When you look up into the night sky, you’ll see hundreds of twinkling stars, maybe a planet or two, maybe a meteoroid burning up in our atmosphere, or a few planes or satellites. What you won’t see is what astronomers believe makes up 25 to 90% of the universe: invisible dark matter.
What is this mysterious dark matter? I don’t know (nor does anyone else!). It remains the biggest unsolved problem in physics. But does it really exist?
While dark matter is often associated with big bang cosmology (which is “historical science” that is not directly testable, observable, or repeatable) as some kind of rescue device, there is observational evidence that dark matter it can exist (even if I can’t see it or know what it is yet). But the authors of a new study of orbiting galaxies suggest dark matter isn’t there, and that’s why decades of research haven’t been able to pin it down. If this is true, a rewrite of the theory of gravitation would be necessary (obviously, that’s a big deal, and will continue to be hotly debated in the astrophysics community!).
Now I’m not going to get into the debate about whether or not dark matter exists. But I thought I’d highlight a statement the author of the study made near the end of this popular science article he wrote, summarizing the results of his study. As one of the implications of his research, he writes,
We need to scientifically understand why the dark matter-based model, being the most falsified physical theory in human history, is still religiously believed by the vast majority of modern, highly educated scientists. This is a problem for the sociological and philosophical sciences and suggests a breakdown of the scientific method.
What this astrophysicist is basically saying is what we have been stating for decades: everyone has a worldview!
What this astrophysicist is basically saying is what we have been stating for decades: everyone has a worldview! That worldview is made up of a set of fundamental beliefs about life and the universe, and those beliefs are held religiously (and, in fact, are part of that person’s religion!). Scientists (and others) are often willing to reject or reinterpret all observational data that does not fit their worldview: not because of the evidence, but because of the assumptions they already hold to be true.
Contrary to popular belief, this is not something only “religious” people do (remember, everyone has a religion); the evolutionary community does this constantly because they have the wrong starting point (evolution and millions of years). And it’s actually worse than that: The Bible says that these people are actively suppressing the truth about God, the Creator. They know him for what he has done and are “without excuse” (Romans 1:20).
Oh, and these scientists will never fully understand the universe because “in it [Jesus] all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17).
Get more answers at Answers News
This topic was discussed yesterday in Answers News with co-hosts Rob Webb, Tim Chaffey and Bodie Hodge. Answers News is our twice-weekly news show filmed live before a studio audience and broadcast on my Facebook page and the Answers on the Genesis Facebook page. We also cover the following topics:
- Do only the healthiest embryos survive?
- Has a nostalgic “fishapod” returned to the sea?
- How long does it take to make petrified wood?
- And more!
Watch the full episode of Answers News for July 27, 2022.
Be sure to join us every Monday and Wednesday at 2 pm (ET) on my Facebook page or the Answers in Genesis Facebook page to Answers News. You won’t want to miss this unique newscast that provides science and culture news from a purely biblical point of view and Christian perspective.
Thank you for stopping by and thank you for praying,
Known
This article was written with the help of the AiG research team.