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Salient. An Organ of Student Opinion at Victoria College, Wellington, N.Z. Vol. 12, No. 10. September 20th, 1949

Where Did We Come From?

Where Did We Come From?

Secondly, the universe now exists. There are two possibilities apparent from this fact—either it has existed from all eternity or was created. To prove that the world was created you must prove the existence of the creator. (The usual way to do this is to assume the world was created,

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therefore there is—why not was?—a creator, therefore the world was created—a beautiful proof when made nearly incomprehensible by theologians.) This, I maintain, has not been done—it has only been shown that a God might possibly exist. In this case it is surely more reasonable to suppose that the universe has existed from eternity.

Man knows that he now is and previously was not. Therefore there must have been a cause for his having been brought into existence. However, our idea of causation is derivable only from the constant conjunction of objects and their consequent interference; also, reasoning experimentally, we can only postulate causes that are exactly adequate to produce the visualised effects. We admit that there is a generative power and that this is effected by certain instruments but it is impossible to show that this generative power is inherent in those instruments; similarly, the contrary hypothesis is incapable of demonstration. We therefore admit that this generative power is incomprehensible at the moment but believe that, in all probability, it will be explained in the future by science. We do not say. as our antagonists, that this effect is produced by an eternal, omniscient, omnipotent Being as this leaves the cause in the same obscurity and. in addition, renders it more incomprehensible.