religious belief and science

[kryptic]

First off, I'm an atheist.
I see no good reason to believe in some 'higher' power.
Religion to me is goblydegook, superstition and nothing more.
However,
I cannot wrap my head around the idea that nothing created nothing and that nothing (that was not created) became something.And that something, (that came from nothing) became something. (IE, the universe).
What am I missing?
Maybe its faith? (only half kidding here)
Just cant get it.

[Twirls]

... but where did that something come from?

[scotman]

I agree with Trimeresurus. Why should there ever have been a time when there was nothing.

[kryptic]

scotsman, so there was always something?
Thats NOT what I hear from physists

[kryptic]

Trim, where did this eternal 'something' come from?

[Arti]

From what I can gather, the consensus, amongst the 'white coats', is that before the start of the universe, there was nothing...not even time.

[scotman]

A few hundred years ago the consensus was that the earth was the centre of the universe.

[jno]

time was created along with space by the big bang, so there's no such thing as 'before the big bang'. As to how something came from nothing, believers say God did it; scientists don't, but they haven't produced an alternative explanation as far as I know.

[kryptic]

Arti
then how could nothing produce errrrr time?

[kryptic]

///A few hundred years ago the consensus was that the earth was the centre of the universe. // AND?

[jno]

on behalf of scotman: AND that demonstrates scientists aren't always right.

[kryptic]

Isnt belief in quantum physics the same as belief in religion?

[jno]

I don't know; I am neither a theologian nor a physicist. You need someone like jake-the-peg, but I haven't seen him here for a while.

[beso]

kryptic: // Isnt belief in quantum physics the same as belief in religion? //

No. Quantum Mechanics describes everything were see until we reach large scales where we become aware of Gravitation and General Relativity takes over as the dominant paradigm.

Religion doesn't explain anything. Its central paradigm is "God works in mysterious ways".

[Zabadak]

There are currently many theories to explain the existence of something rather than nothing, some of which we won't be able to test until we get a really BIG hadron collider and start our own universes. I would't worry about it, if I were you. Just enjoy life until you turn back into nothing yourself - now that IS hard to contemplate!

[chakka35]

jno, when scientists do provide an explanation it won't be an alternative one because there has been no explanation at all so far.
Saying <God did it> explains nothing. Might as well say <Cinderella's fairy godmother did it>.
Patience is what we need.

[Arti]

Kryptic: <then how could nothing produce errrrr time?>
Dunno.

[Arti]

Trime: time was here a long time before man. The MEASUREMENT of it was thought-up by man......and Sekonda

[jomifl]

Time is inextricably bound to matter and space. There was no 'before' because there was no time before matter. That means that god had no time to create the universe so it must have existed before god, therefore god could not have created it.