The existence or non-existence of God in whatever form?

Question

Being Agnostic, I believe that the Universe came about by the Big Bang Theory. But as yet no one has given a plausible theory as what was the catalyst. Could it have been God? Or an accidental coelescence of matter that caused it?
Can anyone provide me with a plausible theory for either cases?

So far I have read some good answers. The problem lies with the tautology that is faith. You can only believe in a God if you have faith. How do you discover faith in a universe that so far has been proven by theory and proven by experiment. I would like to believe that somewhere out there a super-setient person/race created us but if that was the case surely it/they would manifest themselves so as to be worshipped if that is what they want. On the other hand if it/they created us and are not manifesting themselves. Then maybe they are waiting for humankind to mature to the point when they can talk to us as equals, not as worshippers. More as friends than creators. I'll leave this open for you to vote on as the topic is one that deserves to be judged by all.

It's up too all of you to pick the best answer. I'm interested to find out what the decision is. Physics or Theology.
For the religious, May your God be with you.

Answer 1

Check out brane theory - the Big Bang may have been a collision of 2 branes moving in hyper-space. There are also other theories that suggest Big Bangs are happening all the time although we are cut off from them. There is still a lot of cosmology to be discovered but none of it will involve a god of any kind.

Answer 2

As a Christian, I believe in the Big Bang, although will admit that I am not as knowledgable as I might wish on the subject.

Of course I believe that God was that catalyst you mention.

Your alternative theory, some accidental coelescence of matter, gives some flaws I feel. That still does not give an explanation for how that matter came to be originally, which I find only explanable by a presence of God.

I guess you could continue this question by asking how was God created, and the answer is that God has always been, and always will be. Another theory says how time is simply a human concept and that it does not really apply to God, because the next question you might ask is how come God has always been there, what about BEFORE that, but before is a measure of time.

It all gets so complicated, and I credit you for seeking the truth.

In addition, I would not say that the two theories you put forward are completely different, I would say that God was in complete control of the coelescence of matter that caused the big bang.

I would probably imagine that one day scientists would come up with some proof that could be interpreted to mean that there is no God, in relation to the big bang, i.e: that it could have happened naturally, but by extremelly small chances. I can't live my life by such small chances, and God is my answer to that. I don't think that believing in God makes science work backward, it just offers supporting evidence to the theory. Something that is so ridiculously unlikely could be explained with the presence of God.

That is the belief that I have. I have no doubt that countless other people, Christian or not, will differ in that belief or theory. There are also countless books on the subject. I very much hope that perhaps you will come to share the same belief as I do one day, not only with regards to God and science but just Christianity and God in general.

Good question, and well done for keeping an open mind.

Answer 3

Both science and faith suggest the Universe came from nothing. Science says that all matter, energy, time, and the physical laws all began in the Big Bang. Faith says they were all created by God. So, the question is, did the physical laws of the Universe come about by chance or are they the result of an intelligence?

If you use Occam's razor, choosing the simplest answer (that which has fewest complications) then God exists.

Answer 4

I'll address the question you asked, "The existence or non-existence of God in whatever form?", directly.

I'd say that Science has been the theologians' best tool and ally to date. Of all of the different philosophies, it has been materialistic Science which has formed the greatest, strongest foundation to religious thought going.

The reasoning goes like this.

Scientists need to find proofs of the existence of things. If the colour blue exists, Science goes out and finds objects which exhibit the Blue property. Blue is measurable, tangible: it can be recorded, measured, reproduced in the laboratory.

We don't need to believe in blue for it to exist. All we need do is look up at the blue sky. After a while, we stop looking because we all know what blue looks like.

Now, Science has been looking for the Divine for a long time. If the Divine exists, Science goes out and finds objects which exhibit the Divine property. However, the Divine, as yet, cannot be located, let alone recorded. It cannot be measured, cannot be felt or touched, and cannot be reproduced in the laboratory.

Until science can come up with a definitve "yes" or "no" (and since absence of evidence is not evidence of absence), those who seek the Divine through non-scientific means, such as religion and mysticiam, do still need to believe in blue for it to exist. All we need do is look up at the blue sky.

But unlike blue, after a while, we find ourselves still looking, because to date, nobody knows what the Divine looks like.

Now, if the Divine is ever found, or evidence of the Divine can be located in such a way that it provides definitive proof of God's existence, then it throws the whole Big Bang theory into a cocked hat. God exists, ergo He really did create the Universe after all. QED.

Sort of.

However, if there's no trace of a superior being to have created the Universe, the question of how this present Cosmos came into being is still very much a mystery, even to cosmologists and mathematicians. However, since the overwhelming preponderance of evidence points towards the scientific model behind the creation of the Universe, most scientists tend to go with the Big Bang Theory as the model with the best fit to the evidence so far.

As for what catalysed this Big Bang in the first place, not even the scientists agree on how it all came into being. It could well be that the Universe is designed such that it is impossible for us, dwelling within it, to be able to perceive its origin, or ending, in much the same way that a bacterium living on the surface of a balloon can figure out what the balloon is filled with - helium, stale breath or methane.

There are as many theories as there are minds working on the problem. The most esoteric one is a hypergeometric model, something like what you get when two bubbles come together, and you get this flat membrane forming between them - only that flat "brane" in our Universe, and it's a sphere, not a circle.

Then there's Peter J Carroll's "Fiat Nox" hypothesis - my favourite.

There are links below. Follow them, and you'll find yourself possibly as well informed as anyone can be on current developments in Cosmology.

But remember - if Scientists catch God in a net tomorrow, all of this speculation is out the window by Sunday.

Naturally.

Answer 5

I quite liked your additional comments. I love science, but I also believe there may be a god or similar out there. I loathe organised religion because they argue and fight over a 1% difference while missing the point entirely about loving your neighbour as yourself by ignoring the 99% they have in common. Fools the lot of em. If god exists, then he has a very strong non-interference policy - a bit like the prime directive. He gave us some rules and she expects us to figure out that if we live by them we have happier more fulfilling lives that enriches us all. Unfortunately we all don't! I like your idea that eventually we will mature as a species and be able to have a dialogue with our creator without trying to define or categorise them (or kill or experiment upon!)

Answer 6

Someone really confused you,huh? You are right that the world around us is proven by science yet a lot of the artifacts, time lines, or places in many holy books can also be traced and proven true. I think that you should consider this....separate science from religion. In science you question the validity of something and try to either prove it right or wrong (more or less). In religion you are trying to better yourself as a human being. Are you trying to better yourself through science? If you want to find God...Don't look under microscope look to your acts of love and charity. That is your starting point....consider that and then post some more of your thoughts. I am interested in knowing what you think.

Answer 7

Have you read "The Tao of Physics" by Frijopf Capra? I first read this book 20 years ago. It's an explanative view on the parallels between modern quantum physics and eastern mysticism. Today's physicists and those at CERN in Swtzerland are actually now searching for the "God particle" using the Large Hadron Collider particle accelerator.

Reiki and similar practices using the pure (spiritual) energy of the universe, god, or love, or the ultimate divine - whatever you want to call it, may well had found it first!!

Answer 8

Please be aware that the following passage may not be quite what you want to read, and it does ask you to keep an open mind.

Do you believe in nature? What is Nature? Look around you and you will see. Poeople try to find out about a painter from the art that they have created. In the same way, to find out more about the creator of everything natural around us, look at the creations. You will be amazed. Someone had to create the Sun. Someone had to create the Earth. These things are too perfect to have been automatically created. The timings of the orbits of all the planets can been predicted to pin-point accuracy. The planets follow the exact same route every time! These things are far from coincidence. Far, far from chance occurrences. You think and contemplate for one moment, and everything will have to start from somewhere. There are no such thing as an agnostic or atheist, we all believe in God. The problem is that we live in a society that demands proof for certain things. If there is proof then we believe in it. Have you seen an atom? Have you seen air? Have you seen the planet pluto? Then why do you believe in them?
Great question. Thanks.

Answer 9

I have expect that the steady state theory as stated by Sir Fred Hoyle in the 1960s will again become popular. When this will be I have no idea, usually when scientists get bored with one theory, someone will come along with a different take on some other.

Answer 10

I have been a christian since I was seven years old, and I can tell you sincerely that God is real, He is as real to me as my husband and my kids are, and I know that He is real by my experiences, of God working in my life, and He has done so much for me, and for my family. I don' t believe that my life came from a big bang, or that the world was created by a big bang, if that is so then how did it start? The bible says that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, and every living thing, He made the sun and the moon the day and the night, the bible also says that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. God made man and woman, and He breathed life into them, all life comes from God, and when we die we have to stand before Him, and give an account of our lives. Just because you can't see Him does'nt mean that He's not real, can you see the wind ? no, but you can feel it's there, you can see it's movement all around you, and that's how it is with God, you can't see Him but you can see the wonderful things that He has created, you can't see the devil either and yet you can see the evil that he creates all over the world, through evil men and women who have chosen to do evil, God has given us a free choice to choose what we will believe. But when we stand before Him we will have to answer for the choices we made in life. When Jesus died and rose again from the dead, one of His disciples said unless I see His hands and feet and the hole in His side I will not believe, soon after that they were all seated in a room with all the doors and windows closed and Jesus appeared before them, and Thomas touched His hands and His feet, and the hole in Jesus's side and said Lord, I believe, and Jesus said, now you believe because you have seen me, but blessed are those who have not seen me and believe in me. Faith comes from hearing the word of God by reading the bible and putting it into practice in your life, the bible says taste and see that the Lord is good, I will be praying for you that you will find God in a wonderful way, as I and many others have done.