Quote Originally Posted by Subteigh View Post
No it doesn't. There is no such rule.

The law of conservation of energy says that in an isolated system, energy remains constant. The laws of thermodynamics state that in an isolated system, energy cannot be created or destroyed. Thus, the universe can only have a cause if is not an isolated system. But if that is true, then the universe does not represent the whole - which in my understanding of what is meant by universe is contrary to its definition.
The Universe can have a cause within the Universe if you invoke microcosm/macrocosm type principles but the cause itself would be subject to causality since it'd be inside the Universe.