Can physics prove if God exists?
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Summary
What This Article Is About
Professor Monica Grady explores whether physics can address questions about God’s existence and powers by examining Einstein’s paradox: if God created all physical laws, must God obey them? She investigates whether anything can travel faster than light, noting that while tachyons were theorized as superluminal particles, they remain highly unlikely. The article explains how the observable Universe extends 46 billion light years, limited by light’s travel time since the Big Bang, and introduces the multiverse theory as a scientific alternative to divine fine-tuning explanations for our life-supporting cosmos.
Grady then examines quantum entanglement, where manipulating one particle instantly affects its entangled partner regardless of distance—information transfer seemingly faster than light. This phenomenon, which Einstein called “spooky action at a distance,” might conceptually explain divine omnipresence as entangled particles occupying multiple locations simultaneously. Ultimately, she concludes that science and religion operate in different domains: science requires empirical proof that cannot detect God, while faith operates independently of physical discoveries. The question remains meaningful primarily for agnostics, as believers and atheists already hold incompatible premises about divine existence and physical law.
Key Points
Main Takeaways
Einstein’s Divine Paradox
If God created all physical laws, the fundamental question emerges: must God obey those laws, or can a supreme being supersede self-imposed universal constraints?
Light Speed Remains Unbroken
Despite speculation about tachyons, no observed object travels faster than light’s 300,000 km/s, reinforcing physics’ most fundamental speed limit across the cosmos.
Observable Universe Limitations
We can only observe regions within 46 billion light years because insufficient time has passed for light from more distant locations to reach Earth.
Multiverse Replaces Divine Fine-Tuning
The multiverse theory scientifically explains life-friendly physical constants through multiple universes with varying laws, eliminating need for creator intervention explanations.
Quantum Information Exceeds Light Speed
Quantum entanglement transfers information instantaneously between particles, suggesting a mechanism for conceptualizing divine omnipresence through spooky action at a distance.
Science and Faith Operate Separately
Science requires empirical proof while religion requires faith; neither domain can definitively prove or disprove God’s existence through their respective methodologies.
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Article Analysis
Breaking Down the Elements
Main Idea
Physics Cannot Settle Theological Questions
The article argues that while physics can conceptually explore divine attributes like omnipresence through quantum entanglement, empirical science fundamentally cannot prove or disprove God’s existence because scientific methodology requires testable evidence, whereas religious belief operates through faith—two epistemologically distinct domains that address different types of questions about reality.
Purpose
Bridging Scientific and Theological Discourse
Grady aims to engage general readers with sophisticated physics concepts while demonstrating how scientific discoveries relate to theological questions without claiming definitive answers, ultimately advocating for intellectual humility about both science’s explanatory limits and faith’s independence from empirical validation, particularly addressing concerns that arise during crises like pandemics.
Structure
Question-Based Investigation → Scientific Explanation → Philosophical Resolution
The essay begins with Einstein’s paradox about divine power and physical laws, systematically examines light speed limits, cosmic expansion, multiverse theory, and quantum entanglement as potential frameworks for understanding divine attributes, then concludes that these scientific concepts ultimately cannot resolve theological questions because science and religion address fundamentally different types of inquiry requiring different forms of validation.
Tone
Accessible, Playful & Intellectually Honest
Grady maintains a conversational and approachable tone while explaining complex physics, incorporating whimsical imagery like God juggling planet-sized balls and quoting Terry Pratchett, ultimately demonstrating intellectual humility by acknowledging her personal faith while recognizing that her scientific expertise cannot definitively answer the question posed, creating an engaging balance between technical rigor and human relatability.
Key Terms
Vocabulary from the Article
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Tough Words
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Moving or traveling faster than the speed of light; exceeding light’s velocity in a vacuum.
“Physicists posited that particles called tachyons travelled above light speed.”
A unit of astronomical distance equal to one million parsecs or roughly 30 billion billion kilometers, used to measure vast cosmic scales.
“The Universe is expanding at approximately 70km/s per Mpc.”
Contrary to what common sense or intuition would suggest; violating ordinary expectations about how things should behave.
“Much of the science we use is based on the counter-intuitive theory of quantum mechanics.”
Conducive to supporting biological life; having physical conditions or laws favorable for the development and sustenance of living organisms.
“We shouldn’t be surprised to see biofriendly physical laws—they after all produced us.”
A person who believes that the existence of God or ultimate reality is unknown and possibly unknowable; uncertain about theological claims.
“Perhaps the question is really one for agnostics, who don’t know whether there is a God.”
The quality of being present everywhere simultaneously; the theological attribute of existing in all places at the same time.
“Quantum entanglement might conceptually explain divine omnipresence through particles occupying multiple locations.”
Reading Comprehension
Test Your Understanding
5 questions covering different RC question types
1According to the article, tachyons have been observed traveling faster than the speed of light in controlled experiments.
2According to Grady, what role does the multiverse theory play in explaining the fine-tuning of our Universe?
3Which sentence best explains why quantum entanglement appears to violate the speed of light limit?
4Evaluate these statements about cosmological observations and limitations:
The most distant observed galaxy, GN-z11, was only about three billion light years away when its light began traveling toward Earth.
Scientists can directly observe and test whether physical laws are broken in other cosmic regions beyond our observable Universe.
We cannot observe the entirety of the Universe that has grown since the Big Bang because insufficient time has passed for light to reach us.
Select True or False for all three statements, then click “Check Answers”
5Based on Grady’s conclusion about science and religion, what can be reasonably inferred about her view on the relationship between empirical investigation and faith-based belief?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Einstein posed a profound question: if God created the entire universe and all its physical laws, must God obey those self-imposed laws, or can God supersede them? This paradox asks whether a supreme being would be bound by constraints like the speed of light, or whether divine power necessarily includes the ability to violate physical laws. The question highlights the tension between omnipotence and lawfulness in theological conceptions of God.
Quantum entanglement demonstrates that manipulating one particle instantaneously affects its entangled partner regardless of distance, with information transfer appearing faster than light. Grady suggests this phenomenon could provide a physical framework for conceptualizing divine omnipresence—imagining God as entangled particles transferring quantum information across multiple locations or even universes simultaneously. However, she emphasizes this is speculative conceptualization rather than proof of God’s existence.
Despite the Universe being 13.8 billion years old, the observable Universe extends only 46 billion light years because of cosmic expansion. Insufficient time has passed for light from the Universe’s earliest moments to reach us. Additionally, as space expands, light from the most distant regions must travel increasingly longer distances. This means vast portions of the Universe remain forever beyond our observational reach, limiting our ability to verify whether physical laws apply universally.
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This is an Advanced-level article requiring sophisticated understanding of physics concepts including relativity, quantum mechanics, and cosmology, combined with philosophical reasoning about epistemology and theology. It demands the ability to follow complex arguments bridging multiple domains—empirical science, theoretical physics, and metaphysical questions—while appreciating nuanced conclusions about the limits of scientific inquiry. Ideal for readers with strong science backgrounds or those preparing for graduate-level standardized tests.
BBC Future is a science and technology publication that commissions articles from leading researchers and science communicators to explore cutting-edge discoveries and their societal implications. Their “Life’s Big Questions” series, which includes this article, brings academic expertise to general audiences by having professionals address fundamental questions about existence, knowledge, and human experience. Monica Grady, a professor of planetary science, exemplifies their approach of pairing scientific rigor with accessible explanations.
The Ultimate Reading Course covers 9 RC question types: Multiple Choice, True/False, Multi-Statement T/F, Text Highlight, Fill in the Blanks, Matching, Sequencing, Error Spotting, and Short Answer. This comprehensive coverage prepares you for any reading comprehension format you might encounter.
