Before the "Big Bang"

So instead of three ingredients, we can now say that the universe has just two: energy and space. So where did all this energy and space come from? The answer was found after decades of work by scientists: space and energy were spontaneously invented in an event we now call the Big Bang.”

-- Stephen Hawking

A trait most scientists say they have in common is they require the "scientific method" be applied, to virtually everything theoretical, in order to declare proof of a hypothesis and make a statement of fact.  In other words, the results of an experiment have to be repeatable.  "The strength of a scientific theory is related to the diversity of phenomena it can explain and its simplicity. As additional scientific evidence is gathered, a scientific theory may be modified and ultimately rejected if it cannot be made to fit the new findings; in such circumstances, a more accurate theory is then required." This is why "scientific" theories concerning the "Big Bang" will remain theories, we simply don't know... and probably never will.  A "scientific theory" is our best guess based on the available evidence provided by experimentation.  And, yet, immanent "theoretical" physicists still make definitive statements like "space and energy were spontaneously created."  Says who?  Wouldn't it be better to leave the door open for change?  Perhaps, "To the best of our knowledge, at this point in time, the evidence seems to lean toward space and energy being spontaneously created."  

Consider the following quote by the late theoretical physicist, Steven Hawking:  

“The role played by time at the beginning of the universe is, I believe, the final key to removing the need for a Grand Designer, and revealing how the universe created itself. … Time itself must come to a stop. You can’t get to a time before the big bang, because there was no time before the big bang. We have finally found something that does not have a cause because there was no time for a cause to exist in. For me this means there is no possibility of a creator because there is no time for a creator to have existed. Since time itself began at the moment of the Big Bang, it was an event that could not have been caused or created by anyone or anything. … So when people ask me if a god created the universe, I tell them the question itself makes no sense. Time didn’t exist before the Big Bang, so there is no time for God to make the universe in. It’s like asking for directions to the edge of the Earth. The Earth is a sphere. It does not have an edge, so looking for it is a futile exercise.”

Steven Hawking was a preeminent "theoretical" physicist.  Theoretical physicists use "mathematical models and abstractions of physical objects and systems to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena."  I take this to mean, they theorize about what we don't know.  

What is a theory?  A theory, whether scientific or common,  is speculation about something.  "Speculation" is nothing more than conjecture, and conjecture is, by definition, an opinion or conclusion formed on the basis of incomplete information.  Yes, scientific theory gives us our best shot at reality due to testing, but it is still our "best shot" until it is no longer a theory.  So, why is it we hear theoretical physicists making definitive statements concerning unproven hypotheses they base on incomplete information?  It sounds like faith and hope, to me.  Perhaps they are more intelligent than they are smart. 

The existence of God, a supreme power, is a common "theory" I ascribe to.  I have faith, a belief, that God exists.  Faith is, after all, a belief in something for which there is little or no proof, and I am fine with that.  I am also fine with atheists who can't disprove what I have faith in.  Atheists have faith that I am wrong.  Yet, I don't really care that they seemingly waste an inordinate amount of time complaining about my faith in a "theoretical" power while I spend virtually no time giving one rat's ass about the fact they can't disprove my theory any more than I can prove it.  They need to open their minds to the definition of "theory," whether common or scientific and then look to their own beliefs.

"So to the extent that it is even meaningful to speak of a cause of our universe, it need not have any. There is no law of logic or mathematics that requires such a cause. Or, if you wish, the universe simply is, timeless and eternal. Time exists only inside the universe, as one of the four coordinates that label the myriad of events that collectively constitute this universe."

-- Victor T. Toth, software developer, author, part-time theoretical physicist

Prior to the "Big Bang," did anything exist?  Did time exist?  Well, perhaps not as it relates to this dimension.  Well, are we discussing just this dimension, this universe, or are we assuming the theoretical "multiverse" came into being due to the same "Big Bang" event?  Conversely, who is to say our, so-called, "Big Bang" wasn't due to some apocalyptic event, perhaps the destruction of another universe which occurred in another dimension and exerted enough energy to open a rift in time/space to create another universe, or another dimension?  Perhaps we are simply the result of balance in the multiverse.  If one door closes another must open.  For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

“God creates another local Big Bang and another universe only when a big enough mass of Super-Loosh has been accumulated.”

-- Jozef Simkovic, journalist, broadcasting and software engineer, karate champion

Can something be created from absolutely nothing?  It is a theory I can't ascribe to, even when it comes to my definition of an omnipotent power in the universe, in the multiverse.  What or who created the omnipotent power?  What or who created the power we define as God?  But, if something can't be created from nothing, even God, then where did it all come from and when did it all happen?  

Must there be a "theory of everything," or is it enough just to be?  Our questions began with a thought, millions of years ago, and we will not find the answers here.  Would we recognize the answer if we stumbled across it?  There may, in fact, be no answer to find other than everything just is.  But the need we have to discover, to know, is what keeps us moving forward.  It is our faith that the answer is out there, somewhere, that gives our lives meaning.

The "Big Bang" is just a theory, and the "Big Bang Theory" is just a comedy on TV.  One is entertaining, and one is food for thought which more than a few might find entertaining.  

Okay, I'm done.  Well almost.  I leave you with a final quote.  Basically, for me, it speaks to what theists and atheists fall back on when they have no answers for the "Big Bang":

“Appeals to imagined forces and phenomena have been the basis for all the cosmological models proposed to avoid the big bang implications about God. The disproof of these models and the ongoing appeal by nontheists to more and more bizarre unknowns and unknowables seem to reflect the growing strength of the case for theism.”

-- Hugh Ross, Christian apologist, astrophysicist

Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion, in an arena of mutual respect, concerning those opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with the premier, world renowned, Institutional Review Board helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research. Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, and wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteers as lead Chaplain and Chaplain Program Liaison, at the regional medical center.