Hi, searcher of truth,
This week, we will think about a fundamental topic. What's your standpoint on God? This question shapes your belief system, if you have one.
In this newsletter, I'm sharing my definition of the unknown infinite, or god. I am offering a different perspective.
Remember, we're all part of the same infinite substance, whether we are aware of it or not.
I am trying to encourage critical thinking about this profound subject.
Take care, and don't forget to share the knowledge.
Till next week’s edition!
Greetings,
Adriaan
Is There a god?
Philosophy, religions, and science are my tools when trying to prove my point with the most logical conclusion. It is a simple explanation for the proof of the existence of god.
There is no empirical proof and never will be. However, there is a reasonable affirmative conclusion regarding the existence of god. It is more likely that god exists than that it does not exist.
What is God?
A description of god based on philosophy, religions, and science.
A human states that god is infinity and love. Some people believed it, and they created religion A.
Another human claims God is love and is omnipotent. There are some people who feel love in their hearts when listening to the words this person chooses to explain God. They believed it and created religion B.
Another declares that god is the greatest thing in existence and is pure love.
People felt it in their hearts and created religion C.
And so on. There are 4500 religions practiced on this planet today. Human beings have created over 100000 different religions in the past.
These three people in this example lived in different periods of time, with different languages and different cultures.
They had no apparent relation to each other. But, if you dig to the core, they all had the same basic message. What is the one message they all have in common?
The infinity problem:
Infinity does not exist in our universe. It is impossible. Let me simply explain. Our universe started with the big bang, approximately 14 billion years ago. The biggest measurable distance, in theory, would be the limit of our observable universe. This boundary is calculable. It is the space traveled by light, at the speed of light, from the big bang until now. Our observable universe.
The speed of light is the fastest speed achievable inside the universe. This speed is 300000 kilometers per second. Quick. To illustrate: the light from the sun travels to Earth in approximately 8 minutes.
The calculable theoretical maximum limit of our observable universe is: Time of first light multiplied by speed of light = Observable universe. (14.000.000.000.000 X (300000 x 60 x 60 x 24 x 365) = 1,324512 x 10e26 Km)
The result is an impossible to comprehend number of kilometers. This number is impressively large, and still expanding by 300000 km each second, but is not infinite. It has a limit. Our observable universe is not infinite.
I am not saying that this is the limit of the universe, but rather, the limit of our observable universe. What we can observe and measure. I will explain the difference between the observable universe and the infinite universe with an example.
For this experiment, we have two cars. One is fast, and can go at a maximum constant speed of 180. And, the second is slow, having a maximum constant speed of 100.
When those two cars move from one point in the same direction, you understand that the fastest one is always moving faster and further.
You know that if you are in the slow car, you will never pass the fast one. Even if you spend the rest of your life driving the slow car, you will never travel as far as the fast car. It is impossible.
The expansion of the universe, resulting from the Big Bang, is still happening at a faster speed than the speed of light.
We know that the universe is much larger than our possibility of observing it, and that the speed of light is limiting our observable universe.
There is something in the universe that is larger than our observable universe. We will never know what it is or looks like. I call it the “infinite universe”.
You can argue that the infinite universe does not exist because there is no empirical evidence.
But without the infinite universe, our observable universe would not exist.
The only possibility of infinity:
Only one infinite substance can exist. If two infinities existed, they would meet at some point, creating a limit. They would limit each other.
It is impossible that more than one infinity could occur.
And, as I showed you before, infinity does not exist in our observable universe.
The only infinity that could exist is something that existed before the big bang.
This is the only "substance", in theory, that is infinite.
This "unknown substance" is infinite because it is not measurable to us.
We cannot prove, using the scientific method, that this "unknown substance" existed before the big bang. And, we can never prove it, never.
This "unknown substance" is what I call God or "a creating force". People call it Jehovah, Allah, Krishna, Bhagavān, Ik Onkar, supreme being, the creator, the unifying force, lord, the infinity, divine entity, supreme force, the source of everything, the source of life.
There are almost infinite names for it.
No, it is not accurate: there could be 8 billion different names for god. One for each person on earth. We will never know the real name of God, because God is infinite.
We can only understand our perception of God. What we choose to call it is just a label created by humans to share their knowledge. I like to use different names for the infinite.
The more labels you use and understand, the more accurate your perception of the infinite becomes.
Humanity will need to agree that only one God exists.
And, they are free to decide how to communicate and interact with it if they want.
A religion is a tool to understand god. To become a better human.
The moment someone has a problem with another person, because of how they look, feel or think, that is their problem.
We should not be allowed to use a personal perception of God as an excuse to discriminate against or oppress someone else.
People who corrupt the concept of god for their own benefit eventually find out when they die that they were wrong. But, it is too late for the people they have oppressed and taken advantage of.
Exist or not to exist:
A possibility of infinity, which monotheist religions claim god is, can be found before the Big Bang.
Only two options exist: God does not exist or God exists.
Other options are impossible. If god does not exist, that means that all religions are a product of imagination.
But religions are real. They exist.
People find special meaning and guidance in the teachings of the sacred texts, and so do I.
It is impossible to create something from nothing.
Every scientist will tell you this. You need something to transform it into something else. Always.
Our observable universe could not have been created from nothing. There must have been something before our universe, an "unknown substance."
What existed before our universe is impossible to prove using the scientific method, but the most logical conclusion is that something was there before. Simple.
This, to us infinite, "unknown substance" is infinite, or god, or what you choose to call it.
This logical thinking is the first point of my proof that god exists.
Proof of god using modern science
What modern science can prove is that an unknown substance exists in our universe. We know that this "unknown substance" exists through the use of calculations and logic.
Dark matter and dark energy: scientists call it dark because they have no clue what it is. Dark matter and dark energy, or an "unknown substance," exists in the universe.
Dark matter and dark energy comprise 95% of the universe.
We are only aware of 5% of our universe.
If you define god as an "unknown substance" creating our universe, then, the existence of an "unknown substance" in our universe can also be interpreted as proof of god in our universe.
We can presume our universe is like a bubble, where we exist.
To us, in this bubble defined and limited by the speed of light, it is impossible to know what was before our bubble, what encircles it, or what will be after this bubble.
Picture in your head a soap bubble.
This bubble can only exist if it floats in air. It is impossible for a bubble to exist in a room without air, in a vacuum. The bubble would not be able to form.
A bubble always needs a substance to encircle it. A bubble requires internal and external forces to keep its shape and place.
This is the most logical conclusion: it is impossible that our universe floats in nothing; therefore, there must be something.
Nothing cannot exist.
This "unknown substance" that exists, is god or whatever label you choose to give it.
Conclusion:
Philosophy can prove, using logic, that something, existed before the creation of our universe.
This "unknown substance" also exists beyond the limits of our universe.
Modern science can prove something unknown to us exists in our universe. This "unknown substance" is called dark matter and dark energy.
It is logical to reason that the unknown substance that existed before the big bang, is the same unknown substance that exists outside the limits of the unknown universe.
And, what scientists call dark matter and dark energy, is probably the same unknown substance, or connected to it.
This unknown substance, which will continue to exist after our universe implodes, can also be called eternal.
Everything is only one substance: outside the unknown universe, but also inside the universe.
We, as humans, only see, know, and understand 5% of the universe. The rest is a mystery to us. Maybe someday we will increase our observations to 10%.
However, there will always be something larger than us that we cannot comprehend.
And, we will never, in all of human existence, find out. It is impossible.
We can only understand the design of our observable universe.
Our bubble of existence.
We can understand the creation of god, but god itself we will never understand.
Modern science increases our knowledge about the unknown, expanding our awareness of human existence in this "unknown substance" that we call the universe (or god).
Religions give guidance on how to interact with the unknown on a personal level.
Philosophy helps you discover, through critical thinking and reasoning, your own conclusions.
I came to this conclusion while being an atheist. If I were not, I could never think and act freely.
My research made me change my mind.
My problem is that I don't know how to define myself anymore. I am not a religious person because I believe nothing I can't prove or reason about. I believe nothing, at least, that is my belief, I reason…
This is not a belief: god exists.
It is the most logical conclusion if you look at how the universe functions with an open mind, using all the knowledge available from philosophy, religions, and science.
My knowledge of the human condition brings me peace and understanding.
For me, it is knowledge, even if I don't have empirical proof.
There is always one most likely possible logical explanation. I understand God as a system working outside and inside our universe, interconnected with every single life form on this planet. God is infinite and without name.
I am an infinitely small part of god, and god is an infinitely large part of me.
I am nothing special, every human is basically the same, but I am aware of it.
Labels and names are created by humans using their words when they communicate their experience of the infinite to each other.
I hope you understand this simple logical explanation and the reason I say:
"I don't believe in god, I know it exists."
Beyond Belief: The Benefits of Logical Faith
In my quest for peace of mind and emotional stability, I have studied all existential questions about the meaning and purpose of life. Traditional faith asks for belief without evidence, leaving me with doubts, not logical thinking, and therefore questions. But what if we could transform faith from belief to knowledge based on science?
I approach the concept of God's existence not as a blind faith but as a logical conclusion derived from scientific evidence and philosophical reasoning. What I call "logical faith" is a shift that is incredibly liberating.
Using philosophy, religions, and science as instruments to find the existence of God, I have built a foundation for my worldview.
I am no longer trapped in uncertainty but empowered by understanding. This knowledge, that there's a greater purpose and order in the universe, helps me answer the existential questions about our place in it.
Our observable universe, vast as it is, has limits. The limits of the speed of light. But something infinite must exist beyond—an "unknown substance." That is my definition of god. This deduction provides a basis for reasoned faith.
Logical faith encourages me to explore and understand my beliefs deeply. My place in the universe, engaging in critical thinking as long as I live, and therefore reasoning to temporary conclusions. I like this process; it gives me intellectual satisfaction and emotional security.
The idea is to find a well-reasoned understanding of existence. The best possible one!
We're all part of the same god, or substance, regardless of how you call it or whether you believe in it.
This universal connection, life, when understood logically, brings a profound sense of peace.
You are no longer an isolated individual in a meaningless universe, but an integral, small part of an infinite, interconnected whole.
This knowledge strengthens my spiritual conviction that I am my soul and not my body. It enhances my mental and emotional well-being by providing clear, reasoned answers to life's biggest questions. It allows me to say with confidence, "I don't believe in God; I know it exists, and I am a part of it."
This logical thinking, or faith, offers me the best of both worlds: the comfort and purpose of the spiritual essence of life, combined with the clarity and assurance of philosophical reasoning and scientific inquiry about the universe we live in. It's a system for a complete outlook on life, grounded in both faith and reason. Spirituality living in a materialized universe created of energy.
It gives me a sense of peace!
11 quotes about god
When Wisdom and Words Unite, Art Takes Form.
Coincidence is god’s way of remaining anonymous. | Albert Einstein
God has given you one face, and you make yourself another. | William Shakespeare
The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and god. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be. | Anne Frank
The blame is his who chooses: god is blameless. | Plato
Whosoever is delighted in solitude is either a wild beast or a god. | Aristotle
Woman is a ray of god. She is not that earthly beloved: she is creative, not created. | Rumi
If triangles had a god, they would give him three sides. | Montesquieu
I am at peace with God. My conflict is with man. | Charlie Chaplin
A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. | Albert Einstein
Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them. | Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
Whatsoever is, is in god, and without god nothing can be, or be conceived. God is the indwelling, and not the transient cause of all things. | Baruch Spinoza, Ethics (1677)
In Conclusion: Your Next Steps
I've shared my thoughts on god, logic, and the infinite. Now it's your turn to investigate.
Think about what you've read. Does it fit with your beliefs? Challenge them? Good. That's the point.
Now, go deeper. Think and learn about infinity, dark matter, and dark energy.
You'll start seeing links between science and the infinite. that will surprise you. Talk to people about this.
Have real conversations about existence.
We're all part of the same thing, even if we see it differently. That is our egos, or mental constructs, but we all feel the infinite, or misterius, in our hearts in the same way.
Look for the mysterious in your life.
It's there, whether you call it God or not. You are connected. Knowing this and experiencing it might change how you live.
Question everything I've said. Don't just take my word for it. Think critically and investigate. Try to feel it. That's how you'll truly understand it.
I want you to think, question, and find your own path. Whether you agree with me or not, that doesn't matter. What matters is that you keep exploring.
So, keep searching. Keep asking questions. Keep growing. That's what being part of the infinite is all about: the infinite universe, and your infinite soul.
Until next time, stay curious and keep seeking your truth.
We will continue our Philosophy Odyssey every week.
If this newsletter made you think, share it with someone you know it would appreciate it.
And, if you like to read some short blog entries you can find me on Medium.
Take care,
With love,
Adriaan