Public and communities | Social | UK
A survey of the GB public on behalf of Premier Christian Radio.
Date Published: 10 May 2012
Categories: Public and communities | Social | UK
Description
GB Belief that God created the Universe at an all-time low
Only a quarter of the Great British population believe that God created the Universe, according to a new ComRes survey commissioned by Premier Christian Radio.
Just 26% of people affirm that they believe God caused the Universe to begin to exist. Two fifths (41%) of respondents say that they do not believe that God caused the Universe to exist, while 14% say that neither of these options were the case. 19% state that they “do not know”.
The majority of scientists agree that the Universe came into existence nearly 14 billion years ago with the ‘Big Bang’. What ‘caused’ the Big Bang is a question that remains controversial. The survey asked respondents what they believe about the origin of the Universe.
Dr Hugh Ross is a cosmologist with US organisation Reasons To Believe, and will be speaking at a National Conference by Premier Christian Radio on ‘the evidence for God’ this month. He said; “These results show the need to demonstrate that God is the best explanation for what we see in the record of nature. In fact, the rapid advance of the scientific enterprise is exponentially presenting us with more evidence for the God of the Bible. Science and reason go hand in hand with Christian faith and we’re aiming to set the record straight”
Dr Ross, formerly a sceptic, came to believe in God himself after studying the Big Bang and the properties that make the Universe “fine-tuned” to allow life to exist. “I recognised that if there’s a beginning there had to be a 'beginner'. I began to look into the religions of the world, but discovered that only the Bible accurately predicted future scientific discoveries, including the Big Bang.”
The poll also revealed that younger people (18 – 34 years) are more likely (31%) to believe that God caused the Universe to begin to exist than those aged 55 or above (24%). Women (30%) are more likely than men (22%) to believe that God created the UniverseIn a strange twist, only 35% of respondents who identify themselves as “Christian” say that they believe God was the cause of the Universe.
The current level of scepticism about God and science may be traced to the strong influence of atheistic scientists like Stephen Hawking and Richard Dawkins. Dawkins recently wrote the afterword for the book ‘A Universe from Nothing’ by well-known US atheist cosmologist Lawrence Krauss. Krauss claims that science shows that the Big Bang could have appeared from ‘nothing’.
Responding to the large percentage who declared they do not believe God caused the Universe he said; “I think it reflects reality. The fact is we pretend more people are religious than they are. Many people who claim to be religious are really just seeking some sense of order and meaning.” “The key fascinating thing to understand is how we got this amazing Universe and how you don’t need a Creator that obviates the laws of physics to produce it.”
Famed British physicist and agnostic Paul Davies, said that the findings were “a bit peculiar”. “I wonder what the 14% who said it was neither ‘God’ nor ‘not-God’, thought was the cause? Most people probably think ‘its’ a mystery’. Usually when I get pressed at dinner parties people say ‘you’ll never get back to the beginning’ and that ‘science will never come up with an ultimate explanation’.
Davies who works alongside Lawrence Krauss at the University of Arizona has been criticised by atheist colleagues for suggesting that an atheistic view of the Universe cannot account for certain features of its design and origin. He disagrees with Krauss that the Universe can be explicitly shown to have come from ‘nothing’.
“On the matter of whether the Universe came from ‘nothing’, you do need to assume ‘something’. You need to assume there are laws. The question of where those laws come from may simply be beyond the scope of science. I hope not, but at the moment they just have to be accepted as a package of marvels that just happen to be.”
Justin Brierley, presenter of the ‘Unbelievable?’ Radio faith debate show on Premier Christian Radio, and host of the forthcoming conference said; “I believe that modern science is increasing the amount of evidence for God. But it appears that certain atheistic voices have the ear of the British public. It’s a disturbing trend and we need to redress the balance. Those attending Unbelievable? The Conference will be able to hear why the extraordinary universe we live in is a strong indication that there is a God who created it, and us”.
The National Conference by Premier Christian Radio on the evidence for God is on Saturday 26th May. Hundreds of delegates at “Unbelievable?: The Conference 2012” in London will be hearing from academics and scientists who believe that contemporary cosmology indicates that the Universe was created by God.
For details on “Unbelievable?: The Conference 2012 – Giving a Sceptical World Reasons To Believe” www.premier.org.uk/reasons
For more information and the breakdown of the survey results call Sharon Molloy on 020 7316 1335 or 07958 318515 or email [email protected]
For more information on the conference and response to the survey finding call Conference Host Justin Brierley on 07816 787236 or email [email protected]
Methodology note: ComRes interviewed 2,054 GB adults online between 20th and 22nd April 2012. Data were weighted to be demographically representative of all GB adults. ComRes is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules. Tables are available at www.comres.co.uk
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