no no no no its 42! lol

Gary's right, there can only be one "Universe", but our understanding of what comprises the Universe changes.

In the 1920s, we called the Milky Way "the Universe" because we assumed that's all there was. Then when it was realised that some fuzzy blotches that could be seen through telescopes were in fact other galaxies like our own Milky Way, they were originally dubbed "island universes", and the Milky Way became "our galaxy" instead of "the Universe".

Incorrect, technically, and now the word Universe has come to mean the entire collection of all the galaxies, not just our own.

Now science is postulating that what we've thought of as the Universe is possibly a tiny part of something much greater. In the same way that we eventually got rid of the incorrect term "island universes" (since there can be only one) and called them "galaxies" instead, what we know think of as "the Universe" will probably be renamed something else, and the word "Universe" will eventually be used to describe the whole of existence.

However, for now it's easier to use the term "multiverse" to describe the vast number of parallel "thingies", each of which is akin to what we currently call "the universe"; after all, string theory may turn out to be incorrect, in which case it would be a bit of a pain if we redefine the word "Universe" and then end up having to change it back again!

Of course, using Gary's definition (which I agree with), God can't have created the Universe. Because if he had we would end up with God PLUS a Universe - and since everything that exists is, by definition, part of the Universe, God can only lie outside the Universe if he doesn't exist.

No wonder they call you Fluff Meister

So, are you going to point out the flaw in the argument, Gary?

The correct question is, where did God exist BEFORE he created the Universe and everything in it?

My answer is - how the hell do I know!

He didnt exist, he doesnt exist, THERE IS NO GOD!! lol

There!! Just answer like 50 threads on this forum hahaha

"Universe" is now being considered not to be a term to express all of reality and space-time, but to express only reality and space-time that we live in. To think of them as galaxies is to be misleading, but its still a good analogy to describe the concept.

If I'm not mistaken, the physicist the original poster of this thread is talking about is most likely Michio Kaku. He's a popular physicist, appears in many shows and documentaries, and wrote a number of books; two of which I have and have read, including one titled Parallel Worlds which is based around this very topic. He is also one of the co-founders of string theory.

But essentially, what string theory (and indeed to certain extents quantum theory) postulates is the existence of eleven dimensions. And one poster earlier states that we live in only three...yet I would like to say that we actually live in four (counting time as the fourth dimension...but to be fair, three "spacial dimensions").

But it also postulates an infinite amount of separate realities and universes sprouting off of ours due to an infinite amount of possibilities manifesting. Consequently, that means that another entirely different reality from ours could only be different by a small change in some random quantum fluctuation, or it could be so far as to have an entirely different and intangible physical constitution. Thus that our universe is simply a 'bubble' in an infinite field of bubbles in this multiverse.

So, if you then deduct, you can draw that if an infinite number of different realities exist, then every circumstance is not just a possibility but an inevitability in some alternate reality. Therefore, every conceivable world that you draw up in your mind exists now. So, next time you're watching a movie; its not really anymore 'fake' as it is just looking into another reality which inevitably is manifest in some other reality.

This is all within the realms of physics, and physicists are drawing this from the complete strangeness of string theory and quantum physics.

Frodo lives!

And you criticise Christians for clutching at straws??

How am I clutching at straws??