Yes. Do hidden variables and processes exist? The universe could be perfectly deterministic from outside but appear very random here. It's an open question. No

Yes. Do hidden variables and processes exist? The universe could be perfectly deterministic from outside but appear very random here. It's an open question. No one knows the answer. That's why I think it's an interesting question. Personally I find the references to god or theology offensive and distracting. These are perfectly valid questions to ask. They don't imply any kind of biblical god. They don't even imply a creator. We only fall back to creators because we can't imagine that something, or some set of rules, or some arbitrary process, or whatever might Just Exist. It's quite possible this is a simulation - in the sense that it's a secondary not a primary reality - that appeared spontaneously, and no one/nothing created it deliberately.