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To: Capt. Tom
I am having trouble with uncaused first cause. I believe in the possibility the universe always existed

Logic is a useful tool for finding truth but it doesn't always work everywhere- especially when it goes into this arena.  There's a lot of other neat truth tools that we all use every day (senses, tradition, intuition, pragmatism, etc.) but (like you) I personally have never had much use for the first-cause 'proof'.  Carl Sagan put it well when he we suggested that if all we want it is a first cause, then we can just save ourselves a step and say the 'universe' itself is the first cause.

The problem that I see with time and space is that the concepts are significant only if something is happening.  It gets worse considering the fact that both are relative.  [big word alert-- small words available only upon request]  If our observations are correct, that the course of time slows asymptotically back to the big bang, then we could argue that before the big bang time went backwards (?!). 

I think I'm going to need more than one cup of coffee this morning before I can think about cause and effect with a reverse time flow.

37 posted on 04/15/2005 5:50:38 AM PDT by expat_panama
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To: expat_panama
I think I'm going to need more than one cup of coffee this morning before I can think about cause and effect with a reverse time flow.

I think addressing the problem is beyond the range and scope of my mental abilities. But I am not going to jump to the conclusion of a supernatural being creating the universe. Actually if I was prone to that type of thinking, I would expect several supernatural beings to be involved and not just one.

I am having a problem right now deciding when I head out on the briny at 5 AM in the dark into that cold easterly wind , whether I should get greedy and make a try for the haddock on the north shoals in 100 feet of water or go directly to the east and fish 240 feet of water where I know the haddock are located.

If I get on them in the shallower water I will get twice as many fish in the boat in the same period of time as fishing the deeper water. I think I can get that problem resolved before daybreak. But supernatural beings and the origin of the universe still stumps me. - tom

39 posted on 04/15/2005 11:20:53 AM PDT by Capt. Tom (Don't confuse the Bushies with the dumb Republicans - Capt. Tom)
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