there is more too. Plants aren’t just beautiful, peacocks aren’t just beautiful, people aren’t just beautiful. As people, we also can appreciate beauty. Plus, we can make, and love to make, beautiful things! Think of music and melodies, cinematography and choreography, drawing and drama. Some are just made for the sake of our enjoyment of beauty. Why? It seems to me that maybe the Universe Maker made us to appreciate beauty and to make beauty too!

Start Describing the Universe Maker

Before we finish, let’s note some of the fingerprints that give us clues about this Universe Maker:

1. Personal: it can make free choices because it chose to create the universe. Thus, it has to be a someone, not a something. It is a personal being, not a force.
2. Not the universe: since things don’t cause themselves, this maker must be outside of the universe.
3. Non-physical: since it is not part of the universe, and since the only physical stuff we know of is part of the universe, it is reasonable to think that the maker is immaterial. It is spaceless, has no parts, and no dimensions.
4. Eternal: Since time is a physical property, and this maker is outside of the universe, it must be timeless or “eternal”.
5. Uncreated and uncaused: Since the Maker is timeless, it would have never been created. Plus, it does not make sense for creators creating creators forever into past eternity.
6. Loves beauty: the universe contains much beauty, including things found on earth, like landscapes and living organisms. This seems to suggest the maker really likes beauty.

Don’t you think that is pretty cool? If you know something about the Bible, you may start seeing a pattern stick out to you. The descriptions seem to overlap with the Creator that it tells us about! There are other fingerprints too from nature that point to God, but this is enough for now.

I have a passion to have answers for Christianity as Peter taught us to do. I would love for you to come along with me and not miss a post! In the future, I plan on giving more resources and answers you can share with both believers and unbelievers. Plus, I want to send you a Free Quick Guide why I think science points to God. I would love for you to have this Free Quick Guide and the latest posts straight to your inbox. 

So, what did you think? Feel free to share your thoughts below!