In an earlier post, we explored some of the prevailing theories for the origin of the universe. There is one other theory that attempts to explain away the need for God as Creator. It’s known as the Multiverse Theory. Let’s take a critical look and see if it holds up.
First, a little background: Physicists acknowledge that our universe seems “custom tailored” to support life. In fact, there are a number of factors present in our universe that have come together in just the right ways to enable life.
For example, the force of gravity is just the right strength. If it was weaker, then galaxies and solar systems would never have formed. If gravity was stronger, then stars would have been too dense, causing them to burn through their fuel more quickly and “killing” them before life could develop. At the subatomic level, if protons were just 0.2 % heavier than they are, then atoms would not hold together and matter as we know it could not exist.
However, in our universe, these and a host of other factors seem fine-tuned to support life. Scientists acknowledge this. They also acknowledge that the odds against all these factors being “just right” in one universe are beyond astronomical. It’s all basically an impossible coincidence. Either, the universe was created by some intelligent force, or there is some other reason for all of this besides sheer, unimaginable luck.
Enter the Multiverse Theory. At its core, this theory says that our universe isn’t the only one. It says that all of reality must consist of many universes, perhaps trillions of them, all governed by random combinations of physical laws. In some universes, gravity is too strong. In others, it’s too weak. In yet others, there’s too much matter, or not enough, or protons are too light…or too heavy. The argument basically says that if you throw random letters on a page enough times, eventually, one of those times it will end up—just from sheer chance—as a page straight out of Shakespeare. Because we are here talking about it, then our universe must have been the lucky one.
There are a few problems with this theory. First, it refers to possible universes outside of our own that are governed by different and unknowable laws of physics. Therefore, we cannot observe those universes. We cannot test, prove, or disprove the theory. This takes it out of the realm of science and makes it as much (or more) an article of faith as any religious belief. So, if a proponent of this theory argues that he is combatting religion with science, then he does not understand science. In reality, he’s combatting religion with…religion.
Another key problem: The Multiverse Theory does not even attempt to address the question of origins. Again, what got this universe (or these universes) started in the first place? Because we are here, existing in time and space, it is obvious that this universe is not eternal. It had a beginning and it will have an end. This theory does not answer the question of how it all started.
Also, the Multiverse Theory is self-defeating. It basically attempts to explain the existence of one “impossible” universe by positing the existence of perhaps trillions more.
The Multiverse Theory is fatally flawed and it is not science in any sense. Science is a wonderful discipline and the mechanism by which we understand our universe. I believe that the more we learn through science, the more people will see that it is a friend of Christianity. The Multiverse Theory is not science…It represents an attempt to explain away the notion of an intelligent Creator by any means necessary.
Image Attribution: By NASA, ESA, Harald Ebeling (University of Hawaii at Manoa) & Jean-Paul Kneib (LAM) (http://www.spacetelescope.org/images/heic1215a/) [CC-BY-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
