Does the Bible describe our life as being a computer simulation.

[tourist]

no, but I did teach HS Chemistry

Impressive.

 

[ZNP]

That is an excellent point, how does viewing the material world as a simulation impact the significance of the cross of Christ?

Does viewing the material world as a simulation make it so that you are no longer held in fear of death? Pain? Public humiliation?

We had a poster on this forum recently say that he had been "crucified" on some thread.

Just because the material world is a simulation doesn't mean that the communication, fellowship, word, and consequences aren't very real.

For example, they use these very complex flight simulations to determine whether or not to certify a pilot. So the consequences are very real.

 

[Runningman]

Does the Bible describe our life as being a computer simulation.

Bottom line is this:

Even if our lives are a computer simulation, if the simulation is sufficiently similar to the real thing then the differences nce between a simulation and reality are indistinguishable. That means if we were in some sort of simulation then we couldn’t prove it, either because it’s not provable, or falsifiable, or because we are not in a simulation.

And I believe we are not in a simulation

 

[ZNP]

Bottom line is this:

Even if our lives are a computer simulation, if the simulation is sufficiently similar to the real thing then the differences nce between a simulation and reality are indistinguishable. That means if we were in some sort of simulation then we couldn’t prove it, either because it’s not provable, or falsifiable, or because we are not in a simulation.

And I believe we are not in a simulation

We just had PennEd post a very interesting video game talking about how it is a portal designed to cause people to be demon possessed. If this world is a simulation it would make sense that Satan and the demons would copy that. So God creates a simulation in which we can be one with God, it would make sense that the counterfeit of that would be simulation where demons could possess humans.

 

[SomeDisciple]

The tabernacle, and the temple, and stuff in the law, we are told, are shadows of things in heaven. It wouldn't be shocking if everything in the material universe was a shadow of something in heaven.

"Simulation" is by definition an imitation of real-world processes... so I suppose if the material universe is an imitation of the spiritual domain, I suppose it could be considered "simulation".

 

[1ofthem]

I don't understand any of this and can't see any real value or importance in it.

We walk by faith, not by sight.

God's thoughts are not our thoughts. His thoughts are much higher.

God has given us His Word (scripture) as a guide to live by.

There really is no need to try to go beyond it and reason or rationalize it.

If we spend time in His Word...Learning and applying it to our lives we would do well and much, much, better.

We need to allow the Spirit to have control by faith and quit wasting time worrying about the how's and why's.

Jesus said that whoever believes in Him shall do the same works as He did and greater works because He has gone to the Father.

Most of us (myself included) are failing. We'd do well to spend our time thinking about those issues, and applying the teachings and concepts of scripture to our lives.

 

[Runningman]

I don't understand any of this and can't see any real value or importance in it.

We walk by faith, not by sight.

God's thoughts are not our thoughts. His thoughts are much higher.

God has given us His Word (scripture) as a guide to live by.

There really is no need to try to go beyond it and reason or rationalize it.

If we spend time in His Word...Learning and applying it to our lives we would do well and much, much, better.

We need to allow the Spirit to have control by faith and quit wasting time worrying about the how's and why's.

Jesus said that whoever believes in Him shall do the same works as He did and greater works because He has gone to the Father.

Most of us (myself included) are failing. We'd do well to spend our time thinking about those issues, and applying the teachings and concepts of scripture to our lives.

There are different paths to chose from in this life, but, after this life is over, the way to the Father is through His perfect Son Jesus of Nazareth. People need to prepare to obey the gospel of Jesus of Nazareth now before they meet their Maker. Have faith in His sacrifice, His glorious sacrifice. His glory is written for the benefit of the people of the planet Earth.

 

[Aerials1978]

Interesting OP. The more that is discovered about Astro and Quantum physics, the more the determination is given that everything is much, much more orderly. There is no randomness. Almost like, an intelligent being designed it.

 

[SomeDisciple]

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship...

The scriptures are important, but the scripture even says that God is revealed in his workmanship as well. We do well to study both.

 

[ZNP]

Quantum entanglement --

the phenomenon whereby a pair of particles are generated in such a way that the individual quantum states of each are indefinite until measured, and the act of measuring one determines the result of measuring the other, even when at a distance from each other.

This is very hard to explain with any classical view of creation but if we view the universe as a computer simulation then it is simple to explain, we do this all the time. We "group" components together so that we can rotate and manipulate the entire group as one entity.

 

[Heaven_Bound]

Some Christians try to merge Science with the Word of God to create a platform of information not found within the Creation Account. What is odd, no one caught the fact that Genesis 1:1 begins with a Title : God's Creation of the Heavens and the Earth. Then Verse 2 takes us to Earth. From this point as we continue reading the Genesis One Account, God creates Light, Sun, Moon, Expands Space, then creates what is in Space.

Science begins with the point that Earth is Younger than the Universe.
The Genesis Creation Account shows us Earth was before Space, the Sun, Moon, Stars, the Expansion of Space.

Science will never be able to assimilate anything correctly because they are beginning from the End Point, not the Beginning Point.

Science:
1. the Bang
2. expansion of Space and continuation
3. Sun per Galaxy
4. Planets per Galaxy

Genesis Creation Account:
1. Earth
2. Light
3. Sun/Moon
4. Expansion of Space
5. Stars solar systems etc

Until Science calculates in the correct Order, they will always be lost as it is evident now.

 

[Eli1]

Looks like i missed this thread.
It's a topic i enjoy and i've talked about it in a few other topics.

Thanks for bringing it up @ZNP.

 

[GWH]

Ever since 2003 there have been scientific conjecture that the universe is like a computer simulation. They provide many pieces of evidence, I will briefly describe three since this thread is discussing the Biblical basis of the theory and therefore I have to give a little review of the theory.

1. What is an electron? I don't think anyone can explain this except for those who have never studied it. On the one hand you can operate very will with the rule that an electron is a particle. Based on that rule Chemists have been very happy working with the various elements and manufacturing them or breaking them down. The rules surrounding the periodic table have been tested a million times over and work beautifully.

However, the double slit experiment comes up with a very weird result indicating that electrons are a wave and not a particle. However, we get two very different results when we do this experiment. If you are observing the path of the electron it appears to be a wave. If you ignore that and simply observe where the electron ends up it appears to be a particle.

However, there is one theory on how to reconcile these two. If we are in a computer simulation that has all the rules of the periodic table then everything works perfectly in the macro scale. This includes setting up an experiment to see where the electrons end up. Simple rule, but the simulation is not set up to actually observe the electron and that is where it breaks down because the code is actually like a wave.

2. Scientists have demonstrated that they can encode a computer virus into DNA so that when you read the DNA on your computer they can hack your computer.

3. While trying to smash particles into smaller and smaller pieces they discovered that if you make the particle small enough it loses the element of time and space. In a computer simulation you will have a code for say a pixel of red but in that code you have to tell it when and where to appear. If you cut the code down small enough you will simply have red without any code for when or where.

4. Now let's consider this from other more esoteric phenomena. We have resuscitated many people from the dead and so many come back with stories of going to heaven that it is irresponsible to ignore them. This includes very young children and people of different faiths who say they saw Jesus. When you listen to some of these it seems the person was dead for a week and yet according to the doctors they were dead for 5 minutes. Now suppose life is a computer simulation, when you die you take those 4d goggles off. You could be there for a week but when they send you back they could send you back 5 minutes later. This is very interesting to me because there is a verse that says "and time will be no more". The easiest way to understand this verse is to consider this life to be a computer simulation.

5. There is another verse that says whatever you have whispered in secret will be shouted from the rooftop. If we are in a computer simulation that would be simple to do.

6. Now consider this from the perspective of God's judgement. Is God righteous when all these people are killed? I was asked this by someone who plays video games and I asked him if it was a sin to kill people in a video game. He said no. So then it is hypocritical to accuse God of sin for something you justify yourself for.

7. There has been some amazing Bible study on the Bible being a very high level code. Even the ancient scribes who would copy out the Hebrew said the same thing saying that changing one single character could change the whole world. This is what John says in his gospel when he says "all things came into being through the word and apart from the word nothing that has come into being has come into being.

It truly is miraculous that physical reality can be expressed via digital code and mathematical formulas! Perhaps this manifests God in impersonal ways/dimensions, so that scientists are without excuse (RM 1:20, ACTS 17:28).

 

[ZNP]

It truly is miraculous that physical reality can be expressed via digital code and mathematical formulas! Perhaps this manifests God in impersonal ways/dimensions, so that scientists are without excuse (RM 1:20, ACTS 17:28).

I think it is the only explanation I have ever seen for why a righteous God would allow things like Genocide and how can you reconcile that with Revelation 21:4.

 

[maxwel]

We're in a computer simulation?

A.) Well, to agree we're inside a computer simulation we'd first have to agree we're inside a computer.

B.) So far, I haven't seen any evidence I'm inside a computer.


When faced with a lack of evidence to the contrary, it's epistemically warranted to just accept your normal human experience as authoritative.



Have a great weekend everyone.
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[studier]

Just a very minor point re: the OP but ever experienced an event where it was if time stopped? Whatever that state is it is quite eye-opening that there is something odd about our 'normal' state of existence here, simulated or not.

 

[ZNP]

We're in a computer simulation?

A.) Well, to agree we're inside a computer simulation we'd first have to agree we're inside a computer.

B.) So far, I haven't seen any evidence I'm inside a computer.


When faced with a lack of evidence to the contrary, it's epistemically warranted to just accept your normal human experience as authoritative.



Have a great weekend everyone.
.

There are two pieces of evidence that we are.

One, is all the studies done on electrons suggesting they are both particles and a wave.

The second is quantum entanglement. That makes no sense at all based on the laws of physics unless we are in a computer simulation.

 

[ZNP]

Just a very minor point re: the OP but ever experienced an event where it was if time stopped? Whatever that state is it is quite eye-opening that there is something odd about our 'normal' state of existence here, simulated or not.

Not stopped but went in super slow motion.

 

[studier]

Not stopped but went in super slow motion.

Yes, more accurate.

 

[maxwel]

There are two pieces of evidence that we are.

One, is all the studies done on electrons suggesting they are both particles and a wave.

The second is quantum entanglement. That makes no sense at all based on the laws of physics unless we are in a computer simulation.

As soon as you get a picture of this giant computer I'm inside of... I'll listen to your argument.


And is it PC or MAC... because there's no way I'm inside a MAC.

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