Dear Jijo,

An all powerful matter makes no sense to me since we know that space, time, and matter had a beginning, and that nothing in the order of creation can cause itself. Hence, the universe must have a cause transcendent of itself:

It must be caused by something outside of time, space, and matter.

Aquinas also demonstrated that God's essence is His existence, which means He is Being, not simply a being. All beings in the realm of space, time, and matter participate in being, but are not eternal infinite being itself, by its very nature, as is I Am in (Exodus 3:14).

Peace,

Paul

Jijo,

Thank you for your question, it shows that you really think about things.

The answer is simple; if you say that something else caused the universe, then you must answer what caused that, and eventually you must admit to an uncaused cause. The chief attribute of God relevant to this question is His uncaused nature. God is not contingent on anything. You will end in a string of causality with any other solution.

The only uncaused thing that there is evidence for in our universe is God, inasmuch as humans have been aware of Him, having an intrinsic religious nature that transcends all cultures and history. (The earliest archaeological research shows rituals for the dead — expecting some sort of post-death existence.)

While this evidence may seem circumstantial, think about a house. You don't see the builder or architect within it, but it's very reality attests to it. One can be inferred by the other. God is not part of the universe, therefore you will not find evidence for Him in the same manner as other things, but you will find His influence felt, particularly in the moral dimension of Man.

This aspect of our nature seems to be unique. We do not find evidence of animals making moral and ethical decisions.

If you want to explore serious scientific and philosophical arguments read:

New Proofs for the Existence of God
Robert J. Spitzer
Eerdman Publishing

It is for those with a mind for real physics, philosophy, and science.

Peace,

Bob Kirby