The Kalam argument for God states in its traditional form that everything that comes into being must have a cause; thus, the universe has come into being and so must have a cause, which is surely God. This argument apparently relies on the universe not being infinitely old. Modern reiterations of this position, especially as advocated by William Lane Craig, assert that physical infinities are not acceptable and that the universe is in any case not infinitely old. Here I review this position. Quantum physics, it seems, enables a causal 'arrow of time' to be identified better than classical physics does, making better sense of the idea of a First Cause. There are indeed serious problems with physical infinities, implying that an argument for an infinitely old universe has to be rigorously stated. The most important modern cosmological models are discussed. Considerations involving increase in entropy production, stability and the Borde-Guth-Vilenkin theorem suggest that the universe or any time-extended cosmos is very likely to have has a start in time. From this it follows that the Kalam argument holds, but it should also be seen in the context of wider theological viewpoints.
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