Canem Malum,

Nothing = Nothing

What I think people who say the universe could have come from nothing are actually telling you that they don't know what the Universe came from so they just say it was nothing = something they cannot identify. In other words they don't have an answer but don't want to look stupid by saying they don't have an answer so why not say something like nothing but two nothings don't make a something. How does that sound?

PS Are you aware that science cannot discover the origin of the Universe? This can be proven using philosophy. (And don't even bother about looking for it in religion unless you are content to stop thinking full stop!)

Mr Opinion- We could call this the Julie Andrews view. ;)

Mr Opinion- Take a look at Bell's Theorem- It'll blow your mind.

Canem Malum,

It's things like that that makes me feel good about being a sociologist :)

Mr Opinion: Are you absolutely sure that something cannot come from nothing?

Here's two atheists explaining the problem with that claim, when the claim is taken as an extreme absolute:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDmQINlntJ4

The discussion start at about the 9:45min mark - but the crux of the explanation is at 14:40 to 16mins. The whole discussion from the 9:45min to the end is really entertaining.

Dear Not_Now.Soon,

«Would you care to comment on your thoughts on what makes life worth living in light of both the positive and the negitive spa specks of life?»

Well, I did not mention "positive" and "negative", but "desirable" and "undesirable".

The question whether life is worth living does not arise because we have no choice but to be living. It is a mistake to believe that killing our body can stop us from living. Within this constraint of forever having to live, what we can, if we choose to make the necessary efforts, is to live a more pleasant life, a more successful life, a more righteous life, and ultimately, a life free of limitations, in God, with God, as God.

---

Regarding the discussion on God's creation, the reality is much more subtle and would require a careful long study, but to begin with, it is silly to base the truth of how the world came about, on the loosely-translated English word, "created".

The meaning of the word 'Bara' of Genesis 1:1, commonly translated as "created", is being disputed among scholars (http://www.academia.edu/34944151/Separation_and_Creation_in_Genesis_1_and_Psalm_104_A_Continuation_of_the_Discussion_of_the_Verb_%D7%91%D7%A8%D7%90). I shall not attempt to conclude that dispute, but it seems to me that 'Bara' is more along the line of "carved out", or "cleared out, leaving space for", thus "In the beginning, God carved out the heavens and the earth" or "In the beginning, God cleared out a space wherein the heavens and the earth could appear".

Regardless, what God actually "did" cannot be reduced to the actions of man. The bible may give us practical, human-palatable explanations, but we cannot hope for words to be able to describe the relationship between God and the world's coming about, any more than an ant trying to understand the philosophical meaning of what I type on a keyboard she walks on.