WHAT IF…?

The NY Times has an article today on the possible existence of Jesus's burial tomb, with bones, leading to the troubling (for some) conclusion that there was no resurrection. 

That got us to thinking about what if science could prove or disprove the existence of the almighty? 

Let's leave out our Christian brethren and wish them a Happy Easter and ponder this cosmological question: When and how did the universe begin? (Yes, its a big question that has preoccupied most of Stephen Hawking's life, but now Rumpole is involved, so we will make short shrift of the issue). 

The Bible says right after the initial creation that the earth was "unformed and void"  and that "darkness was on the face of the deep" and that the spirit of the lord "hovered over the face of the waters." If you hear the words spoken in the original text, there is a stark, poetic beauty to the description of nothingness. 

 Interesting to note that the Genesis story of creation says "how", but not "why?" Is the answer to the second contained in the answer to the first? If the universe was created randomly and emerged from the big-bang, and we can learn the physics of the how, then the answer to why is "no reason really, it just happened." Not a pleasant thought.  

The Penrose-Hawking singularity theorems postulate that at the beginning, the universe was a singularity, followed by an intense period of heat for the smallest amount of time imaginable- indeed as time was just beginning to be time- and then  a big bang followed by an observable cooling of the universe. Since we know the universe cooled, we know (probably) there was a superheating and a big-bang. 
  
Now we know that you are all saying: "Just wait a doggone moment Rumpole!  Quantum mechanics (the study of very small things) does not permit particles to inhabit a space smaller than their wavelengths and thus the big-bang cannot be correct." 

Of course that  is the rub- the search for the unifying theory of general and special relativity (the operation of space, time and spacetime- really big things, and quantum mechanics, the operation of really small stuff.  Right now, both theories cannot co-exist, and if we didn't have a killer schedule of briefs and trials through the end of the summer, we might turn out attention to this conundrum and help resolve it. But alas the 11th circuit is stingy with extensions, so we have a lot of writing ahead of us. 

But what if the question can be answered? What if there is something before singularity? What if in the explanation of the big-bang and in the unifying theory of physics and cosmology the hand of the Almighty is seen and accounted for to describe the indescribable. In short, what if science could prove the existence of g-d? 

Quite frankly, we'd rather that didn't happen. It's difficult enough to live in a world in which religious fanatics foreign and domestic try and exert their will on what they think the Lord wants. From pizza parlors in Indiana that do not what to serve homosexuals, to Muslim fundamentalist that behead christians, we've had quite enough of religion's influence on our life. 

So we will not continue in our cosmological endeavors. We do not want to know. If the universe is merely a random occurrence, then life is meaningless and death is a very depressing thought. 

If on the other hand there is a spirit that was once upon the darkness and the void, then what did Kentucky do to deserve the wrath of the Almighty  by losing to Wisconsin Saturday night? Did the Lord's bracket need Wisconsin and Duke in the finals? 

 In short, a world without faith- in which our creator is knowable, sounds very unappealing. G-d forbid he turns out to be a rabid Wisconsin fan. And the consequences for the NFL are too difficult to contemplate. We'd much prefer to believe Belichick has sold his soul to the devil than know that on Sundays the number one fan wears a Patriots Jersey.  

What about polyester and plaid? QVC and quinoa? Hialeah branch court and the Fast and the Furious movie series? Can we really reconcile Fast & Furious 7 and an all-knowing,  all powerful creator?

 The words "oy-vey" come to mind. 

Happy Easter. Happy Passover. 
See You In Court.