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SPACETIME IN THE CREATION
CHAPTER XXXXVI
part IV - Freemasonry, Science and Mankind
THE SQUARE AND COMPASSES
W.
M. Don Falconer PM, PDGDC
An omnipotent creator could transcend
time and space in the context of eternity.
Scientists have
comprehensively investigated the origins of the universe and have
suggested logical solutions for the processes and time scale through
which the universe has developed, including the evolution of humans,
but how the inherent matter was created and the underlying purpose
of the creation itself are enduring mysteries that still elude them.
The ancient beliefs and mythologies of most races, in common with
the creeds of the many religions established through the ages, all
include traditions about the creation. Of the many traditions, the
earliest written records relate to the system of religious thought
and moral rectitude of the people of ancient Egypt. They are
expressed in the myth of Osiris concerning events that are said to
have taken place at the First Sunrise of the Zep Tepi, also referred
to as the First Time of Osiris, which some
investigators have dated to about 10450 BCE. These traditional
creation beliefs provide an important and interesting introduction
when considering the influence of space and time in the process of
creation. The fundamental aspects of most creation beliefs have much
in common with those of the well known creation story in Genesis,
which researchers say is a restatement of earlier creation myths of
the Middle East, especially those of Babylon.
The traditional story of the
creation in Genesis says that God created the heavens and the earth
in six days and rested on the seventh day. Some believe that the
story in Genesis accurately defines both the processes and the
period of the creation, whilst others prefer to consider it in an
allegorical context. The Genesis story of God's creation of the
universe is fundamental to the creeds of Judaism, Christianity and
Islam, the most widely spread of the modern religions. These three
religions have three important beliefs in common, which are: that
God is eternal, omniscient and all powerful; that God created the
universe and has a continuing interest in it; and that the soul is
immortal and is destined to return to the Creator at the end of this
transient existence on earth. If the creation story in Genesis is
not examined solely in its context as a record of some of the most
ancient beliefs concerning the creation phenomena, but also is
interpreted as a narrative of the sequence of events in the
creation, as distinct from the timescale of those events, then it is
a surprisingly accurate reflection of the sequence of evolution
revealed by modern scientific investigation.
The creation beliefs of the
traditional tribal societies, sometimes called the pre-literary
societies, are typical of most primitive beliefs. The traditional
tribal societies are groups of people among the ancient primitive
races who share a common culture and set of values, but have neither
a scientific knowledge nor a written tradition. The Australian
Aborigines are an outstanding example of these ancient pre-literary
tribal societies, having occupied Australia continuously for at
least thirty thousand years with no outside influence. They once
comprised more than five hundred tribes each having its own language
and territory. Their religious beliefs were essentially monotheistic
and were all remarkably similar, based on sphere of existence called
an Eternal Dreaming. This
belief visualises the beginning of the Eternal Dreaming as the
formative period of the world when the Ancestral Beings came
into existence, from whence all life originated. They also believe
that the Eternal Dreaming will
continue through all eternity and that ultimately it is identified
with the Land of the Dead, to
which all life is destined eventually to return.
The Ancestral Beings of the
Australian Aborigines are portrayed in the myth cycles of several
different corroborees that depict the creative Dreaming Tracks, which
the Ancestral Beings are
believed to have made across the land. Among these Ancestral Beings the
central figure is the Supreme Being, who is
known as the All Father. It is
believed that the All Father was the
original creator of all things, including all other Ancestral Beings. All of
the Ancestral Beings who
travelled the creative Dreaming Tracks are
envisaged as subsidiaries of the creative All Father, who now
lives in the Land of the Dead in the
sky. It also is believed that an Ancestral Being can be
the progenitor of a human group and also of a species of animal,
from which the tribal totems have been derived as well as the
special relationships that certain tribes have with certain animals.
The pre-literary society of
the Incas of South America is particularly interesting, even though
the available information is rather scanty. It is known that the
Incas believed in a Supreme Being, whom they
called Huiracocha, who
invariably was represented by a golden idol and delegated his
authority to nature-gods, including the sun, which they revered and
called Inti. They also held the
stars, moon, earth, sea and weather in reverence. The Incas were
especially concerned with life after death and believed that
spirits, which they called Huacha, dwelt in places
and things and consisted of nine tribes each divided into several
clans. The souls of dead rulers and nobles were considered to be
particularly important. Although special places were regarded as
sacred, worship was carried out in the open air. The temples and
shrines were mainly used to store images of the gods and other items
used in worship. The most significant of the Incan sanctuaries and
probably the one best known was the Temple of the Sun at
Cuzco, in Bolivia, which is at an elevation of almost 6,000
metres.
The Ameru people in Africa
provide another interesting example of the myths of the pre-literary
societies. They live on the slopes and plains to the east and north
of Mount Kenya and are divided into nine tribes, each subdivided
into several clans. The Ameru people are monotheists and believe
that a Supreme Being resides
alone in the sky or on the top of Mount Kenya. Their Supreme Being is
regarded as the source of everything that is good, but it is their
common belief that the Supreme Being should not be
bothered with petty things, otherwise he might become angry. The
fundamental beliefs of the Amerus are reflected in their traditional
prayers, which include the following revealing passage:
"God, you created me and gave me
strength.
Everything in its completeness is from
God.
Give me strength and give me all things
good."
A wide diversity of the
primitive races, though by no means all, believe that everything in
the world is interconnected spiritually and that the journey from
birth through death will lead to a new life. To them the various
aspects of life cannot be considered separately, because the
mysterious unseen influences have an impact on all things tangible.
Although they understand the normal sequence of events in everyday
life and comprehend the effects of weather and the seasons,
spiritual forces are seen to permeate their environment and to
dominate their thoughts. The mechanical view of the universe that is
often espoused by science has no place in the spirit-dominated world
of the primitive pre-literary societies. Their approach to life is
manifested in several of the ancient religions.
The beliefs of ancient Egypt
emerged among the pre-literary societies probably before their
predynastic period, which is usually dated from about 5000 BCE
to 3100 BCE. As with a majority of the prehistoric religions,
the religion of ancient Egypt was basically monotheistic and founded
on the cult of a Mother Goddess,
who was the generating force of all things of god and man. Long
before the writing of hieroglyphics had become established in about
3100 BCE or probably earlier, the beliefs in Egypt had
crystallised as a religion of hope and resurrection, in what was
then called Planet Egypt. The
earliest of all religious records so far discovered are the Pyramid Texts in the
pyramid of Unas, who was the last of the Fifth Dynasty pharaohs and
ruled in about 2345 BCE. Eminent Egyptologists are of the
opinion that the originals of those texts would have been written
about a thousand years before they appeared in the pyramid of Unas.
In 1895, when Professor E A Wallis Budge completed his translation
of the Papyrus of Ani, which is a version of the Book of the Dead, he
said that the texts contained proofs that they had been composed
long before the days of the Pharaoh Mena, who ruled in about
3300 BCE or earlier. The true religion of ancient Egypt is
typified by the cosmogeny of Annu, which is the "city of the pillar"
called On referred to in the Bible and later renamed Heliopolis by
the Greek pharaohs. The cosmogeny of Annu was founded on a belief in
one absolute God, who was the beginning and end of all things
visible and invisible.
In ancient Egypt Ra was believed to be
the Absolute Spirit and was
regarded as the Light and Conscience of the
Universe, who was diffused in the primordial darkness of the
Chaos that existed
before the creation. When Ra became aware of
himself in the Great Silence he called
up his own image Amon, which was the Spirit of the Universe
Itself. This call was the Word or Creative Power,
which caused the kingdoms of space-air or Shu and movement-fire or
Tefnut to materialise.
They in turn generated and separated the earth Geb from the sky Nut, which received the
creative forces of terrestrial and celestial life, Osiris the fertilising
force and Isis the generating
force, who together ended the primordial Chaos and brought the
universe into equilibrium. Ra watched over humanity
in the paradise of the kingdoms of Shu and Geb, until the forces of
evil appeared as the destroying couple Seth and Nephthys. Ultimately Osiris and Isis, in their capacity
as the life-bearing couple, overcame the repeated assaults of Seth and Nephthys and established
resurrection and eternal life, which is the foundation of the myth
of Osiris. Some time later
Horus, the son of Isis and Osiris known as the Living One, became the
first man-god who ruled Egypt as a pharaoh.
It seems that Horus was the catalyst
for the belief in a Messiah,
which the Israelites developed during their long sojourn in Egypt,
before their exodus under the leadership of Moses. This belief in
the Messiah became a
fundamental tenet of Judaism and later of Christianity. The true
religion of Egypt waned after the power of the pharaohs collapsed at
the end of the Old Kingdom, in about 2100 BCE, when the
priesthood progressively acquired supreme power and fostered
polytheism among the uneducated multitude. When the devout pharaoh
Akhenaten ruled from 1372 BCE to 1354 BCE, he abolished
the power of the priesthood and declared the supposed functions of
the multitude of gods to be void, restoring the religion of one
absolute god and the belief in a resurrection. After Akhenaten’s
death the priesthood regained their power and polytheism became
prevalent again. Ultimately many of the true believers of the old
religion were absorbed into the Coptic Christian Church. After the
conquest of Egypt by the Arabs in 639-642 CE, most of the
population converted to Islam and Arabic became the national
language.
Hinduism has grown
progressively over some five thousand years and is called the sanatana dharma,
or the Eternal Religion,
by its followers. Its beginnings predate the birth of Abraham, the
progenitor of Judaism, by almost a thousand years. Hinduism has
absorbed the many cultures and religions of India and also the
ideals and ethics of Christianity and Islam, as well as adapting
itself to a temporal existence influenced by modern evolutionary
science. Hinduism is not and never was a static religion, but has
always been a liberal and progressive synthesis of religious beliefs
that constitutes a total way of life and conduct. Hinduism reflects
the evolution of religious perception from the earliest of the
primitive pre-literary societies to the present and therefore
encompasses the creation beliefs established in the ancient
religions.
The Hindu Scriptures are many
and voluminous. They were originally written in Sanskrit over a
period of more than two thousand years and are of two classes. The
class comprising the Sruti, meaning what is heard, give
details of the eternal truths revealed to the rishis
or seers. The class comprising the Smriti, meaning what is remembered,
elucidate eternal truths and contain all of the sacred texts except
the Vedas. The two greatest
Hindu epics are the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, which
belong to the Smriti. The sacred texts
are supplemented by the Vedas, meaning divine knowledge or wisdom which, when
applied to the scriptures, signifies the Book of Wisdom. The
earliest texts date from the Aryan invasion of India, which began on
the Indo-Iranian frontier in about 2000 BCE and reached the
Ganges valley by 1500 BCE. The Sruti comprise four sets
of Vedas, each of which has
three parts, which are called the Mantras or hymns of
praise, the Brahmanas or ritual
guides written in prose and the Upanishads or
philosophical and mystical discourses on the spiritual truths.
Individual truths are seen as manifestations of the One Truth or Reality. The Upanishads are the
foundation of modern Hinduism. Its teachings are based on a search
for the identity of Brahman the Eternal Being or Reality, knowledge of
the Atman or True Self and the
relationship between Brahman and the Atman. Every part of
reality, including the Atman, is believed to be
an aspect of Brahman. This search for
the ultimate Reality culminates in an
inner mystical experience that is reflected in the following Hindu
prayer:
"From delusion lead me to truth.
From darkness lead me to light.
From death lead me to immortality."
The Trimurti of Hinduism is
the triad of Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver and Siva the Destroyer. The power to
create, to preserve and to destroy are seen as the three roles of
the Supreme Being, believed
to be all‑embracing, all‑pervading and ever‑present. God is
identified with the sum total of creation, so that while he can
transcend creation he is never completely separated from it. Another
significant belief is that God always creates out of himself or out
of something he has already created, but never from nothing. In its
primitive form Hinduism has a polytheistic element, but the images
of the various deities included in those ceremonies are considered
by enlightened Hindus merely to focus their devotion, because they
are imaginative representations of some of the infinite aspects of
God. An important concept is the law of karma, which signifies
action or doing. In modern
Hinduism karma is a moral
interpretation of the law of action and reaction applied to both
good and evil actions, but fixed in the spiritual realm. It is
inextricably tied in with samsara or wheel of existence
whereby the empirical self, which is distinct from the soul, is
believed to transmigrate repeatedly from body to body, taking its
load of karma with it. However
it is also believed that this cycle ultimately can be broken when
the soul, which is viewed as eternal and in some senses identical
with Brahman, is delivered
from its body‑soul bondage in the universe of space and time,
through what is called moksha or mukti, which signifies
the release of the soul from all constraints of righteousness and
unrighteousness.
Taoism is the ancient religion
of China. Its roots stretch back for almost five thousand years to
its traditional founder, Huang Ti, the Yellow Emperor whose reign
commenced in about 2700 BCE. Tao means the Way and is a
convenient term for what is often called "the Nameless". The Tao is the eternal, vast
and unknowable pure spirit which existed before the universe was
born, that being which permeates
all things and is the mother of the cosmos and also its container
and sustainer. The Tao is said to be the One, which gave birth to
the Two called the yin and yang. They combined
harmoniously to produce the Three, which are called
the Three Treasures and
produce the innumerable objects of the universe. Pure cosmic yin pertains to earth
and pure cosmic yang pertains to heaven.
Yin is the negative and
passive principle and yang is the positive and
active principle. The Three Treasures are the
fundamental elements or energies called ching meaning essence, ch'i meaning vitality and shen meaning spirit, believed to be
active in all levels of life from the tiniest organism to the vast
macrocosm itself.
Taoism is a mysterious and
charmingly poetic expression of religion combining the elements of
folk‑lore and the occult sciences with mysticism, cosmology and
philosophy. It is based on a belief that all the myriad objects in
existence derive their being from Tao and that their
illusory separateness is the result of the continuous interplay of
yin and yang. Taoism is a living
remnant of an ancient way of life that constitutes a quest for
immortality and to enter Nirvana, where the
finite being sheds the illusion of a separate existence by casting
off imaginary limitations, thus returning to the Source and becoming a
part of the infinite. The Tao Tsang or Taoist Canon comprises
almost 5,500 volumes, of which both the I Ching or Book of Change and the
Tao-te Ching or The Way and its Power
are well known. The former is the traditional work recording the
basis of ancient Taoism, which was passed down orally through the
centuries until committed to writing. The latter is the primary
canon of Taoism attributed to Laocius, the Ancient Sage better
known by the pseudonym Lao-tzu, which literally means the “old philosopher”.
Lao-tzu wrote the canon when requested by followers of Taoism before
he retired into seclusion. He is the legendary elder contemporary of
Master Confucius, but the stories of this relationship are entirely
apocryphal.
Shinto embraces the
traditional religious practices of Japan, but its origins are
shrouded in the mists of time. Shinto has no founder, nor any
inspired writings, so that although a wide variety of thought and
practice has been assimilated through the ages, no systematic
doctrine has ever been developed. Shinto has similarities with the
cult of the Mother Goddess in the
pre-literary societies of prehistoric Egypt, with primitive Hinduism
and also with the Incan religion. The fundamental traditions that
had become established practice before Buddha was born in
563 BCE and Confucius was born in 551 BCE are those that
are relevant to a consideration of creation. The word Shinto signifies the Way of the Kami and
was coined about two thousand years ago to distinguish the Japanese
traditions from both the doctrines of Buddha that originated on the
Indian subcontinent and those of Confucius that originated in
China.
The traditions of Shinto say
that, when heaven and earth began, there was a spontaneous
generation of the original kami trio, of which the
principal element is called "the Lord who fills the
universe", which originally was referred to as the "Lord of Central
Heaven". The other two elements of the trio were
respectively male and female, who were related to the generative
processes and located on the high plane of heaven. These heavenly kami then generated
several celestial kami that were
identified with various divine qualities, the last being the
creative male‑female couple called Izanagi and Izanami respectively.
They were responsible for the generation of earthly objects and the
earthly kami of sea and wind, of
rivers and mountains, of trees and plants and also of food. Shinto
is a man‑centred religion with four basic elements of worship which
are: purification, offering, prayer and a sacred meal for fellowship
with the kami, but only the more
religiously inclined are likely to perceive any inward spiritual
meaning.
Buddhism was derived from
Hinduism during its period of reaction and renaissance and its
fundamental beliefs are similar to those of Hinduism. The practice
of Buddhism is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, who was
born on the borders of Nepal in about 563 BCE. Buddha is a title that
signifies "the Enlightened One"
and also "the Awakened One",
especially when it is referred to Gautama. The enlightenment of
Gautama consisted of four Truths concerning the
conduct of life. The first Truth states that a
condition of mental and physical suffering is an omnipresent and
inherent element in the nature of life. The second Truth states that the
cause of suffering is desire that is rooted in ignorance and cannot
be satisfied in this mortal existence. The third Truth is that suffering
ceases when desire ceases. The fourth Truth is the eightfold
path that leads to the cessation of suffering. The eight steps in
the eightfold path are right views; right aspirations; right speech;
right conduct; right mode of livelihood; right effort; right
awareness; and right concentration. An essential concept of Buddhism
is Karma, which has been
discussed under Hinduism and is believed to be the only human
element that continues after mortal death. Another essential concept
is that of impermanence, because all that exists passes through the
cycle of birth, growth, decay and death to achieve a different form.
Separate or individual existence is regarded as an illusion, because
the self has neither beginning nor ending but is an ephemeral
existence that can only culminate in Nirvana, which is an
ethical state that eliminates future rebirth, extinguishes craving,
removes suffering and provides a state of passionless
happiness.
Confucianism is a derivative
of Taoism and its fundamental beliefs are similar. The founding sage
of Confucianism was K'ung Fu Tzu who was born in 551 BCE. He
was called the "philosopher K'ung" and
known as Confucius. As was the custom of Lao-tzu before him,
Confucius wandered from court to court seeking princely support for
his teachings to be put into practice, but it was not until during
the reign of Emperor Wu, which began in 141 BCE, that
Confucianism was accepted as the official doctrine in China.
Confucianism is not a religion in the commonly accepted sense, but
would be described better as an ethical system of life, which is
usually called "the School" or "the Teaching". In
this respect and also having regard to the methods Confucianism uses
to impart its principles, it has much in common with
freemasonry. Confucius wrote many books, of which the Analects would be one of
the better known. It comprises a collection of his sayings and
provides a trustworthy account of his interests and opinions. Like
most Chinese philosophers Confucius seems to have believed in the
inherent goodness of man, rather than in his innate sinfulness as
depicted in the Bible. Confucius showed pleasure in ritual to impart
his teachings. Although his primary interest was in the affairs of
this world rather than of the next, he threw no new light on the
solution of life's problems. He was a strong advocate of giving
positive help to others and espoused the simple philosophy that
virtue is the foundation of happiness. Confucius revered ancestors
and believed in antiquity, which he admired greatly. He lived a
simple life and put himself forward as a transmitter of ancient
knowledge rather than as an innovator.
We have seen that an
incredibly diverse spectrum of humanity, from the earliest primitive
pre‑literary societies until the present, has contemplated the
purpose of creation and the meaning of life itself, the mortality of
human existence and the immortality of the soul, as well as
humanity's relationship with the creator. As we cannot yet put
ourselves into the mind of God, the purpose of creation remains a
mystery that we may not be able to comprehend during our mortal
existence. But, if we believe that there is a God who was
responsible for the creation of humanity and that every human being
has an immortal soul, then we may be confident that in the fullness
of time that which is now unknown will become known. This is a
matter of faith, which the world's religions clearly indicate to
have been inherent in the human psyche from time immemorial. What
are believed to have been the specific steps in the creation, as
well as the means whereby creation was implemented, differ in detail
from religion to religion. However, the perceived variations in
these beliefs seem only to reflect the inadequacies of diverse
attempts to express a profound concept in mundane language, rather
than to reflect fundamental differences in concept. This broad
spectrum of beliefs is covered in many books, of which The World's Religions
edited by Sir Norman Anderson, the Oxford Dictionary of World
Religions edited by John Bowker and also The World's
Religions by Ninian Smart, all would be of interest to the
reader seeking a comprehensive coverage.
Whether God created out of
nothing or out of himself is often subject to intense debate,
suggesting that this element of belief indicates significant
differences in fundamental concepts. However, as either alternative
should be equally possible if the creator is omnipotent, this
element of belief should not be a problem of consequence. Two other
closely allied questions that are frequently and hotly debated are
whether the human soul, or vital life force, is a part of God's
spirit and whether God's spirit permeates the whole creation. Once
again, each of these alternatives should be possible if the creator
is omnipotent. However, if the creator is omniscient and intends
humanity to exert some directive influence on the creation and
intends the human soul ultimately to be reunited in a life
hereafter, then it would be logical for the human soul to be a part
of God's spirit that permeates the whole creation. Such a concept is
within the compass of significant world beliefs and is not precluded
by developments within modern science. Therefore it should not be
dismissed lightly.
When Sir Isaac Newton
published his Principia Mathematica in
1687, he synthetised all scientific advances made during the two
preceding centuries and propounded his theory of gravitation. The
concepts he expounded seemed able to explain the entire universe and
as a result the perception of a purely mechanical universe grew in
momentum. Many scientists said that God did not exist in the scheme
of things, because neither a creator nor a driving force was
required. This view appeared to be supported by the theory of
evolution Charles Darwin advanced in The Origin of the Species by
Natural Selection, the brief title of his first book
published in 1859. Darwin extended his theory to include the
evolution of humanity in The Descent of Man,
which was published in 1871.
In 1900 Max Planck was the
first to establish that all energy, including light, consists of
whole units, which is the basis of quantum mechanics. Then in 1917,
when Lord Ernest Rutherford investigated the structure of the atom,
he found similarities to the solar system and established the
nuclear theory of the atom. Advocates of a mechanical universe
claimed that the nuclear theory supported their concept, but
experiments in quantum mechanics have since proved that elements of
subatomic matter, such as electrons, can exist either as particles
or as waves and that they are influenced by the uncertainty
principle established by Werner Heisenberg early in the 1920s. This
uncertainty causes unpredictability and disorder, which negates the
hypothesis of cause and effect that is fundamental to the theory of
a purely mechanical universe.
When Albert Einstein first
published his special theory of relativity in 1905, followed in 1917
by his general theory incorporating gravity, he said the space
occupied by the universe is elastic and part of an expanding
space‑time continuum that has finite boundaries. The proponents of a
purely mechanical universe seized upon Einstein's work as proof of
their theory, but Einstein said himself "I want to know how God created
this world". Einstein's theory of an expanding universe was
confirmed by observations made by Edwin Hubble during the 1920s,
when he found by measurement that the recessional velocity of the
observable galaxies increases at a rate of 32 kilometres per
second per million light years. The regression of this accelerating
rate of expansion is the basis of the big bang theory, the
essence of which is that the universe erupted into being about
15,000 million years ago, from an initial boundary of space and time
called a singularity.
Theories have been advanced to
explain the big bang as a
spontaneous explosion in empty space that somehow created matter by
natural means, without any input of energy. However, it has not been
possible to give a satisfactory explanation of such an origin in
scientific terms, nor has an explosion of this kind ever been
demonstrated experimentally, so the theory of a clockwork
universe that is purely mechanical in operation has
fallen into disfavour. The presently accepted theory is that,
immediately before the big bang and at the
beginning of time, all matter and all space were infinitely
compressed. No theories have been advanced to explain why such an
event should have occurred or to suggest its ultimate purpose.
However, as it presupposes the creation of space, time and matter,
it clearly does not negate the existence of a Supreme Being who
created the universe. On the contrary, such a creation suggests that
there must be a divine purpose, beyond present mortal comprehension.
Moreover, the concept of a divine link between God and man receives
convincing support from the fact that science can neither identify
nor quantify that inner spirit which mysteriously endows inanimate
material with the breath of life.
It is axiomatic that both
space and time must coexist before it is possible for matter to
exist within them. Space and time therefore must either have existed
before the primeval explosion or have been created by or at the same
time as the explosion. Space is commonly taken for granted and often
visualised as a limitless void, but its many implications are hard
to comprehend. As far as we know, the Atomists of
ancient Greece were the first to record their concepts of matter and
space. Aristotle credits Leucippus of Miletus with the suggestion,
made during the fifth century BCE, that matter is comprised of
separate particles that can move about in space and combine
together. Democritus, a pupil of Leucippus, developed the concept
and named the particles atomos, meaning indivisible in Greek.
John Dalton established a scientific basis for the simple Greek
idea, when he introduced atoms as the name of the
units of matter taking part in chemical reactions at the beginning
of the nineteenth century.
In the fourth century BCE,
Heraclitus believed that the cosmos is in a ceaseless state of flux
and motion and said that the earth moves like a wheel on its own
axis. When Nicolas Copernicus read Heraclitus's statements, it
induced him to make extensive observations of the heavens, from
which he concluded that the earth revolves around the sun.
Copernicus published a treatise from his deathbed in 1543, changing
forever man's conception of his place in the universe. The famous
mathematician, astronomer and physicist, Galileo Galilei
(1564‑1642), substantiated Copernicus's theories when he developed
astronomical telescopes. When Galileo made his results known the
Church imprisoned him for refuting the supposed divine knowledge that
the earth was the centre of the universe, which the Church had
taught for centuries. Galileo also discovered the constancy of the
oscillation of pendulums in space. Sir Isaac Newton (1642‑1727)
derived general laws for mass, force and
acceleration on the basis of absolute values for space and time,
which were considered to be fixed and independent of the person
taking the measurements and independent of the instruments
used.
Albert Einstein (1879‑1955)
based his theories of relativity on the concept that uniform motion
is relative and that the mass, length and time interval of an object
appears to change when it moves relative to the observer. The
differences are of no consequence in everyday experience, but are of
great significance as the speed of light is approached. An object
travelling at 90% of the speed of light would appear to any
stationary observer as having shrunk by more than half, while its
mass would have increased many times and its clock would seem to run
at less than half speed. The concept of time as elapsing or flowing
has led scientists to search for a time‑flux, but none has
been discovered. An interval of time is, in effect, the sum of a
series of discrete instantaneous events. It has been found that time
is affected by gravity, running faster in space ships that are free
from earth's gravity than it does on the earth's surface. Space and
time cannot be considered independently, because when space expands
or shrinks so does time. Gravity is the main force shaping the
galaxies and controlling intergalactic motions, which is reflected
in the theory of relativity as a distortion of the geometry of space
and time, producing a curved elastic space‑time
continuum of finite dimensions.
Time and eternity
It has been argued that the
concept of God transcending time and space is untenable, based on
the assumption that the qualities attributed to God make sense only
if he is continually active in the universe, within the framework of
time. However if God is omnipotent, it is logical to assume that
space and time are coeval with God's existence in a state of
eternity, having neither beginning nor ending. This state of affairs
is more harmonious and easier to comprehend than a spontaneous
creation of everything out of nothing, within a complete void.
Moreover it is quite possible that ours is only one of many diverse
universes, which might have been created for various reasons that as
yet are unfathomable by mere mortals. If indeed there are several
universes, then it seems reasonable to assume that they would not
all have come into existence simultaneously.
Should either or both of these
circumstances prevail, time within our universe would only be
relative in relation to eternity, commencing with the primeval
explosion by which our universe was created. This is comparable with
the situation on earth, because time on earth is only relative in
relation to the time scale of our universe, commencing with the
formation of earth. With all of these factors in mind, it is
entirely conceivable that an omnipotent creator could transcend time
and space in the context of eternity, whilst also pervading our
universe within the framework of our relative time scale. In many
respects this concept is analogous to the theory of relativity and
provides an elegant solution to what otherwise might seem to be
insoluble. In essence, this envisages that God pervades the whole of
creation, whether it is only this universe or many, whilst admitting
the possibility that the soul of man is an extension of the spirit
of God. These are beliefs that have been held by many eminent
philosophers and countless others since the beginning of recorded
history.
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