To theists: Creatio ex nihilo

I know this is a topic that has been discussed many many times here on reddit, but I just wrote a post explaining how the universe probably created itself ex nihilo.

I'll try to explain it really easy, but of course this is simplified:

There are particles and anti-particles, for example the electron and positron. They both have charges, the one positive, the other negative. If they collide, they annihilate each other and photons with the remaining energy are created. Same example generally with matter and anti-matter. If they collide, they cease to exist.

In vacuum there is a phenomenom called virtual particles. Basically, thats the reverse of annihilation and it's possible for pairs of particles and anti-particles to come spontaneously into existence. (This can be observed with a range of experiments.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_particle#Manifestations)

These pairs exist for an extremely short time, and mutually annihilate in short order. In some cases, however, it is possible to boost the pair apart using external energy so that they avoid annihilation and become real particles. Thats called pair production. No laws are broken, as the charge (in the case of electron-positron) are in the opposite and equal 0 if added together, so no "new" charge from nothing.

Now back to the point:

We know positive energy and negative energy (gravitational potential energy of a gravitational field is a negative energy). They behave the same and can come into existence and annihilate each. The big bang can be explained as pair production of positive energy and negative energy and it is speculated that the total sum of energy in the universe is exactly 0.

TL;DR:

Energy and matter do come into existence spontaneously without breaking any natural law.

This blogpost explains the same in a similar way: http://www.lifeslittlemysteries.com/total-energy-universe-zero-1477/

Quantum fluctations, virtual particles and pair production are three scientific explanations that are observed, tested and verified. There is no need for a supernatural being to have created the universe.