I'm curious. What, then, is the scientists' position on t=0 with respect to the universe?
My point to Chiroptera was simply that most scientists outside of theoretical cosmology have little or no knowledge or appreciation of the real issues surrounding t=0 in the Big Bang model. It's easy quoting the usual blurb - going from phase transition to inflation to phase transition to recombination to galaxies to stars to us, all dull stuff - the party is at t=0
Of course we do not know what happens at t=0, but to the interested layman this should be irrelevant. Considering and understanding the various bizarre possibilities is key to appreciating what GR, quantum gravity, and by association string theory, loop gravity, etc. are really all about. T=0 is about stretching your understanding so you can appreciate what the issues really are.
For example, there may well be a t<0. BUT until you can appreciate a universe for which there is no t