What Is the Oscillating Model of the Universe?

We welcome your comments in the Reasonable Faith forums:

[danr.]

I don't have enough faith to believe in an oscillating universe theory.

[darkwolf]

The main problem with this theory is that once the universe starts to contract, because of the laws of physics, it would never be able to expand again.

Also, the theory doesnt really solve the problem of the 1st cause, it just makes the contingent string of causes indefinitely longer.

[TheOneStraightPath]

What they failed to explain with this wild theory is what makes it expand again once it contracts.

[jessedphillips]

What am I misunderstanding? It seems like the oscillation model would involve smaller and smaller oscillations extents as the available energy that the rebound uses is reduced based on the second law of thermodynamics. As entropy increases, the base energy value available for the initial expansion would be reduced for each subsequent oscillation cycle.

In any event, the model in question doesn't make sense because there would still have to be an individual point of origin; it doesn't make sense (it's impossible) that there would be an infinite number of cycles. There would have to be one point where the original expansion occurred and the initial energy would have to come from somewhere.

[johnharrison]

It's the theory that ocelots are the real-actual highest life-forms in the universe, and, that the universe was created for them to conquer and take-dominion-over.

[ianmartinesq]

It won’t work under our current understanding. We could hypothetically discover some new property of the universe that could make it work. But I’m not holding my breath on that.

[KaushikAdhikari]

Doesn't it contradict the 2nd law of thermodynamics and heat death?? 😅

[JumpySwitznitz]

What happens at the cusps? Tell us truly. We can take it.

[lysanderofsparta]

I don't think that gravity is that strong a force that it could cause the whole universe to keep expanding and contracting over and over again. It sounds a bit like a reversal of Alan Guth's inflation cosmology, which presumes a kind of sudden anti-gravity expansion just after the Big Bang. We might call the oscillating universe model a cyclical inflation/deflation cosmology.

But we don't even know why or how the universe keeps expanding at accelerating speed as per the red shift. Ad hoc theories like dark matter (to explain why galaxies don't fall apart and why the constituent celestial bodies maintain their rapid orbit velocities even at vast distances) and dark energy (to explain the acceleration of universal expansion) have just not panned out as expected.

[jaybennett]

It could never work because galaxies furthest away go faster away. We will never see the actual edge of the universe.

[gracelandministries]

A Christian defending the Absolute Standard Big Bang model is Juvenile, hilarious, and ridiculous!!