Quantum mechanics is a fundamental theory in physics that describes the behaviour of nature at and below the scale of atoms. It is the foundation of all quantum physics, which includes quantum chemistry, quantum field theory, quantum technology, and quantum computing.
Quantum mechanics is behind so much of the technology that is an essential part of our modern world – lasers, electron microscopes, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) devices, GPS systems, and the components used in computing and telecommunications hardware.
Quantum mechanics predicts effects that are counter-intuitive and impossible to reconcile with our daily experience. There is a perception that Quantum Mechanics is and otherworldly concept and that we have to let go of our basic logic to try to understand it. It was Richard Feynman, the American theoretical physicist who coined the memorable phrase “If you think you understand quantum mechanics, you don’t understand quantum mechanics,”
One of the fundamental concepts of quantum mechanics is the uncertainty principle, which states that we cannot know both the position and speed of a particle, such as a photon or electron, with perfect accuracy; the more you know about the position, the less you know about the momentum.
This principle was introduced by German physicist Werner Heisenberg, Nobel laureate and father of quantum mechanics, was by all accounts one of the most brilliant minds of the twentieth century. He argued that with an increasing knowledge of the universe, a person would be led to the inevitable conclusion that a higher power was poised, waiting for you to discover its existence. Heisenberg was a Christian, and believed that God created the world; God used mathematics to do so; Mathematics can be understood by us because we are made in God’s image; Physics is the service of God because it explores his creation.
So what does this prove?
Nothing.
There are plenty of leading scientists who are committed Christians. But there are also many others who are not.
It is not fashionable to be a Christian in this country at this time. There are those who see Christians as being weak, lacking in critical thinking, basing their beliefs on little more than fairy tales.
That’s hardly a description you would apply to one of the founding fathers of quantum mechanics.
How much do you know about the claims of Christianity? If someone of the stature of Heisenberg was convinced by them, shouldn’t you at least take them seriously and find out more for yourself?