Heavy Theology | The Hardest Concepts in Christian ThoughtMuestra

“First Things First”

The first question all humans must ask is not “why do bad things happen?” The first question all humans must ask is “why is there something and not nothing?”

Stephen Colbert (a Catholic) asked this of Ricky Gervais (an atheist) on the Late Show. Ricky Gervais responded, “That’s not the two choices.” 

Colbert said, “Those are the choices I’m giving you. I’m the host. You want to concede the debate? Is there something or is there nothing?”

Gervais said, “What do you mean by nothing?”

“Is there something or is there nothing? Why does the universe exist at all?”

“But surely the question is not why, but how?” Gervais asked. “Why is irrelevant.”

“Okay fine. How is there something?” 

Gervais avoided the question. He pointed to his agnostic atheism and said, “We can’t know.”

Which is true in a sense — certainty doesn’t exist. We can be certain of nothing except existence. But Gervais went further to argue that Stephen Colbert, as a Catholic, disbelieves in 2,999 gods and Gervais claimed to simply disbelieve in one more. 

That’s a false equivocation stacked on top of a shared assumption.

The false equivocation says that the 2,999 gods that occupy spatio temporal reality — the Jupiters and angels and Molechs of the world — are the same as talking about Being. They’re wholly different. Stephen wasn’t talking about small-g gods. He asked, “Why is there something and not nothing?”

Why is why irrelevant?

Because Ricky Gervais assumes he exists. This shared assumption — existence, being — is the first thing Stephen pointed out to Ricky. We cannot conceive of nothing. It’s impossible. Try it. Think of nothing.

No, you thought of a color there. And a space. 

Nothing-as-such does not exist. The move towards nothingness is a move away from reality. 

Christians say, “In the beginning, God.” Why? 

We’re not talking about the history of the universe or a moment. The idea of creation is as much about preservation as creation. Professor Hart says God, “Donates His being to every contingent thing.” God is absolute. Everything else is contingent upon him. 

You cannot avoid the question. You must ask not simply about the beginning of the universe, but about right now as you hold your iPhone:

Why does it — and you — continue to exist?