[Condorman]

Let's keep this our little secret, but I still consider this ["before the BB"] to be a very open question. As a practical matter (whatever that may mean in this context) Physicist's answer is quite sufficient. But at some level, which is probably more psychological than cosmological, it fails to satisfy.

Oh, I quite agree. If I understand things correctly, we are not privy to any evidence about the state of things prior to the BB. I personally believe that any theory we come up with is equally likely as any other answer, and that's where faith steps in to lend a hand.

But as far as we puny humans are concerned, natural history started at the Big Bang.

[mvpel]

Oh, I quite agree. If I understand things correctly, we are not privy to any evidence about the state of things prior to the BB.

Ancient Jewish theological pondering drew this same conclusion from the shape of the first letter in the Torah, the "bet" in "b'reishit" - it is closed off to the right, and open to the left, the direction of the rest of the text:

The first letter is in the upper-right corner, and is read from right to left.