Sunday 2/1/2015 5:13 AM
I am currently reading Our
Mathematical Universe: My Quest for the Ultimate Nature of Reality, by Max
Tegmark. In the book he contends that the universe we inhabit is one of an
infinite number of universes. Without going into all the details, he claims that
our finely tuned universe is simply one mathematical structure among an
infinite number of structures, some of which contain sentient life, like us,
and others that do not contain sentient life. The reason we find ourselves in
this universe, that appears finely tuned, is because if it were a different
one, that wasn’t finely tuned, we would not exist in it to ask the question.
Needless to say, while it may explain why the universe is finely tuned, it is
very unsatisfying to think that I am nothing more than an entity within a
mathematical structure. In this way of thinking there is no room for God, or
for a creation of our universe, because the universe as we experience it just
is, and always has been.
My devotional theme for the week is the beauty of the Lord
and the opening prayer is, “Lord of the whole earth, the heavens proclaim your
beauty. May we behold your splendor, glory, and majesty, O Lord, in all the
forms they assume, seen and unseen, obvious and hidden. We rejoice in you and
give thanks and praise to your holy name.” I immediately thought about the
vastness of our visible universe, governed by Einstein’s theory of relativity,
and the tiny Plank length distances, where quantum theory rules the day. God’s
majesty is on display in both the seen and unseen, the obvious and the hidden.
My psalm for the week is Psalm 97, which begins with these words, “The Lord
reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice. Clouds and thick
darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his
throne.” The middle of the psalm contains these words, “The heavens proclaim
his righteousness, and all peoples see his glory.” The psalm ends with these
words, “Light shines on the righteous and joy on the upright in heart. Rejoice
in the Lord, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name.”
This psalm seems to imply that God hides himself in clouds
and thick darkness but all people can, and do, see his glory. When I look at
the universe through the eyes of the Hubble telescope I see the majesty and
power of God on display. When others look at the same thing, they are just as
amazed as I am but they see a mathematical structure instead. My reading today
also includes 1 Corinthians 1:21, “For since in the wisdom of God the world
through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of
what was preached to save those who believe.” It continues in verse 25, “For
the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is
stronger than human strength.”
In spite of all the brilliance of physicists and
mathematicians who manipulate equations and search for that one theory of
everything, they will never see God in their work. God remains hidden in clouds
and thick darkness. Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to
please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and
that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” If I am an atheist who believes
that God does not exist then, when I explore the mathematical equations that
seem to define the universe I inhabit, I see nothing but a mathematical
structure, and God remains hidden in darkness. If I have faith in mathematics and
science then I see mathematics and science. But if I believe that God exists then, when I look at the same mathematical equations that define our universe, God sheds light upon me and I see through the clouds and darkness to see God.
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