That’s the point - something completely beyond our notions of causality or the arrow of time has to be at the foundation of it.

The creator remains without a creation. The notion that most schools of thought have is, the creator is unborn and born at the same time and has always existed. Creator does not have a point of creation, not even death because those rules only apply to the materialistic universe.

That's quite a cop out. Excuse me if I don't take your word for it.

It isn't a cop out because the creator in the conclusion of this type of argument (e.g. Aquinas' third way) is not just another contingent being like other things, but rather a being whose existence is necessary in itself.

> Aquinas' third way

Thank you! This was very interesting to read about. Learned something new today :D