Building Block of the Universe
This is just one demonstration of the fine tuning built into the atom, which makes it the remarkable “building block” it is. The attraction between protons and electrons needs to be strong enough that the electrons do not simply fly away from the atom, yet it needs to be weak enough that the electrons can interact with other atoms to form the chemical bonds that build the world around us.
There are so many aspects of the atom that make it a wonder of precision engineering! As physicist Stephen Hawking noted in his best-selling book, A Brief History of Time: “The laws of science, as we know them at present, contain many fundamental numbers, like the size of the electric charge of the electron and the ratio of the masses of the proton and the electron…. The remarkable fact is that the values of these numbers seem to have been very finely adjusted to make possible the development of life” (p. 125).
If the atom were anything other than the precisely engineered creation that it is, then ours might be a universe without stars, without chemistry, without matter—without us! Thankfully, though, the atom is a wonder of engineering and design—composed of protons, neutrons, and electrons moving about and interacting in a beautiful and intricate dance, with the laws of physics as their music!
The result of this exquisite dance of particles and forces—the atom—is a master building block, which God has crafted and wielded to create the astonishing universe around us! Everything we see—from the cold, austere granite of the Rocky Mountains to the bright, lively eyes of a laughing child—is crafted of these remarkable little wonders: atoms. The ingenuity of their design is truly a tribute to the ingenious God who made them.