Universe or Multiverse, God is Still the Creator!
https://biologos.org/articles/universe-or-multiverse-god-is-still-the-creator
I recently watched a new video making the
rounds on the internet, by Brian Keating, Professor of Physics at the
University of California, San Diego. It is titled “What’s a Greater Leap of
Faith: God or the Multiverse?”
What is “fine-tuning”? What is the
“multiverse”?
In the video, Professor Keating
introduces the scientific concept of fine-tuning and the basics of one of the
multiverse theories, the inflationary model. This part of the video is a good
visual introduction; you can also read more on our Common Question. In brief, the
fine-tuning argument points to several physical properties of our universe, and
notes that they are set to values that are just right to form atoms, stars,
planets, and life. If the values were even slightly different, life could not
form or survive in the universe. When viewed through the eyes of Christian
faith, we see God crafting and sustaining a universe to fulfill his purpose of
making a home for us.
The multiverse refers to a model
where our universe is one of many universes, and each of the universes has
different physical properties. Yes, this is a bizarre idea! But bizarreness
alone is not reason to reject it. (Lots of properties of elementary particles
are bizarre—like quantum tunneling—but have been confirmed over and
over in the lab.) If the multiverse model were correct, some versions of the
fine-tuning argument would be undercut. Our universe would be one of many, and
it would not be so surprising to find ourselves in one of the few universes
that were well suited for life—we could not survive in the others.
For atheists only?
Sometimes people describe the
multiverse or other explanations for the beginning of the universe as if these
were replacements for God. In a 2013 lecture, renowned
physicist Stephen Hawking said, “A combination of quantum theory and the theory
of relativity would better explain our existence than divine intervention.”
This is a common refrain in videos and popular books about cosmology, focusing
on these scientific theories primarily as a way to eliminate God.
If the multiverse idea were merely a
shorthand for an atheistic worldview, then “God or multiverse” would be an
appropriate question—we would be comparing metaphysical commitments in both
cases. However, Keating misportrays an entire scientific community as being
motivated primarily by an anti-God bias. While this may be true for some
individual scientists, he portrays the multiverse only as an alternative to God
and a way to get around the fine-tuning argument.
“Multiverse” actually refers to
something much more substantial, in fact to several distinct scientific models.
Many of those models arise out of theoretical physics and cosmology and have a
rich mathematical basis. Moreover, the leading models were not built to address
fine-tuning or multiple universes, but to better understand properties in this
universe: the string theory multiverse was developed to bring together gravity
and particle physics, and the inflationary multiverse was developed to explain
the nearly uniform temperature and flat geometry of our universe. In both
cases, the theory naturally led to ideas about many universes beyond our own.
The “multiverse” is far more than a weird atheist idea, but studied by serious
scientists, including some Christians. And multiverse theories do not eliminate
fine-tuning; the multiverse would still need some parameters to be fine-tuned
to produce fruitful universes.
While the multiverse idea is strange
and very difficult to test, let’s keep considering it. To simply
dismiss the multiverse as an atheist alternative to God is to dismiss a
rigorous, mathematical structure that is driven by curiosity about the nature
of matter and gravity and our universe. If you want to reject the multiverse,
you would need to develop another theory that explains quantum gravity or the
uniform temperature of our universe without predicting multiple universes.
Not God “or” the multiverse
Since some multiverse theories have a
genuine connection to successful science of our universe, we need to take more
care in how we talk about them in relation to God. Posing the issue as “God or
the multiverse?” mixes two categories, a bit like asking “God or electricity?”
Such either/or statements introduce a fundamental mismatch, setting up God as
an alternative to a scientific theory. In Christian doctrine, God is never an
alternative to a scientific model! God is the source of all that is, the one
who creates and actively sustains every physical process. And Christians
believe this, both when the physical process is understood scientifically and
when it is not.
Unfortunately, the video never
questions this underlying mismatch. It assumes, right along with many atheists,
that “God” is in opposition to a potential “multiverse.” Christian physicists
who do research in this area believe that if the multiverse exists, the multiverse would be created
by God.
As Christians, we worship God as the
Creator of all. When a scientific model is well understood, like electricity,
we praise God for the chance to “think his thoughts after him” (as astronomer
Johannes Kepler supposedly said). When the natural process isn’t understood,
Christians are filled with curiosity to figure out how God
went about doing it.
Let’s stay curious
Whether the multiverse proves true or
false substantially affects none of the fundamental Christian
doctrines. For this reason, it is important for believers to differentiate
between multiverse models that advocate strict naturalism and models that
promote the Creator. Rather than raising a battle cry against the concept of
the multiverse, or writing it off as unfounded anti-biblical nonsense, it would
behoove Christians to understand why people (scientists and others) find
multiverse such an attractive explanation for the observable universe. (Who’s Afraid of the Multiverse, pg.49-50, emphasis original)
As Christians, let’s not set up a
false dichotomy of God or multiverse. Instead, let’s stay
curious about the many aspects of the universe we don’t understand and the
bizarre properties it might have. Let’s counter atheists who say the
multiverse—or any scientific explanation—is a replacement for God. Let’s ponder
the potential theological implications of a vast multiverse. And through it
all, let’s affirm God as the loving and faithful Creator of every aspect of his
amazing creation, whether we understand it or not.
About the Author
Deborah
Haarsma is President of BioLogos. She is a frequent speaker on modern science
and Christian faith at research universities, churches, and public venues like
the National Press Club. Her work appears in several recent books,
including Four Views on Creation, Evolution,
and Design and Christ and the Created Order. She wrote the book Origins with her husband and fellow physicist, Loren Haarsma,
presenting the agreements and disagreements among Christians regarding the
history of life and the universe. She edited the anthology Delight in Creation: Scientists
Share Their Work with the Church with Rev. Scott Hoezee. Previously, Haarsma served
as professor and chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Calvin
College. She is an experienced research scientist, with several
publications in the Astrophysical Journal and the Astronomical Journal on
extragalactic astronomy and cosmology. She has studied large galaxies, galaxy
clusters, the curvature of space, and the expansion of the universe using
telescopes around the world and in orbit. Haarsma completed her doctoral
work in astrophysics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and her
undergraduate work in physics and music at Bethel University. She and Loren
enjoy science fiction and classical music, and live in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
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