Why does Christianity (and other faith-based groups) claim quantum mechanics backs up their religion?
I am a physics major and as of yet, I have seen nothing in quantum mechanics to either refute or justify Christianity. In a way, quantum mechanics is a jigsaw puzzle that physicists are trying to piece together and there are spaces still left empty. I’m hearing from some religious groups that these "spaces" are empty because only an act of God can be the explanation. However, couldn’t it be that the "space" is filled in with something like an undiscovered elementary particle or something? Or perhaps that part of quantum theory is just wrong? Why do various groups try to use quantum mechanics to either refute or justify God’s existence when it really seems to do neither?
FINALLY AN INTELLIGENT QUESTION ON HERE – THANK YOU!
I have seen the What The Bleep movie (have you?). I haven’t personally heard Xtians use QM/P to justify their version of reality. What I’ve heard is scientists saying that the mere fact that things you’d think would be provable are not provable, and that in itself brings into question the genesis of our universe and the force behind it. I think they answer the question of life with a question – that we’ll never know the answer to, but the inquiry is fascinating and we keep learning that we don’t know as much as we think we do. Reality is not as real and solid as we assume.
September 29th, 2009 at 7:08 am
First, you say "Christianity", then you say "various groups".
For someone studying physics, maybe you should be a little more exact about what you are talking about.
I have never heard of Christianity, as a whole, saying anything about quantum theory.
The few things I have seen were in one or two magazines, that were claiming to fend off attacks on Christianity by theorists that used the quantum theories as fact.
If you provided references for your claims, maybe this could go farther.
Nobody knows exactly how the universe started, but Christians accept what the Bible says – that God created it. For many, this is the only explanation they will ever need.
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September 29th, 2009 at 7:15 am
it’s called the ‘god of the gaps’ scenario, or ‘god in the gaps’ – basically, as knowledge encroaches, religion is forced into the holes in between
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September 29th, 2009 at 8:03 am
because they’ve got nothing else to back themselves up with
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September 29th, 2009 at 8:18 am
I don’t know about others, but when I hear anything about quantum mechanics, it just makes me say, "Wow!" The beauty and complexity of our universe makes me want to thank Someone.
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September 29th, 2009 at 8:56 am
the kingdom of God is like a grain of mustard seed.
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September 29th, 2009 at 9:35 am
It’s called gap worship and in a few decades they will all be hailing St. Nuetrino.
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September 29th, 2009 at 10:14 am
hmm, well, any god living in the margins of science has its days numbered.
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September 29th, 2009 at 10:50 am
Yeah, there’s nothing there to support religion or pseudoscience – I think they keep calling on it because they figure no one actually understands it. Now that more people have studied it, they’re resorting to string theory instead.
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September 29th, 2009 at 11:05 am
FINALLY AN INTELLIGENT QUESTION ON HERE – THANK YOU!
I have seen the What The Bleep movie (have you?). I haven’t personally heard Xtians use QM/P to justify their version of reality. What I’ve heard is scientists saying that the mere fact that things you’d think would be provable are not provable, and that in itself brings into question the genesis of our universe and the force behind it. I think they answer the question of life with a question – that we’ll never know the answer to, but the inquiry is fascinating and we keep learning that we don’t know as much as we think we do. Reality is not as real and solid as we assume.
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September 29th, 2009 at 11:12 am
So does Ford make the Quantum or is that some foreign jobby.??
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September 29th, 2009 at 11:29 am
Quantum theory contains remarkable internal inconsistencies that defy logic even to those (I do not include myself) who come as close as one can to understanding it. It must seem to believers as if the apparent impossibility of a reconciliation between quantum theory and relativity is the "mystery" of God. Well, once upon a time rainbows were a mystery of god. The fact is that quantum theory is experimentally verifiable with staggering accuracy. The predictions of quantum theory will provide, for instance, the exact distance from the east coast to the west coast of the USA to the nearest micrometer. It is the predictions of quantum theory that enable your computer to function and for any microprocessor device to work. They are not fully understood but they work consistently. So believers are indulging in their god of the gaps, as ever. You would think god, if he existed, would have better things to do than to enable a piece of equipment to fuction that could download porn. Rather, quantum theory says something important about the nature of the universe and its physical laws that we do not yet fully understand. God provides no answers here.
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September 29th, 2009 at 11:40 am
And I have never heard another religion claim Quantum Mechanics backed up anything. I believe you are just making things up to confuse people and stir up controversy. Get real will you.
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September 29th, 2009 at 12:15 pm
Christianity is a ‘theory’ just as quantum mechanics is a ‘theory’.
Both christianity and quantum mechanics are understood but not evidenced. It backs up their religion becuase it too is a religion.
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September 29th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
The non-existant/existant thing fits in nicely with some schools of Buddhist philosophy.
Judaism has always updated its teachings rather than just throwing out the out-dated ones. It makes for a dynamic tradition and keeps the entire history and debate intact. Aryeh Kaplan is doing just that with cosmology and Genesis. In a generation or two, someone else will incorporate quantum physics. It’s not about ‘proving’ anything, it’s how we keep our religion vital and respect our past and how we got here.
That approach is a crucial difference between Christianity and Judaism. Much of Christianity is more inclined to adapt facts to suit its beliefs rather than grow to include new data or changing conditions.
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September 29th, 2009 at 12:37 pm
Because they are grasping at straws, anything to justify their position.
When you are on a sinking ship, you grab at anything to stay afloat. Spin doctors know how to make people think that anything will justify their position.
You are not wrong. They are just trying, again, and again, and again, to try to prove themselves right.
Very insecure, aren’t they. Logic and reason do not apply here, so don’t worry, you are ok.
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September 29th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
They are always just looking for examples of where science falls short so they can justify beliefs that have no concrete proof or basis in reality. It is much better to just throw a bag over your head and not even try to figure out how the world around you actually works.
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September 29th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
if you have to scramble to get pieces to fit, then have to make them fit somehow, then maybe the pieces don’t really make something.
For people who say atheism is not a religion, this is a perfect example of why it is. When they don’t have the answer, they *trust* that science will give them the answer eventually. Also, it never occurs to them that these facts will be disproved down the road, as they have so many times before.
I agree that neutral information should not be used by anyone to try and prove anything. But it does give the theist hope that science is not as ironclad as evolutionsts like to think.
Also, for the Christian who believes in the God of the Torah, it is much more important to believe Who did it and not how it happened. It is for us to trust the God spoke it and it happened. That is what makes God all powerful, that His spoken voice commanded elements into existence.
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September 29th, 2009 at 1:56 pm
Quantum mechanics supports two important thoughts in Buddhism:
1. There is no fundamental essence to any object.
2. All matter is empty.
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