Random Chance

Here's something cool. It has been said before by many that nothing really happens at random, or by chance - that all is controlled by God and everything happens for a reason - this gets said in various forms by various people. But let me put some teeth to it with one of my favorite tools - the laws of physics!

Take one of the most standard examples of a "random event": the flip of a coin. It is commonly accepted that the flip of a coin is a textbook example of an event with exactly 50/50 probability - that is there is a 50% chance it will land on one side, and a 50% chance it will land on the other side. Or there is a 1:2 chance of it landing on heads, and a 1:2 chance of it landing on tails. However you want to say it - the idea is that it is purely up to the laws of probability, and you cannot predict which way it will turn out, only make general statements about how it is likely to turn out. It is unpredictable - this is the real thrust of talking about random events - they are not predictable. And yet, I put forth to you that I can predict which side a coin will land on. Assuming of course that you give me detailed information about the size, shape, and mass of the coin, the amount of force applied to it by the thumb of the flipper, and the exact location on the coin where the thumb makes contact. Oh and of course which side of the coin was facing up to begin with. And whether you are going to catch it in your hand or let it fall to the ground, and whether you are planning to flip it onto your wrist after you catch it. Then it's a simple matter of some pretty basic physics equations to determine the amount of time the coin will be in the air, its rate of rotation, and from that, how many times it will rotate during the time it is in the air.

Of course you see that the information asked for is actually quite complex to acquire - especially the data about the force from a thumb. That would be tough to measure. But it could be done. Perhaps I could build a robotic machine that would exert the exact same amount of force each time, on a precisely located coin of uniform shape (no heads or eagles or other deformities to complicate the equations). Then I could tell you exactly which side would come up, every time.

So perhaps we need to refine our thinking about random events - they are actually simply events that are controlled by factors too complicated to measure. The weather is a similar one. We know that in winter it will be cold, in summer it will be warm, and even these are not set in stone. The factors that go into the weather patterns are incredibly complex. I'm sure you can think of many other "random" events and realize that they are actually controlled by physical laws or patterns just like everything else, but that some of them are too complex to study easily, and therefore appear "random" to the untrained eye.

Now, here's the point. If things don't actually happen at random, but are rather controlled by certain factors (complex as the factors may be), then it would be possible to control all of these factors and therefore control the "random" events. Take my example of building a coin-flipping machine, wherein I propose to control all the factors that go into deciding a coin flip, and expand that. Imagine understanding all the complex factors that control all the processes and events in the entire universe. Now imagine controlling all of them to produce exactly your desired output. And now that you think you've imagined that, realize that there are factors and events that you haven't even thought of yet. Who has a mind complex and expansive enough to subdue apparently random events under His will? Well now we're back to the original statement - God controls everything - but now hopefully you understand what that really means and how perfectly reasonable that assertion is.

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See comments for excellent additional discussion provided by a young lady who is way more knowledgeable about physics than I am.