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As Written By: Richard T. Adams II

Dedicated to my beloved mother, Elizabeth Adams, who tragically passed from this Earth as I finished writing much of the contents of this work. Her assistance, although sadly cut short as it was, proved invaluable – truly an incredible treasure, just as she herself was throughout her life.

I love you, Mom, always and forever.

TekARK Book Two: Simulated Reality by Richard T. Adams II. 2240 Beacon Lane, Falls Church, VA 22043

Smashwords Edition, Published April 2017

www.tekark.org Richard.Adams@Gmail.com

© 2017 Richard Adams II. All Rights Reserved.

  * Introduction To A Simulated Existence

  * 10: Simulations: Ordered Sets of Rules

  * 11: Ordered Sets of Rules Being Represented Technologically

  * 12: The Blatant Benefits Of Creating Our Universe As A Technologically Based Simulation

  * 13: The Simulating Divinity Of A Technological God

  * 14: An Example of a Technological God's Guidance By Nudge

  * 15: The Technological God's Form Of Existence: Explained By Way of the Christian Trinity

  * 16: Dispelling Common Misconceptions About A Simulated-Like Existence

  * 17: Supportive Evidence As Seen With The Big Bang And Creation

  * 18: Quantum Mechanics – Entanglement and the Double Slit Experiment

  * 19: The Automated Perfection of Darwinism and Evolution

#  Introduction:

# Prelude To A Simulated Existence

Prior to beginning the more in depth examination that's forthcoming in these pages, I'd like to begin by first dipping our toes into the murky waters with something of a prologue.

Part of what led me to all this was the fact that I've long felt as though the countless **many** startling transformations our world has undergone in recent times should also allow us to better address and/or perceive the nature of divinity – in new or different sorts of ways. The many improvements coming from such rapid progress as we've made lately should not be something exclusively exploited by invention, technologies or whatnot, but instead could easily promise to open brand new ground in areas that have in the past each proven impossibly mysterious or unknowable to our long ago ancestors.

So at the time, the preceding was exactly that which I sought to carry out for myself: Looking at matters of faith, but with the benefit of modernity – coming from our relatively advanced contemporary perspectives. Now, after some countless years worth of diligently exploring, learning and applying such discoveries towards these very ends, I came to find that my suspicions there had in fact ultimately proven to bear weight. By going at the task of asking the age old question (ones that all men and women have forever posed) -quite simply, asking themselves "Why?"- but also, only by doing so armed to the teeth with all the fantastical aspects as embodies this modernity of ours...? At least for me, what this resulted in was an almost unrecognizably different set of conclusions to that simplest, yet at the same time the most complex and impossible, of all questions.

What's more, however, is that I didn't come to this by ignoring or discarding any aspects of existing religious thought... for no, it was just the exact opposite! You see, it was only when such matters were looked at through a lens of our traditional religious belief that things really and truly started coming together for me in that sense. Not only did those prior religious understandings about the nature of divinity better inform many of these ' _new and different_ ' ideas this journey of mine ultimately yielded, but I actually found both start to flow together – most naturally & effortlessly!

It therefore resulted in producing something of a rather seamlessly interwoven tapestry... to the point it all began to appear as though it was done by design! In fact, that's exactly the case to be expected here, too: The grand design of a divine omnipotence that both sees all and knows all, able to create the most incredible of plans and then nudging us along in whatever direction might be necessary for us to take.

Suddenly, the idea of our existence being one that's simulated in nature not only didn't conflict with my own existing faith and religious understandings, but instead appeared to validate such things all the more! Almost at once, everything really started falling neatly into place after that – as those earlier beliefs about divinity started to find themselves organically supporting and blending together with the thought of a simulated reality.

So that's the interesting thing here: Instead of merely trying to discuss and explain the thought of simulations from some abstract philosophical notions or mind-numbing scientific ideas getting cited as evidence, we actually find numerous purely religious matters used as such evidence in support of a simulated existence! What this means is that, rather than going on and on about quantum this and philosophical quirk that, many religious concepts stand as evidence supporting a simulated view of reality.

These are the sorts of things that, strictly by themselves, might not have made much sense in our minds long ago -with such aspects as are often claimed to be "beyond we mere mortals, simply the nature of an inherently unknowable and superior divine being." Something like, say, the concept of the trinity found in Christianity; a being that is at once three distinct things -a Father, a Son, and a Holy Spirit- and yet somehow ultimately produces only but a singular omnipotent entity. Or for another, finding a possible explanation behind having an "End of Days" at all – wherein existence much as we know it comes to an end in its entirety.

So when whatever so-called "normal" pieces of evidence as have been used over the past several years supporting a simulated reality in such circles -the decidedly dry academic realms of various sciences and philosophical concerns- are taken alongside and added to these more religious or divinely based aspects...? Then it is my firm belief that we now suddenly find an extraordinarily powerful case being made in its favor; something it seems is impossible for us to fully discount and casually dismiss.

While sure, admittedly this is not the most natural, obvious or easily acceptable thing in the world...? It's also mighty hard indeed to refute once all the evidence in such a wide variety of different fields comes together as one (and -it should be said once more- doing so seamlessly, no less), each and every last one leading us in the same exact direction.

Considering the fact that, no matter what it might involve, finding an almost perfect alignment of so many different sciences/technology and secular philosophies along with numerous complex religious or theological notions is something that's almost entirely unprecedented. And so it is this which has greatly supported my belief in such a reality being true – no less, being a reality that's _simulated_ in nature!

I would therefore encourage us to keep this kind of an open mind as we come to the next several posts/series of ideas, as they are all but certain to be exceptionally bizarre or offsetting to the... " _uninitiated_ " sort: Those who have never encountered anything even remotely like any of this before in their own lifetimes. Just because something initially sounds strange, bizarre or altogether absurd does not lessen that thing in the slightest – only think to imagine where we'd be today if, say, theories of gravity or relativity had been similarly brushed aside for their oddness.

# Chapter 10:

# Simulations: Ordered Sets of Rules

Now we arrive at the true crux of the matter. Perhaps phrased most simply? It's my absolute belief that ours is a reality that's simulated in nature.

In fact, however, as bizarre as that notion undoubtedly must sound to the "uninitiated" sort? This is not in itself an entirely brand new idea. Instead, for the past couple of decades at the very least, many rogue eccentrics and academics have debated the notion on end.

Where I differ on the matter -and it's quite a massive difference, at that!- is in not viewing it as some idle philosophical curiosity. Rather, as you might already guess after having read other parts of this work, my belief and understanding treats this *theologically*: Examining it in relation to God and the literal divine Creator of us all. To the best of my knowledge, this is something of an entirely new idea.

Now whether that also means such ideas only making sense to and for my own mind, or not...? That's completely up to you to decide! All I might hope for is to present my own thoughts and perspective on such affairs. So with that being said, let us jump right back into things: In this particular piece, we'll be starting out with the most basic of questions: What this so called simulation idea is, and just what exactly it means to us.

So to begin with, there's one underlying aspect found in our universe that also goes hat in hand with understanding this unusual notion of a simulated reality. (Now whether one posits that might also be more than a mere coincidence, or not...? I suppose that's something else entirely up to you.)

A simulation requires the very same things that really most any computer driven operation does: To be built upon a set of ordered, clearly definable rules or parameters. That's it.

We know, for example, that just by utilizing our own technological tools, near about anything can be represented or exist digitally – including a whole reality, over billions of years! How do we possibly know this? Because we've already done it, ourselves!

The question then becomes as such: What even is our very own reality, if not ultimately the end result of various physical laws and rules interacting with one another? What's more, if one were to know and understand all of those complex natural laws, then there is absolutely no reason they cannot be represented and created (or recreated) using a very certain means. In other words, as we know our very own reality here to exist, it doesn't require an infinite number of manual efforts to produce and maintain that reality (someone constantly having to be in full control, taking various actions themselves in order to drive a universe forward, or to merely have it exist at all).

It's only those many rules at play, wherein one then just adds some matter (let's say, some simple hydrogen) to the mix, and away it goes! Toss in the dimension of time, and in a few billion odd years... there you are!

The (possible) oddity to all of this...? Well, all of this also sums up our own universe to a tee! Truly, there's absolutely no chaotic variability or sheer randomness anywhere to be found -let alone any sort of literal magic- lest our space probes to the furthest reaches wouldn't succeed at hitting an actual bull's-eye launched from several billions of miles away, no less reaching there only by first hitting numerous other carefully selected "jump points" (gravitationally slingshot'ing around space exploiting the accelerating effects of the gas giants, Mars, Venus, or other heavenly bodies.)

In fact, one might go so far as saying that calling such a thing a "simulation" is just another word for what we've always known and understood: That ours is a universe which is the end result of the interaction of various rules and laws governing such affairs of nature.

There's really only two caveats here that separate matters ever so slightly from more traditional ideas: First, a belief that there's an underlying creation that contains those rules and oversees their function and operation (quite similar to what we best know of as software). Secondly, that there is also something that hosts and drives all the preceding (like what we know as hardware.) In such an example, Divinity itself is the singular entity who created and designed everything, an impossibly advanced and wise benevolence that further exists outside or "above" all these things of its own Making, but who indeed observes above and occasionally interacts with or guides matters along.

As we know and see things here today, our universe appears to be nothing if not a highly precise and exceptionally ordered system involving the interplay of countless various precise, clearly defined natural rules or laws. What's more, although the preceding definition may cause bother to some, our universe almost shows something of an outright aversion to things that don't conform thusly; a well and complete absence of anarchic chaos, sheer randomness, or pure magic... despite there being an expansive universe positively rife with opportunities for exactly such chaos and anarchy to have come into being naturally.

Interestingly, it's precisely this very quality -the inconceivable Design behind it all; the precision those countless rules have been found to exist with, and the impossibility so many variables would come into such perfect alignment in the first place as to result in anything, save for some chaotic void filled by nothingness- that has long since fueled arguments favoring an intelligent Creator, yet may also be used by us today in order to support finding a reality that's simulated in nature.

Indeed, I would say how that itself is hardly some passing coincidence: Both of them being fully and equally true at the very same time. Ours is the Creation of a divinity, absolutely! But it is a divine being that Created our reality, not by pure magic, but rather by an advanced process quite similar (although not necessarily exactly so) to what we know today as simulations, produced through the blessings of modern technology.

This is not to diminish such a divinity to anything comparable to our own level, but just the opposite! It is something achievable only by the most resplendently advanced of an entity imaginable; something that we, for all our own level of advancement, have barely known that such a thing merely even existed but for only the past couple of decades now.

So at day's end, this is only trying to use those God given skills and abilities to "connect the dots," while at the same time being something that we will never ultimately prove capable of doing ourselves – not anywhere close to the same level we now both see and know as our reality. That sort of thing truly, literally could only come as result of a divine Creative force: Not as some abstract curiosity, mind you, but rather as a very real, unimaginably advanced and powerful entity.

Now then, the exciting and new aspect that's only come in our own time? Only one hundred years ago, even if we'd accepted that we knew *every* natural force/law in all of Creation, not a single soul alive would have said there was *anything* that anyone ever could have done with them short of sheer magic.

The last century has seen impossible changes, however – especially here! With the advent of the computing age, we have at long last realized a means by which we can take such things and then represent them somewhere: Digitally. And, much as I said earlier, we've already taken to doing this!

Some experimental research, mostly investigating dark matter and dark energy, have put in all known laws and "poured in" some matter. We have subsequently witnessed rudimentary universes being birthed and taking shape – taking shape, no less, over many billions of years worth of time! Those many eons? They passed by "inside" these simplistic realities over only some weeks or months here to us in the real world.

So at our quite early point of development, this is what's already proving possible. Ridiculous or bizarre (likely both!), believe me, I know.

Yet imagine how, until recent times we had two choices for visually modelling anything: Draw it out in only two limited dimensions – on paper; or create a literal model, doggedly sculpting or building in order to have a fully 3D representation. Ahh, but today? Today we've got our computer 3D models! Except...... they exist in only... two (!?) dimensions? Go look inside some digital model house; observe atomic chemical structures in fully actualized 3D; play any modern video game, with worlds breathtaking in complexity – and all in glorious 3D, even replete with avatars by which we might use to walk around, interact and explore.

All of these things not only weren't imaginable a brief time ago, they were fundamental impossibilities! What is "brief", you ask? Try maybe six decades, at the absolute latest! In other words, being so recently unimagined by the whole of mankind as to fall just 20-30 absurdly short years before such things were first seen realized/created. Ours was to see the promise of computers as number crunchers – calculators the size of a house, exploiting the then still futuristic punch card. The idea of having any visualized data come from those behemoth thinking machines, all composed of numbers? Impossible, indeed!

Most all other inventions brought by progress? They've been dreamt of or existed as theory decades to whole centuries previous! Electricity, first unknowingly exploited in ancient Egypt – Franklin's kite came well over a century before our electrical revolution. This is how incomprehensible such digital technologies proved to be, never mind how truly gargantuan of a leap forward their capabilities represent.

I want to make it painfully clear from the get-go that I am not proposing ours is the result of some civilization much like our own – not at all! I don't even have a sliver of doubt that we are not creations of any Earth (or Earth-like) world running amuck simulating all willy nilly like. At day's end, however, when one considers an impossibly advanced divine being? Provided with only but two choices: A wave of the hand, a hearty "Abracadabra... light!" and -* _POOF_!*-, there you have it? Or else utilizing some means of taking those sets of rules and, using terms as we presently possess, approximating a reality that's conceivably simulated in nature?

Well then, in my mind it's hardly even a choice... at all!

# Chapter 11:

# Ordered Sets of Rules Being Represented Technologically

I fully realize that the moment any such analogies are encountered as includes that which I'll be employing next up, a good many folks might dismiss everything else automatically. I suppose that is what it is -unable to be helped, at least not without also compromising my own beliefs and personal credibility, or else significantly detracting from my fundamental points and concerns- but the reason why I still lean so very intensely on these very same analogies is their singularly unique capability of presenting these otherwise inexplicable concepts in a manner relatively easily understood by those currently unfamiliar with them, by and large.

This most certainly is not to say that I'd have anyone out there left believing that I personally think we're all nothing more than some perverse "living video games" – believe me, nothing could be any further from the truth! What does matter there is the simple fact that these comparisons aren't just the closest thing we have to draw on right now, they're also the only similar such concept that we might hope to be able to use in order to convey this idea! As our digital age remains in its infancy -and as of now lacking even any realistic virtual reality technologies- the mere idea of having those binary ones and zeroes get used, not just to create actual worlds of any kind, but fully 3D worlds with fully realistic physics based upon ordered sets of rules? Clearly, there just aren't a whole lot of options from which we might choose just now.

Because, at the end of the day, I do feel it all rather simple insofar as how we "mere mortals" might hope to understand such truly staggering -almost inconceivable, if not downright unknowable- sorts of ideas: As an introduction for those unfamiliar sorts of folks, the notion of simulated realities *as* a reality? Well, put all prior preconceptions aside for a moment and think about those games of ours.

Not an Atari Pong or Penny Arcade's Pac-Man, mind you... but for a modern PS4 and XBox One title?

Take, for example, a recent game that went 'round nerdy 'Big Bang Theory-types' of circles: Kerbal. Released in April of 2015, Kerbal has its players create, operate and maintain their very own NASA-like space agency. There, the focus is on, not "Galactic Overlord 10,000", but instead exploration first and foremost – build your own planetary probes and launch your assorted missions out into space, exploring your neck of the galactic woods the greatest and being the most successful in any number of ways. So this isn't some "Conquer the Galaxy" bit of nonsense as seems so prevalent over the years, but simply centered on exploring and investigating... a characteristic that's iconic of the human spirit, if ever one existed!

Yet nor is that so much the issue I'd be raising to you here; it's rather something else found in the game, something most casual players of it might never even notice or have any cause to pay serious attention to. Here, in a tidbit from the Wikipedia article for the title, we find this interesting aspect (and fair warning, it isn't exactly a short tidbit, either):

"While the game is not a perfect simulation of reality, it has been praised for its representation of orbital mechanics. Every object in the game except the celestial bodies themselves are under the control of a Newtonian dynamics simulation. Rocket thrust is applied accurately to a vehicle's frame based on the positions in which the force-generating elements are mounted. The strength of the joints connecting parts together is finite and vehicles can be torn apart by excessive or inappropriately directed forces.

The game simulates trajectories and orbits using patched conic approximation instead of a full n-body simulation, and thus does not support Lagrange points, perturbations, Lissajous orbits, halo orbits and tidal forces. According to the developers, full n-body physics would require the entire physics engine to be rewritten.

The in-game astronauts, known as "Kerbals", have some physics calculations applied to them when they are on extra vehicular activities. For example, hitting an object with only the Kerbal's feet will send them into a tumble, which is a potential hazard in real-life spaceflight as well. While on EVA, Kerbals may use their space suit propellant system to maneuver around.

Some celestial bodies have atmospheres of varying heights and densities, affecting the efficiency of wings and parachutes and causing drag during flight. The simulations are accurate enough that real-world techniques such as Hohmann transfers and aerobraking are viable methods of navigating the solar system. Aerobraking, however, has become a much more difficult method of velocity reduction since the full 1.0 release due to the addition of a better aerodynamics model and optional atmospheric entry/reentry heating. Atmospheres thin out into space, but have finite, set heights unlike real atmospheres.

Kerbal Space Program takes some liberties with the scaling of its solar system for gameplay purposes; for example, Kerbin (the analog of Earth) is 1200km in diameter while Earth is 12,742, while the gravitational pull of Kerbin is the same as that of Earth, thus implying a planet that is about six times as dense."

I think it pretty much goes without saying what I intend of this quote, no...? Honestly, I almost think the word "simulation" was tossed around more frequently than even I myself make use of in this here work of mine!

Yet it also goes above and beyond that. I mean, hey – guess what? I could've had a "Roll the Bouncy Ball" simulator on an Atari or NES! Video games have been marketed as simulating this activity or that one pretty much since the dawn of video games... 'The Sims' is a so-called "real life simulator" – yet I don't think a single one of us holds that as being anything like real life.

That's fairly extreme as an example, however. Instead, another quite early simulating game was the polar opposite of such overwhelming simplicity: Air Flight Simulation. How many times have we heard whisper of some PC gamer lending a hand in an emergency, able to quickly adapt to real flight controls in order to assist during catastrophe based only off of their admittedly extraordinary experience with Microsoft Flight Simulator of the 1990s?

There, the simulation was so very realistic that one proved able, by and large, to erase the lines between reality and simulation. On rare, extreme occasions they found themselves as able to fly in real life as they were in virtual simulations.

Likewise, countless many different professions have utilized virtual simulations -video games- as honest to goodness training in preparing their students for the real thing, or even merely making them better at doing that thing than they already were in real life. This is a trend that isn't just *not* decreasing, it's been rapidly swelling in recent years as technological accuracy improves and more applications for it get dreamt up.

All too soon enough, many very difficult and demanding professions will heavily rely on virtual (gaming-like) simulations in order to provide truly invaluable, irreplaceable real-world experience; experiences that are absolutely impossible to obtain by any other means, save only by actually doing that thing in real-life. Professions, like surgeons. The aforementioned pilot is another extremely difficult skill-based profession, and yet they've been similarly relying on virtual approximations for decades already!

But see, the most critical distinction of all here is the blurring of the divide between real and "fake"; erasing lines separating virtuality from mere reality.

This... this is what Kerbal speaks to so very, very much indeed! Notice how constantly the previous quote mentions simulating "Newtonian dynamics this" or "orbital flight mechanics that."

Physics, in essence. We aren't just blurring lines with Kerbal, we are proving ourselves fully able to already (at this still extremely infantile point in both our technological and digital based capabilities and understandings) simulate very complex, extraordinarily fundamental natural physical laws to the nth degree that serve as the underpinnings of all reality itself -with a level of realism pretty much as good as it gets- and still having total and complete success in our translating those many different "real world things" into computer code -programming languages that ultimately exist as nothing save for ones and zeroes- that's eventually capable of being represented as pixels on digital screens. (As one might likely assume, there are a whole lot of layers and continual translations going on underneath the hood, as it were, no...?)

What is "real life" in the "real world," then, if not something perfectly capable of existing as part of some "real world simulator"? In other words, what is our own world -where we are this very instant, just as we presently are, ourselves- if it isn't a grand collection of various natural laws operating invisibly in the background? A bunch of software functions, instructions and routines which tell things existing inside that same reality "what's up, what's down - and everything in-between?"

The fact our existence holds so resolutely to those very rules -precise out to that same nth degree, all whilst being unwavering and unbreakable- should make such ideas and theories appear to hold considerable weight to us, even should we not personally accept them as an irrefutable fact of life.

This holds especially true when they are held up against many of the earlier ideas about our existence, origins and creation (being completely centered around more magical origins). In my opinion, the notion hardly appears quite so ridiculous when considering things in this particular light. As we will also begin seeing for ourselves, however, by viewing our existence in this very way...? It holds numerous advantages over imagined "magical" methodologies, allowing countless benefits both from our own perspective and in relation to that divine force who Created it all.

# Chapter 12:

# The Blatant Benefits Of Creating Our Universe As A Technologically Based Simulation

I'd next have us start looking at how utilizing something akin to a simulation (as we both know and understand such a thing might be) offers rather blatant advantages over any, and indeed all, alternative means conceivable. Imagine: Creating a universe that's the size of, well... an entire universe! It begs the question: Why would any being -whether they be divine or otherwise- ignore the incredible benefits offered by any such simulated methodology, even if they were to possess quite real magic... positively just emanating from their fingertips!?

Among still others, those benefits include an almost inconceivable minimization in the size, time and resources involved with developing any Created universe; a simulation-like Creation also offers absolute and total dominion over it – both in creating an entire universe in the first place, just as much as overseeing and shepherding that reality once it's been so made.

That said, let's now go ahead and explore a few of those aspects in more depth.

A simulated existence allows for producing an entire reality on something far, far smaller than whatever actual space may be getting simulated as such. While a non-simulated universe is a bloated construct if ever there was one (something that's only however massive as all of known space itself may be) any simulation's size is something that's only as big or as small as whatever " _thing_ " -the " _hardware_ ", as it were- that's doing the simulating. A universe inside of a chip (or something analogous to one, at least), or a universe... that's just as expansive as any universe surely is.

Something of a side note, but a simulated reality also enjoys another added bonus in the form of its outright mobility; where, as part of that aforementioned " _thing/hardware_ " it may even be "moved" or "transported" at will – compared to the inescapable fact that a more magically created universe likely has to exist in a static state: Exactly where it was created, precisely where it just now exists.

Time, being another "biggy" – with a universe, much as we well know today, requiring some tens of billions of years in order to truly develop sentient life. Ours? It sits at some 13.7 billion of them -right now!- which makes the idea of any being sitting and watching in "real time," as it were, a genuinely preposterous sort of notion. This thought perhaps also partly explains why so very many Creationists favor a few thousand year long timeline, instead. The thought of an intelligent being existing alongside 13.7 billion years is rather unimaginable just on its face, but then factor in how some 13.69 billion of them were only a waiting game; little more than watching paint, eternally drying...? Well and truly, an utterly inconceivable reality to behold!

Ahh, but simulations instead allow for a far more fluid perception of time to be bestowed to the Simulator/Creator – a billion years can pass in little more than a fleeting instant (given a sufficient enough level of technology as to "process" things that quickly, but of course). What's more, whenever an "interesting part" arrives...? One can easily slow things down at will, allowing them to watch "whenever" at whatever speed they so like! Therefore, those 13.7 billion years can have genuinely happened, while they might pass before the Creator blinks an eye if it suits their fancy.

Or, in still other words? A simulated reality as Reality quite uniquely offers a variability to time in the eyes of that Simulator/Creator – something that seems all but impossible to have for a "real reality" without utterly annihilating all rationality, either for the Creator or the Created (meaning one of the two would be forced to have such a changing rate of time, playing out as a reality, on their end – destroying any hope of logic on whichever end finds their time constantly speeding up and then slowing back down.)

So then, here the Simulated perspective offers an advantage unobtainable in any other conceivable way – omniscient omnipresence, and literally changing the passage of time itself as it relates to their "eyes".

Then, there's those pesky resources any universe needs to be anything more than a void of empty space: Matter (something that "...can't be created or destroyed..." etc.). Not only would one require sufficient volume as to put all that three dimensional space in, they'd also somehow have to produce... well, the all of everything known to man – every last atom found in every single person, planet, star and galaxy, alike!

But a Simulation presents us with yet another unique solution for that one: The only limits one might have for matter inside their Creation is something analogous to processing power; or else time to run those processes. We ourselves can already create entire simulated universes on supercomputers that are currently the size of a small room: Endless orders of magnitude of atoms or molecules that get "made" from things relatively quite small in comparison (made from or composed out of only a fraction's fraction of the amount of matter they subsequently then "create" – aka. simulating it). In this regard, think of simulations like making a whole galaxy worth out of only some tiny thimble (composed out of metals and silicon) by factoring in the additional aspect of time (as in from the calculations processed per second by the "simulator's" hardware.)

Lastly, there's the troublesome topic of literal omnipotence. The thing of it here? As I discussed previously, our universe does not appear to be magical in either nature or in its function (recall the earlier discussion regarding our reality rather obsessively adhering to ordered sets of rules). This magical absence is only more problematic still when one considers the "made in His image" part – which would certainly appear most inconceivable if a fundamental characteristic of that Being is in Its own magical nature. How can we be made in an image, yet a defining part of that image is nowhere to be found anywhere in their Creation? (Or furthermore, one of the 'defining' hallmarks in/of that Creation is its absolute adherence to clearly definable natural rules, laws, and otherwise – the total opposite of magic?)

Ahh, but with simulations, much as we understand them to be...? Well, the phrase "God Mode" certainly springs to mind: Wherein total and complete control over that simulated Creation may be offered -at all times- while also not "breaking" or otherwise inhibiting the goings on inside of it.

To my mind, at least, the simulated perspective seems to at once resolve the absence of literal magic in our universe – while just the same giving divinity those exact same tools (omniscient and omnipresent omnipotence) over that universe... only through decidedly non-magical means! As I said, this utterly removes the problem of being "made in an image" that somehow excludes one of the most important parts of that same image: Possessing real, genuine magic.

All the same, it finds a being or entity that is not magically based (just as we ourselves aren't): In and over our own universe, divinity would possess such tools and complete mastery over all things that it might as well be called magic. In "their reality," they'd likewise be so inconceivably far advanced as to have few real, actual limits of their own – although all of those infinite abilities are derived from purely rational, non-magical means. So we see that, by only viewing our own creation and existence in such a way, it needn't alter or diminish our understanding of divinity... not at all! All that it truly does here -the only thing at all- is attempting to explore and explain such matters from a more rational perspective: Trying to remove magic unknowing from the equation, while also ensuring that we're not necessarily just left with a big question mark as a result.

At the same time, we also hope to explore some parts of the bigger picture given this particular perspective; things that, in all honesty, we've never truly had rhyme nor reason for up until now. From the traditionalist standpoint, the big "Why?" behind God Creating thusly is never actually explained. In other words, the simple reason behind our existence -our literal purpose, existentially- has always remained something of a genuine mystery.

I believe that, by looking through this admittedly bizarre simulated sort of lens, we might tackle it in such a way as to yield a definitive -and perfectly sound- answer there. In order to do so, however, it first requires we must indeed accept this bizarre simulated idea, which is what this particular portion is concerned with conveying before moving on to those additional aspects. After all of that has largely been said and done, we'll return anew to exploring some of these topics in still more detail – for example, looking at various specific issues serving as further evidence in favor of a simulated existence... both scientific, as well as those of a purely religious nature (like with the Christian notion of there being a divine "Trinity").

# Chapter 13:

# The Simulating Divinity of a Technological God:

# Omniscience and "Guidance by Nudge"

In yet again emphasizing the incredible divinity of the being responsible for our Creation, we still might manage to draw comparisons and formulate ideas on comprehending such inconceivable matters based on our own existing knowledge or understandings... however limited that may well be. For example, today's piece endeavors to look at how that divinity could manage to shepherd and direct us without relying on direct intervention in order to see its actions realized – at the same time, providing a decidedly rational explanation for such issues as may relate to clairvoyance and precognition of a singularly divine nature.

Take, for example, the idea of omnipresence. How could a divinity possibly know and see all, able to affect change without ever directly taking things completely over? Now stop and try to imagine such an advanced being, one simulating similarly to how we might understand it. Well, the simulated perspective offers us some particular insights thereabouts, as with so much else: Here, by utilizing further, far more brief and limited simulations; probability analysis as means of prognostication and modeling out the so-called butterfly effect.

That divine Creator is, in every aspect of every last thing, "running" the show of this universe/reality. It would be able to immediately run an infinite number of scenarios, determining probabilities until it set upon the perfect, ideal outcome. At any given moment, It would therefore "see" a thousand years ahead, able to then nudge things along by taking what action it deems necessary to bring that outcome about!

Springing forth from this concept, let us momentarily turn to our own present weather modeling and hurricane forecasts. The first important aspect? Drawing on previous data such as to allow better, more accurate predictions – the longer time that passes, the more data those hurricane models subsequently rely on... all of which greatly improves their accuracy and validity.

Just the same, any predictive computer model works on a probability "game" based on prior experiences and knowledge: Drawing out an endless number of scenarios, deciding on those with the highest likelihood of taking place just now, and then going with whatever they might be telling us will come as the end result.

Now, in returning to the idea of our own divine Creator – one that furthermore has thusly Created our reality using, at the very least, something akin to simulations? Although still remaining fantastically more advanced than we dare to conceive of, we would only expect they might utilize such predictive simulated scenarios and probability forecasts quite similar to those aforementioned hurricane models... most especially in ensuring our absolute free will remains unimpeachable, without any actual interference directly coming on their part.

This sort of predictive prognostication would apply both collectively (as a globe and civilization) just as much as on the personal level, individually (with the litany of our day-to-day lives). As an example of the former, let us turn to the introduction by that divinity of those ancient religious theologies to our world: We could only hope to expect such a Creator might've just as well considered numerous alternative scenarios – up to and including laying everything squarely on the table, telling our world all those millennia ago the true shape of all things... even handing over to us such modern marvels as has been realized both technologically and scientifically, without any efforts first taken to properly earn them on our own parts.

The "odds" are, however, that before committing to such a significant course of action, first predictive scenarios would have been "run" weighing the probable outcomes from whichever path was actually selected. In other words, perhaps the "rational, realistic explanation" introduced thousands of years in our past showed a result bringing about overwhelming chaos and anarchy to the future of our world (for whatever reason). On the other hand, going with parables at a level those peoples they'd be introduced to could most easily understand -and with a specific focus on societal and cultural instructions over, say, more scientific or technological natural knowledge freely given without first having "earned" it- produced the most ideal outcome: Something pretty much identical to the world we do in fact find here today!

This same exact sort of idea would also be carried out accordingly in our own personal, daily lives: Where, by introducing some action or event years before hand, their resplendent vision is such that they can "see" whatever desired outcome it causes many, many years still down the line! Therefore, rather than "jumping out directly in front of us as we're walking down some path, stopping us just inches before we plummet down some unseen cavernous hole in the ground," they can instead introduce a small obstacle right as we first begin our nightly walk – one that ensures we'll ultimately take an entirely different route, thereby avoiding that potential danger altogether!

The prior example is simply an illustrative way of demonstrating direct intervention (by interference serving to potentially invalidate our free will) versus indirect divine guidance or gentle "nudging" along – with the "small obstacle" model here also being a perfect dramatization of the so-called butterfly effect at play: Various actions or effects that have unseen, often unnoticeable consequences. Subsequently, it all combines to further impart divinity with a proper means of introducing or bringing into fruition whatever outcome it may desire, merely by tweaking and prodding things along rather than shoving something directly in our faces.

On the very same token, this seems to provide an answer to those who may question whether or not that divine entity has disappeared in today's world – those who in some way or another assert that "God is dead." In point of fact, God is hardly any such thing (let alone a being who could ever truly face any mortal death as we know it!). Rather, that divine entity acts "behind the scenes," knowing full well the intense disruptive force and damaging impact its present-day interactions with our world would surely have. Instead, exploiting advanced capabilities that, by way of the "butterfly effect" in action, bestow a means for creating literally any outcome conceivable (no matter how big) to be realized by only far more extraordinarily slight, yet deliberate, actions...? In so doing that divinity is also carrying out the protection of our absolute free will.

At the same time, however, this all serves as a rational explanation for divine awareness and omnipresence as something not magically based, but that instead exploits only that Creator's own incredible advancement and ability. With the only other alternative being to utterly disrupt the all of everything by making sweeping and resounding changes whenever any undesirable situation inevitably arises, we instead bear witness to an all-knowing and inconceivably wise benevolence (our Creator) using such incredible gifts to ensure the very best of all potential outcomes for us in the most delicate and precarious of ways possible: As a world, just as much as for individuals living out the course of our own day-to-day lives.

The notion of "running" temporary, much more limited predictive scenarios/simulations goes hat in hand with a being who would Create in such a way as by using a somewhat more technologically based simulation in order to yield an entire universe. It's yet another demonstration of their impossible advancements used primarily for the benefit of their Creation, whilst all the same ensuring there's no need for us to rely on actual, literal magic as explanations for seeing such impossibilities realized by that divinity. In still other words, such probability prognostications and predictive simulated scenarios act as a real and feasible way of offering clairvoyance and various such "visions into the future"; something achieved purely rationally and realistically, through otherwise inconceivable advancement and technological means.

All the same, however, it also allows that divine being to act on us and our world through those aforementioned shepherding "gentle nudges" – tapping as it does into the notion of the butterfly effect; enacting whatever changes as to ensure our ongoing survival and continual thriving (both as a species and as individuals), without necessitating direct (and overwhelmingly disruptive) divine intervention or with similar intensive corrective measures that might be made only after the fact.

Should one personally hold that our world today is the result of some otherworldly entity acting upon us, if only in some way or another; that there's quite simply no other way we could be where we now find ourselves, thriving all the while...? It then seems to me most likely indeed that such matters would have been carried out as the result of concepts or ideas similar to those raised in this particular chapter. This comes because, at day's end, they impart the sorts of abilities which allows a divine Creative force to possess the most perfect vision imaginable, while also guaranteeing that its many various workings will involve intricacies down to depths inconceivable by any "mere mortal" mind; whereby they might introduce a pebble in our paths or a split second delay, all of which having been done simply to obtain some outcome or result several years on down the line.

With all of this having been said, in my eyes it also seems perfectly reasonable to assume such capabilities needn't necessarily be purely technological in nature. It's entirely plausible that this divine entity is so fantastically far advanced and so **naturally** powerful that it can accomplish such predictive analysis all on its own accord, strictly using its own wholly natural abilities. There's little genuine need for some machine to handle such tasks -even though for ourselves, or any human being, we quite obviously require this added "assistance"- so I see absolutely no reason why an advanced divinity couldn't in fact do all of this entirely by its own initiative (although, no matter what, it still wouldn't result in literal clairvoyance or magic -seeing into the future- but rather evidence of an incredibly complex and advanced intelligent force at work).

So in that particular sense, notions that are in actuality strikingly similar to our earlier hurricane forecast simulation references (predictive models that tap into probability "number games"; efforts employing the "butterfly effect in action") would still stand, regardless of whatever means may (or may not) be utilized to achieve this by such a divinity.

Put quite simply, that portion of the divine force (as oversees and operates matters relating to our world) would consider outcomes by running predictive scenarios and weighing the odds for any number of events. Based on how it sees things going in the future, it would then introduce whatever changes and nudges are desired by it accordingly.

So in modernity we see how we can once more find both ample enough explanation for and sufficient reason to remove our long ago reliance on genuine magic when it comes to our divine Creator, just as holds true with every other facet of our lives – hereby resolutely adhering to the concept of "advancement or technologies can most often be indistinguishable from magic." Instead, such magic gets replaced by the sorts of reason and logic that is evidenced throughout that divine being's whole entire Creation itself, made just as it was (along with we ourselves) in that Creator's very own image... no less, being a place where all true magic (or merely any chaotic randomness) are glaringly absent.

# Chapter 14:

# An Example of a Technological God's Guidance By Nudge

How might this concept of guidance by nudging us along work out in practice, you may likely find yourself wondering? How can an overseeing higher power even possibly influence the realm of human affairs (at every level) without breaking our free will, a most inviolate law as something well and truly sacrosanct in respect to the cultivation of intelligent self-aware entities? Consider it as being much like proverbial shepherding, an example of which is as follows:

Say one person has a stray thought one day (itself coming about because of yet another endless string of causal events), leading them to post a flier for their new coffee shop in a certain location, a spot where they'd *not* have placed it without the benefit of that errant thought. Two weeks quickly pass, until a day a certain lonely soul goes for a walk. A brand new sports car parked down the way catches their eye, and so they cross over to that side of the street fancying a look at it.

Also on that same side...? You guessed it: Said flier, but of course! Perhaps looking a little worse for the wear, but still right there! Finding themselves most curious, our lonely walker ends up travelling all the way to get a morning "wake up call" of coffee, where they happen to catch the eye of a certain someone working behind the counter. Ye olde game of courtship ensues, they marry, two kids and a mortgage... then, two generations later, a child who'll be the driving force behind human colonization on Mars is born... and the rest is, as they say, (future) history!

The fundamental point behind it all is thusly this: That divinity might as well be working with sheer magic in our eyes, being so impossibly far advanced beyond us – just as it is. As a result of all that advancement, it surely possesses near infinite resources, in every regard – making it so that no task is too gargantuan or demanding for it to easily accomplish.

Therefore, the aspect of that entity/force which is involved with literally running our entire reality can indeed "see all, know all" by running endless strings of probabilities attained through directed, brief, and intensely limited simulations in order to decipher and determine various outcomes to any number of events. Here, this isn't limited to some macroscopic scale, but easily done on a day-to-day, personal level just the same as for that "bigger picture!" Through the capabilities offered in this particular way, it suddenly becomes entirely possible to see infinitely far ahead and make microscopically imperceptible alterations to bring about any outcome that might be imaginable, on every level – both globally as well as personally.

One additional caveat I'd mention just now? Free will is something limited only to human beings. This absolute, unbreakable law does not extend to anything else, however. What that means? No human being can ever be "taken over" or forced to do any action. But...! That does not apply to, let's say... a bear. If deemed necessary, divinity can influence us in countless ways, even like by giving certain genes at birth ultimately bestowing us with a gift of writing.

The individual consciousness itself, on the other hand, is inviolate: We may never, ever be taken over or forced to do anything (and the reasons for this being the case will soon start becoming clearer). So God "sees" everything -much as He is everything, everywhere, at anytime- making a need to "take us over" completely and thereby removing our free will from the equation something that's wholly unnecessary for Him to do. Certainly, not when that divine force might instead put this or that down in our "path", having us see some piece of information that brings whatever desired change He may seek for us while always still retaining our absolute free will... at all times, as well as in all ways

# Chapter 15:

# The Technological God's Form of Existence:

# Explained By Way Of The Christian Trinity

Curiously enough, this next chapter originally saw me writing from the vantage point of being used as evidence in some of our existing beliefs that hinted at a simulated form of existence. That particular aspect to this still stands, but at the same time it also serves as the most idealized means of conveying certain matters nearer to the introduction of the simulated reality as an idea: For discussing the fundamental nature of our divine Creator, as relates to those simulated sets of ideas presented with this work.

As proves true regarding most things? Then we would only expect to find at least some evidence or "hints/clues" supporting the notion throughout – meaning, that is, either tangible or intangible proof outside of solely that thing in and of itself. Should a simulation truly be the case for our reality/existence, this would mean either scientifically -in nature, within parts of that Creation- or religiously -in information coming directly (or indirectly) from the Creator, passed down to mankind long ago.

For the latter, they'd be selective aspects locked away deep inside various ancient divine scriptures and tenets, subsequently buried over after so many centuries of always being viewed in only a certain way. All the same, they might just as well be reexamined today and readily interpreted to provide us with certain clues as to the true nature of reality; such things as would only be conceivable given the benefit of more knowledge/better understanding that's been acquired in modernity.

Today what we'll be turning to involves one of the most fundamental of concepts surrounding Christianity; drawn as it is from those sacred works widely accepted as originating from the Higher Power who was singularly responsible for our creation.

Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, we find that even in religious ideas handed down to man still in our relatively juvenile days there exist particularly glaring hints of some of the ideas I'd present: The potential technological nature of our reality.

Well, this appears to be precisely what we end up discovering should we look hard enough (and from a certain mindset/perspective)! No less, it is actually most apparent in something that is especially central to one of the (if not the) most important of Earthly religions: None other than the critical idea of a Trinity found with Christianity – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Now you surely must wonder how it is that I'd possibly connect concepts seemingly so at odds with one another... and yet it's actually something all too easily accomplished! For let us again put our hypothetical simulated reality in our minds for a moment – if anything, would it not be something likely run on a computer, however impossible and inconceivable to our world today such technologies would assuredly be? Furthermore, run on "hardware" that's all overseen, operated and maintained by some simulating "software" or "program"?

Would that same software, along with the computer hardware that runs it, not all have been built by still another entity, one both conscious and intelligent? For a simulation program to come into being and exist, it must first be created by another being of some sort – with this truly being our Higher Power.

Finally, with Christ, divine emissaries, prophets and more, is that not proof positive of that Higher Power speaking to us, but only on our level of existence (rather than in God's own; or some third, alternative "halfway compromise" between two separate realities)?

What's more, however, is with the idea of the Holy Spirit: Based on what we can be said to know of that aspect, we should expect that to be the entity that would oversee and maintain things on our "side" of reality/existence. As, however crudely stated, the "simulation software" itself, it also would serve as the tapestry upon which we are each invisibly woven upon and all connected together by.

Indeed, they would even be the only likely respondent to any "prayers" we make – especially seeing as how that Higher Power "Father" exists on another plane all but entirely separate from our own, one to whom millennia as experienced by us could just as easily be only but the most fleeting of hours in their eyes. This also goes one extra step further, potentially offering an explanation as to how our thoughts could possibly be "read," owing to the fact that we only exist as a part of that same entity – seeing as how it's actually something we are all composed out of and surrounded by, coursing through us on every level; viewed much like the ones and zeroes that are a part of binary based computing, yet even deeper than that still!

Then it is the third portion that truly speaks to the validity of any simulated theory – essentially displaying the sheer impossibility for that Creating Higher Power to exist in our mortal realm without assuming a human form: A quite literal avatar, in order to interact and move about in our own world.

The reason this so strongly validates the idea of something at least like a simulation is quite simple: That sheer incapability to exist in this universe for an otherwise omnipotent being very much tells us a great deal. Indeed, go back throughout every trace of Christian or Jewish histories: Never once is there an example where God Himself appears and interacts in His Own physical form on our world.

Imagine, for such an omnipotent being, circumstances wherein their movements in this world couldn't happen by their merely just "popping" into their very own Creation. Then, if you were to desire interacting with a simulation of ours (or, more easily conceivable still to those of us today, a futuristic video game) – do we expect that we could just physically go in at will, in our very own bodies? Of course not!

We could upload our consciousness, creating an avatar to move about; we could also create some "script" to run inside of it in our stead, essentially making some physical figure to express our desires and do what we'd have done. But they would never -and *could* never- wholly be us, just as we are in our own bodies, walking about in some digital world.

The concept of Trinity has oftentimes frustrated and caused many a lengthy discussion over the centuries as to its nature, purpose and meaning. This is because to all who came before us, the notion proved utterly foreign to those mere mortal minds of ours; it truly didn't seem to make sense or conform to what humanity understood at the time. I mean really now – One God... but with no fewer than _three_ separate forms?! A monotheistic deity, yet possessing three different embodiments? 'Tis all but entirely inconceivable!

Ahh, but not so much when it's instead viewed in light of our current knowledge (and with these here ideas in particular), whereby it at least might start making some degree of sense! There's the true Creator, a Higher Power responsible for our very being, yet existing in full on some higher "layer" of existence; then the "simulation" itself, representing all our existence and binding us together one and all, being the very canvas that we exist on and the building blocks we were made up of, who further handles the oversight and day-to-day affairs of our entire reality; and lastly the bridge linking the two together, where that Creator Power can interact with their own Creation as they would have done.

Three different "forms," however only but a single Power truly being responsible for it all and in complete control of all those distinct conceivable aspects to it. The "Holy Spirit" (basically the simulation itself) was created by none save for that "Father" Higher Power, who retains total control at all times. The "Son" (Their divine avatar/emissary), being either the Higher Power acting directly or their desires and whims for us given physical form in our world. All three serve but a lone entity/being/force, with each one being some form or representation of that singular divinity, Itself.

So we can very much start to find portions of evidence inside religious works that themselves are some several thousand years ancient in age; examples which very much fit within these kinds of ideas I'd offer, things having cropped up and been conceivable as such only in the last decade or two, at best.

Now while this particular connection might be said to greatly aid the prospect of taking a simulated kind of existence seriously (by tying it in with existing theological concepts), the opposite equally holds true: That all those modern deniers of religious thought -folks who might declare such works to have been the result of man, and nothing else- might in fact need to take a second look at their assorted ideas.

Although those religious works were presented to an unrecognizable human civilization; intended for folks with decidedly archaic understandings about their world...? We discover portions that only really begin making sense many millennia onward; neatly fitting beneath certain developments that were utterly inconceivable until only the past couple decades of time.

Attempting to apply all that modern understanding in something of a reevaluation of some of those ideas -from a modern perspective, first and foremost-, when we witness such an "alignment" of widely separated ages...? We can, just the same, start to discover things whereupon those systems of belief indeed aren't antiquated falsehoods to be casually dismissed, but in fact came from a very genuine, quite real (literal, even) Higher Power.

As for an example involving some of the more 'detailed specifics' here, with the Christian Trinity? As far as the New Testament goes, multiple different gospels specifically detail how Jesus Christ was, "Conceived of the Holy Spirit, and born to Mary."

This particular offering only further emphasizes the correlation existing with the Holy Spirit and our own ideas presented herein. Once again, if one were to perceive the former as being much the same as the overall foundations/operator for our entire reality in simulated form, it all actually starts to make perfect sense.

If the idea of the "Father" is that actual Higher Power that's responsible for our very Creation, an entity existing quite literally on a higher plane, and the all of our own existence itself is a part of that Holy Spirit/"simulating intelligence" process, then the only way for the former to interact with us, here on our "level", would be to come through that same Holy Spirit – being the simulation, itself. Normally, in other words, during the proverbial day-to-day of things the "Father aspect" (the sentient divine entity responsible for the Making of all things) would not be directly involved in our world... interacting with us personally only when we ourselves leave that world in death, so having our consciousness be joined with that divinity wherever it exists as an actual being.

It would be necessary for that divine being to essentially become a part of their own creation, and thusly "being conceived" of this very plane of existence to assume an "avatar" with which they might directly interact with us and our world. In other words, take the Biblical quotes of a conception as basically some kind of conversion for mind and consciousness – shifting from one layer of reality to another, one which is "real" and "analog," the other their own Creation and existing almost quite literally in a digital form.

Truly, prior attempts to make sense of the nature of the Trinity must've proven nearly impossible as something that was just utterly inconceivable; why, for example, God could not merely corporealize Itself and "shuffle on down from the clouds above" to speak with us in person - in the (divine) flesh. It seems to only become somewhat rational if one works off of the basis of having multiple different planes to existence, yet even there the idea of an omnipotent deity who proves somehow incapable of directly interacting with Its own creation is, on the surface, decidedly most illogical.

Ahh, but should we then start to factor in our much more recent stores of knowledge, understanding or, far and away the most important thing of all, with modern technology...? Once more, however crudely idealized the prospect might be, seeking to envision it much the same as with ourselves and a purely virtual construct crudely similar to something we even might create today? The pieces really do seem to begin falling into place all on their own from there (or at least they certainly do in my eyes) – something I can only hope might also hold true for others besides myself.

Really, little else on this particular subject can be expanded upon any further beyond this point. All additional attempts on my part aimed at convincing someone any more than I've already done, or trying to somehow present this argument in still different ways... it wouldn't just prove itself futile, I feel it'd actually be completely counterproductive. With this, it's either going to be something that makes relative sense to someone, or else it won't; something they're able to find themselves open to considering, or not. C'est la vie.

# Chapter 16:

# Dispelling Misconceptions About A Simulated-like Existence

Next, I feel as though it's rather important for us to get something out of the way in this not-so-little endeavor of ours: To dispel various misconceptions, uncertainties and negative perceptions as come alongside any attempts to grapple with a simulated sort of Creation and a technologically advanced divinity.

Chief amongst them? We **absolutely** mustn't feel as though the simulated existence reduces us... not in any conceivable way, shape or form! Instead, it is more of a matter about how our own perceptions might come to consider things – nothing more – as to precisely how we all choose to go about understanding it, along with the impact and transformative effect it may have vis-a-vis our own existence and proverbial day-to-day's.

In this particular regard, far and away the very most important thing of all? We must not allow ourselves to think anything less due to such extenuating existential circumstances as a simulated reality entails – it does not, in point of fact, turn us into perverse abstracts like some mere virtual figments in a divine being's imaginations as absurdist playthings; nor are we reduced to little more than a futuristic video game -like a piece of digitally based entertainment- for whatever "higher tiered" plane is responsible for our Creation.

In all honesty, a simulated acceptance changes absolutely nothing... about anything! Or rather, it affects only whatever changes we might choose to allow it and see enacted as a consequence – but our very existence and self empowered determination begetting our unimpeachable free will has and always shall remain sacrosanct and inviolable.

At the end of the day, the most significant change the simulated reality presents to us is rather simplistic in its nature: Doing nothing any greater than offering us an explanation for how we might have come to be in the first place!

Furthermore, instead of transforming our own existence thereabouts in any way whatsoever, it only yields the potential of radically transforming the nature & identity of the divine entity we hold ultimately responsible for the whole entire shebang – otherwise known as the all of all known (and, for that matter, unknown) things!

What this means is indeed quite simple: Unlike at any other point in human history, this bold new idea can bestow each of us who might choose to accept these thoughts with an entirely unprecedented new understanding as to the intrinsic nature of a (very literal) higher power. Before today, up until just right now, we've always held such a being (or, for the polytheists out there: Beings, plural) to be something inherently unknowable and eternally mysterious – part of divine and omnipotent workings, neither meant to nor capable of ever being made known to our paltry "mere mortal" minds.

Now that we've advanced so very far, however, and in so very many different ways -now that our civilization undeniably moves from its juvenile adolescence into a relatively advanced stage of maturity, collectively speaking- all of that advancement also enables us with abounding opportunities to conceive of the otherwise all but inconceivable: Better **divining** the very nature of God, Himself. In place of altering our preconceptions as relates to our own existence, reality and/or lives, the only seismic shift to _actually_ be found hereabouts comes in relation to the omnipotent entity responsible for all three things.

In neither reducing or lessening our own standing in any way, it instead does the exact opposite: Serving to bring us that much closer to our Maker, and thusly taking us that much further ahead as a collective group of beings – to expand and improve upon our relationship with that Creator. We should also desire to continue gaining insights and knowledge about our world, knowing that this is the most direct path we have to a higher powered divinity.

Ultimately, the goal should be to bring us that much closer to and make ourselves more like the one who Made the all of all things – to transform ourselves, in a variety of ways, by continuing to do precisely that which we've been doing: Moving forever and always ahead... expanding upon our understandings while improving our world and our place in it.

Admittedly, at first glance this might all seem rather at odds with the natural (almost instinctual) reaction one has upon being introduced to such simulated ideas. Our very first inkling to having such thoughts brought to mind is assuredly to draw comparisons to similar circumstances already well known by most living today – making us little different, in other words, from anything else we understand to come from such technological sorts of origins.

My goodness gracious, we even have a name for it! -something that all things digitally based embody: Artifice – being a "reduction" into realms of pure artificiality. Yet merely even with reading the word just now... the associations that it springs to mind for each of us – does it not (completely unintentionally) have a less than sterling or positive connotation to it?

Or perhaps employing an even better example still: If I were to offer you two identical objects -of any kind (and, unbeknownst to you, they were in fact _both_ one and the same)- while further telling you that " **this one that's in my hand right here** " is artificial – do you really have any doubts as to which of the pair you'd choose for yourself... with nary even a second's thought? But of course not! I can easily say this because it's something every single last one of us would very much be guilty of, despite whatever extenuating details there might've been or was actually the case.

So artificial this; virtual that – no matter how advanced or fantastical they might be relative to ourselves, whatever relationship we'll have with our own thinking technological creations has always been (and forever shall be) something of an innately superior/inferior one. Upon the day when true artificial intelligence at long last dawns, all who might draw breath in that instant will surely themselves view those artificial creations as somehow beneath us -even should they be hopelessly more advanced than we ourselves are in every last way imaginable.

This comes by way of such inventions being distinctly different, not the same as we are and so naturally **unnatural** as a result! Despite the fact that those artificially produced sentient entities will likely see our own intellects dwarfed by many orders of magnitude at the very first moment inside the "Era of Technologically Artificial Intelligences", the simplified relationship between creator and their created comes with almost insurmountable preconceptions and prejudices as to the shape they take inside our minds... even if it's indeed only to those minds of ours, regardless of all facts and realities to the contrary.

If we remain completely unchanged, and only the most intangible of qualities get altered? Then indeed, absolutely nothing has been changed for us. Further, to deny a potential truth strictly because we may not exactly like it and/or find it rather offsetting in its bizarreness would be the height of irrationality.

Another issue that I see? Throughout this body of work, you'll be reading a great many ideas supported and expanded upon using scientific concepts/language. This is solely because that natural world = divinity. Nothing could speak to us any more on the nature or desires of our Creator than to have it drawn from our present scientific knowledge, which is precisely what I'll be doing throughout.

Tragically, there are far too many amongst us today who still hold that science arrogantly seeks to place man above God – where our ongoing research distances us from divinity, due to the considerable reliance on the wits of humanity involved therein. There exists no greater untruth than this in all the world, however, as science only works to put mankind ever closer to their Creator. God is everywhere, in everything, and what is science if not the research and exploration of everything, everywhere?

With my significant usage of scientific understandings, then, we find not some perverse hybrid between unrepentant atheism and some sort of techno-theology. No, just the opposite! Instead, it is the continued evolution of our relationship with God/our Creator, aided by our exponentially improved understanding of the natural world in its entirety.

All I can therefore possibly hope to ask of you in this grand undertaking is at least trying to keep an open mind while reading this work and the many different ideas contained within it. If my words might still ring hollow with a mind that's been left wide, then so be it... but dismiss them purely because none of it makes a lick of sense to *you*, and not instead because of what you _feel_ others would likely desire of you here, with this – nor because of whatever you've been told in the past that you should _ultimately_ say, think, or believe for yourself.

In other words, let not your vision be clouded by some knee-jerk reaction to any concepts scientific in nature that also deal with matters of faith... sprung from those who've long ago decreed such to be the path of sin and unrepentant atheism, when in fact, irrespective of simulated theories, investigating the natural world is to study the very shape of God, Himself – wherein any greater understanding of our world through scientific inquiry can, in truth, only possibly draw one that much closer still to He who Created it all. In these particular areas, it certainly feels as though we've all been spoon fed disinformation and base lies from the hands of manipulators, ideologues or otherwise for far, far too long now... those seeking the furtherance of some perverse schism between faith and reason; almost as though the world Created and its Creator are two entirely separate concerns, forever and always at odds with one another.

Admittedly, given the extreme divergence of these concepts from anything in our contemporary cultures, it will be exceedingly difficult for them to be acknowledged as mere possibilities – even for those sorts most likely to accept them – let alone for anyone, anywhere who might find themselves able to readily agree with the notion that ours is some absurd virtual approximation of reality, by way of real and true simulations.

An additional misconception to resolve just now? "Somebody Who Saw The Matrix One Time Too Many – Buying Into It All Hook, Line and Sinker!" There are almost too many differences and distinctions to list here, but first and foremost amongst them? There we saw actual humans being trapped in a virtual environment -organic brains that were all hooked up to various gadgetry, subsequently being spoon fed an illusory recreation of reality.

At day's end, however, there was a "real reality" where those fictional "real humans" (the consciousness of individuals who interacted with one another in the virtual world) all had their bodies housed and stored away. So simply by having any actual, *real* human beings of the organic, biological variety who existed inside of a digitally simulated environment to begin with, we see the overriding distinction here: 'Natural' organic minds/brains that were merely hooked up to those virtual realms, as opposed to being purely and entirely simulated – having been born/"created" inside of the simulation, existing forever as a part of that Created reality, themselves.

Thusly, it can be said that I'm all but certain there aren't "levels upon levels" to reality as the film itself would present us with... no Inception or Matrix degree of convolution anywhere to be found!

No, rather, our bodies here and now (such as they are), in our own world (just as it is) are essentially all that exists of us – end of story... or rather it's the end until we inevitably die in this world, that is. The distinction, then, between this and "The Matrix, Being Taken As Fact" is that I hold that we, along with our whole entire world, are the result of a simulation of reality, crudely stated; that all we know and everything that we are exists as a part of that simulation, inside of a 'simulated universe,' that has been intentionally created/overseen/maintained by a divine power operating on some 'higher plane' of existence.

The third and final bit of murkiness to resolve involves the question of the Creator. Certainly some might posit that, if a simulated reality holds true – and if it is also something we can not only conceive of, but envision our future selves potentially inventing all their own...? Then could we not just as easily be the product of some futuristic humanity, creating endless simulations of their reality or histories?

Now then, I've already said I firmly believe that our Creator is one best understood as being literally divine in nature; that we are not the end result of simulations begetting endless more simulations – in an infinite domino chain of simulations. Because, while I mentioned that a simulation does indeed allow someone to create an entire cosmos out of relatively tiny technological processors? It doesn't in the slightest further allow this same sort of an infinite chain of simulated realities.

In just such an endless chain, the topmost level -one Made by actual divinity- may well be limitless in its potential, it's true... but then, each subsequent level down the chain would be constrained by the "computational resources" directly above them.

Put another way, simulations (of any kind) can only be as powerful and run as fast as the hardware that they themselves are being run on. Today we can't, in other words, make some simulation of a computer on a machine just in order to surpass our own limitations in hardware or technology: Simulating hardware more advanced and better than our own, and then besting everything the simulator can achieve using the simulator itself.

While we can simulate the broad strokes of an entire universe today -absolutely- we still can't simulate a universe that somehow simulates a faster/better simulation, all its own!

In just this same way, you can't have an infinite number of identical simulations operating underneath of a single simulation with limited resources. Admittedly, there are a handful of minimal workarounds: The "upper level" upgrading/adding resources whenever such a time arrives that they're needed; or those simulations down the chain running much, much slower relative to the higher levels (allowing the Simulating hardware more time to process "crunching" all the data). But really now, what would be the point of doing that ad infinitum? No less, simply to allow future recreations of simulations by those being simulated in the first place?! Sheer madness, it would surely seem, and very little else.

Therefore, even if one were to put aside evidence, indications and an innate belief that the force responsible for our Creation is a literal divinity rather than an advanced futuristic mankind, there's no possible way that an infinite number of man-made simulations exists. Then, when one factors in the incredible complexity and scope to our own reality – envisioning just the type of force necessary to simulate it all?

Well, long story short? There simply cannot be a chain of simulations, inside of a chain... inside of still more chains of them; at least not ones that are each identical in size/speed/quality – which kind of defeats the whole purpose of the idea, no? Consequently, we can at the very least feel secure that ours is not some absurd part to an infinite chain of humanly created simulations.

All the same, such notions still don't dismiss the appeal offered by simulated (or simulation-like) means when tackling the issue of divinity and our own existence... just that we can't take things a step too far in this one direction, and thereby posit that an infinite number of simulated universes might exist, which each themselves produce infinite more identical simulated universes.

# Chapter 17:

# Supportive Evidence As Seen With the Big Bang and Creation

A mystery having vexed cosmologists over the past century, ever since the first inklings began emerging about the starting point of our universe (and long before it ever became a TV sitcom) – that of ye olde "Big Bang Theory"?

Well, the question has remained as such: What exactly was it which came *before* that grandest of explosive moments? If not this, then merely what might've caused or brought about such an event, to begin with!

Obviously, it should seem rather apparent as to how there absolutely must be *some* form of answer here; meaning things can't be quite so straightforward as what we presently know, and nothing more than that: A universe impossibly starting some 13.7 billion years back, due to some natural act of otherwise purely random chaos. There positively has to be more to the picture here, something beyond what we already understand to be so – some as yet mysterious and/or unknown process, event or otherwise that more adequately explains away and better informs what an overwhelming amount of evidence has told us up to just now.

Without a doubt, many of us would immediately present God as the one and only answer needed for resolving such an arguably tricky sort of issue... with that first moment of time back at the Big Bang simply being when He thusly went about the great work of Creating.

At issue, however, is the fact that even so, there absolutely *must* still be something more to things than are presently known. Neither of the two separate pieces can work all off by themselves... either with a universe singularly having come from various "rationalized processes" in physics, or solely as the result of an omnipotent divinity magically Creating us and our world.

Put more simply: What we understand and so far know of things, in all likelihood, does not correlate with only either some scientifically driven or else a more religious/Creation-based viewpoint.

Therefore, allow me to try and, however crudely, explain what it is I mean here and, at the same time, provide a rough sketch of current understandings about that moment of our reality's initial Creation.

A purely rational/scientific understanding (such as from a committed agnostic or atheist viewpoint) is all but inconceivable, strictly working off of all our existing scientific evidence and data. It's just an utterly illogical impossibility, to come at things in only that one way. Not only shouldn't God ever be removed from an understanding of His Creation, it isn't even possible to try and examine our universe's origins without also taking into account a Creator responsible for its very existence.

All of known reality somehow *poofed* itself right on into existence only some 13.7 billion years ago? Of course not – proffering any such notion is downright absurd! While sure, although those same 13.7 billion years might seem inconceivable from our own vastly limited mortal perspectives – all our lives barely stretching out some hundred years, at the very absolute best – in more cosmological terms, on the other hand...? The duration of our universe barely even amounts to a single droplet in the proverbial bucket! For instance, our very own planet, Earth? It now measures in some 5 billion worth of them, alone!

Just stop and think about that for a moment; let the majestic scope and scale of this cosmos surrounding us try to sink its way in. This Earth that gave rise to our species is more than a third of the age of *everything* as we know it!

As though that weren't dramatic enough, let's briefly examine stars themselves. Our own Sun has been around for about those same five billion years, while expected to have about that same amount of time left in the tank – for roughly a 10,000,000,000 year existence, when all should be said and done.

The biggest stars around? We could anticipate only a couple million years out of each of them before they are left to end in a catastrophic supernova.

It is the smallest and dimmest stars which yield the most shocking numbers of all, however. Many of these will survive tens to hundreds of billions of years – and red dwarfs? We could easily be talking about ten *TRILLION* years... and up!! Meaning that there are many stars around today which the entire universe's history would denote only 1/1000th (0.1%!) of their entire lives. So sure, 13.7 billion might seem unthinkable, yet in reality, it really is so tiny as to be almost shockingly insignificant in the grand scheme of things!

Therefore, outside of finding it downright crazed to imagine that everything chaotically came to exist, all from out of nothing at all... without factoring in an external force -God- to set things into motion and direct them properly, such as to result in all of us just now?

The bottom line is that the indisputable age of everything is indeed so very relatively recent as to when we happen to be right here and now that, if we were to go and compare more long lived celestial bodies getting reduced down to our own mortal timelines, it'd be exactly like saying the all of every moment of existence so far was only but a single month or two out of an average human's lifespan! (10+ trillion, up against 13.7 billion – countless many stars enduring 1,000× the current age of everything in existence and longer!)

Now then, if what we looked at and found to be the case rather involved a universe whose duration is either literally infinite (not having any discernible or observable beginning to it whatsoever), or was at least exponentially older than it is here today...? Well, perhaps those who presented their answers from a strictly scientific or theoretical standpoint -something that doesn't include God or some form of higher power in the slightest bit- wouldn't come off quite so delusional as they actually do.

Yet none of that is the case as we find it, so, if only in my mind, we have no choice but to factor God into this particular "equation"... no matter what one may or may not want to believe in for themselves.

In other words, when we definitively know that the very all of Creation is only a drop in that cosmological bucket, up against cosmological scales – something not only distinctly finite in its age, but that's even able to be seen as relatively quite recent, no less...? Then one who espouses a "big picture" that doesn't include some higher power or similar such external causative factor is, in reality, only flirting with sheer unapologetic madness.

Even so, however, things can neither be quite so simple as to instead rely entirely on a religious/divine understanding for one's chosen redress to the Big Bang/Creation problem. The issue on this side of the coin is... that same Big Bang, alongside select implications of the ongoing and unending expansion of this universe.

Now before moving any further forward, without delving *too* deeply into such convoluted matters, the Big Bang itself is in fact something that quite a bit of evidence presently supports and confirms for us.

Perhaps the most telling bit of all comes with something known as 'Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation' – essentially referring to an almost literal "snapshot" of the universe, just precisely as it was back when everything in it cooled down sufficiently and atoms began to coalesce from a previously broiling hot plasmatic stew.

As for the when this exceptional information provides us a detailed glance back at? Only some 380,000 years into Creation... making for but a fraction's fraction of its current age (again, that'd be 13,700,000,000!)

What that means is that something of a natural "signal" or "message" was left at that moment, one encoded near the birth of our reality in the form of such microwave-spectrum radiation (existing as microwaves at present) that'll end up carrying on for tens of billions of years into the future, pretty much as it exists right now! These electromagnetic waves furthermore being nearly identical today as they were billions and billions of years ago, thusly providing us with a decidedly literal snapshot of the shape of the whole universe at the instant of their emission as such, 380,000 years post-Big Bang.

Likewise, with the incredible Hubble Space Telescope and other peerless observatories serving as our windows into the ancient cosmological past, we also have rather exceptional, concrete visible evidence of the process of universal evolution – our best images just now stretching nearly all the way back to the very first generations of stellar bodies/stars, where we witness a distinctive progression as those earliest of massive stars further gave rise to decidedly primitive forms of early galaxies.

In all of this, we've observed a universe that looks (and truly was) strikingly different, evolving continuously over considerable periods of time. Furthermore, spectroscopic data [crudely stated, the reading of the elemental composition of any stellar body (stars) through their emitted light patterns (think of a prism refracting light, with each elemental composition having its own unique telltale signal)] shows us that these same early stars were strictly hydrogen and helium affairs; seeing as how those more complex or "heavier" elements require nuclear fusion to exist, having only been birthed gradually over time in the furnace engines of matter better known as stars and supernovae.

Additionally, thanks to the "standard candles" provided by those very same supernovae alongside the so-called Doppler effect, we've only recently been able to determine that the universe's expansion is actually accelerating over time!

Something of a brief aside, but many might recall hearing tell of this very thing a few years back – proving to be a considerable shock to most scientists when it was, given that theorists had previously believed our universe was instead destined to end in some "Big Crunch" when all of space would ultimately collapse back in on itself... before (perhaps) rebounding anew, with yet another in an endless series of Big Bangs.

As for why there was such an expectation as that, you're likely to be wondering? Well, among other reasons, this was necessary for a cosmological model that *did* in fact manage to remove God from the equation – something that came off as remotely logical, already aware that reality had both a distinct beginning and one uncomfortably recent relative to any cosmological frames of reference.

If the universe was rather able to be seen as an endless cycle of Bang-Crunch-Bang-Crunch-Bang, then it would've allowed for some "non-Created (by God) universe model" with a cosmos that really was infinite in age. This, serving to explain away the rather tricky problem of those same (relatively all too brief) 13.7 billion years, instead, had it proved true; finding that particular point to only be as recent as the latest from out of an endless series of Big Crunches to Big Bangs.

The final takeaway from out of all that, then...? It simply means that here today, the age of this universe of ours isn't just something we've got a pretty decent handle on, but so too does it also manage to overwhelmingly support the basic notion of a Created form of reality (with the Big Bang) as the all of everything's been able to get traced back to a small dot of inconceivably compressed space and matter, the "first moment" of which signaled an explosive and literal Big Bang that saw the start of everything we know and ourselves are.

My point here, from a religious/divine perspective, is how this also doesn't jive _perfectly_ with any singularly theological model of Creation. If so, and if that were all that everything really was, then the Bang aspect doesn't fully conform with things as we know and would expect them to thusly be. At least from the vantage point of our own meager minds, one would reasonably envision there being no need for any such convoluted and unnecessary scenario as all of that.

Much like the purely scientific cosmos largely needing a universe endless or infinite in age in order to actually "work" as a proper theory, we'd instead perhaps expect to discover a more static or unchanging form of reality from the vantage of strictly (and from any traditional understanding of) a Godly Created one. Things would simply have come to be, and... well, that would most likely be that!

The universe gets "designed" and made, with stars and planets placed approximately in their final intended positions, such that there'd be neither Big Bangs nor any Big Crunch. Life would have still evolved, going from primordial goo to us over billions of years – but space expanding, stars forming, from out of a Big Bang? That plays no part – having no effect whatsoever – on the arrival of conscious life... and yet, since it did happen just so, it also must have happened for some reason.

Based off of what we do happen to know (not simply believe or think, mind you, but from exceptional, staggering amounts of tangible & undisputed evidence), then, it all leads to one of really only two possible positions for us to assume here:

The first is that all of these things are somehow mere theatrics played on us and/or glaring mistakes on our parts; perhaps with an especially ridiculous cosmological game aimed at our widespread deception, or what have you. "Smoke and mirrors," in other words, with an omnipotent being seemingly desiring for us to be misdirected and utterly fooled by altering what genuinely happened to "cover up" the actuality of the matter with this Big Bang that we understand today.

Not only does that seem entirely unnecessary and all but pointless, that is also not the almighty God I myself happen to believe in. There'd be no reason to misdirect mankind in such ways, but, more importantly still, it would be almost without precedent from our Creator – no matter what topic or area happens to be involved! Absolutely nowhere else do we similarly witness some grand game of subterfuge; where we've been shown or told things from divinity that were blatantly wrong or untrue, simply in order that we would manage to find ourselves misdirected thusly. God is a God of pure truth: Always, and forevermore.

What one would also be saying there is a belief in a Creator who would take considerable efforts to either misdirect or entirely erase the truth of certain things. Well, this just isn't the God I myself believe to be our Maker... and, if someone does believe differently for themselves, then it means accepting a reality where literally nothing can be absolutely at face value; a divinity who would intentionally obfuscate and conceal the true shape of things, all for little other reason save in order to have those things be so concealed.

The second thing here -something that does in fact conform with a good deal much elsewhere- is that, not only is there likely a reason and suitable explanation to be uncovered (once we suitably show ourselves to have earned that discovery... even if we might not readily see it as such at first glance), but that furthermore, proper balance and solutions lying "someplace in the middle" are far and away the most probable scenarios of all.

What that itself means...? An answer that's something of a halfway point between two otherwise extremes – here, being the "science or theology" tracks; taking neither one solely in isolation, and trying to work out possible explanations as to the why behind some unknown mystery from such a perspective.

All of which is a really long winded way of getting to my ultimate point thereabouts; clearly, there being a particular reason why I decided on writing about this here topic – the fact that, if only from my own vantage point, this particular mystery has for itself an explanation which not only fits within these somewhat odd ideas of mine, but that also appears to considerably support them all that much more strongly.

The strange and bizarre simulation notions I've presented previously? It all seems to come into alignment with this subject. Or, better yet, the fact that the Big Bang being precisely as it is (or at least what it appears to be, at any rate) would be exactly what one might expect given such a "simulated scenario".

A product of purely random chaos (scientific/rational, but without God) would require an infinitely old universe and/or cyclical driven Bang2Crunches on end.

Yet _purely_ as a product of our traditional understanding of such divine omnipotence, we'd rather prove more likely by far to find something of a static universe – designed and put into place in the form that was ultimately intended by God, as opposed to a constantly evolving universe that began in an entirely inconceivable (and inhospitable to any life) state.

Go ahead and just try to imagine a little dot of hyper compressed space expanding to this day, while the building blocks as yet necessary for any life to develop will still require many billions of years: An exponentially energetic (read: hot) stew of elementary particles drifts apart while the space it would occupy grows ever onward through expansion, causing those minimalistic particles to cool sufficiently and form simple hydrogen and helium. Those two elements eventually gather into the very first stars (truly massive behemoths compared to any stars around today) that produce all the other known elements over time, enabling the production of brand new celestial bodies hitherto unseen – like simple planets and galaxies... all of which ultimately, inevitably, leads right on up to us!

So what if we were to consider what's observed as the Big Bang as only the peculiar consequences of whatever tools or methods our Creator happened to employ...? Whereby, His removing such evidence solely in order to have that evidence be removed, it'd be an all but entirely pointless affair – never mind that only a rare few would ever be able to even become aware of it at all (through advanced study by some exceedingly developed intelligent life; something only having been made known to humanity as recently as this past century, alone!)

Could He do that? But of course! Just the same way that He likely could have made us and our universe employing numerous other methods and tools. If He did go with whatever route which had what we now observe as its consequence, however, what would truly be the point of removing or altering what we presently see of it? And, make no mistake, if God went with that particular route, then it was for plenty good reason; being the most preferable or desirable means such as for yielding intelligent, conscious life.

Clearly, I myself happen to believe that our Big Bang ideas are accurate and offer us tantalizing evidence about He who Created us and our world along with how that work was done.

The how and why behind that Big Bang? Imagine, through whatever means, an actual reality suddenly being "booted up" and Created as such; one that has a distinct starting point for itself, and undergoes continual change and evolution over time. In fact, both the purely scientific and traditional theological ideas, all by themselves, would seem likely to find a universe that's static, infinite or cyclical in nature.

What we do actually see there...? It strongly suggests a more automated kind of affair.

The traditional notion of God and Creation sees a "manual" effort, like if we were to recreate the Great Wall of China in, say, Minecraft, laying stone after stone after stone – each one individually placed and arranged all by hand.

The preceding evidence referenced does not indicate that to be the case, but rather something of a far more "automated" deal; as though we were to instead say, "Hey, I want a really huge wall constructed! It should be these dimensions when all is said and done. So... get to work already!"

The former would take us months and months, if not years! The latter would be finished in only a blink of our eyes.

Both end results...? They'd be all but identical – suffering no difference in quality or anything else at day's end. Well, except being the mortal beings that we are, the former could easily face an occasional mistake on our parts here and there – the automated option, assuming we set things up just right, would instead definitively be perfect and flawless.

That's not to say God could possibly be prone to such mistakes, Himself. Nor is it to imagine He took that "easier route" out of laziness or what have you.

All it comes to mean is that there'd be absolutely no reason *not* to go with such a more automated methodology, while possibly finding several different reasons why it would be preferable – even to God.

The ultimate fact of the matter...? We can look, even to the Big Bang itself, and see very distinct evidence that, at least today, appears to speak volumes in support of a simulated existence - and pretty much only something approximately along those lines. As I've mentioned before, such a method would be much like planting a kernel or seed and having it sprout all on its very own – just so long as the design and process one made to handle that task was immaculate in its quality, with nary a flaw in sight.

Indeed, when one stops and truly thinks about it without prior opinion or biases, there seems little other explanation for why our universe appears to have the quite specific origins it does. What we undeniably witness almost certainly disproves some Godless model of random natural chaos; as it does one that was Created by a sentient omnipotence piece by piece, all but literally by "hand".

Yet it does, in my personal opinion, look to agree with such simulated notions of mine; an expertly designed methodology and system for ultimately producing individual conscious life from out of nothing, yet largely without requiring incomprehensible effort and labor on the part of the Creator – and all the while, ending with something that would be as flawless and perfect as one might conceive all other, alternative ways or means to even remotely hope to approach.

Bottom line: Our present understanding of our universe's origins -that of the Big Bang- would surely seem to be still another feather in the cap supporting something at least resembling a "simulated" form of reality as being a reality for us and our world.

#  Chapter 18:

# Quantum Mechanics -

# The Double Slit Experiment and Quantum Entanglement

# Particles That Actually React To Us:

# (How The Building Blocks Of Our Reality Support The Notion Of A Simulation)

While I've already laid out several different reasons to support the idea that ours is indeed a Simulated sort of Reality – being one as made by divinity - there are additional bits of quite real scientific evidence which definitively seems to exceptionally confirm just such a notion! I will now attempt to explore one of those in particular, something that I feel provides incredible support for this theory: Something known as the Double Slit Experiment.

Without getting too bogged down in the details, it involves a quirky little detail rife with aspects of quantum physics and the like: Researchers, knowing a photon acts like a particle whilst light can also be a wave, shoot a beam of light at a wall with two slits in it. This was done initially in order to confirm the wave/particle duality of light.

What they also ended up observing? That the light itself actually _reacts_ to the process of being observed like so! It is called the _Measurement Problem_ , as it remains one of the very greatest unsolved mysteries in quantum physics. Well, it is my strong belief that the Simulation Hypothesis provides the answers as to how and why this occurs!

Here, we almost have solid proof of a simulated reality! We can really only suppose one of two things here: The light either possesses all the necessaries to be conscious/detect observation (most certainly not the case); or else something in the grander scheme of things detects such observations, and then alters the fundamentals such that the light reacts differently when under observation.

I'd like to include a small quotation from Popular Mechanics description of this sheer photonic insanity, to give you an idea of just how massive the findings of this experiment truly are - mind you, this isn't some "fringe" science that isn't accepted by "real" scientists: This is absolute, 100% fact! (I would strongly suggest reading their entire article that explains the process, as can be found here: http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a22280/double-slit-experiment-even-weirder/

"This means that observing a photon can change events that have already happened."

Now if that doesn't sound like the findings one would expect in a reality generated much like what we understand as a simulation, then I don't know what does! I can honestly see no other rational explanation that could possibly explain the findings as presented in that quote.

Additionally, this article also provides a clear explanation of the experiment and its bizarre findings: https://plus.maths.org/content/physics-minute-double-slit-experiment-0)

This means consciousness – we, as sentient beings - can literally alter and have an effect on the level of quantum physics, to the point of changing things that have already happened! It's almost as though these particles and waves of light know they are being observed, and change their reality thusly. If you're even slightly a "science nerd", you undoubtedly know that the realm of the most basic and essential of levels for our reality; the smallest of scales that we are just now exploring... it involves things that basically defy all logic. Those who dedicate their lives to Quantum Mechanics face constant, continual head scratchers! This Double Slit Experiment's outcome looking at wave/particle duality is just one of many such aspects we might explore!

I would strongly suggest that these findings and theories of quantum mechanics all vigorously support the notion of a simulated reality as a simple fact - just as you must expect to be the case when you're dealing with the basic building blocks of everything we know and are. If this were not the case, then one could indeed very easily then throw out the idea of the simulation.

In essence, as we explored and continue to theorize about the realm of Quantum Physics, whatever we find there \- things involving those most essential building blocks of literally everything? Whatever they seem to tell us about our reality, _that_ is what we should build on and off of as to our ideas about just what our existence is and means. And, indeed, they do seem to go hat in hand with what a simulated reality would almost certainly entail.

Just consider it again: With this double slit experiment, simple particles and waves of light react and change themselves when observed; if they are exposed to the mere actions of consciousness, they quite literally change themselves! This means they are either conscious themselves in order to react and respond to observation, or else they have something "else" that's acting behind the scenes, responsible for altering these characteristics we observe -a "something" which sort of manages the all of everything; that is at once a part of and connected to all these most basic and essential of building blocks.

This itself would mean exactly what a simulation theory would entail – being that "something" which manages and controls our very reality. It "knows" that we humans are exploring precisely what it "is" on its most fundamental level - that the very outcome of the experiment might just well be a literal impossibility, thusly altering those fundamental photons to not result in such an impossibility as we observe it to be – literally changing things that already have happened in such ways!

This, being much the same as quantum entanglement, wherein two particles can be literally "connected" to one another, and then again, say, being placed on the other side of the universe from each other! Then, if one of those particles are altered in some way, that connected particle instantaneously experiences that exact, precise same change - no matter whether on the opposite side of the universe or not. Our understanding of the limiting factor of the speed of light...? It need not apply! Those two particles are somehow connected by something, wherein distance across our universe does not matter whatsoever! In other words, it would be precisely as we would expect in a simulated reality - something outside of our very time and space that at once both knows and controls the all of everything in this reality of ours.

Indeed, it would almost seem as though that here, with just the very basics of quantum mechanics, what we see, know and understand as absolute _scientific_ facts exclusively works within the idea of a simulated reality - these aspects of the building blocks of our entire reality, they simply "work" within the theory of the simulated reality. Nothing else in this world dreamt up by mankind would properly explain what we have witnessed with all of these most essential aspects of everything we see and are. From my perspective at the very least, you either accept the idea of the simulation hypothesis, or else you are left with only a huge question mark and an eternal mystery.

The idea behind a simulated reality, as we understand it just now? It fits almost perfectly with everything we've witnessed scientifically through experiments here at these smallest and most essential of levels as to what makes us, well... us! With the double slit experiment, the alternative is that all of these basic particles are somehow sentient or reactive to our observations all to themselves. With quantum entanglement... well, it's either something "outside" of our reality - the very fabric of all of space itself - that connects these particles together, which controls their essential aspects and then manages to alter them across vast distances all at once... exactly what the simulated hypothesis would expect to find... or else you've got absolutely no explanation for what we observe (without question) to happen here.

As we have explored ever further, down to levels inconceivable even to most of us alive today, the blatant evidence and unquestioned findings continues to stack up into a mountain of support for the idea of a simulated reality. It bears repeating: What we have observed works with absolutely no other theory - there is no alternative that can explain what we see to be true. At the same time, all of this scientific evidence in the murky, irrational and seemingly inexplicable realm of quantum mechanics...? It fits perfectly with what we would expect of a simulated reality. It is almost as through the very universe itself, now that we have come so far in advancing so much, is providing us with "hints" that seem to scream, pushing us toward realizing the so-called simulation hypothesis, moving us toward that direction as we begin to understand just what our very universe and reality consists of.

At this point, the idea of a simulated reality isn't so much a theory or hypothesis as it is the _only_ explanation for what we are observing here; transpiring with these most basic of building blocks for our very universe, reality... and ourselves! I strongly believe that, at this point in time, with what we know to be true, the only thing stopping the idea of a simulated reality from being exceptionally widespread is the fact that all of these things are so very bizarre and illogical whilst locked away in a realm so few ever bother to understand. If everyone were aware of what we know today, I emphatically believe that the so-called "masses" would have already begun accepting the notion of something at least resembling a simulated reality made by a true divinity -the God so many of us believe in- as being responsible for and explaining just how we are somehow all here today.

Clearly, with this work of mine, the hope is to at the very least start the ball rolling - informing and explaining that others might make their minds up for themselves as to how and why what we witness scientifically and personally could possibly be. Once having been exposed to these ideas and understanding all of the basic "facts", it is my personal belief that we can move closer to our Creator by understanding such processes and realities; putting everything "together" and coming to only but a singular conclusion here for the happenings of everything know today as a scientific fact. Truly, there seems to be no alternative that could properly explain just how it is that everything happens as it does, with these ideas here being in the realm of quantum mechanics, being the essential building blocks for everything that exists today on the most basic level that we've managed to explore thus far.

The Double Slit Experiment and Quantum Entanglement...? They are just a small handful of the many things involving such basic particles that strongly seem to point towards a simulated reality as being a _reality_ for us all.

# Chapter 19:

# The Automated Perfection of Darwinism and Evolution

Since the first inkling of Darwinist theories emerged over these past couple of centuries, many have also sought to deny or stave off the same exact ideas brought alongside an origin of humanity as might be found within evolution.

Likewise, I myself have constantly sought to emphasize the fallacy of what I hold to be arguably irrational sorts of denials – how refuting evolution isn't merely somewhat suspect (at this point in time, that is), but most especially for those that ascribe to belief in an Almighty & Divine Creator.

Except, instead of replacing such intelligent designs for sheer chaos and a world of pure anarchy, in my eyes evolution is evidence of an advanced being utilizing the most perfect of systems in order to produce... well, I suppose just about everything we know and ourselves are!

There seems to be some expectation that a Godly Created world strictly means one whereby all species -particularly we of the highest order of lifeforms known today, being those of intelligent and sentient mankind- should be deliberately, specifically and uniquely each designed by God... right on down to the smallest and most insignificant detail conceivable!

Think, however – think about the incomprehensible amount of time necessary to tweak every last insignificant aspect... every species, whose each and every single cell and gene would be carefully customized. Even accepting God as a literally perfect omnipotence, consider how difficult and tricky it would be to produce a genuinely perfect end result – when dealing with billions of genes for billions of species over billions of years; the inconceivable interplay at work between those same species, requiring not only perfect efforts in designing it all to begin with, but also in managing the "game" of those balancing acts, being nearly infinite in their numbers, such as to defy all possible imagining!

Ahh, but with evolution, instead...?! Thereabouts, the system (of life), in essence, designs itself sans any effort whatsoever. It designs itself to absolute, incontestable perfection, no less! The ongoing balancing act of the many species, makes for something that's automatically maintained as a part of those evolutionary concerns.

Were we one species living in an almost literal bubble? Well then, absolutely! -painstakingly intentional and deliberate machinations by a divine Maker might be far more realistic for us to consider as an idea.

Given what we have and know here, however, and what we understand of the processes surrounding Darwinist Evolution itself...? Those deliberate designs would be all but wasteful energies on the part of God that could be redirected & put to far better use elsewhere, doing such things and works where God's Might is an irrefutable necessity. So going with that over evolution, all of it being done purely in order to create a system for creating life which, at its very absolute best, could really only but hope to match -and not to truly surpass- the end result of what arises from evolutionary-based developments?

So anyways, why, exactly, is evolution so great? Aside from creating an environment wherein life develops in harmony with one another – where species are part of a macroscopic biosphere focused on organic/natural balancing acts... the very interplay, between lifeforms- what is its single greatest attribute we might discover hereabouts?

Simply put...? Survival. Evolution -and thereby all life produced through evolution- has but a singular underlying linchpin it's obsessed with: The most basic emergence, production, existence, thriving and expanding of all life.

Each attribute resulting from evolution entails some aspect which ensures whatever life comes about next will survive just a bit longer still, enlarging its numbers slightly, and better enduring against all its surrounding environs and variables.

Evolution, in still other words, is a system that's downright obsessed with guaranteeing that life will indeed endure; such Darwinist notions being the greatest and most fanatical of advocates for all life as we know it. All the same, it also just so happens to be the most efficient and automated of designs for yielding and sustaining life: Whereby, once having been established as such, it requires next to no ongoing maintenance or modifications, but instead simply taking care of itself as well as any other thing one could possibly manage deliberately all by themselves.

So while yes, evolution is certainly most efficient when it comes to the eyes of its initiator, that is not necessarily the greatest part about it. Instead, we find a system where anything that does *not* favor life in the absolute is identified, isolated, and ultimately removed. Whatever does favor life, however, is championed, shared/spread by being carried on down the line, and gradually improved upon... ever onward!

Should some trait enable greater survivability at gradually higher temperatures, as our planet warms slightly? Then precisely this will transpire – individuals who possess it will survive more so than those who don't, guaranteeing their descendants spread it down the line; just the same, those individuals who can only survive at colder climes during such a warming will increasingly not survive, ensuring that detrimental trait is eventually removed from contention.

Likewise, the same applies for an ability to sense more shades of green whilst living in dangerous grasslands with countless camouflaged predators – individual members who can distinguish the threat will flee and survive. Those that can't, however, get left behind and gobbled up as prey – making for a trait in the form of "see ever more shades of green," that is favored by whichever species. Slowly but surely, it becomes the dominant trait -something increasing the likelihood that offspring are produced who share in it, as well- whilst their not-so-greeny compatriots are a predators dinner prior to yielding heirs possessing their decidedly un-green visionary (un-)gifts.

Such that evolution produces a perfected one-two shot in combination: The positive features ensure greater numbers of offspring are produced with the very same; an absence of those features (or instead wholly negative/detrimental ones) mean that far fewer than normal offspring come about that possess them.

And all of this, coming about through an all but entirely automated -yet nearly flawless, all the very same- system, having proven itself more than capable of producing and then maintaining so many billions of creatures (of all shapes and sizes, no less) as seen across that most impossibly majestic of tapestries we know of today as life on this Earth!

