dhw: I've always accepted that there must be a First Cause, but the three I've listed, including your own, are equally nebulous. As regards an "eternal universe", all three First Causes ... big bang or no big bang ... are eternal including yours, -Evidence against the Big Bang is poor:-http://www.nature.com/news/higgs-data-could-spell-trouble-for-leading-big-bang-theory-1.12804