"The Big Six"

Astrophysicist and founder of “Reasons To Believe”, Hugh Ross, states that there are just too many astronomical “coincidences” that allow human life to exist on planet Earth. He considers these “the big six” on his list of large-scale indicators showing that God intended for us to be here in this location and at this time and to recognize His intention.

FIRST – We live at the right moment in cosmic history to see the whole of cosmic history, all the way back to the beginning. Given the combination of light travel time and the accelerating expansion of the universe, any earlier would be too early and any later would be too late.

SECOND – We live in the right place in the cosmos from which to see the whole of cosmic history. If our planet resided any closer to the brightness of our galaxy’s spiral arms or to any of dozens of other bright objects in the universe, our view would be limited to seeing only nearby space.

THIRD – We live within the one brief time window the cosmos allows for our existence. Life needs the materials – chemical elements such as oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon – produced by three generations of star birth and death. The first two generations yield elements too light and insufficiently abundant for life.

FOURTH – We live at the right location in the cosmos for life to thrive. Not only do we need a sufficient quantity of life-essential elements, but we also require protection from the deadly radiation that typically surrounds the sources of these elements.

FIFTH – We need all the matter and energy found in fifty billion trillion visible stars plus all the invisible stuff (which is vastly more abundant) in order for life to exist anywhere, anytime in the universe. Any more or any less and the result would be a different suite of elements either too light or too heavy for life chemistry.

SIXTH – We need all Earth’s layers upon layers of past life in order to sustain our own. These earlier life-forms are the source and foundation of human survival and civilization. From them we have access to minerals, ores, food, energy, water, and other resources in just-right kinds and quantities to sustain us but not poison us.

There is no doubt in Hugh Ross’s mind that these and many more circumstances of our human existence are not “coincidences” but rather well-planned by God for human life on good-old planet Earth.