Today I'm joined by Dr. Daniel Linford to respond to the scientific case for the universe's beginning as well as the claim that the universe's cause must be God. In particular, we discuss a video produced by @ReasonableFaithOrg. NOTE (ADDED 3/21/26): This video represented my views at the time of recording. Some of my views have changed since then, but I'm leaving the video up because it contains lots of helpful information, and also shows my thinking at the time. Like the show? Help it grow! Consider becoming a patron (thanks!): https://www.patreon.com/majestyofreason If you wanna make a one-time donation or tip (thanks!): https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/josephcschmid OUTLINE 0:00 Intro 2:30 WLC’s video 3:16 Past finitude doesn’t imply beginning 19:45 Second Law of Thermodynamics 28:00 Red shift and Big Bang cosmology 36:53 Successive failure of models 39:45 Borde-Guth-Vilenkin Theorem 46:05 Stage Two: Properties of the cause 46:55 Spaceless? 53:13 Timeless? 56:02 Immaterial? 59:38 Uncaused? 1:02:57 Unimaginably powerful? 1:06:42 God? 1:12:35 Conclusion RESOURCES (1) The video to which we're responding (from @ReasonableFaithOrg): https://youtu.be/6CulBuMCLg0 (2) Dan’s notes for this video (and our next video on the causal principle): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JjfleKIyFsPPLjUZL_6jieeLW9aI14nP/view?usp=sharing (3) Dan’s dissertation, “Cosmic Skepticism and the Beginning of Physical Reality”: https://philarchive.org/archive/DAN_SA-15 (4) Dan’s paper, “A modal condition for the beginning of the universe”: https://philarchive.org/rec/LINAMC-2 (5) Dan’s paper, “Neo-Lorentzian Relativity and the Beginning of the Universe”: https://philarchive.org/rec/LINNRA-3 (6) Dan's paper, "Big Bounce or Double Bang? A Reply to Craig and Sinclair on the Interpretation of Bounce Cosmologies": http://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/17188/1/FORTHCOMING_Big_Bang_or_Double_Bounce_Erk_Sub.pdf (7) Dan’s paper, “The Kalam Cosmological Argument Meets the Mentaculus”: http://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/16833/1/Online_Final_BJPS_Kalam_Mentaculus_Submission.pdf (8) My Kalam playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxRhaLyXxXkZzH2YffI32ViTZ73Tu8jSR (9) My Springer book co-authored with Dan: (a) https://www.amazon.com/Existential-Inertia-Classical-Theistic-Proofs-ebook/dp/B0BNMHRW63 (b) https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-19313-2 (10) Phil Halper's (@PhilHalper1) recent article "The Kalam cosmological argument: Critiquing a recent defence", also on the scientific case for the Kalam: https://philarchive.org/rec/HALTKC THE USUAL... Follow the Majesty of Reason podcast! https://open.spotify.com/show/4Nda5uNcGselvKphtKSKvH Join the Discord and chat all things philosophy! https://dsc.gg/majestyofreason My website: https://josephschmid.com My PhilPeople profile: https://philpeople.org/profiles/joseph-schmid