the Hindus were right about the universe.

Brahma, Shiva, and Vishnu vindicated by science?

http://www.newscientistspace.com/article.ns?id=dn9114&print=true


'Cyclic universe' can explain cosmological constant
19:00 04 May 2006
NewScientist.com news service
Zeeya Merali

A cyclic universe, which bounces through a series of big bangs and "big crunches", could solve the puzzle of our cosmological constant, physicists suggest.

The cosmological constant represents the energy of empty space, and is thought to be the most likely explanation for the observed speeding up of the expansion of the universe. But its measured value is a googol (1 followed by 100 zeroes) times smaller than that predicted by particle physics theories. It is a discrepancy that gives cosmologists a real headache.

In the 1980s, physicists considered the possibility that an initially large cosmological constant could decay down to the value measured today. But this theory was abandoned when calculations showed that it would take far longer than 14 billion years – the time since the big bang – for the constant to reach the level seen today.

Now physicists Paul Steinhardt at Princeton University, in New Jersey, US, and Neil Turok at Cambridge University in the UK, are resurrecting the idea. They point out that if time stretches back beyond the big bang, the problem could be solved. At that is just what is predicted by their cyclic model of the universe – an alternative to the Standard Big Bang theory – which the pair first developed in 2002 (see "Cycles of creation").


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Brahma falls asleep, the lotus closes and returns to Vishnu's navel. Vishnu sleeps in the coils of the serpent and soon the Lotus will grow again and Brahma will awaken and the universe is created anew.

The cyclic universe idea poses a special problem for Christians. Does Christ appear on Earth and die in every cycle? It seems the sort of thing God should do only once.

Ecclesiastes is all about cycles.

He's already jumped ship.

This immediately put me in mind of that famous Oppenheimer quote:

"We waited until the blast had passed, walked out of the shelter and then it was extremely solemn. We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried. Most people were silent.
I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita: Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty and to impress him he takes on his multi-armed form and says, 'Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.' I suppose we all thought that, one way or another."

When I was 6 I dreamed Jesus was blue and around my age. When people died and went up to heaven he gave them a lock of his curl which he kept in a little freezer and told them to eat it because it would give them eternal life. At that time I never even went to chruch or Sunday School and only knew the song "Jesus Love Me", the Lay Me Down to Sleep prayer.

breathing into existence.

Cool!

creation and destruction being one.

http://www.oriscus.com/dn/index.htm

Look for universal resonance.

That the "strings" which make up all matter, determine what they are, by vibrations like a piano or guitar string.

same - the exact same - with the Earth, humans, etc?

Why is the pulsating universe constant required so many magnitudes different than the constant implied by current measurements?

Why do these folks think this is a new idea? - its been around longer than I have - and that is a long long time.

Bell's problem presented in 1963 would remain unsolved even if pulsating universes were true.

theory.

for some reason, it is comforting to believe/know that the universe renews itself. This theory might have more to do with wishful thinking than science, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have merit.

I find the Christian belief of spending eternity in either heaven or hell as depressing. Time stops, change stops. The cycle of creation and destruction is more hopeful.

The Creation of the Universe in 1956 (called the steady state choice back then)

Of course the oscillating universe could not be reconciled with the second law of thermodynamics: entropy would build up from oscillation to oscillation and cause heat death. And our other measurements suggested the universe is not closed.

Now I am a bit too old to understand how brane cosmology allows what it calls a cyclic model.

But bringing the oscillating universe back brings memories of my youth -and that is not all bad!

As to eternity in hell, or multiple appearances of Jesus - either in each Universe, or -as many books have posited - on each planet with intelligent life - well, none of that really affects what is believed by most Christians. Many if not most Christians view "hell" as being away from God, and Heaven as being close. And what is the problem with Jesus appearing to others? Indeed the Universalist concept (rejecting the idea of total rejection of anyone by GOD) was a day one idea, albeit it got hot in the USA in the 19th century.

And eternity does cover ALL the cycles of the universe, if there is more than one, so I guess that just makes the number in Heaven a little larger ! :-) As you can tell I do not take the Bible as translated/recorded as literal - but as God's word made manifest for each to interpret as their own priest - another of those day one after Jesus ideas!

So if this universe is collapsing and exploding, I guess in time it will run down. Of course that would mean there would be an end.


I need a drink.

I need a drink - but all my meds say that would be a bad idea-

so "salut" but with tea cups!

:toast:

Who is to say that God did not great the "forever" model of the universe?

:-)

The universe (or rather, Brahma's Sleep) is a few billion years old according to their mythology.

Also, they pretty much invented Mathematics.