How can something come from nothing?

Not certain about your information; but I am certain about this:
My words italicized
A few facts about JW activity:
239—Lands where Jehovah’s Witnesses preach Some under government prohibition
595—Languages in which we publish Bibles and Bible-based literature
111,719—Congregations
7,538,994—Ministers who teach the Bible
19,000,000—People who attend our meetings or conventions
179,000,000—Bibles published by Jehovah’s Witnesses in 116 languages Match that against any other religious group
20,000,000,000—Pieces of Bible-based literature published by Jehovah’s Witnesses over the past ten years.
Source: JW.Org
We put into practice Paul's words at Acts 10: 34,35; 34 At this Peter began to speak, and he said: “Now I truly understand that God is not partial,l 35 but in every nation the man who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.

My congregation has about 120 members, about 8 black, 2 Asian, several from south of the US border, Mexico, Ecuador, etc. Considering the ethnic mix of the Seattle area, we are a good reflection. One of our young sisters, adopted from Russia, recently married an ethnic Iraqi.

Not a few JWs take it upon themselves to learn a second language for the purpose of spreading the Good News. Courses are free to brothers and sisters in good standing.

Are you a sexist as well, Romeo?

OH, BTW. The literature is free.

And, we don't tithe.

That's the spirit mate, come out fighting in 2014..
1- When you say courses are free to JW's "in good standing", are we to assume there are JW's who are NOT in good standing? Do you have naughty steps for them? What have they done?

2- Are you asking me or telling me that i'm sexist? Let's just get it clear so i'll know whether to add it to the list of other names you've called me..
PS- it's gallant of you to try to stick up for Germlat, you must think she can't stick up for herself because she's a poor little girly..

Nothing. The first ones chosen are the ones most active. If you just come to a meeting once a month, you probably will get a 'sorry'.Well, yeah. That's it. Why force her to do that? What kind of guy are you?

Scientists have this big bang theory which is reasonable, but it still fails to take into consideration that something cannot come from nothing. The real question is that if this something came from something, as it must have done, what is that something that it came from? The truth is that it has all already been there forever, and will remain there forever. It may change what "it" looks like, but it is all there. It always has been, and always will be. Time and space are simply perceptions from the point of view of a human. The reality of time and space is that they do not exist and have no boundaries or limits.

If we were to split up the word ‘nothing’, it would turn up as ‘no thing’. Literally, no thing means no becoming or no changing and it is not the same as nothingness. Instead, no-thing-ness is the same as emptiness.

One needs to realise that everything in the cosmos is dependent on one another. All things merely exist conditionally without an eternal essence i.e. all things can never sustain in an absolute discrete orientation. For instance, from direct experience, we know that humans and things cause pleasure and pain, and that they can help and harm. Therefore, phenomena certainly do exist but the question is how? They do not exist in their own quality but only have an existence dependent upon many factors, including a consciousness that conceptualises them. This means everything that exists is empty because there is no essence to anything and nothing has ever existed in its own quality – nothing is permanent and unchanging. All objects exist conditionally without an eternal essence i.e. every existence is empty and emptiness is in every existence.

In the dependent nature, we do know one thing that is consistently constant i.e. becoming. This becoming process is the main reason for all the things that we observe right here, right now. When there is a becoming process, there is a changing process. The changing process would then conjure up an ability of sorts that is known as ‘energy.’ Therefore, we shall be clear by now that energy is something that has always been in existence and remaining as constant - as per the Law of Conservation of Energy that says energy in a system can neither be created nor destroyed and the sum of all energies is a constant or never changes.

For general understanding, energy is nothing but mere vibration. When there are opposing forces, there would be vibration. The alternate movement of the opposing forces would generate a pattern of waves oscillating up and down in continuum. This is the main reason for all the repeating cycle of rising and falling activities that one could witness in the dependent nature. In other words, by understanding well and observing thoroughly into the characteristics of energy, one could gain insight into the nature and its orientation.

Literally, there are no elements of grasping when one practises the letting go of things. When no grasping arises, the becoming process would slow down. When the becoming process slows down, it means energy is vibrating at lower frequencies. And when the becoming process ceases, energy literally stops vibrating. Energy just got ‘frozen.’ Zero vibration means zero becoming. Zero becoming means an absolute cessation of any changing activities. Thus an absolute stage of absence is achieved. Absence means a perfect state of balance. Therefore, absence is not about nothingness but instead it is about no-thing-ness. No thing means no becoming or no changing. No changing means no mind. No mind means no existence. And mind is the forerunner of all states. No mind means a completely neutralised state of affairs.

For general understanding, mind is a pattern of consciousness which is born from awareness. In fact, mind is known as consciousness in individuality and consciousness is nothing but mere synergy. Therefore, the origin of individuality is the same as the origin of the mind. Mind is something more objective and involves clear discrimination – differentiates and understands the characteristics of objects. And one utilises mind to understand things because mind understands the manipulation of consciousness.

Now, we need to look at the definition of existence. What exists is defined as that which can be known. If it cannot be known by the mind, then it does not exist. And conventionally, things can exist as in fallacy or in reality. But in the ultimate reality, things do not exist in the ways that concepts and language imply they do. Things would only exist as in deepest facts i.e. it is beyond mind and beyond concepts and words in the sense that it is beyond our usual ways of perceiving things.

So, how does something arise from nothing? Frankly speaking, something that arises as in object is not out of nothing. In the material Universe, there are plenty of existences or activities that cannot be discerned by our naked eyes. When we mention that the elements of emptiness and energy are everywhere in a system of dependent nature, it means that both of these qualities have fully occupied such a system. Therefore, we could conclude that something as in object would arise out of the elements of energy that exist in a system. This is because energy and matter are simply two aspects of the same thing, both reflected in different forms per se (as in Einstein’s formula, E = mc2). And since we are unable to discern the elements of energy with our naked eyes, we would name it as empty instead of nothing.

Then, what is the first cause for the start of the material Universe? Frankly speaking, the ultimate first cause for anything or everything is the nature. Without the nature, nothing would ever exist – no things or happenings would arise. Now, how does the material Universe begin? For general understanding, dependent phenomenon is a necessary prerequisite for the material Universe to exist; without it, the material Universe would be impossible. Dependent phenomenon is also known as a conditional phenomenon – that consists of two terms i.e. balance and imbalance. Under a balance phenomenon, aggregation would arise and one could witness multiple shapes or forms. Under an imbalance phenomenon, segregation would arise and one could witness no shapes or forms. The cycle of conditional phenomena continues repeatedly depicting the rising and the falling activities in continuum.

Therefore, the material Universe would start with the dependent phenomenon that in turn conjures up the elements of energy. Since the dawn of time, energy has been in existence within the system of dependent nature (inherent existence). Under a balance phenomenon, the elements of energy would turn into the elements of matter through the process of aggregation. Likewise, under an imbalance phenomenon, the elements of matter would turn into the elements of energy through the process of segregation (dependent arising). In other words, the material Universe is merely a momentary appearance conjured up from the orientation of energy and matter in space under the influence of conditional phenomena in continuum. Just like ice, water and steam are different appearances deriving from the orientation of H2O properties under the influence of the external conditions. In other words, it is the orientation of H2O properties that has taken place to conjure up the momentary outcome of it.

As a conclusion, one could summarise that dependent nature is nothing but merely flux of energy orientating in continuum. No duality or multiplicity would arise in the non-existence of the mind. This is because there is no subject to ponder on the object or matter. When there is no mind arising, no phenomenon would arise. When there is no phenomenon arising, no dependent nature would arise. When there is no dependent nature, there would be no perception, no conception, no label, no boundary, no name, no activity, no shape, no relation, no description, no stereotyping, no beginning, no ending, etc.

Mind is the forerunner of all states. In the absence of the mind, all things would be poised in a completely neutralised state of affairs. A completely neutralised state of affairs would mean a state of no-thing-ness, a state of perfect intermediation, a state of absence of any or all units under consideration. It is not equivalent to a state of annihilation but merely a blown-off state of all things.

What, do you mean that if humans didn't exist to see it, the universe would vanish?

For your information, mind is not bound to human being per se in the cosmos. So, how does the mind derive? Let us analyse into the principle of causality shown as below: -

The mind and body are born from manas,
The manas is born from consciousness,
The consciousness is born from awareness,
The awareness is born from volition,
The volition is born from inkling,
The inkling is born from sparkling,
The sparkling is born from impulse,
The impulse is born from irrationality,
The irrationality is born from confusion,
The confusion is born from disorientation,
The disorientation is born from blindness,
The blindness is born from ignorance,
The ignorance is born from compulsion,
The compulsion is born from memory,
The memory is born from representation,
The representation is born from knowledge,
The knowledge is born from information,
The information is born from agitation,
The agitation is born from aggregation,
The aggregation is born from stability,
The stability is born from balance,
The balance is born from alignment,
The alignment is born from adjustment,
The adjustment is born from imbalance,
The imbalance is born from diffusion,
The diffusion is born from segregation,
The segregation is born from fragility,
The fragility is born from death,
The death is born from draining,
The draining is born from aging,
The aging is born from hauling,
The hauling is born from mobility,
The mobility is born from energising,
The energising is born from birth,
The birth is born from creation,
The creation is born from becoming,
The becoming is born from unsettling,
The unsettling is born from clinging,
The clinging is born from grasping,
The grasping is born from craving,
The craving is born from experience,
The experience is born from feeling,
The feeling is born from stimulation,
The stimulation is born from contact,
The contact is born from conductivity,
The conductivity is born from six sense bases,
The six sense bases are born from sensation,
The sensation is born from mind and body,
The mind and body are born from manas, etc.

From the above cycle of Dependent Origination, one could see manas that unfolds against the backdrop of consciousness (preliminary) is an architect or a designer that activates mind and body creations. Mind and body are simply two aspects of the same thing. Manas would vibrate in a certain unique frequency – a wave of collated high and low vibrations. This blueprint of vibrations would subsequently bring forth the conflation of mind and body.

The principle in effect: the lower the frequency, the slower the vibration; the higher the frequency, the faster the vibration. Slower vibration would lead to the body and the sense bases formation and faster vibration would lead to the mind formation. Collectively, it brings about a new life existence with a unique individuality that would not allow the disruption by any kind of external interference; thus it maintains a self-identity.

In other words, mind and body are present in every created thing as one integrated whole. Even an atom has a kind of mind that is unique or individualised. The nucleus of the atom, around which electrons vibrate in standing waves, constitutes the atom’s individuality. As a result, one atom distinguishes from another atom – just as one person is different from another person or as one thing is different from another thing.

In other words, mind is also known as consciousness in individuality. Therefore, the origin of individuality is the same as the origin of the mind. Mind is something more objective and involves clear discrimination – differentiates and understands the characteristics of objects. One utilises mind to understand things because mind understands the manipulation of consciousness.

As again, mind is the forerunner of all states. This means it the core basis for all the perceptions, conceptions, labels, boundaries, names, activities, shapes, relations, descriptions, stereotyping, beginning, ending, etc. No mind means no existence for all things.

Sure is hard for some people to simply acknowledge that the answers to some questions are probably beyond the grasp of humans. We may not be an especially intelligent species...we have very little with which to compare ourselves except for the other creatures on this tiny rock.

Nice to make guesses of course...but if those guesses are not preceded by acknowledgement of not knowing...they become a kind of joke.

But if there is no meaning in anything there is no meaning in guesses or jokes. We give meaning to things either through God or the delusional idea of progress.

If Apisa insists that there is no meaning in anything he should not be using language because language is an outcome of articulating meaning even if it is artificial.

He wants to run with the hare and hunt with the hounds.

The silly old ****** thinks it clever and that it gives him the jump on everybody. His pop eyed, repetitive, bellicose bellowing has likely been condescended to in the service of a quiet life which is how he started in the cradle.

It is profoundly un-American.

Time is indeed relative, and a human concept, however that does not mean that a series of events is non existent or without order. We use the word time as it is the best expression we have for measuring the order of a series of events.

The problem with the infinite universe theory is that in order to assert it, you have to debunk foundation scientific views of natural law. I will quote myself to save time, and please understand, I am no scientist, so feel free to correct me where I am wrong.

To claim an infinite universe as truth, you need to address the questions it raises over natural law, put simply, it would require by definition a supernatural cause for the universe to exist infinitely

If reality is just a "dream", we can regard Jesus as a 'Master of the Art of Dream Manipulation' which would explain how he performed what people regarded as "miracles"..

"Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.'' - Albert Einstein
"Strawberry Fields, nothing is real" (The Beatles)
"We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep.." (The Tempest)
"You can be in my dream if I can be in your dream" (Bob Dylan)
"All that we see or seem, is but a dream within a dream"- Edgar Allen Poe
"What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" (Bible: James 4:14)
"Have you ever had a dream that you were so sure was real? What if you were unable to wake from that dream? How would you know the difference between the dream world and the real world?"- Morpheus in The Matrix

How can it be nothing if we fools are talking abut it?

Sputtering phrases illogically doesn't prove any point...you might as well stick to the phrase ...." If my grandmother had wheels she'd be a bicycle ."

Are you still playing hard to get baby?
Hmm i like that..

Still don't get it do you...that's alright..you make me laugh daily anyway.

The only way something can come from nothing, is if it always existed, or came from something that had. I personally do not believe there is any other way. Nothing has ever demonstrated to come from nothing itself. So it must have come from something else, or always have been.

All you need for something to come from nothing is to say it did.

"The word was made flesh."

All you need is to say it?! Darn I've been wasting my life!