With all the factors that we now know of, what is the probobility that the earth and the first cell...

Question

were all created by random chance?

Answer 1

Randomness has a hand in everything that happens.  The idea of a deterministic universe was killed by quantum mechanics which describes processes in terms of probability, not certainty.  Is quantum mechanics accurate?  The theory of quantum electrodynamics has been tested, and it has been found to one part in 1000000000000000.

Having said that, one must recognize that biological evolution combines randomness with respect to genetic mutations with the very non-random selection process that determines which genes survive.

Answer 2

Doing an experiment?  I would like to know more about this.

There are approximately 10^23 stars in the visible universe.  Do you really intend to do 10^23 experiments?

Answer 3

Science doesn't place probabilities on theories.  The theory either matches the real world or it does not.  If it does not then science looks for a better theory.  The explanations from science try to match what is real so the real explanation can be used to solve real problems.

There are many scientists who are Christians. Believing in God and / or any religious teachings does not preclude accepting the results of reasoned inquiry into the workings of the universe.  

Have you heard someone say that the world around us is proof that God exists?  The world is a “communication” from God.  Since a “bible” is, at its core, a communication from God the existence of the world constitutes a second bible.  There are really two Bibles- the written Bible and the natural Bible.  The natural Bible is the universe we live in and its rules that tell us of the existence and nature of God.  Each Bible has its “message.”   As stated in 2 Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”  The key words here are, “in righteousness.”  Using English rules it could be clarified as, “…is profitable for doctrine in righteousness, for reproof in righteousness, for correction in righteousness, for instruction in righteousness:”  The written Bible is a book of God’s love, of how to live a righteous life and achieve salivation.  It is not a scientific text.  Those who use the written Bible in ways for which it was not intended are dishonoring God and his creation – the universe and everything in it.

The power of the written Bible does not lie in it being word-for-word literal.  The power of the written Bible lies in its ability to go outside the literal.  The verse in Mathew 5:13, “Ye are the salt of the earth:” makes no sense if taken literally – we are not salt.  But it becomes beautiful if taken metaphorically.  Because the written Bible has metaphor and allegory and other literary devices it must be studied to understand its true meaning.  Without Bible study it is possible to misinterpret the written Bible.

The natural Bible is the most direct communication we have from God.  It is right in front of us, under our feet and over our heads, everyday.  Whereas the written Bible is, at best, a copy of a copy of a translation of a copy of a translation of the original text – the natural Bible consists of the world and universe we live in and the rules God set down at the creation of the universe.  These rule are with us today and these rules are everywhere the same.

The natural world and its manifestations – the animals and plants, the rocks and fossils, the land masses, the planets, stars and galaxies are all as a result of the rules laid down at the creation of the universe.  But, just as you must study the written Bible, so too you must study the natural Bible.  At first glance, as a child, I thought I lived on a flat Earth with the Sun going around the Earth.  Man had such an initial view of the universe, too.  It was through study that we found that God’s universe was more beautiful and profound than that first simplistic view.  Those who want to take away the majesty of the universe and force it into a constricted literalistic view from the written Bible are dishonoring God and his creation.

Just as a atheist can read the written Bible and understand the power of a verse like Leviticus 19:18, “… thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself…”  so too an atheistic scientist can study the natural world and uncover the God-given rules that exist in the world today and have existed since He created the universe.  The rules, so discovered, are just as valid as if uncovered by a Christian who is a scientist.  The key here is SCIENTIST - "one who seeks to know."

Answer 4

The probability is 1, since it happened.

There has never been a scientific hypothesis, theory, or law that included God in its explanation of our universe.  And to do so would be a violation of basic scientific principles of not attempting to explain things using magic or metaphysics.

Answer 5

I like the above answer but its like saying that since i rolled a two, the probability of doing so was one.

Big misconception.

you don't need this probability because there were an infinite number of ways a planet and then intelligent beings could have been cooked up and eventually asking this question. Just because two legged people on a blue planet was the end result doesn't mean it had to happen that way.

Not a meaningful probability to calculate because any use of the conclusion would result in flawed logic.