Stealing God’s Thunder
Posted: Monday, September 13, 2010
by e
Dhammabucha Rocksprings Meditation
The "M-theory" now describes the very birth of the universe, according to Stephen Hawking in his new book "The Grand Design," and when this theory is someday backed up by experimentation, it might in fact shake up many religious beliefs about creation, and, dare I say it . . . replace God!
Science has a devious and relentless way of stealing God's thunder:
It took the Church 300 years to apologize to Gallileo because the Church's doctrine; that the earth was the center of the universe (I mean, it would have to be if we were God's chosen creatures - right?), was not only seriously challenged but disproved, as science once again stole God's thunder.
Of course, as God's thunder is quieted by the scientific community, religion reasserts itself by raising the bar: "Oh yeah, then what came before that! It must have been God!" CRASH, BANG (as God's thunder reasserts itself)!
After which the scientific community quietly and methodically again begins the painstaking job of discovering what really did come before "that." And the bar gets raised again.
Lately, the bar has been raised quite a bit. The old "BIG BANG" theory was all about a singular universe transforming itself instantaneously from raw energy into matter, (a universe, by the way, that had the connotation of being the only universe in creation). This theory has now gone the way of the horse and buggy.
The M-theory has replaced it, which is extremely complicated and based on String Theory, which is even more complicated! Both can be looked into if you have an IQ of 150+ and the time! Suffice to say, these theories turn everything we have ever thought about creation on its head! It's far from the childish fairy tale of a benevolent God molding a beautiful garden in which us chosen few may live.
We are talking about things such as parallel universes - an infinite number of parallel universes. But they are not "out there." They are within a fraction of an inch from us, all containing time and space and all kinds of things, even the possibility of yourself in a different format.
This is the stuff of science fiction, but it even goes beyond what the science fiction writers can conjure up. It goes into realms of existence that blows the mind, so to speak. It goes into a reality that only the very deepest regions of religion dare whisper about; that which is unborn, unoriginated, uncreated, unformed, eternal. Beyond matter, beyond time, beyond space, beyond description.
This is where science is leading us, and the current M-theory and String theories take us a good part of the way.
"It all started when superstring theory, hyperspace and dark matter made physicists realize that the three dimensions we thought described the Universe weren't enough. There are actually 11 dimensions. By the time they had finished they'd come to the conclusion that our Universe is just one bubble among an infinite number of membranous bubbles which ripple as they wobble through the eleventh dimension.
"Each universe may exist as a bubble with its own laws of physics.
"Now imagine what might happen if two such bubble universes touched. Neil Turok from Cambridge, Burt Ovrut from the University of Pennsylvania and Paul Steinhardt from Princeton believe that has happened. The result? A very big bang indeed and a new universe was born - our Universe. The idea has shocked the scientific community; it turns the conventional Big Bang theory upside down. It may well be that the Big Bang wasn't really the beginning of everything after all. Time and space all existed before it. In fact, Big Bangs may happen all the time.
"Of course this extraordinary story about the origin of our Universe has one alarming implication. If a collision started our Universe, could it happen again? Anything is possible in this extra-dimensional cosmos. Perhaps out there in space there is another universe heading directly towards us - it may only be a matter of time before we collide." - BBC, Science and Nature.
So those that say they have a handle on creation and can explain it should simply be patted on the head and told that they will feel better in the morning. This situation we find ourselves in, this vast expanse of time and space, cannot be explained away by outdated beliefs or rationalizations. We are learning more about ourselves every day, and let's hope that this inquiry, this quest for understanding, always progresses hand in hand with our confession that we really don't know and never will at a fundamental level.
And even though that confession takes the form of many rationalizations, many of which we become attached to and profess as truth, nobody can voice truth. It is far to vast and fleeting for mere mortals to play with. But we can discover truth to the best of our admittedly limited abilities. That's good enough. And the differences we profess in beliefs should always be seen in the light of our basic ignorance over which we should never contend, because there is a good chance that science will disprove our limited and divisive dogmas every time.
And lest scientists believe that they will eventually know all, I suggest they just look up at the immense night sky, and bring themselves back down to earth, back down to the carbon based creatures that they are.
Because nobody really knows.
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More commentsAll galaxies in the universe, stars, planets and every atom of element bears dual movement disorders, a sorrounding its center, the origin of its nuclear deterrent and other sorrounding the source is from his originated.This to do any other position within the next movement. the spirit of man is not supposed to know everything about the future of universe. Those who learn to live in the present, enjoy. Those who continue to seek the future, live in frustration and tension of his perceptions of fear?Words of wisdom, G. S. Thank you.Best.......e
I remember studying rudimentary string theory in college and at the time (early 80s) everyone had the same question: "Sure, we get it, but what started it?" This latest is great and the next theory will be even greater and on and on until we get to what is your last line, 'because no one really knows'. I wonder when someone will declare God was created by the "Biggest Bang - the one that started it all". Very well done, sir.Ah, the Holy Grail of the fundamental cause! It was kind of a fun article to write with all the cross currents of psychological angst! Thanks Mike.Best.........e
I believe that the Bible is the best scientific book. One the examples is this verse from it:It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:(Isaiah 40:22)It was written 700 years BC, and it talks about "circle of the earth". There are lots of examples like this one...Thank you. Yes, the bible is speculation written by mere men no different than scientific theory. The Indian reclusives of the Indus river Civilization 6,000 years ago in their meditation saw the universe expand and contract many times, but of course could not prove it. We must all realize that nobody has a handle on truth. Until scientifically proven, it's all assumptions, hearsay, and beliefs.Earth isn't a circle though, it's more an oblate spheroid.Heh, heh.
Interesting article E! Strange to think of the Creation or other views from the Bible as being a "childish fairy tale" isn't it? Perhaps The Bible is not the best name for that book. Maybe "A collections of stories from Greek and Egyptian writers from thousands of years ago" Updated by the Church, fully endorsed by Christianity, and partially endorsed by Judaism. ehh? ehh?Also, I think the idea of 11 dimensions is pretty mind blowing. Maybe one day we can view movies in a new way... forget 3-D, I want 11-D! Awesome! Thanks for the article! -BrombergThanks Bromberg. 11-D. Wow! How big will the glasses be!Best.......e
Hello Raymond,I am actually shocked that this came up for me to review. I wanted originally to go to Michigan U. to study astrophysics before choosing to student Computer Science. Love reading about Hawking and "A Brief Moment of Time" was one of my first dives into this area. Black hole theory and general relativity, light being the formation of a continuum of time as in branches into a cone to encompass space. Read lots of Greene's book (Elegant Universe, etc.) and I love string and M theory. Your article was great and I really enjoyed it.I am a devout Christian but also a scientist at heart. We are small minds reaching for answers that are already known to the creator. God has faces and love for each belief system. He is bigger than we can imagine and smaller at the same time or I should say outside of time. Thank you for writing.Thank you so much John. Alas, God is but a theory too, but what else can we mere mortals do but speculate?Best......e .
Amen Brother. Feeling infallible and all knowing is one of our human conditions. Doesn't make sense, but it is. Love your articles, Bo.Hey Chris, thanks for the comment. Yeah, our egos rule. Too bad they're an illusion!Best.....e
Hawking is amazing. If he had NOT been afflicted, you wonder how his life would have changed.Good point, yeah, you gotta wonder . . .Thanks, Ed. Best.....e
I like the way you ended this. Well thought out article as usual sir.GraceThanks Grace. The solution to our conflicts, religious, personal, and political - "I don't know!"Best ......e l
Intresting view. I suspect when they are able to find the "mysteriously hidden dark matter", they will know more.They will find it, or something else extremely interesting!
The concept that life started ALL_AT_ONCE is to be neatly discarded, along with the notion that the Universe started ALL_AT_ONCE.Galileo isn't about to forgive and forget the house arrest and his personalized Church Inquisition anymore than the Spanish Jews who were forced to leave Spain on the same tide that Columbus left on.We know so very painfully little about our place in the Multiverse because religion has hamstrung us and science has turned it all into surmise and guesswork.You are the search, in searchwarp.Paul
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