Monday, December 2, 2013

Extra-dimensional Beings

I have a theory - it may be wild and zaney, but it helps me to visualize and conceptualize some things, so perhaps it may be meaningful or useful to someone else.
The basic premise is that "beings" of a certain dimension cannot perceive and therefore cannot comprehend things of a higher dimension. To a dot (zero dimensions), a line, a square, and a rock all look the same. To a line, a square looks like a line. It can only perceive forward and backward, not side to side, so the side-to-side-ness of the square is hid to the line's view. A line, however, may perceive a dot better than the dot perceives itself, because it has a greater vantage point and hence greater knowledge about the dot.
The same holds true on up the dimension scale. A square thinks a pyramid is a triangle and has no understanding of its "up" dimension. We are 4-dimensional beings - we exist in the up, left, forward dimensions as well as in time, but since we are on the same plane as time, we cannot view it from various vantage points, and so it is linear to us - it only goes forward and backward. Were we 5-dimensional beings, we could observe time much the was a line would observe a dot. We could look at it from all sides and turn it over and around.
So, I assert that God may be a being of greater dimensions, because he can perceive the entirety of time - all of time is laid out before Him, just as all of a square is visible to you or me. It may be more accurate to say He is a being of a Spiritual sphere, rather than a temporal or physical one, or to say He is a being of a Celestial sphere, rather than a Telestial one as are we. However you wish to describe it, the idea is that God can comprehend us as we cannot comprehend ourselves. He can see all there is to see about us, and so it is no wonder He knows just what we need, who we will be, etc, etc - it isn't deterministic, it is observational for Him.
Similarly, it is only through the workings of the Spirit (a being of the same sphere as God) speaking to our Spirit (which was once of at least a similar sphere) that we can even hope to understand God. Using the tools and resources of this Earthly sphere/plane/dimension/world, we will never come to a complete or accurate understanding of God and His personality.
Where the model breaks down is that we can, through the Spirit, through diligent study and prayer, through faith come to know the very nature of God - in fact, we are commanded to. Interestingly, it seems to be Charity that allows us to see God as he really is and to become more like him (see Moroni 7:48). He is a pretty impressive teacher, indeed, who can teach a line what a mountain is! :)

Edit: here is a secular treatment of dimensions which may help in being able to envision what our constraints may look like to a higher-dimension being. http://www.wired.com/2014/11/xkcd-guide-to-dimensions/

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