Transcript of a published teaching by David K. Bernard, transcribed from YouTube. An attributed primary source — not Acts 2:38 Life doctrine text.
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Summary
Summary prepared by Acts 2:38 Life from the transcript below — the preacher’s words follow in full.
The question, and the Bible's silence either way
- This year's offbeat question (in the same slot last year they asked about biblical evidence for aliens): the idea of a multiverse — multiple universes — has gotten publicity through popular culture, and physicists have lent it some credence. Does the Bible say anything that might support it, or is the concept incompatible with the scriptures? His answer up front: the scripture doesn't define it either way — but the discussion is very important for apologetic reasons, and he treats it a little in his book Anchor Point.
- First, the concept itself: by definition, anything we could discover — by telescope, by whatever scientific means of observation — would be part of our universe. So literally we can't know if there is another universe, because if we could, it would be our universe; the idea of multiple universes is somewhat theoretical. Could God have created a million universes? Yes — we don't know about them, and the Bible doesn't tell us. The Bible is not a scientific textbook, and not a compendium of universal knowledge: it does not tell us everything we want to know; it tells us what we need to know — that God created us, we fell to sin, we need to be saved, and God provided a plan of salvation we need to follow. So it's irrelevant to the Bible whether there are aliens or other universes. Does the Bible give any indication there is a multiverse? No. Does it tell us there is in fact not one? No. Could God do it? Yes — maybe in eternity we'll find out, and if there are trillions of other universes, maybe that's part of what keeps us busy for eternity.
Fine-tuning: one number in a narrow margin
- Why has this become a serious discussion? Because people are trying to avoid the existence of God. Scientists of all kinds, including atheists, have discovered that the universe is fine-tuned for human life: there are laws of physics and universal constants — like the speed of light — that are just set, given, not derivable from any scientific equations; they're fundamental, just there. If the universe just came into existence accidentally, you'd think those numbers and laws would be completely random; instead it looks like somebody carefully picked them to make sure human life would be possible.
- His example, from the astronomer he names as Martin Ree — the book Just Six Numbers — explained as simply as he can (he's not a physicist, and his own understanding is limited): an atom's nucleus has protons and neutrons bound together. Protons have positive charge and would repel each other; the strong nuclear force, more powerful than the electrical force, binds them, and neutrons help more protons bind. The number of protons determines the element — one proton is hydrogen, two is helium, and on you build all the elements the universe is made of. That binding force is measured at 0.7. If it were just a hair weaker — 0.6 — it would be too weak: two protons would never stick together, and the whole universe would be atoms of only one proton, just hydrogen; you couldn't have human life. If it were just a little stronger — toward 0.8 — it would be too strong: one proton could never stand alone, so you couldn't have hydrogen — and hydrogen is what we get water from, H2O, and what the stars and the sun are made of, the fuel of the sun. And without water and without a sun, no human life. That one number has to be right in a narrow margin of hundreds or thousands — and that's just one number; there are many, many such numbers.
The odds the scientists themselves concede
- Stephen Hawking's teacher, later his colleague, Roger Penrose — basically an atheist or agnostic — said somehow evolution can't explain why all these numbers fell into place. In his book, he works through a detailed scientific calculation: if a Creator — his phrase, for lack of a better term — were choosing among all possible universes at random, the odds his dart would hit the particular universe that supports human life are 10 to the 123rd power: one followed by 123 zeros, a number too big to name — more than all the particles in the universe. Penrose isn't even sure there is a Creator; he's stating the problem: we can't explain why this universe existed; it's fantastically, inconceivably improbable that it could just accidentally happen.
- Other calculations differ but are the same kind of number: one physicist puts the odds at 10 to the 50th power; the Christian philosopher Alvin Plantinga at 10 to the 100th. All numbers too big to comprehend, all saying the same thing: for all these constants and laws to fall into place for human life is incredibly improbable. And scientists know how to treat such odds: if something happened at odds of one in a trillion, a physicist would say it didn't happen — there must be an error in the observation — because the more likely explanation is human error, human intervention, or somebody planned it. So the logical explanation of our universe's improbability: somebody planned it — that is, God.
The multiverse move — and its two problems
- Here is the logic of the multiverse, the philosophers' way around it: there can't be a God; it has to be random. How to explain the odds? If there are a trillion universes, then at one-in-a-trillion odds, one of them will support human life — no Creator needed, just a gazillion universes. Two problems. First, it's not one in a trillion: by the numbers given, it's one in 10 to the 50th, or 100 zeros, or 123 zeros — are there really that many universes, an uncountable number? Second, the origin problem only grows: if you're having a hard time explaining how one universe came to be randomly, how do you explain how a gazillion universes came to be randomly? That's even more mind-boggling.
- So the multiverse, to him, is so far-fetched that it's not really created for scientific purposes — it's mainly created for apologetic purposes: to deny the existence of God.
What infinity does to everything — and his close
- And there's something else weird about it: with almost an infinite number of universes and infinite time, literally anything can happen. The people who sincerely believe this will say: given the universes, there are chances that in one of them you — he turns to the host by name, Jonathan Moore — evolved, but with blonde hair and blue eyes, speaking French. And Shakespeare evolved and wrote all his writings except one sentence was different: an infinite number of Shakespeares, all one sentence off. With these mind-numbing statistics, literally anything can happen — and then what does it mean to be human? What does personality mean, or free will? If in another universe I decide to be a Mormon, who is that other person — is that me, or somebody else? Once you start throwing infinity in, you make a mockery of human existence, and free will, and ultimately of God.
- His final position: he wouldn't rule out that God has created other universes — hopefully we'll find out in eternity. But the people promoting the multiverse are promoting it primarily because they just can't stand the idea that God could have actually created one universe compatible with human life. We need to call them out on that: if your theory is true, it still requires God to make it happen.
Transcript
I would say the scripture doesn't Define it either way but I think this is a very important disc discussion for apologetic reasons and I do discuss it a little bit in my book Anchor Point so let me explain first of all this concept is the idea that there are multiple universes so if you think about it carefully by definition anything we could discover is in our universe so anything we could discover by a telescope by uh whatever scientific means of observation by definition that would be part of our universe so literally then we can't know if there is another Universe because if we could it would be our universe so the idea of multiple universes is is somewhat theoretical uh and so why would there even be this other than the idea of science science fiction now let me just hasten to add could God have created a million universes yes we don't know about them uh so the Bible doesn't tell us about and by the way the Bible is not a scientific textbook moreover the Bible is not a compendium of universal knowledge it does not tell us everything we want to know it tells us what we need to know so what it tells us that God created us we felled to sin need to be saved and God provide a Plan of Salvation and all of us need to follow God's plan so that's what the Bible tells us so it's irrelevant if there are aliens or if there are other universes so the Bible's not going to be talking about stuff like that so does the bible give us any indication that there is a Multiverse no does the bible tell us there is in fact not a Multiverse no could God do it yes um maybe in eternity we'll find out and if there are trillions of other universes maybe that's part of what's going to keep us busy for eternity you know but the reason why this actually has become a serious discussion is people are trying to avoid the existence of God so here's what it boils down to which I describe in Anchor points scientists of all kind including atheists have discovered that the universe is fine-tuned for human life what that means is there are number of laws of physics and there are number of constants Universal constants like the speed of light for example that are just set they're given uh you can't you can't derive them from any scientific equations they're fundamental just they're there and so you would think if the universe just came into existence accidentally that these numbers and these laws would be completely random but instead it seems it looks like somebody carefully picked them to make sure that human life would be possible so I'll give you an example from astronomer Martin Ree he wrote a book just six numbers and he says and this is going to get a little technical so I'll try to explain it as simple as I can number one because I want the audience understand number two because my understanding is limited as well I'm not a physicist okay um but the the U if you know just a little bit basic about physics that an atom the nucleus of atom has protons and neutrons that are bound together well protons have positive charge so for two protons to be together they would repel each other so there has to be some force and there's something called the strong nuclear force that's more powerful than the electrical force so the electrical force will repel them but the strong nuclear force would combine them also they're in the nucleus of the atom there're neutrons which are as don't have a charge but they are helpful in having more protons bind together why is that important because the number of protons determines the elements so if you have if an atom has one proton it's hydrogen if it has two protons it's helium and on and on you build all the elements that the whole universe is made of is based on adding more protons so you have to have this Force to pull them together so Mark grees uses a he says I don't know what the measurement means but he says this force that binds the protons and neutrons together in atom is 0.7 he says if it was just a little weaker 0.6 just a hair weaker it would be too weak and two protons would never stick together so the whole universe would be atoms of only one proton which means the whole universe would just be hydrogen so you couldn't have human life on the other hand if that Force Just a Little Bit Stronger 08 so now we're talking about thousands okay if it's a little stronger it'll be too strong and so one proton could never stand alone it would always immediately be B bound with the second proton so you couldn't have hydrogen well hydrogen of course is what we get water from H2O hydrogen is what the stars and the sun are made of the fuel of the Sun so if you didn't have water and if you didn't have a sun you wouldn't have human life so that one number number has to be right in this narrow margin of hundreds or thousands if was a little off we couldn't exist well that's just one number there are many many such numbers so you mentioned Stephen Hawking uh his teacher and later his colleague that worked with him Roger Penrose is basically an atheist or agnostic but he said somehow Evolution can't explain why all these numbers into place so I read his book He's written a couple books they're older now but the emperor's mind uh and the emperor's new mind I think there the names of them but he goes through this detailed scientific calculation to say now if there were and he uses the phrase Creator at for lack of a better term which he says you know if the universe just happened you know if someone just chose the universe have all these um components that would be compatible with human life the odds would be 10 to the 123rd power which that means one followed by 123 zeros it's a number too big for us to name he said to get you give you an idea of how big that is it's more than all the particles in the universe okay so he says that's the odds if a Creator was said all possible universes and the Creator just throwing a dart the odds are are 10 to the 123rd power that his Dart would hit that particular universe that would support human life that so that's his way of describing of course he's not even sure there is a Creator but he's saying here's the problem we can't explain why this universe existed it's fantastically inconceivably incredibly you know improbable that it could just accidentally happen well uh Martin re himself um calculates well he he doesn't I have another physicist Richard Mor Morris calculates that the odds are 10 to the 50th power uh Alvin plantinga who is a a Christian philosopher the odds are 10 to the 100th power so all these are numbers too big for us to comprehend but they're basically saying for all of these different constants and laws to all fall into place to make human life possible it's incredibly improbable so the most logical explanation if you had these odds you know if somebody went to a physicist and said well let's just use the odds of a TR tree to one uh I saw something happen and the odds are one in a trillion well the physicist say well that means it didn't happen that means you had an error in your observation because things that are one in a trillion just don't happen the odds are so inconceivably small the more more likely explanation is there's human error or human intervention or somebody planned this so then the logical thing if the our universe is so incredibly improbable that means somebody planned it I.E god well so the philosophers are trying to get around that they can't deny the facts well let's just use one and a trillion although the numbers I've given you make a trillion look like nothing but so here's the logic of the Multiverse so here's where we're getting to your question so a philosopher says well there can't be a god it has to be accent has to be random how can I explain the odds well if there are a trillion universes then the one in a trillion odds it means yeah one of those universes will support human life of course there's two problems that one it's not one in a trillion it's one depending on who who you listen but one uh 10 to the 50 of power one followed by 50 zeros or 100 zeros or 123 years so are there that many universes if there are that many universes okay the odds are there's going to be one that can support human life so no you don't need a Creator you just need you know a gazillion universes but then that's the second problem is okay you're having a hard time explaining how one Universe came in randomly how do you explain how a gazillion universes came to be randomly that's that's even more mindboggling than than um you know the F the our universe so to me the idea of the Multiverse started by saying well we we have to rule God out of existence so the only way to explain our improbability is say they're multiple universes but first of all that doesn't really do justice to the odds are you really saying they're an uncountable number of universes and second that doesn't solve your ultimate problem of Origins how did those now you have to ask how did those inconceivable number of universes pop into existence uh so that's why I think that the multiverses so far-fetched that it's it's it's not really created for scientific purposes it's mainly created for apologetic purposes to deny the existence of God and here's another thing it's really weird about this if you have what is almost an infinite number of universes that means and you have infinite time that means anything literally can happen so the people that sincerely believe in this they will say well if we all evolved well given an almost infinite number of universes the ch Es are in one of those universes you Jonathan Moore evolved but you evolved to have blonde hair and blue eyes and you evolved to speak French and Shakespeare evolved and he wrote all of his writings except one sentence was different so you know if you have nearly an infinite number of universes you'll have an infinite number of Shakespeare uh sh Shakespeare you know William Shakespeare's and they'll all be you know one sentence off off you know so if if you think about that with these mind numbing statistics literally Anything Can Happen given a near infinite number of times an infinite number of years and so then that least are crazy things what does it mean to be a human what it means to have personality what does it mean to have free will if in Another Universe I decide to be a Mormon you know what does that make me you know who is that other person in that other universe is that me or is that somebody else and of course once you start playing those games when you start throwing infin Infinity in there you just make a mockery of human existence and Free Will and U and of course ultimately God so while I wouldn't rule out that God has created other universes we hopefully we'll find out in eternity the people that are promoting it are promoting it primarily because they just can't stand the idea that God could have actually created one Universe compatible with human life and so I think we need to call them out out on that to say if your theory is true it still requires God to make it happen