Quote: from xsnortingxashesx at 7:08 am on Aug. 23, 2008
Quote: from pujolsfan at 2:05 pm on Aug. 22, 2008
in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth... 
Intellectual Forum, not Religion and Philosophy.

Side note: The Intellectual Forum was originally founded so as we could get away from the garbage that was beginning to befall R&P. And ultimately, since we're talking something that often encompasses R&P (as we've little proof either way) I'd allow it.
I believe there was such thing as a 'Steady State' theory that was likely debunked and given up on a while back now (many years, if the ol' noodle's up to scratch) that essentially stated that the universe just 'is what it is what is was' or something airy-fairy to that effect.
To the OP, essentially the problem you're running into is trying to apply the laws of physics to a time when they didn't apply. That is; they apply to the within the universe, but not around it. There's some data floating around somewhere (you can likely Wikipedia it) stating that the laws of physics only apply to within something like 10^-37s of the hypothesised big bang.
Such questions, it is generally agreed, cannot generally be answered with a 'scientific definition'.
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Routinely sucking the cosmic fugue off our fingers.