Thanks for posting!
Let me first suggest that this thread be immediately moved to "Life off the Ship" board!
That said, I hope the WSJ was better thought out than the link!
Can anyone please copy and paste the WSJ piece?
That said: there are more than three levels to the analysis.
Here are a few:
1. God does not want there to be empirical proof that He exists. He has supplied empirical evidence that the biblical message can be substantiated. God by design has supplied humans only with enough "evidence" to justify metanoia: a change of heart, to take Kierkegaard's "Leap of Faith"
2. All current scientific proof indicates that even with a huge string of Multiverses, there HAS to have been a non-natural "cause" to our universe (albeit not necessarily a purposeful cause).
3. There are six mathematical and scientific truths required for the universe as we know it ("Just Six Numbers" , Martin Reese); all scientists agree that the chance that our universe came into existence by accident is something like 1 in 10^124 power. (The estimate of the planets and stars in the Universe are something like 10^ 50 or so as I vaguely remember. So the chance this universe developed "by accident is something like 1 in 10^74) . Using the law's probabilistic scales of justice (DNA, fingerprints, retina codes, etc.), there can be no reasonable doubt it was not an accident.
4. (This is where the link starts). The specific requirements for "life" on a planet are so vast and varied that many --- not close to all ---scientists would appear to agree that, using the law's probabilistic scales of justice (DNA, fingerprints, retina codes, etc.), there can be no reasonable doubt it was not an accident.
5. The mitochondrial DNA of every human tested can be traced to one single woman as progenitor: ‘mitochondrial Eve’
6. The ‘Y-chromosomes’ of every human tested can be traced to one single man as progenitor: ‘Y-chromosome Adam' (or in my view ' Y-chromosome Noah’)
7. The scientific method is based on whether the predictions made under a hypothesis can be verified in practice, albeit on a repeatable basis. The Bible has scores if not hundreds of predictions (prophesies) made and virtually all seem to have been ultimately confirmed by human observation, but God has not cooperated with the scientists by being willing to repeat it again.
8. Based on the Judeo-Christian religions which came from these prophecies the world is statistically and unequivocally a much better place than it would have been.
9. There have been many authoritative studies by atheists that seem to verify that this probably could not have transpired without Christianity.
10. But NONE of that is PROOF because if there were empirical proof it would obviate God's whole plan of free will.
See you "Off Ship"