Are Parallel Universes Heretical?

I never watched The Golden Compass, except for this one trailer that really bugged me. After some introductory scenes, we cut to a university where some guy says, "I propose to discover a world, much like our own in a parallel universe," when a tightwad sitting next to him angrily retorts, "THAT is HERESY!" (If I had written this film, the next line would involve the first guy kicking him into a black hole and standing over it yelling, "THIS IS SCIENCE!")

Here's the trailer, the part I mentioned starts at :50.



Why would a parallel universe be heresy? If such a thing existed I would be the first person in line to check it out, and I would laugh at anyone who thought something ungodly was going on.

First things first, however, I've never bought into the idea of parallel universes, or multiversal cosmology. There's no evidence for it and not much fervor for it in the scientific community. (Not to mention, it normally makes for bad sci-fi - LOST being a notable exception to this.) It's fun to talk about, but I don't think the idea holds much water.

But, what if it were true? What if there are multiple realities where things are different from our own? One well circulated theory suggests that this could create a situation in which God is not necessary in the creation of the world. While this theory uses multiversal cosmology to deconstruct the Christian view of creation, it does not mean that the existence of parallel universes would somehow disprove God's existence.

Pictured: Scientists who opened a door to another dimension.

Assuming such a multiverse is even possible, it's not a problem for a theologian. God's omnipotence is not threatened by time paradoxes any more than than it is threatened by a person moving across time zones; He is still God no matter how His universe is structured, and if He is seeing over a multitude of different realities than it just shows us how grand He really is. The fictional concept of opening up a door to another universe should be as heretical as opening up a door to a big front yard.

But what really bugs me is that movie trailer. Have Christians been so anti-science that people will believe that we would stand up and fight against such harmless cosmological theorizing? I guess so, and that upsets me, too.

UPDATE: Jared made a good point in the comment section, below.  Since C.S. Lewis' classic Narnia tales take place in a parallel universe, it doesn't make sense to say that Christians would find the idea heretical.

Update II (This time, it's not update I):  Just for the record, when I wrote this I put parallel universes and multiversal cosmology together in my assertion.  Obviously, these are not the same thing, but I put them together because the same arguments work for both.

The Great Library Chair

I'm kind of a moocher. If I notice that someone is getting rid of something I run over to check it out like a greedy vulture approaches dead meat. Sometimes, it's worth the trouble - like in the case of my new library chair.

I assumed it would be smelly or broken, since someone was trying to get rid of it, but it's in very good condition. When I was inspecting it, someone came by and told me that it would look good next to a fireplace in a library. I told him I had the same idea. (Then I pulled out my knife and told him to get back and find his own chair; after a brief standoff he moved away. The world of furniture scavenging is very cut throat.)

The new chair fits in with my old misfit chair. When I was growing up my family had a wonderful red chair, and I always wanted to take it with me when I moved away. Little did I know that they really didn't care; taking it was not exactly like pulling teeth.

Anyway, the new chair is great. What have you ever gotten for free?

The Pyramids and the Bible

Brian Dunning's Skeptoid podcast has tackled an issue I've been meaning to bring up for some time: did the Hebrews of the Old Testament build the Pyramids? And the answer is a resounding "no."

Open your Bible and check out the book of Exodus. You'll notice it specifically mentions the Hebrews building supply cities, but does not say anything about pyramids. In fact, no verse in the entire Bible mentions pyramids, and chronologically, it wouldn't make sense if it did mention them as anything but tourist attractions.

The first Egyptian pyramid (I think that the oldest known pyramid is in Malta) was designed by a genius named Imhotep in approximately the 27th century B.C. The concept of pyramid building caught on and the original design was improved by architects and builders who are known to us because they put their names on the pyramids - just like artists sign paintings. (There is generally less mystery then people think that is attributed to the pyramids. Now, the Sphinx on the other hand...) I have a few colleagues who are classical historians, and the idea that the pyramids were built by Hebrew slaves is a good way to make them laugh. The same could be said of any Old Testament historian; this myth just doesn't hold up to simple historical observation.

Let's be honest, half of you didn't know this guy was real.

When did this urban legend start? A long time ago, apparently. Brian Dunning points out that Herodotus, "The Father of History," is to blame. As he puts it:

The story of Jewish slaves building the pyramids originated with Herodotus of Greece in about 450 BCE. He's often called the "Father of History" as he was among the first historians to take the business seriously and thoroughly document his work. Herodotus reported in his Book II of The Histories that the pyramids were built in 30 years by 100,000 Jewish slaves.

Mr. Dunning goes on to deny the historical events of the Exodus, which I think is taking things to far. There is no independent verification of the Exodus, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen. Some doubted the existence of King David until archaeological evidence turned up a slab with his name on it, and this led to a number of retractions. I could tell you a lot of historical records that seemed unlikely until evidence turned up that proved the record was correct, so we have to be careful in how quickly we dismiss something as myth. (Lest I tarnish a good name, I'd like to point out that I enjoy the Skeptoid podcast quite a lot, but I think this part was a stretch.)

So, let's move forward and not perpetuate ancient misunderstandings. The Hebrew slaves didn't build the pyramids, the Egyptians did, and Christians should be the first people to correct this error.

Yes, I Know that the President is Black.

I spent the first 5 years of my life in Garland, TX, surrounded by as many different ethnic groups as you would see at a UN council meeting. My brother and I played with a group that included white kids, black kids, two brothers from a Hispanic family, and a Korean boy. There were no minorities or racial issues - just kids who wanted to have fun. (Every child should be so lucky.) I kept this attitude when I moved to a different city where black people and white people treated each other very differently; I found this racist behavior very perplexing, because I believed that racism was something that we only studied in history books.

In responding to President Obama's Sate of the Union Address, MSNBC's Chris Matthews says that he "forgot Obama was black" for an hour. When he was informed that this was a rather odd statement, he commented that Obama was creating some sort of post-racial society in which we couldn't see color, anymore.

I already live there. I don't consider Obama's speeches in the context of black society or as the words of a representative from another culture. Our modern understanding of biology has informed all but the most foolish among us that racism has no foundation; the differences between a white person and a black person are as minor as those between and blond and a redhead.

Of course, I learned all of this on the playground when I was a kid. I hope that Obama's skin color will eventually stop being the only thing these people notice about him, because we can't be in this "post-racial" society until people like Chris Matthews stop bringing it up.