Interview with Robert Berger
Today, Tyler R. Tichelaar of Reader Views is pleased to interview Robert D. Berger, who is here to talk about his new novel “The Divine Theory of Everything: Book 1 Wanderer.” Robert D. Berger spent most of his life traveling the world. Following his father's twenty-two year military career, Robert served in the US Navy for seven years. Today as an engineer who deeply believes in God, Robert feels torn between science and religion. Some day he hopes to know the real “Theory of Everything.” Tyler: Welcome, Robert. I’m very intrigued by your novel, and while I want to talk about how you incorporated your ideas into fiction, my first question is based on a statement from your marketing pieces which says, “Creation or evolution: this is the question defining our generation.” That question has now been around for over a century and a half, so I have to ask why you think it is the big question for our current time?
“Can we now say where we came from and where we are going?” Stephen Hawking asked this question during his recent television appearance in the Science Channel’s production of “Masters of the Universe: Stephen Hawking and the Theory of Everything.” “Do we still need a God?” he asked. I view his question as one of many subtle assaults from the science community against the belief that “God Created the Heavens and the Earth.” Three hundred years ago, Professor Hawking might face a tribunal before the pope for publically asserting that the answer was not the one described by the church. A hundred years ago, the average person rarely considered such a bizarre concept. However, in the past twenty years, questions such as this have become more prevalent, yet the majority still believes in a divine plan behind our simple lives. Today, society’s view on this subject appears to be reversing. Any professional who asserts that, “God Created the Heavens and the Earth” is bound to hear snickering behind his back. In many cases, such people will have their peers challenging them to defend their position. We live in a time where knowledge of our surroundings is more readily available and presented as a subtle challenge to religious beliefs. Some try to explain it as poor translations or misunderstandings on the part of man. The Bible is clear; it is the word of God and not the words of the man who wrote it. Religion is a leap of faith. Either you believe or you do not. As a simple laborer in the field of technology, I am confronted with ideas that seem to contradict religious teachings daily. Like many, I find myself wondering what the real answer is. Where are we going with this debate and what do I do if I don’t like the answer. I find it difficult to live with such extremes. I would like to think there is a middle ground. A place where the universe can be thirteen billion years old, yet created six thousand years ago exactly as the Bible describes. Consider the title of the series, “Divine Theory of Everything.” There is a message in those words I wrote. Look for it. Tyler: Will you explain the title to us? What exactly does a “Divine Theory of Everything” mean or encompass? Robert: You certainly pick the big questions. This is me stepping up on my soap box. Science is looking for a “Theory of Everything,” a single mathematical expression that explains the natural evolution of… for lack of a better word “Everything,” including humanity. Christians believe the Bible is the one and only explanation of everything. If you time line out the Bible, the universe, the world and humanity began around 4004BC, roughly 6012 years ago. Christians call this “Creation.” I believe God had his own plan, a divine plan into which we all fit. It is unfortunate that we decided to unravel that plan long ago. Science theorizes that the universe began with the big bang, 13 billion years ago. However, Physics breaks down at the very moment of the “Big Bang.” Science calls this moment, “The Singularity.” For many years, the singularity has prevented science from formulating a strong challenge to “Creation.” Recent connections between the big bang and string theory have strengthened the scientific position that the universe evolved naturally. Let me start by giving you a brief description of string theory from the perspective of an average person. In the late 1980s, science theorized the universe was made of strings of atoms instead of individual atoms grouped together. This “String theory” hypothesized the existence of eleven dimensions. Science can prove the reality of the first four. These four dimensions are left and right, up and down, forward and backward, and time. Humanity can only move freely in the first three dimensions. In the fourth, time, we can only move forward. The properties of the next six dimensions, called sub atomic particles, are only theory, because they are beyond our perception. Dimension 11 is a membrane enclosing the first ten. If you wish to understand more about string theory, read Dr. Michio Kaku’s paper on parallel worlds. It is available as an eBook. With “String theory,” mathematics can now resolve physics mathematically beyond the singularity or the big bang. The singularity was the biggest obstacle for the development of a “Theory of Everything.” Many view this newly devised theory of everything as the greatest challenge to the Christian doctrine of Creation, or is it? Scientists are viewing the big bang from within the constraints of our universe. They view the dimension of time as a linear forward movement that starts at the big bang. What they are forgetting is Einstein’s theory that with enough energy, time can also move backward. Where can we find more energy than the energy found in the big bang? If you illustrate the dimension of time exploding in all directions as described in the big bang, then time would move both forward and backward from the singularity. Scientists are looking back through a linear dimension of time and placing the singularity at the far edge, 13 billion years ago, when in fact the singularity could have occurred anywhere between the big bang and the end of time. Maybe even 6,000 years ago like the Bible says. The theory that I am proposing in my work of fiction is that the latest discoveries in science do not disprove creation. The singularity within the big bang could very well have been 6,000 years ago when God created the heavens and what we see when we look back 13 billion years is the opposite edge of the expanding dimension of time. To us the singularity would be invisible. But that 13 billion year old edge cannot be when the big bang occurred. The very meaning of the words "Big Bang" reveals an explosion in every direction and not just in one. Like all the science films, I am just portraying a colorful depiction derived from my theory in a way that many people will understand, while at the same time delivering a meaningful message. Tyler: Robert, while I appreciate your desire to reconcile religion and science, could you explain further what you mean by your previous statement that a 13 billion year old universe and a 6,000 year old world can both exist. I don’t understand how we can belief the earth is 6,000 years old when geologists tell us of rocks that are hundreds of millions of years old and of dinosaurs that lived a million years ago? Robert: Think of it like a pebble thrown into a pond. When the stone strikes the surface, ripples in the water will spiral out in all directions changing the surface of the pond as it moves. As I described earlier, Einstein theorizes that time can move both forward and backward. No one really knows how that would work. Time flowing backward is a concept few can grasp. I am no different from anyone else since I don’t know how backward moving time would work either. I can speculate though, just as a scientist can speculate about what the universe looked like 13 billion years ago or the earth looked like millions of years ago. It’s called observational science as it relates to cause and effect. Wikipedia defines observational science as, "A science where it is not possible to construct controlled experiments in the area under study. For example, in astronomy, it is not possible to create or manipulate stars or galaxies in order to observe what happens." We are very close to recreating the moment of creation in the Large Hadron Collider. It would certainly be exciting if we witnessed time moving backward from the little band they create, but I have no idea how we could do it. For now, we will just have to stick with what we know. We start with the effect, the part we can see. Let’s use your example “Geologists tell us of rocks that are hundreds of millions of years old.” They start by finding exposed layers of different types of rock. Geologists then analyze those layers and easily determine it will take thousands maybe even millions of years to produce that effect. How do you think that would work if time were going backward? Well, we know the cause, built up sediment placed under extreme pressure and heated over time, and we know the effect, multiple layers of rocks that change as the environment changed. Therefore, if time were going in reverse we can deduce that we would start with the layers of rock. As time flows backward, everything it took to create each of those layers would occur in reverse order. Droughts, floods, storms, etc., everything. They had to, otherwise we could not start with the layers of rock. With the discovery of string theory, science has not disproved creation as it had hoped. They have created an environment where both can coexist. Consider the singularity or big bang as the moment of creation. It happened 6,000 years ago just like the Bible says it did. When the Bible says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” the effect was set. Whatever it took to place the earth exactly where it was in the universe 6,000 years ago flowed backward in time 13 billion years. The first star, the first galaxy, even the creation of our solar system would happen, but in reverse from our perspective. We are obviously moving forward in time; therefore the singularity or big bang has to be behind us. Everything needed to complete God’s divine plan flowed out from that instant in time and will eventually end with the culmination of God’s divine plan. And there it is, “The Divine Theory of Everything.” Tyler: Robert, if our future is set to this divine plan, what’s the sense of living? Everything we do has already been preordained by God? Robert: Not true. God gave humanity and only humanity free will. Every time you choose one way or another, your either moving toward God’s divine plan or away from it. Forces of good nudge you toward the plan and forces of evil nudge you away. Neither will manifest before us like the demons in my book, but wouldn’t it make the decision easier if they did. Tyler: Robert, what made you decide to address the issue of religion and science in the form of a novel, rather than in nonfiction as so many authors have already done? Robert: Because so many authors have addressed it as nonfiction, but the message rarely reaches the ears that need to hear it the most. I hope I am speaking in a language those who need to hear will understand and connect with. Tyler: What do you think you have to add to the debate that is different from what has already been said by so many scientists and men of religion? Robert: I view these scientists and men of religion as being stuck at opposite ends. They read their own work and vigorously debate with each other over what they read, but we common folk glaze over after the first few sentences. Some very clever scientists have recently been closing the gap between them and the average person. TV shows and movies written to thrill and fascinate are drawing people by the thousands. All saying the same thing, humanity evolved naturally and they say it with such conviction. How do they know what happened 13 billion years ago or even 6,000 years ago? They don’t know, I don’t know, no one knows and no one probably ever will know. The fancy pictures and colorful stories are no more real than my tale of fantasy. Sure, they have some facts mixed in and they sound very plausible. But, the truth is they are just telling us their theory, while filling in the gaps with a colorful story and bright pictures made on a computer. Tyler: Will you tell us about the main character in the novel, Steve Morgan? Who is he first off as a person, his background, beliefs, and environment when the novel begins? Does he have a stance on evolution when the book opens? Robert: I wrote Steve Morgan just as I view myself ten years ago. A man who believes in God, but worries about how he will be viewed by his peers if he should start to talk about those beliefs. With his strong belief in God, he has no choice but to believe in Satan; however, he never wants to meet the devil and any who follow him. As an engineer, Steve is well versed in technology and watches the science channel with a passion. He cannot explain why he chooses to believe in creation over evolution and hopes the subject never comes up with his friends. Tyler: The novel is also a battle between good and evil—how does this tie into creation versus evolution? Surely, you’re not saying one is good and one evil? What is really at stake in the novel for Stephen? Robert: That is a very tricky question to answer without revealing more than I want about the rest of my books. In general, there is no difference between creation and evolution. I know that is a hard pill for many to swallow, but it is the point I am trying to make in the book. My position throughout the story is that we are all here for a reason, set upon a path toward a divine destiny. With free will, we can choose whatever path we want, but those choices will not be easy. Around us circle forces beyond our understanding, nudging us one way or another. How we choose changes us and where we will end up forever. Good versus Evil, Stephen Morgan asks the same question in Chapter 8. “I just have one more question for you, Goddess,” Steve says, turning back toward her. “You said something about a decision I would have to make at the end of this so called journey. What decision will I be making? Good versus evil seems like a pretty obvious choice to me.” Dark and light are just the two extremes. There are many shades of gray in between. I am not saying either creation or evolution is evil, nor am I saying either is good. Whether they are perceived as good or evil is up to each of us. Stephen Morgan learns to view both as one in his training. How they are connected is just another mystery waiting to be discovered. To me this is Good. Evil wants us to view them at odds with one another. Evil thrives on strife and conflict no matter how innocent the dispute. The conflict is just a distraction from what we should be focusing our efforts on. Good flows from unity and understanding. I cannot tell you what is really at stake for Stephen Morgan. This is something you will learn about as the story unfolds. Tyler: Will you tell us a little about how the story unfolds. What happens early in the book that gets the story moving? Robert: I start off by relating a few words of wisdom. A wise man once said, “We all know birth is the beginning and death is the end. It is the journey in between that makes us who we are and leaves a lasting memory with those we meet along the way. Just about every science fiction book I have ever read has a hero or group of heroes fighting to save the world they live in. In the end, they save the world, but that is not really the way it is in the real world. Sometimes thing do not turn out so well and at other times, things turn out okay, but not to the extremes I see in most books. Stephan Morgan is chosen to restore balance and not to crush the wicked. Chapter 1 is where the trouble starts, the beginning. Chapter 2 is the very end of the first trilogy, but by no means the whole story. I am trying to make a point. Knowing the beginning and the end is meaningless in the real world. Everyone already knows both. There is no longer any reason to jump ahead and read the last chapter. It’s not going to tell you anything. There is obviously going to be some level of success, yet at the same time, there will be a lot of failure. The whole point is the journey in between. You’re going to have to read every word or you will never understand how Stephen Morgan reaches the end nor how he makes the decisions he does. Stephen Morgan is no one special. He is not a good man nor is he evil. He is just like you or me and could be any number of people. Like everyone, he is just making the best of what is laid before him. Even after getting what seems like invincible powers, his only goal is to restore balance and he has no intention of killing anyone. I think one of the big hooks in the book is the way I connect technology with magic. This is not going to be just another Science Fantasy story about swords and sorcery. It will involve technology and super science. Exactly how I balance the two is what will draw the readers through each book. Tyler: Robert, beyond being science fiction, how would you define “The Divine Theory of Everything”? Is it an action-adventure novel, for example, or a mystery, or more philosophical? Robert: It’s a balance I am trying to achieve. I do touch on philosophy and the origin of man, I even draw in some of the mysteries we see in the world today, but the primary aspect is action. Tyler: What about the novel do you think will most hook readers to keep them interested? Robert: The action of course. I would like to think they are reading it to contemplate the excerpts from the Bible scattered throughout and how Stephen Morgan applies them to his situation, but I have no such delusions. I hope I have captured a subject that touches on the lives of most of us. Through that subject I intend to lead my audience through a world of make-believe, while showing them how to use the lessons in the Bible to deal with the influences of evil. Tyler: Our reviewer here at Reader Views, Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson, complimented you for walking a fine line between going overboard into philosophy and your ability to create a fantasy world that isn’t too unrealistic. How would you describe your process in finding that balance in your writing? Robert: Wow, I don’t know. When I write, the words just seem to flow out of me. I view myself talking to those same people in my book and write the words I think they would say back. I am not sure how else to explain it. Tyler: Robert, would you say there are any other authors, films, or other forms of art that influenced you in your writing? Robert: I have read many books and seem many films. The ones that seem to stick out the most in my memory are “The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant” by Stephen R. Donaldson. I read most of the series while many fathoms below the sea. The idea behind separate worlds and how a man from one world would struggle through another came from this storyline. The scientific works of Professor Stephen Hawking and Dr. Michio Kaku are what gave me the inspiration for parallel worlds. Professor Hawking’s specific reference to God is what gave me the drive to get published. Tyler: Robert, I understand the idea for this novel came to you deep beneath the ocean onboard the fast-attack submarine, “USS Sunfish.” Will you tell us more about why at that point you had the idea and what happened from that point that drove you to write this novel? Robert: I was not much of a reader in high school. But, there is not much else to do aboard a submarine. The “USS Sunfish” normally went north under the ice when we left port. The longest we were away from any port was ninety-four days. Things got pretty dicey on that run when we cracked open the last can of coffee. Luckily, we were allowed to return to Holy Loch, Scotland before it was gone completely. In that small space, privacy was sought with a passion. A friend of mine let me borrow his set of books by Stephen R. Donaldson. I use to lie in my rack (an opening in the wall just big enough for an average sized man to sleep in) and read for hours. By the end of that mission, I was hooked on science fantasy and knew someday I would write a book of my own. Tyler: Robert, when people finish reading “The Divine Theory of Everything,” what do you hope they will believe about evolution and creation? Robert: That they are one in the same. Just opposite sides of the same coin. What’s important is what we do with the knowledge and not how we arrived at our conclusions. Tyler: Will you give us a preview of the next book, and when can we expect it to be published? Robert: Book 2 is subtitled “Druid.” Stephen embraces the magic, but struggles with how to hide his abilities from those he encounters. His choice of disguise will surely intrigue you even more. The more he digs into the conflict, the more he realizes the line between good and evil is very thin. Which side is good and which is evil is totally dependent upon which side of the line you are standing on. In Book 2, Stephen will seek the other half of Deific. The weapon’s influence will change him. How exactly you will have to read in the book. I will finish Book 2 before the end of December. From there it is just a matter of getting it edited and published. I suspect it will be available in March. Tyler: How many books total do you plan to write in this series, and do you know what will happen in each of them? Did you plan them all out beforehand, or do you write each one separately from the others? Robert: I plan to write six books, two trilogies. I tried to plan it all out ahead of time in a written document, but I am not very good at that. In my head, I have an outline, but it is a living document. I know where my characters are and I know where I want to take them. The words between those two just seem to flow out of me. I can almost visualize Stephen Morgan as he walks the land and interacts with different characters. The little twists this way and that just seem to appear without any real work on my part. For example, can you see the head of the snake between the two worlds in the book’s cover art? Focus on the very center of the yellow and orange blob. This is the back of the snake’s throat. The snake has its mouth open wide. Work your way out from the throat and you will see the lower jaw and upper jaw. Fangs hang down from the upper jaw and up from the lower. Continue out and you will see the nose, eyes and top of the head appear. Tendril like fingers extend out from the snake to curl around each globe from the bottom. Seems like an obvious addition considering Stephen finds himself in Eden fighting the influence of evil. However, I never drew that into the picture. It just happened to appear in the work after I finished. I never saw it until the cover art was finished. My son pointed it out to me. The intent of the tendril like strands that fill the top of the cover are supposed to illustrate the strings of matter that make up the universe (String Theory) with the yellow and orange blob being the big bang. What a bizarre coincidence, right? Tyler: Thank you for the opportunity to interview you today, Robert. Before we go, will you tell us about your website and what additional information we may find there about “The Divine Theory of Everything”? Robert: My website is http://www.thedivinetheoryofeverything.com/I have the first chapter of Book 1 and a lot of graphic art that came from http://www.digitalblasphemy.com/. I used this art to form the pictures in my mind as I write. I plan to post the first chapter of Book 2 as soon as I get it edited. Tyler: Thank you again, Robert, for allowing me to interview you today. You’ve given us a lot to think about and I wish you much success.
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