Comments on: How Big was that Bang?

By: Gee Love

Gee Love — Sun, 25 Oct 2020 11:14:17 +0000

Interesting article here. Would love your thoughts! “ No Big Bang? Quantum equation predicts universe has no beginning”

https://phys.org/news/2015-02-big-quantum-equation-universe.html

By: Michael Russell

Michael Russell — Thu, 28 Feb 2019 02:30:15 +0000

Prof. Hatcher, with all due respect for his contributions to Baha’i apologetics, is not professionally qualified to opine on the validity of the Big Bang Theory. Relying here on unrelated academic credentials raises a question of professional ethics. Abdul-Baha, Himself, states that reliance on Religion in the face of scientific evidence is superstition. As He instructs, Baha’is must be prepared to re-evaluate their understanding when these come into conflict. Doing so demonstrates the depth of our faith. Doing the opposite is embarrassing. Lastly, Abdul-Baha didn’t have, nor made a claim to, scientific expertise. He accepted the, now roundly debunked, luminiferous aether theory. Relying on Him to “refute” a scientific question will fail.

By: Chris Beckett

Chris Beckett — Tue, 29 Jan 2019 17:40:30 +0000

That’s what I was thinking

By: Michael Duane Hartman

Michael Duane Hartman — Fri, 25 Jan 2019 05:34:09 +0000

Bahai philosophy always impresses me compared to others. It’s interesting to compare ideas about what the Truth and truths about reality are, and iron out the subtle details where we would differ. Christians agree with many points of Babai, except for the uniqueness of Christ. Where many perspectives talk about Oneness, Christian theology talks about Holiness. Holiness is not specifically understood even by most Christians, and is often boiled down to basic concepts of chastity and temperence. But it is primarily about the unique identity of the self, including a God who referred to Himself as “I Am”, who “was and is and is to come”. And he claimed to create “in the beginning” (of physical reality) “the heavens and the earth”.

By: Michael Hartman

Michael Hartman — Fri, 25 Jan 2019 04:54:54 +0000

In reply to Bryan Donaldson. Everything is not moving away from everything at tbe same rate. As far back as the 1930's it was already known that the farther away a galaxy is from the observer, the faster it is moving away. Hubbell proved this for Albert Einstein using astrophotographic plates exposed periodically over decades.

By: Owen Allen

Owen Allen — Mon, 21 Jan 2019 12:36:21 +0000

A bit clunky. I found myself not agreeing with the description of the science that I am left being unsure what argument was being made. Likewise I am not in agreement with some of the assertions made about baha’i teachings based on the selections here. For example, the big bang theory, so far as i understand, is not a theory asserting that there was nothing preceeding it, just that, in itself it originated beyond boundary conditions of human comprehension from which time and space themselves came into being. Scientists talk of universe as the phenomenal contingency. There is no reason scientifically or spiritually to believe that the phenomenal universe is more than just a degree of reality although for some it is big enough. Etc.

By: John Hatcher

John Hatcher — Mon, 14 Jan 2019 15:36:56 +0000

Dear Friends, thanks for all the feedback. There are more parts to this discussion forthcoming which will be better edited by me so that I don’t make gross mistakes like implying that light years is a measure of time instead of distance. To conclude a very general reaction to the comments on this part of the discourse, my understanding of the term “universe” means not a segment of the created world, but the totality of creation. Ergo, by definition there can be only one universe. Secondly, While materialist orienting thinking is loath to accept infinity as applied to matter, time, or space (it would seem to imply a metaphysical reality), there is no reason to think that the universe has not always existed. (more later)

By: Bryan Donaldson

Bryan Donaldson — Mon, 14 Jan 2019 05:54:42 +0000

In reply to Bryan Donaldson. Two other things of note: everything appears to be moving away from everything else at the same rate, implying that there is no "center" to the expansion, and black holes are not the one-way street for matter that everyone used to think, thanks to Stephen Hawkins explanation. Overall I think the evidence suggests that we're missing enormous pieces of the puzzle. It could be tens or hundreds of thousands of years until we can explain the origins and shape of the universe.

By: Bryan Donaldson

Bryan Donaldson — Mon, 14 Jan 2019 05:50:04 +0000

I have been interested in this topic for a long time. My personal investigation of the evidence for the big bang led me to think that we have incredibly limited data and we’re trying to figure out the most fundamental questions of existence. The big bang theory seemed to be a grasp at explaining the universe that caught on because there was nothing better. For most of my life classrooms taught with certainty that the expansion of the universe was decelerating, implying that it would eventually stop, then gravity would turn everything into a singularity eventually. In 2011 a Nobel prize was awarded to people who proved that the expansion was accelerating, the exact opposite, opening up another puzzle to explain the dark energy involved.

By: Judith Behrendt

Judith Behrendt — Sun, 13 Jan 2019 19:28:40 +0000

I read most of the commentary and see Dr. Hatcher proposed sending our emails and interest to continue the conversation to Bahaiteachings.org but see no way to do this. Help??