To quote Albert Einstein, "I want to know the thoughts of God, the rest are details." I feel exactly the same way. To quote him again, "I am at all events convinced that God does not play dice," with the Universe, that is. With the Phenomenal Universe. The Universe we all regard as real. With the Universe Einstein also regarded as an illusion.
Because "all is energy", he said. Einstein, not God. God doesn't talk, although, if "all" mean "all", then presumably Einstein included God in the totality of the Energy. Please, note the capital E. As far as we can determine, at present, God is an Omnipresent Infinite Indestructible Potential that manifests as Creative Energy of Intelligence. Or Knowledge. There may be countless transient phenomenal gods spread over the infinite phenomenal Universe. Over infinity of time, God may have evolved countless images of Him/Her/It-self. Unless He/She/It was/is a hermaphrodite. Regrettably, if such had evolved, nowadays, they exist only in our myths.
How do we know that the Phenomenal Universe existed beyond limitations of time?
Aristotle (384–322 BC) insisted that the Universe is eternal. "If the underlying matter of the universe came into existence, it would come into existence from a substratum," he said. Some 2000 years later, Stephen Hawkins, the theoretical physicist agreed. This was at least one step forward. Can we ever be sure? Well, perhaps the truth is the domain of God. He/She/It might have His/Her/Its secrets. The originator of Quantum theory, Max Planck, believed that “science cannot solve the ultimate mystery of nature because we ourselves are part of nature and therefore part of the mystery that we are trying to solve.”
Good point. But it didn't come easily.
Aristotle was soon forgotten. For a few thousand years no one had any idea what happened. The scientific orthodoxy was hazy about the origins of the universe. And then, in 1931, quite suddenly, a Belgian cosmologist who happened to have also been a Catholic priest proposed a Big Bang. Until then God created the world. As there was nothing before the Big Bang, presumably God must have exploded. I have no idea how a priest could have gotten away with such nonsense. To my knowledge he wasn't even excommunicated. And yet the illustrious scientists ceased on the theory, adopted it as scientific, and it remained accepted by nearly all astronomers until, almost, today. After all, it was a radical departure from the void of yesterday. Once the scientists took over the theory, the had to add "indisputable" facts. The universe, they said, was born 13.8 billion years ago, and not a minute earlier. It's nice to know that our learned scientists have such a precise sense of humor. (The theory would have been more acceptable if they at least proposed and infinite number of cycles of Big Bangs).
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The Phenomenal Universe is eternal not because any part of it was around forever. The reason why the Illusion of the Phenomenal Universe is eternal is because the Universe is not a "thing" but a process:
AN ETERNAL PROCESS OF CONVERTING INFINITE POTENTIAL INTO A PHENOMENAL SELF EXPRESSION.
Like a grin. A smile. A thing of beauty and delight. We, you and I, are transient units of self-awareness of the Potential Universe. Of God, if you prefer. Transient units of self-awareness. We and the rest of the Phenomenal Universe. All flora and all fauna; and all phenomenal forms that have not yet risen to the evolutionary stage of transient self-awareness.
So let us agree that we are unlikely to learn ALL the thoughts of God, but, just to please Albert, let us try to learn some details that would not contradict the presumed Thoughts of God. After all, as mentioned above, we are assured that "God does not play dice with the Universe". We try, often, but God, apparently, does not. (No doubt He could if he wanted to but She probably would not, and It would, just as probably, see no point in it).
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Enter logic. There are even more DELUSIONS. In the next blog I shall endeavor to advance theories of evolution, hopefully, without contradicting the Thought of God. Wish me luck.
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