Time travel is the hypothetical concept of shifting an object from one point in time to another point in time (either forwards or backwards). The very notion of one being able to move freely between the co-ordinates of time sounds rather absurd on the basis that we are constrained by general relativity (matter, space and time are co-dependent), but general relativity is the thing that may just hold the key to time travel!
Firstly, the concept of the gravitational time dilation shows us that accelerating towards the speed of light can allow us to slow the passage of time down (but I do not know if something can even travel that fast), but this happens on any scale really (never using stairs may add roughly a nanosecond onto your life span, an astronaut ages less when they are in outer space relative to what they would have done being on earth etc...) thus giving us the impression that time can be halted. To take the aforementioned concept a little further, one can take a look at hypothetical wormholing that may have been formed within the spacetime relationship. Anyway, in accordance with the mass-accepted theory of general relativity, gravity itself (you know the thing that keeps us on the earth? ;) ) is caused by the mass of an object putting it's mass on some sort of cosmic sheet, physicists probably know it better as space-time. The mass of the object shall bestow a distortion upon the fabric of space-time, ergo becoming the cause of the surrounding objects to roll around the massive object (we know this because of the earth's orbit around the sun, for example). Furthermore to the point, please know that it is not only just space that is distorted, but time as well (hence the phrase “space-time”). This means time actually slows down more drastically depending on the manipulation of the space-time fabric. Basically a gravitational field of an object that has higher gravity than that of the other entrance, thus retracting whatever enclosed item there is to a position near the other entrance - a wormhole in a nutshell!!! These wormholes can occur anywhere in space, allowing anyone or anything to pass through them and potentially travel through time. The fact that this should function is because a tear in the space-time fabric distorts reality at that point. Inside a tear in fabric, there is no fabric. There is no time, or space, in actuality there would be nothing in the most literal sense except for the wormhole portals themselves. After travelling through such a tear, the traveler will re-enter through the area of least resistance. If there is another wormhole, or tear, at another point in time, the traveler will enter at that point in time. For the method, time dilation causes the end of the wormhole that has been moved to have aged less than the stationary end, OK well as seen by an external observer anyway; however, time acts differently through the wormhole relative to that outside of it, so that synchronized clocks at either end of the wormhole will always remain as synchronized as they were when seen by an observer prior to passing through the wormhole, no matter how the two ends move around.
Secondly, a purely hypothetical "signal" that can move faster than the speed of light may emit "frames" that would be received prior to their emission. The fact that such is possible suggests that backward time travel can occur. This concept, however, is ever-so mind boggling and can result in one of two consequences:
1) a "grandfather" paradox arises, whereby either a mirror image of the time traveler existing at that point in time exists at the same point in time as the time traveler or a relative responsible for the existence of the time traveler exists yet hasn't performed the deed that gave way to the time traveler as of yet. This raises questions about the notion of free will and that if, say, the celibate grandfather was to be killed then would the time traveler vanish in an instant? Does this presuppose that causality has already been determined and only the time traveler is able to shift the fate of the future away from what they already remember? (oh, and the earth moves so does the exit point differ from the entry point?)
2) a paralleled universe forms whereby the time traveler's actions do not apply to the universe from where they originated
You see if we were to somehow see our destinies unfold visually, then we would be given a choice to betray our chosen destinies. And the mere fact that this choice exists would make all preformed destiny halt!!!
Nevertheless, causality supports that of the first of St Thomas Aquinas' five ways to prove the existence of God a priori (the argument from first cause), the notion of free will supports that of the Cartesian dualism of the mind and matter and paralleled universes may exist as part of an intelligent design that prevents the occurrence of a "grandfather" paradox in the case of a slip back in time!
Furthermore, the notion of time in Christian theology is acknowledged by the assumption that God exists in a form unbound by space or time. In doctrinal terms, God is said to be omniscient and omnipresent. This is supported by statements in the Bible such as Jesus's claim "before Abraham was born, I am" (John 8:58) and Peter's claim "[Jesus] was chosen before the creation of the world" (refer to 1 Peter 1:20) (assuming the creation of the world began at t = 0). These quotes simply imply that God does not occupy the same timeline that we do (in fact God exists in infinite simplicity ergo must be timeless!). This is further supported by the assertion "I the LORD do not change" (refer to Malachi 3:6), since change requires movement along, and constrained by, a temporal continuum in general relativity! However, how can something that is timeless give rise to a temporal effect? It must be personal and if it is personal then it must make choices under the auspices of its infinite wisdom (thus refuting deism to an extent!). Some things in the universe are capable of existing, but it was also possible for them not to exist. Anything that can cease to exist will cease to exist; if these things that we know in reality have the potential of not existing then it is reasonable for us to assume that at some point nothing existed within reality. Thus there must be something which has an existence outwith general relativity that does not rely upon anything to account for its existence (non-contingency) in order for everything in reality to have this property of contingency! This is an argument from necessity that supports the existence of God outwith general relativity (thus refuting pantheism to an extent!).
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