Birth and Death of the Universe

The mathematical equations of modern day physics have about twenty arbitrary numbers which relate one physical property to another. As an example, one of these numbers relates the strength of the force of gravity to mass. All these numbers are determined by experiment and are thought to be unchangeable. Consequently, they are called physical constants. These physical constants turn out to be just right for the development of conscious life. For example:  

1. If the ratios of the physical constants which define the strength of the electromagnetic force relative to the strong force were different by more than 1% then carbon which makes up all life could not be synthesized in dying stars. (The strong force holds the positively charged protons together in the nucleus of atoms.) (Davies, page 138)
2. If gravity were twice as strong then stars like our sun would last only 100 million years because they would burn hotter and faster compared to its existing lifetime of 10 billion years. This would not give life enough time to evolve. (Davies, page 143)
3. If the electromagnetic force was not almost exactly 1040 times stronger than the force of gravity then planets would not form because supernovas would not be able to make the elements heavier than iron.
4. If the constants governing the percentage of dark energy was just an extremely small fraction greater (1 divided by 119 times 10) it would have prevented galaxies from forming. If this were random it would be equivalent to getting heads in a coin toss 400 times in a row, an extremely low probability (Davies, page 149). The matter of the universe is divided into three types. Dark energy makes up 68.3% of all matter. The equally mysterious dark matter makes up 26.8% and it exists around all the galaxies. The visible known matter of physics (electrons, protons, neutrons, quarks, etc) makes up only 4.9%. ( Planck Team published in 2013). Normal matter is only the tip of the iceberg.

Some have proposed that our universe is a part of a multi-verse which creates these constants at random and we just happen to live in a universe which works. If this were true then Nature is very wasteful needing to create a huge number of universes before one was created which was suitable for life. No other piece of evidence indicates that nature is wasteful. This model also does not explain the inherent structure of the universe like why it needs only twenty physical constants and not more or less. If the structure needs to be innate then so can the physical constant values.

References

Davies, P.C.W. (1979) The Forces of Nature. Cambridge University Press​

Krauss, Lawrence, M. (2012) A Universe from Nothing. Simon and Schuster

Our collection of conscious experiences defines our souls. Most likely they continue on after death because not being based upon physical energy they have no way to decay. Instead they sleep because without a material brain no method exists to activate their conscious impressions. Yet possibly they could act as reactive storage batteries which respond when emotionally pinged by living beings tuned into their consciousness.

After that we are faced with two possibilities, either souls are reincarnated in an eternal cycle or they are stored for eternity. The first choice allows for a finite number of uniquely identifiable souls while the second ends up with souls losing their unique identities. 

Most nature spiritual people and Druids come down on the side of reincarnation viewing life as a learning process. Souls having emotional memories of connection, balance, and growth will be progressively reincarnated into creatures having ever greater conscious experiences, powers, and responsibilities. In contrast Christians think souls go to heaven and are stored there for eternity. This means all those souls are merged together and lose their individuality.