Extra-Solar Religion and Science
Reconciling Eternities
Quantized spacetime suggests an atemporal, aspatial eternity exists within and beyond spacetime. That is, an eternity that has no space or time dimensions. It differs from the familiar temporal eternity, which assumes time and space extend without limit beyond the present.
Scientist using continuous spacetime, do not recognize eternity. They assumes a finite length of time back to the Big Bang, at which instant spacetime self-creates along with matter and radiation. Before that nothing exists. (If they were good Platonists they would recognize that nothing does not exist.) Then spacetime expands into nothing. Empty interstellar space is not nothing, it contains virtual energy, which, while very energetic is virtually nothing.
Atemporal, aspatial eternity contains no time or space dimensions. It appears in the theology of Anselm of Canterbury, who added beyond space to Augustine's beyond time, and in the philosophy of Spinosa. They both considered it to be the necessary domain of a self-created god who creates a universe, because a creator must be outside of his or her creation.
Both types of eternity are usually identified by their time component. Atemporal for quantized spacetime. Temporal for continuous spacetime. The place of each in theology has been the subject of vigorous debate by Christian theologians.
A temporalist branch recognizes a god as existing in spacetime with whom they share a daily personal relationship. They sometimes concede that there may be an atemporal eternity, but see it as having relevance only in the initial creation of the universe. In contrast, the eternalist branch of the same religion recognizes a god that existed before creating spacetime and the universe, and remains beyond spacetime. In this case, daily communication may be ruled out.
The quantized spacetime hypothesis offers reconciliation of these opposing viewpoints by suggesting that there is a communication channel between an atemporal eternity and spacetime that allowing communication between a perfect mind and a human mind, even though the perfect mind exists in eternity. This supports the views of both parties. It gives the eternalists a god in eternity and the temporalists a god able to communicate with humans, although perhaps at a slower rate than diehard diurnalists would wish.
This resolution of the dispute is unlikely to satisfy current disputants. That rarely happens in religion or science. But the next generation may be willing to give it consideration. And while this may be seen as merely suggesting a resolution for an intertnal dispute within a single religion, it goes the heart of most religions that believe creation was set in motion by a divine power. It provides a solution for the general problem of a creator who exists before creation is accomplished and therefore cannot be within space and time but must be beyond it. Quantized spacetime provides a framework for this to occur while that same creator remains in intimate contact with creation through the interface between hyperspace and spacetime.
The concept might reduce some of the frictions between religions if they were to recognize that they share not only the same planet but the same eternity. They might go further and accept the idea that various gods represent different aspects of one perfect mind, seen through a glass darkly.
I think this is what may have happened within an extraterrestrial civilization much older than ours. The different religions having roots in nations preceding formation of a planetary civilization will unite under one perfect mind associated with an ethic of cooperation and compassion able to communicate in spacetime while existing in an atemporal eternity. The religions will retain their root beliefs and their different histories, morals, liturgies, ceremonies, and views of the sacred and transcendent, but will follow a planetary ethic directed towards survival of the ecosystem of their planet. Ethics are the theory of morals, and morals are the practice of ethics. As long as an ethic of empathy, conscience, and reason is followed, the destruction of the planetary ecosystem may be avoided.
Extraterrestrially, the small shift that we are now seeing from major religions to individual spirituality may have gone further in an extra-solar civilization, expanding the variety of religions as part of a more general shift in the focus of religion. 7/18/2020 12
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