Patrick's story...

[Shin'Ar]

Hello sisters and brothers.

This thread shall be the story of this Self. This version of you that is currently called Patrick.

In this first post is the book that started it all for me back in early 2011.

The Grand Design (2010) by Stephen Hawking Ph.D, CH, CBE, FRS, FRSA.

It's quite readable even for a layman.

When and how did the universe begin? Why are we here? What is the nature of reality? Is the apparent “grand design” of our universe evidence of a benevolent creator who set things in motion—or does science offer another explanation? In this startling and lavishly illustrated book, Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow present the most recent scientific thinking about these and other abiding mysteries of the universe, in nontechnical language marked by brilliance and simplicity.

According to quantum theory, the cosmos does not have just a single existence or history. The authors explain that we ourselves are the product of quantum fluctuations in the early universe, and show how quantum theory predicts the “multiverse”—the idea that ours is just one of many universes that appeared spontaneously out of nothing, each with different laws of nature. They conclude with a riveting assessment of M-theory, an explanation of the laws governing our universe that is currently the only viable candidate for a “theory of everything”: the unified theory that Einstein was looking for, which, if confirmed, would represent the ultimate triumph of human reason.

In his book our eminent other self is trying to show us that God is not needed to explain the multiverse or our existence. What is demonstrated is that Infinity alone is needed for this, which of course seems evident for readers of LOO. It should be understood then that the image of God that the author has is the thunderous immortal old man sitting atop his mountain. For most of us here God is indeed Infinity itself.

Having been raised in the Catholic faith, I had the old man God image too at first. But growing up, I only kept the God is Love portion of this teaching. Weighting everything I read in the Bible by this idea that God is Love and keeping only the parts of the teachings that fit this idea.

I am (or was) a very scientific person and this book was the perfect diving platform for me. Instead of convincing me that a Creator was not needed to explain everything, it opened my eyes to the fact that the Infinity itself had to be the Creator whether this Infinite Creator was conscious of the creation or not.

That's it for the first part.

I think when one starts trying to define the Creator, and single it out in a point in time or as a single entity where none other existed, one will always be speaking in theory.

It doesn't matter whether that one is a physicist or a philosopher. Theory is still speculation, and all one can ever do with Mystery is speculate on it.

I think this is where many of the more recent scientists that now entertain such speculation differ from their counterparts who will not even go there at all.