Recently a new photo of the ringed planet Saturn, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, was released (see photo). When I first saw the picture the only thing I could think was, “Wow, that’s beautiful!” I believe anyone seeing it would have to agree. The Hubble telescope has taken hundreds of such amazing pictures in its 20 year history. Brilliant images of planets, stars, comets, and galaxies have been its lasting legacy (see many of them here: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/multimedia/index.html ). In nearly every case when we look at the incredible photos our response is to marvel at their splendor. I tend to think, and most people would agree, that no human artist could match the intrinsic beauty of the universe.
This fact opens an important question: If no artist designed such elegant designs, then why are they so beautiful to our eyes? If they were simply the results of mindless chance and time working in the cosmos, why would they exhibit such exquisiteness?
The Naturalist, of course, has no answer for that question. The universe just is what it is and our brains just happen to be visually stimulated by the objects in it. We can expand the question to why we consider anything else in nature to be beautiful. Mountains, the oceans, the sky, clouds, animals, gems, birds, rainbows, etc., are just a few of the millions of natural phenomena that humans regard as pleasing to our eyes. But, Mr. Naturalist, why?
The Theist can provide an answer. We believe the universe and everything in it was created by an infinite mind: God. When He began His creation He wanted it not only to be purely functional, but also reflective of His personal nature. That nature includes a divine appreciation for beauty. When He made the stars, the galaxies, or planets like Saturn with its gorgeous rings, He wanted them to be pleasing in His eyes.
In other words, there is such a thing as objective beauty. The ultimate judge of what is beautiful is God Himself. Just as objective truth, justice, morals, and ethics do exist, so does objective resplendence. However, the only way any of those factors can exist objectively is that they are the products of the Infinite and All Mighty Arbiter. Things are beautiful because God makes them that way. Even if no humans ever existed they would still be beautiful in God’s sight. Thankfully, He saw fit to allow us to also enjoy His masterpieces. “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
So, this is just one more way that Theism is superior to Naturalism. True objective beauty exists in the universe and even the hardest atheist knows it. She just does not know why. We know it is because God is its creator. We behold beauty, because He beholds beauty. It is not just a conditioned response, it is a genuine aspect of the image of God in us. Yes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and in the eye of The Beholder.