God of the gaps

God of the gaps argument is induced very early on in the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji (SGGS). Verse 20 on page 4 of the English translation of SGGS says that no one, other than the creator, knows when the Universe began.  Here is the exact quote:

What was that time, and what was that moment? What was that day, and what was that date? What was that season, and what was that month, when the Universe was created? The Pandits, the religious scholars, cannot find that time, even if it is written in the Puraanas. That time is not known to the Qazis, who study the Koran. The day and the date are not known to the Yogis, nor is the month or the season. The Creator who created this creation— only He Himself knows.

This is a perfect example of the God of the gaps logical fallacy also referred to as an argument from ignorance fallacy. This argument is very commonly used by amateur apologists of all religions. It is used in many areas of science that are not yet fully understood/explained by current scientific knowledge.

When it comes to the question of the age of the universe, it is very well understood through the theory of Big Bang. According to the Big Bang Theory, the age of the Universe is 13.799±0.021 billion years. Now, some people may say that this number is not precise enough and I would agree.42 million years is a lot of uncertainty both in terms of months or seasons. But, as the methods and tools of science improve over time; the precision of this number will increase therefore shrinking the gap of uncertainty. The successor to The Hubble Space Telescope called the James Webb Space Telescope is scheduled to be launched in 2018. It is an amazingly complex and sophisticated spacecraft that is exponentially better than its predecessor.  This space telescope and many other to come will help scientists solve many mysteries related to the beginning of the Universe further shrinking the gap of scientific ignorance.

Why did I start this blog?

First, I want make it clear that I have nothing against Sikhs, or for that matter, followers of any other religion. I am an atheist (Ex-Sikh) and wanted to explain my reservations with the religions of the world, primarily Sikhism. My purpose is not to offend anyone who believes in god. I just want to put some good arguments on the table for not believing in Gods, among them Waheguru. The primary purpose behind this blog is to encourage some dialogue on the issue. It is considered a taboo subject and therefore much needed discussion is absent, especially among the Sikh community. I encourage anyone who finds this blog to consider the points raised here with rational and unbiased manner.

Why Sikhism? Well, for one, I know the most about Sikhism since I used to be a Sikh. Sikhism is the fifth largest religion in the world and has more followers than Judaism. Another, and more important reason is due to lack of blogs/websites like this one the internet. There are lot of websites/blogs and even YouTube channels discussing other religions.