One of the most exciting and intriguing big-picture theories in physics is the idea that our universe is the inside of a black hole in another parent universe. Unlike many other creative big theories in physics that started almost as kind of a fun lark or an act of desperation, this one is gradually accumulating (admittedly somewhat circumstantial) evidence in its favor.

For example, and most relevant to our discussion, we have no reason to think that galaxy rotation should be anything other than random, so it should be about half clockwise and half counter-clockwise. However, a census of the earliest galaxies from the James Webb telescope suggests that about two-thirds of such galaxies are spinning clockwise, suggesting that the universe itself has a preferred “spin,” which fits with the idea that we’re inside a rotating black hole.*

To shift gears for a second (I promise it all comes together): one plausible, straightforward reading of Book of Abraham 3 suggests that there are a nested series of astronomical objects that reckon their time (possibly rotate around?) each other. To a certain level modern-day astronomy has supported this particular interpretation. Our earth rotates around the sun, which rotates around the center of the galaxy.**

This is one reason why some have speculated the Kolob is Sagittarius A, the black hole in the middle of our galaxy. We might snicker at any speculation that gets too specific on this point, but my main hesitancy with this idea is that it essentially makes God the God of the Milky Way, which seems a bit small to me, especially given the scale implied in the Book of Moses (“And were it possible that man could number the particles of the earth, yea, millions of earths like this, it would not be a beginning to the number of thy creations; and thy curtains are stretched out still…”) in the same way that the Book of Mormon musical line that we “get our own planet” is eccentrically grand yet comically small at the same time. 

To continue upwards, our galaxy in turn rotates around the gravitational center of a galactic cluster. So far so good. However, as far as we can tell this is about where it stops. At its largest scales the distribution of galactic superclusters is random: there is no “center” of the observable universe.  

However, Black Hole Cosmology raises another possibility: the “times” of our universe are in a sense governed by its parent black hole that sprung out of another universe. And by extension, presumably every black hole in our universe is a Big Bang in other universe. Universes creating universes creating universes. A whole universe, not just a galactic cluster or solar system, has its own parent universe that to some extent determines its “times” and rotation. This cosmology elegantly fits with the “Chain of Being” theology as discussed by Samuel Brown or the “Infinite Regress” model supported by a variety of 19th- and early 20th-century Church leaders. Sort of a turtles all the way down with universes nested within universes and Gods giving rise to Gods. 

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*Other coincidences include the fact that the radius of the observable universe is approximately equal to the radius of the event horizon of a black hole with the same total mass-energy as the observable universe. From what I read it’s not fine-tuning level fluke, but still an interesting coincidence that is one more point in favor of the Black Hole Cosmology theory. Finally, there’s some evidence in favor of Black Hole Cosmology dealing with the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation that I don’t pretend to understand. 

** To get the throat clearing out of the way. Yes, this is all speculative, it doesn’t have anything to do with our salvation, we have no current revelation on the topic, etc. However, not everything God values has to do directly with our salvation in some kind of patently direct or technical way (“it is beautiful and glorious,” “God shall give unto you knowledge by his Holy Spirit, yea, by the unspeakable gift of the Holy Ghost, that has not been revealed since the world was until now…if there be bounds set to the heavens or to the seas, or to the dry land, or to the sun, moon, or stars.”) There’s a temptation to simply wave our hand at the weirder aspects of our canonized scripture, but if Joseph Smith was inspired to write it down I assume it’s appropriate for at least some discussion or even fun speculation in a TS post even if it wouldn’t be for a sacrament meeting talk or EQ lesson.