How was time created, and where did it come from?

I apologize for the confusion -- I initially misread the first reply, and was editing my reply when the last response was made.

Are you saying the universe did not come from anything?  The singularity of the Big Bang Theory supposedly contained everything in existence today, including time.

An eternal, uncreated God who created all that we experience -- time, space, matter, etc... -- is quite rational, after all.  If anything exists, logic requires that something or someone be self-existent.  Otherwise, all that exists would have to be self-created, which is illogical/irrational.  In light of this, I fail to see how believing in an eternal God is not rational.

Thanks for reading and responding.

Is it really that rational?  I used to think the exact same thing, but then I realized something.  If God can be self-existent, and eternal, so can the universe itself.

One of the reasons I see people going towards the idea of a God, is that for something to be self-existent, it needs to exist outside of time.  And of course, we are told God exists outside of time.  However, despite the fact that time exists inside the universe, the universe as a whole exists outside of time.

I know, it sounds odd that the universe can contain time, but be outside of time as well.  But I'm sure you can agree that the properties of a box aren't necessarily the same as what is inside the box.

The problem with using entropy in this method, is that entropy is a property of time, which does have a begining (its the universe in its entirety that doesn't have a beginning). As for Darwinian Evolultion, it doesn't work there since evolution is not a closed system, it is an open system. Think of it like any endo-thermic reaction (like a cold-pack). Entropy inside the system decreases, and entropy outside the system increases.

Entropy decreases with life (and hence, evolution), but where does the energy needed for the decrease in entropy come from? After you follow throw the food chain, you of course see that life gets all of its energy from the sun (in the form of heat and light), and the entropy in the sun increases substantially more then the entropy of life on Earth decreases.

To put it simply, the increase of entropy in the sun, is what powers the decrease in entropy from evolution.

So, in your view, time had a beginning but the universe did not?  You believe time, matter, and space can exist independently?  Well, I can't accept that, or do I find anything in science to support it.

You didn't give an answer to my question regarding belief in an eternal, uncaused, self-existent God being rational, but answered it with the question, "Is it really rational?"  It certainly is rational.  If you disagree, please provide a rational answer.  I think we agree that a self-existent entity must exist if anything exists -- logic demands that.  If we don't agree on that, please explain why not.  Otherwise, the main difference between your athiestic views and my Christian views are in Who/what that entity is.  There are so many other reasons to believe in the one true God, scientific and otherwise, but I won't go into them here.  You may want to look into Information Theory for other uses of the concept of entropy.  I studied it in grad school -- appied to digital comunication, but nonetheless applicable to many other disciplines.  The more I study science, the stronger my faith in God becomes.  In fact, this website and its associates do the same thing.  This is precisely predicted in the Bible, and is most certainly one of the many signs of the times.  I pray that you come to your senses.  One comment I read regarding an unrelated, but anti-Christian video on YouTube stated that the author really hoped that the Rapture would occur soon (though he/she didn't believe in Christ) so the world would be rid of all of those "stupid Christians."  As the old saying goes, "Be careful what you wish for."

It seems that the average age of the members here is somewhere in the mid-twenties.  That puts me at about twice the average.  When I was in my mid-twenties, I wrestled with many of the same issues presented here, but over the years came to a diametrically opposite conclusion.  Maybe in time some here will see the Light.  I certainly pray that that is the case.  Yes, God does answer prayer.  You don't have to believe that, I know, but I know it's true.

Anyway, my time here is up.  Take care.

No. I clearly stated that we can say nothing about the beginning of the universe with the knowledge we now have. Time, however, since it would appear to be a part of the universe, can only exist if the universe exists. Is that really that difficult to understand? I had hope for you being honest, but you are beginning to look like the typical theist I encounter itrying to construct strawmen from my statements.

No. I don't even know how you could have come to that conclusion from anything I wrote. I have no reason to believe such a thing.

Neither do I. Hello...Hello... Is this thing on?

If by god all you mean is something that is eternal uncaused and self existent then it is not irrational. It also is not a god by any definition of god I am familiar with except, perhaps, for Spinoza's "god". I am certain you ascribe more characteristics than that to your god.

Actually logic doesn't 'demand' that, but reason would seem to lead us in that direction. If you know logic to demand such a thing I would be highly interested in seeing the supporting argument. An infinite regress of caused existences, for instance, would preclude this necessity. But, if you think you have the argument to show your self-existent entity as a logical necessity please bring it out and let us have a look.

Where will you go into them? Kind of hard for me to come to realize your god is real if I don't know where you are going to go into the reasons. I especially look forward to the scientific ones.

Let's look into it here. I studied creative writing in grad school so I'll have to let you start. Bring out the Information Theory as it applies to the concept of entropy and to your god. Let us examine this in the light of reasoned rationality.

Well, you are the defier of odds, aren't you? However, I hardly see this as pertinent to the actual exsistence or non-existence of your god.

?

Please, if you are going to do anything for me, make a homeless person a sandwich. It takes about the same amount of time as praying, but does some actual good in this world. So from now on make a homeless person a sandwich in the hope that I come to my senses.

Uhm, yeah... Gotta say, I'm not reeally losing a whole lot of sleep over that whole rapture thing. Though, the fact that we have people wanting the rapture to occur who also have the ability to start nuclear wars is somewhat bothersome.

I'm thirty-eight.

The longer people live, the older they seem to get. ?

I'm sorry to hear that.

If the light doesn't exist, I have serious doubts they'll see it (short of psychosis, that is). However, if you can show that the light does exist, I am sure many are more than welcome to take a gander.

sandwich

Just provide the scientific evidence that prayer works and we can all believe it.

Bye.

The entropy argument is based on a misunderstanding of entropy (as was pointed out by piper.)

When water freezes, it forms crystals. Thus order from disorder. Does this require god's hand whenever it happens?

I suggest you read Steven Hawking's A Brief History of Time. It is written very well and explains many things fairly simply (My first time through was at age 8.)

Your original statements were based on the logical fallacy known as "Proof by Incredulity" which goes something like this "I can't believe P is true, therefore P is false." Working off of a fallacy is not rational.

You claim that life is complex so someone must have designed it but then the designer must be complex as well, therefore he must have been designed as well, leading to an infinite regress of designers.

The "entropy" of Information Theory is not the same as the physics concept and so the 2nd law of thermodynamics does not apply.

Ah, threats. "Argument by Force." "Believe or you shall burn." Not rational.

-Triften