From the CMB Horizon Issue to Hindu Atheism — A Christian Response
Published on: October 13, 2025
1. The CMB Horizon Issue: When Science Meets Faith
The Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation, the residual glow of the Big Bang, appears nearly identical in all directions.
This uniformity creates the horizon problem: distant regions of the universe that could never have interacted share the same temperature.
The Problem
If light has a finite speed and the universe a finite age, how did those regions achieve thermal equilibrium?
Naturalistic cosmology cannot answer this without speculative assumptions.
The Inflation Hypothesis
Cosmic inflation was proposed as a fix, claiming that the early universe expanded faster than light, stretching a once-connected region across the cosmos.
However, inflation remains ad hoc, an invented mechanism, never observed, never verified, and introduced only to preserve the Big Bang model.
In short: inflation fits the equations, not the evidence.
The Biblical Perspective
Scripture presents a simpler, more coherent explanation:
“He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:17
The universe’s consistency reflects not accident, but divine order.
2. Matter, Energy, and Scientific Assumptions
Modern cosmology rests on untested assumptions:
- Star formation supposedly occurred naturally, though no mechanism can explain the first stars.
- Radioactive dating assumes initial conditions never observed.
- Matter self-organization is accepted without evidence of mind or cause.
These are interpretations, not observations.
Creation’s uniformity points not to self-ordering chaos but to intelligent design.
“By the word of the LORD the heavens were made.” Psalm 33:6
3. Quarks and Electrons: Models, Not Observations
Subatomic physics speaks confidently of quarks, electrons, and baryons, yet these are theoretical constructs, never directly observed.
Experiments show deflections and energy signatures, which are interpreted through pre-existing models.
Science here moves from measurement to metaphysics, assuming a closed material system.
That assumption is philosophical, not empirical.
4. Natural Law and Moral Law
Nature can describe what is, but never what ought to be.
David Hume: “You can’t derive an ought from an is.”
Albert Einstein: “Science can only ascertain what is, but not what should be.”
Nature can tell you how to poison your grandmother, but not whether you should.
Moral obligation cannot arise from atoms; it demands a moral Lawgiver.
5. Karma and the Failure of Moral Naturalism
Karma teaches that good deeds bring good outcomes and evil brings evil.
But by the correspondence theory of truth (truth must match reality), karma collapses:
- Good people suffer.
- Evil people prosper.
- Justice is uneven, often absent.
No impersonal universe tracks moral debt.
Perfect justice requires an omniscient, personal Judge: God Himself.
“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” Galatians 6:7
Karma imagines moral law without a Lawgiver.
Christianity grounds moral order in God's righteous nature: justice met at the Cross, mercy extended to sinners.
6. The Hindu "Atheist" Paradox: Spirit Without God
Our Hindu interlocutor began with Big Bang cosmology, shifted to naturalism, then retreated to Sāṅkhya philosophy, affirming eternal Prakṛti (matter) and Puruṣa (consciousness).
But this cannot be atheism.
Why It Fails as Atheism
- It admits immaterial consciousness, rejecting materialism.
- It assumes cosmic order and purpose, implying intelligence.
- It holds eternal spirit, contradicting physicalist cosmology.
If consciousness transcends matter, the worldview is already spiritual, not atheistic.
And if consciousness is eternal, it points directly to the eternal Spirit: God.
“God is Spirit.” John 4:24
7. Christianity and the Problem of Evil
Hinduism attributes suffering to karma (debt paid through countless lives) yet offers no forgiveness, no restoration, and no end.
Christianity alone resolves this tension:
- Sin is moral, not mechanical.
- Justice is satisfied at the Cross.
- Forgiveness is freely offered.
- Suffering becomes redemptive, not cyclical.
“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God.” 1 Peter 3:18
Only the Cross satisfies justice and heals suffering.
8. Summary: From Science to Spirit to the Savior
| Step | Claim | Christian Response |
|---|---|---|
| CMB Horizon Problem | Inflation added to rescue theory. | Creation reflects divine order. |
| Naturalistic Science | Matter explains itself. | Only a Creator explains existence. |
| Moral Naturalism | “Nature repays moral acts.” | Only God judges rightly. |
| Hindu Dualism | Eternal spirit and nature coexist. | Consciousness points to the eternal Spirit. |
| Problem of Evil | Karma perpetuates pain. | The Cross redeems and restores. |
“The heavens declare the glory of God.” Psalm 19:1