In the Beginning, Pt. 1
In the beginning there was NOTHING. The NOTHING is incomprehensible. It is indescribable. It is unimaginable. In the NOTHING there is no time, no space, no existence. There are no gods.
My first of many philosophical questions entered my mind when I was 5 years old. I asked my Mother, "Why is there something instead of nothing?" It sort of took her by surprise, but then she said, "Because God wants it that way." That ended that. How could a 5-year-old argue with God? But that question was stubborn. So stubborn it still haunts me today. Why IS there something instead of nothing?
For some reason, which is beyond our ability to understand (right now anyway), the NOTHING became SOMETHING. It became CHAOS. Space came along with CHAOS because CHAOS needed some place to BE. Time also began with CHAOS because CHAOS isn't static. CHAOS is by definition, constant change, and change can't occur without time. But make no mistake, time is infinite and eternal at this stage.Time is passing because change is occurring, but you can't set your watch by it.
CHAOS is full of infinite possibilities. Random object A bumps into random object B and object C is created. Eventually (in eternal time) a kind of ORDER begins to form. Admittedly, ORDER is a tiny island in the CHAOTIC maelstrom, but ORDER does appear.
As ORDER continues to grow it comes to realize that it isn't alone. Another island (Island B) exists, which is a mirror image of the first island (Island A). It is a second instance of Order, but it's island A's total opposite. Why is Island B so completely different from Island A? Because if they were alike there would only be ONE. So, Island B is the mirrored version of Island A.
Okay, let's drop the "island" analogy and just say Order A and Order B. They are like the two poles of a magnet. Both are instances of Order, but one is positive and the other is negative (this isn't a value judgement it's simply an observation). It is the "tension" between them that produces the BIG BANG, and the Universe begins to take form. The Universe is the manifestation of Order on the background of CHAOS.
Put on your thinking caps. Does this remind you of anything? Is there a tugging feeling of recognition? No? Stay tuned ...
Comments
I’m a Pantheist. Meaning that, 1) I find truth in all religions and philosophies of the world, and 2) I believe that our Universe is “God” and not a creation of “God” (the “” are because what each one of us accepts as “God” differs).
With that being said, I can go on with this particular verse of the New Testament, which is my very favorites for explaining how our Universe came to be.
“Word” is the translation of the Greek word “Logos” which doesn’t give it any justice at all. “Logos” with a capital “L” is the Divine Logic/Mind/Spirit/Will. In this particular verse, Logos is literally the Divine Idea that became the Universe. Therefore, in the beginning there was only the Idea of Existence. And the Idea became Existence, on it’s own. How amazingly poetic is that?!
What’s really interesting, is that this concept agrees with the latest theory of how our Universe was created, according to Quantum Physics.
Anyway, there are insanely many books and essays and thesis for what “Logos” is and what this particular verse of John means. I just offered my own synopsis and hope you find it interesting.
:)