1.) - The Universe was Created by a Creator...nothing we can understand or comprehend "existed" prior to this Creation.
2.) - The Universe spontaneously(Big Bang) sprang into existence...nothing we can understand or comprehend "existed" prior to this spontaneous Event.
The above are only two examples of what could be limitless posits, musings, hypotheses, theories or ideas on how or why the Universe came to exist.
Are either of the two examples above, or any of the other limitless possibilities actually True and Factual?
Is there now, or will there ever be, any way to actually prove beyond a shadow of a doubt, that any suggested "origin" proposal is "correct"?
A Scientist may say : "We have performed experiments, and our interpretation of the results of those experiments seem to support our Theory."
A Theist may say : "We have Prayed to our Deity(s) for help and guidance, that help and guidance was provided, therefor those experiments seem to support our Theory."
My personal opinion is that it is a "Fool's Game" to even seriously ponder the "origin of the Universe".
Why, you may ask?
Well...a very intelligent, prominent and popular Astronomer and Author once wrote in a book, something that reminded me somewhat of the first few lines of the original "Serenity Prayer" :
Mind you, I am not positing a "Theist" point of view! I am merely quoting a very intelligent sentiment.
At any rate, the previously mentioned Astronomer and Author was Carl Sagan. The title of his book that I am referring to is "Cosmos". - viewable, for free, as a .pdf, at this Link : http://www.proyecto2501.com.ar/wp-c...s (Random House, New Edition, 1980, 2002).pdf
In that book the Author includes what appears to be his thoughts on : the Big Bang Theory ; Red Shift ; Doppler Effect, etc.
In Chapter X, beginning on Page #175, of the .pdf, and titled "The Edge of Forever", Mr. Sagan includes the following two paragraphs, on Page #184 :
So...
1.) - "IF...a Big Bang is correct, we must then confront still more difficult questions."
2.) - "What were conditions like at the time of the Big Bang?"
3.) - "What happened before that?"
4.) - "Was there a tiny universe, devoid of all matter, and then the matter suddenly created from nothing?"
5.) - "How does that happen?"
Mr. Sagan, in his book then seems to compare those "still more difficult questions" about the "big Bang theory", to similar questions that arise "IF" the "Creation" theory is correct.
Mr. Sagan then posits a couple of very interesting, and very wise, possibilities :
1.) - "And if we decide this to be unanswerable, why not save a step and decide that the origin of the universe is an unanswerable question?"
2.) - "Or, if we say that God has always existed, why not save a step and conclude that the universe has always existed?"
When I read that - and I have read it many times - I get the impression that this very intelligent and well educated Astronomer and Author had put quite a bit of time, consideration and deep thought into the matter, before arriving at his conclusions.
Carl Sagan, in his book, at least, seems to posit two things that may just possibly be true :
1.) - "that the origin of the universe is an unanswerable question?"
2.) - "why not save a step and conclude that the universe has always existed?"
Mr. Sagan then goes on to include "five small extracts from such myths...of the world before creation, and of the creation of the world". After the extracts and further discussion he writes :
My take from reading "Cosmos" and other writings by Carl Sagan, is that, although he basically lent his support to the "Big Bang" theory, that he did not fully accept that it was indeed the actual, factual, in all of reality, no other possibility, written in stone, impossible to be incorrect - TRUE ORIGIN OF THE UNIVERSE!!
So, okay.This Mr. Sagan, was in my estimation :
1.) - most likely more intelligent than myself.
2.) - definitely more educated than myself.
3.) - absolutely in possession of quite a bit more knowledge about the subject than I ever will be.
After contemplating Mr. Sagan's writings, and admitting to myself the 3 things enumerated above, I honestly find myself accepting, what Mr. Sagan opined :
- "that the origin of the universe is an unanswerable question."
- "why not save a step and conclude that the universe has always existed."
What may I ask is achieved by arguing for "Creation as opposed to a Big Bang"?
What may I ask is achieved by arguing for a "Big Bang as opposed to Creation"?
Is it at all possible that the argument can ever be definitively settled?
Is it at all possible that it is, as I opined earlier in this Post, a "Fool's Game" to even seriously ponder the "origin of the Universe"?
After all, whether by "Creation" or some kind of "Spontaneous Event", does it in any way change the conditions or properties or fundamental laws of the Universe as they are NOW?
2.) - The Universe spontaneously(Big Bang) sprang into existence...nothing we can understand or comprehend "existed" prior to this spontaneous Event.
The above are only two examples of what could be limitless posits, musings, hypotheses, theories or ideas on how or why the Universe came to exist.
Are either of the two examples above, or any of the other limitless possibilities actually True and Factual?
Is there now, or will there ever be, any way to actually prove beyond a shadow of a doubt, that any suggested "origin" proposal is "correct"?
A Scientist may say : "We have performed experiments, and our interpretation of the results of those experiments seem to support our Theory."
A Theist may say : "We have Prayed to our Deity(s) for help and guidance, that help and guidance was provided, therefor those experiments seem to support our Theory."
My personal opinion is that it is a "Fool's Game" to even seriously ponder the "origin of the Universe".
Why, you may ask?
Well...a very intelligent, prominent and popular Astronomer and Author once wrote in a book, something that reminded me somewhat of the first few lines of the original "Serenity Prayer" :
- ^^above quoted^^ from : http://thevoiceforlove.com/serenity-prayer.htmlReinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971) said:God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.
Mind you, I am not positing a "Theist" point of view! I am merely quoting a very intelligent sentiment.
At any rate, the previously mentioned Astronomer and Author was Carl Sagan. The title of his book that I am referring to is "Cosmos". - viewable, for free, as a .pdf, at this Link : http://www.proyecto2501.com.ar/wp-c...s (Random House, New Edition, 1980, 2002).pdf
In that book the Author includes what appears to be his thoughts on : the Big Bang Theory ; Red Shift ; Doppler Effect, etc.
In Chapter X, beginning on Page #175, of the .pdf, and titled "The Edge of Forever", Mr. Sagan includes the following two paragraphs, on Page #184 :
- ^^above quoted^^ from Page #184, of :http://www.proyecto2501.com.ar/wp-c...s (Random House, New Edition, 1980, 2002).pdfCarl Sagan/"Cosmos" said:The observable universe itself is only a few tens of billions of light-years across and, if there is a vast supercluster in the Virgo group, perhaps there are other such superclusters at much greater distances, which are correspondingly more difficult to detect. In the lifetime of the universe there has apparently not been enough time for an initial gravitational nonuniformity to collect the amount of mass that seems to reside in the Virgo supercluster. Thus Smoot is tempted to conclude that the Big Bang was much less uniform than his other observations suggest, that the original distribution of matter in the universe was very lumpy. (Some little lumpiness is to be expected, and indeed even needed to understand the condensation of galaxies; but a lumpiness on this scale is a surprise.) Perhaps the paradox can be resolved by imagining two or more nearly simultaneous Big Bangs.
If the general picture of an expanding universe and a Big Bang is correct, we must then confront still more difficult questions. What were conditions like at the time of the Big Bang? What happened before that? Was there a tiny universe, devoid of all matter, and then the matter suddenly created from nothing? How does that happen? In many cultures it is customary to answer that God created the universe out of nothing. But this is mere temporizing. If we wish courageously to pursue the question, we must, of course ask next where God comes from. And if we decide this to be unanswerable, why not save a step and decide that the origin of the universe is an unanswerable question? Or, if we say that God has always existed, why not save a step and conclude that the universe has always existed?
So...
1.) - "IF...a Big Bang is correct, we must then confront still more difficult questions."
2.) - "What were conditions like at the time of the Big Bang?"
3.) - "What happened before that?"
4.) - "Was there a tiny universe, devoid of all matter, and then the matter suddenly created from nothing?"
5.) - "How does that happen?"
Mr. Sagan, in his book then seems to compare those "still more difficult questions" about the "big Bang theory", to similar questions that arise "IF" the "Creation" theory is correct.
Mr. Sagan then posits a couple of very interesting, and very wise, possibilities :
1.) - "And if we decide this to be unanswerable, why not save a step and decide that the origin of the universe is an unanswerable question?"
2.) - "Or, if we say that God has always existed, why not save a step and conclude that the universe has always existed?"
When I read that - and I have read it many times - I get the impression that this very intelligent and well educated Astronomer and Author had put quite a bit of time, consideration and deep thought into the matter, before arriving at his conclusions.
Carl Sagan, in his book, at least, seems to posit two things that may just possibly be true :
1.) - "that the origin of the universe is an unanswerable question?"
2.) - "why not save a step and conclude that the universe has always existed?"
Mr. Sagan then goes on to include "five small extracts from such myths...of the world before creation, and of the creation of the world". After the extracts and further discussion he writes :
- ^^above quoted^^ from Page #186, of :http://www.proyecto2501.com.ar/wp-c...s (Random House, New Edition, 1980, 2002).pdfCarl Sagan/"Cosmos" said:These profound and lovely images are, I like to imagine, a kind of premonition of modern astronomical ideas.* Very likely, the universe has been expanding since the Big Bang, but it is by no means clear that it will continue to expand forever. The expansion may gradually slow, stop and reverse itself. If there is less than a certain critical amount of matter in the universe, the gravitation of the receding galaxies will be insufficient to stop the expansion, and the universe will run away forever. But if there is more matter than we can see - hidden away in black holes, say, or in hot but invisible gas between the galaxies - then the universe will hold together gravitationally and partake of a very Indian succession of cycles, expansion followed by contraction, universe upon universe, Cosmos without end. If we live in such an oscillating universe, then the Big Bang is not the creation of the Cosmos but merely the end of the previous cycle, the destruction of the last incarnation of the Cosmos.
My take from reading "Cosmos" and other writings by Carl Sagan, is that, although he basically lent his support to the "Big Bang" theory, that he did not fully accept that it was indeed the actual, factual, in all of reality, no other possibility, written in stone, impossible to be incorrect - TRUE ORIGIN OF THE UNIVERSE!!
So, okay.This Mr. Sagan, was in my estimation :
1.) - most likely more intelligent than myself.
2.) - definitely more educated than myself.
3.) - absolutely in possession of quite a bit more knowledge about the subject than I ever will be.
After contemplating Mr. Sagan's writings, and admitting to myself the 3 things enumerated above, I honestly find myself accepting, what Mr. Sagan opined :
- "that the origin of the universe is an unanswerable question."
- "why not save a step and conclude that the universe has always existed."
What may I ask is achieved by arguing for "Creation as opposed to a Big Bang"?
What may I ask is achieved by arguing for a "Big Bang as opposed to Creation"?
Is it at all possible that the argument can ever be definitively settled?
Is it at all possible that it is, as I opined earlier in this Post, a "Fool's Game" to even seriously ponder the "origin of the Universe"?
After all, whether by "Creation" or some kind of "Spontaneous Event", does it in any way change the conditions or properties or fundamental laws of the Universe as they are NOW?
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