“Mathematics is the language with which God has written the universe.”
~ Galileo Galilei
What is the language of God? Is there a way to justify incorporating science with the God? Is it fair to take the argument undergirding the Big Bang theory and state is ‘as in the beginning God reflected on itself, divided itself, and created all things?’ After all, the Big Bang argument essentially states that in the beginning there was no thing (singularity) and no thing divided itself and created all things.
There are many holding spiritual beliefs who call on various quantum theories to spell out proof of God. There are also those most qualified physicists who will agree with them. It was Werner Heisenberg who stated, “The first gulp from the glass of natural sciences will make you an atheist, but at the bottom of the glass God is waiting for you.”
Science
I remember reading Antony Flew’s invisible gardener parable years ago in a philosophy class. At the time, I was orbiting somewhere between agnostic and atheist, and as such, I welcomed his compelling argument. As those of you who have followed my work know, that all changed when I finally managed to integrate an impossible event into my life. No rational explanation could possibly explain what happened to me—that is, no scientifically rational explanation according to the laws of physics. Years later I read Flew’s change of mind in his book, There Is a God: How the World’s Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind. “Science spotlights three dimensions of nature that point to God. The first is the fact that nature obeys laws. The second is the dimension of life, of intelligently organized and purpose-driven beings, which arose from matter. The third is the very existence of nature. But it is not science alone that guided me. I have also been helped by a renewed study of the classical philosophical arguments.”
Life tends to reveal clues that there is something behind the curtain and it’s not the wizard of Oz or the litany of the atheist. No, there’s much more, and these musings led me to think about the nature of experiences most of us have had at some time in our lives.
Paragnosis
If you think about it, perhaps you too have had that sense of connection with a power way beyond you, one most in our western world think of as the Divine Creator or God. Perhaps it begins when we’re very young, but for those who I have spoken to, it’s the feeling that we’re not alone in our struggles. It’s that presentiment that God hears us, God listens, we can talk to God and sometimes God provides us with answers and/or direction of some sort. Maybe the answer comes in a dream, and maybe we just feel the words in our head—maybe even like we’re talking to ourselves. Are we? Is that “still small voice within” just in our head?
There is something called paragnosis: knowledge obtained by supernatural means. I well remember being awakened by a silent voice in my head urging me about a fire. I jumped out of bed, looked around, and then went downstairs. Just as I entered the kitchen, a tea towel left near a burner on the stove ignited in flames. How I somehow knew this—well there is no real scientific explanation, but it happened. This silent voice in my head may have saved my life. So, when I think of this voice in my head, I don’t dismiss it, but I also suspect it, for I’m aware my biases may influence it.
Connections
How then, and from where then, is this possible? I puzzled over this for some time. How can a god communicate with nearly 8 billion people at seemingly the same time, any time?
Back to the Big Bang, if God is the source of nothing (no thing) becoming all things, as many theists believe, God is in all of us—all of creation. Therein exists a possible explanation. Let me unpack what I mean.
There is something in quantum physics known as particle duality and quantum entanglement. Wave-particle duality refers to the ability of individual quantum objects (like photons or electrons) to exhibit both wave-like and particle-like behavior depending on the experimental setup. Quantum entanglement is a phenomenon where two quantum objects become linked in a special way. When entangled, the fate of one particle is instantly linked to the other, regardless of the physical separation between them. Measuring the state of one entangled particle instantly determines the state of the other.
Entangled
Okay, now the intersection between these two concepts gets interesting when we consider entangled particles. Here’s how they relate:
- Shared Fate, Not Information Transfer: Importantly, entanglement doesn’t involve any faster-than-light communication. Measuring one particle doesn’t transmit information about its state to the other, it simply instantaneously determines its state.
- Correlations, Not Identity: Entangled particles don’t share a single wave function, but their properties become correlated. If one is measured as a wave, the other will instantly be determined to be a particle (or vice versa).
- Violation of Bell’s Inequality: Experiments have confirmed that entangled particles violate Bell’s inequality, a theorem based on classical physics. This suggests a deeper connection between entangled particles that goes beyond classical physics and supports the idea of a non-local reality (meaning their properties are linked even at a distance).
Interactions
So, in my musing, or little thought experiment, I hypothesized the idea of entanglement influencing premonitions (paragnosis) and perhaps many other interactions between God and God’s creations.
To summarize my thinking, try this on:
- God as the Primordial Singularity: We begin by assuming the Big Bang originated from a singularity, a point of infinite density and potential. In this view, this singularity could be seen as a manifestation of God’s essence.
- Entanglement and Divine Spark: The Big Bang is then understood as an act of creation, where the singularity fractures, and its essence becomes entangled (remains connected) within all the matter and energy that is formed. This entanglement could represent a “divine spark” within each living being.
- Quantum Correlations: Building on the principles of quantum entanglement, premonitions could be interpreted as a faint echo of interconnectedness. Just as entangled particles share a correlated fate, our “divine spark” might be subtly linked to the fabric of reality, allowing two-way communication through a form of quantum intuition.
- Consciousness as Receiver: Human consciousness acts as a receiver for these faint echoes. Our brains might be particularly attuned to pick up on these subtle correlations within the quantum entanglement web, manifesting as premonitions or feelings of impending doom, special guidance and/or future events.
As an aside, it’s also interesting to note that time may be an illusion created by quantum entanglement.
What are your thoughts on this?
As always, thanks for the read.
Eldon Taylor, PhD
NY Time Bestselling Author of Choices and Illusion