Can Higher Dimensions Help Us Understand Biblical Miracles? – Walter Bradley Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence
String theory in physics postulates the existence of ten,
eleven, or even twenty-six seven spatial dimensions. (Some call time a
dimension, but that’s not what we’re talking about here.)
What’s
going on? You and I experience only three spatial
dimensions. Physicists say these other dimensions are
compactified in strings – like a two dimensional plane rolled up into
what looks like a one dimensional appearing skinny straw. What if higher
dimensions weren’t compactified? What if, say, there were a fourth
spatial dimension? Access to a fourth dimension explains some of the
miracles described in the Bible.
A classic book about higher dimensions is Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by
Edwin Abbott, first published in 1886. In the novel, life was
constrained to a two dimensional world – like a table top. There was
east and west, north and south, but no up or down. Occupants of Flatland
were two dimensional figures – the type you might draw on a sheet of
paper. There were square people, hexagonal people and circular people.
The occupants in Flatland lived in two dimensional houses with walls
made of lines. There must always be an opening in the 2D house to allow
the two dimensional beings to enter and exit. Flatlanders were
constrained to live in 2D on the table top. This was their universe.
Since
a Flatlander’s world was constrained to two dimensions, the idea of a
third dimension was beyond comprehension. Except, of course, to nerds
who thought about such things. One of the nerd Flatlanders formed the
theory of “UP.” He hypothesized there was an extra dimension beyond that
of the 2D table top. But, flatland critics countered, which way was up?
Since their universe consisted only of two dimensions, the best the
proponent of the theory of UP could do is point north. This did not
satisfy the naysayers. Anything beyond their two dimensional universe
was beyond their small minded comprehension.
At one point in the
novel, a three dimensional being intersects Flatland and explains there
is a third dimension. To show this, he lifts a Flatlander nerd off the
two dimensional surface and they begin to hover above the planar table
top in the third dimension. The Flatlander is amazed. He can see inside
of flatland houses thereby violating all rights to privacy. This was not
possible in two dimensions where the boundary of any object blocked the
view beyond. Even more interesting, the Flatlander could see inside the
bellies of his two dimensional comrades and could examine what they had
eaten for lunch.
His curiosity expanded by experience, the wide eyed
Flatlander asked his 3D host to show him the fourth dimension. If there
were a third dimension, the Flatlander assumed there must be a fourth
dimension. The 3D host was taken aback and responded as you or I might.
There was no fourth dimension, the host explained. The universe has only
three dimensions. Anything else was beyond comprehension.
Most
Flatlanders thought anything beyond their 2D universe was
incomprehensible. Are we making the same mistake thinking nothing exists
beyond our three dimension?
I teach a graduate course entitled
Multidimensional Signal Processing. The mathematical treatment of four,
five or even an infinite number of dimensions is considered. Visualizing
higher dimensions can be aided by understanding what happens in three
or fewer dimensions. For example, I teach students how to visualize and
play four dimensional tic-tac-toe by interpreting the game as a series of games in three dimensions.
Here’s
an example of what can be learned from Flatland about the fourth
dimension. On the left figure is shown a bunch of right handprints in
Flatland. All of the hands have the thumb to the left of the pinky
finger. No matter how you slip and slide on Flatland, each handprint
will remain right handed. On flatland, righthanded prints have to always
stay righthanded. But if there is access to the third dimension, a
right handprint can be flipped and made into a left handprint.
The extension of this fact to three and four dimensions has monumental implications in the game of baseball.
Consider
the right-handed batter shown in the left Figure below. If there were
access to the fourth dimension, we could flip the batter into a lefty.
But the flipped ball player must be on their toes so, if the ball is hit
into play, the disoriented lefty batter does not run to third base.
The
same flipping applies to a pitcher. A right-handed pitcher can be made a
southpaw by flipping him in the fourth dimension.
Access to the fourth dimension would allow transforming a right-handed batter into a left-handed batter.
Some
Biblical miracles can be explained if there were four spatial
dimensions. When the Flatlander was asked to point in the direction of
UP, the best he could do was point north. You and I seem similarly
constrained. When we are asked to point to a heaven in the fourth
dimension, the best we can do is point up to the sky.
The left to right handprint conversion in the fourth dimension is not a Biblical miracle. Here is an example of one that is.
Consider
a two dimensional Flatland chain shown in Figure 3 below. On a flat
surface, no link can be separated from another. Drag one link across a
flat surface and all of the other links must follow. This is a
one-dimensional chain.
If, though, there were access to three
dimensions, the chain is easily broken. Simply lift one of the 2D links
off the table and place it next to the rest of the chain. The chain is
now separated.
Extending this 2D to 3D example to 4D leads to the
conclusion that if there were access to the fourth dimension, links of
three dimensional chains can be separated without bending or cutting.
Learning from the 2D chain, the 3D chain simply needs to be taken to the
fourth dimension and separated. No saw or chain cutter is needed.
Such an event is documented in the Bible when the apostle Peter was imprisoned and chained by king Herod:
ACTS 12: 6b-7.
Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and
guards in front of the door were watching over the prison. And behold,
an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared and a light shone in the cell;
and he struck Peter’s side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly.”
And his chains fell off his hands.
Was access to the fourth or higher
dimension used in this miracle? Possibly. A fourth dimension
explanation is certainly compelling.
Another miracle explainable with
access to higher dimensions is walking through walls. Consider the
Flatland man inside the square shown in the figure below. The edges of
the 2D square act as walls. There is no way the Flatland man can escape
the room if constrained to two dimensions. But if there is access to the
third dimension, the Flatland man can be lifted off of the 2D surface
and placed outside of his flatland cell. The Flatland man has
essentially walked through a two dimensional wall to escape
imprisonment.
Extending this up a dimension dictates that a three
dimensional being in a prison cell with no exit can in effect walk
through walls if there is access to the fourth dimension. Such an event
is documented in the Bible after Christ’s resurrection:
John 20:26b Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”
So, like the miracle of breaking chains, walking through walls can be explained by access to a fourth dimension.
Not
all Biblical miracles – like turning water into wine of the parting of
the Red Sea – can be explained by having access to a fourth dimension.
But thus far only a fourth spatial dimension has been considered. It
remains unclear whether dimensions five dimensions or higher contribute
any additional explanatory power. In mathematics, consideration of
spaces with a countably infinite number of dimensions is common.
Are
higher dimensions responsible for certain Biblical miracles? No claim is
made that this is the definitive reason. But both the Bible and physics
dictate that the Creator of the universe must exist outside of time and
(our 3D) space. So an assumption of a higher dimensional God is
reasonable. In any case, miracle explanation using higher dimensions is
highly compelling.
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