Big Bang Theory and God, Essay
(Tim Wilkinson, a believer in Christ and a student of science.)
In most cases there is no conflict between science and Christianity except by those perpetually inobservant, prejudiced, and blind, those concerned and caught up with ignorance and the inability to learn, to know and to believe. There are exceptions of course and I will discuss them in future but they are few. I find so many good Christians who are preaching faith, in reality totally faithless. It is as if they feel compelled to argue against anything labeled as science simply due to the label, all the while ignoring the elephant standing on their very toes. Their faithlessness, easily seen and obviously displayed by their endless unimportant arguing, is manifest in their inability to accept that a God, our God can, did and will do as he chooses. The mechanism is not what is important, the results are important, the truth is important.
Why, I often wonder, do so many Christians make so much ado about so little? I could list so many examples and question so many individuals as to their opinions or their so-called knowledge and be amazed by their simpleton answers and absolute lack of knowledge, common sense or belief in the word and power of God. In my opinion, these learned and most often faithful and sincere men and women struggle in a miry quicksand of ignorance and display an innate inability to think clearly, a trait sadly so often found among Christian apologists. I find this not only confusing but also depressing and certainly, a major reason why so many refuse to listen to such arguments and by extension refuse to follow Christ, read or believe in the Bible. Much like those who stand on the street corner screaming angry scriptures and lectures to no one, these people and their silly arguments literally push thousands away from Christ and faith and attract only a rare, illogical, weak willed few.
As I stated previously I have many examples to espouse, so as my first I would like to talk of the Big Bang theory so accepted in modern science, so maligned by Christian, thinkers?
Wikipedia defines the Big Bang theory as follows: “The Big Bang is the cosmological model of the initial conditions and subsequent development of the Universe that is supported by the most comprehensive and accurate explanations from current Scientific evidence and observation.”
Furthermore, it goes on to say: “Without any evidence associated with the earliest instant of the expansion, the Big Bang theory cannot and does not provide any explanation for such an initial condition; rather, it describes and explains the general evolution of the Universe since that instant. As used by cosmologists, the term Big Bang generally refers to the idea that the Universe has expanded from a primordial hot and dense initial condition at some finite time in the past”
Merriam-Webster: the cosmic explosion that marked the beginning of the universe according to the big bang theory.
Encyclopedia Britannica: widely held theory of the evolution of the universe. It’s essential feature is the emergence of the universe from a state of extremely high temperature and density—the so-called big bang.
So what has been said here? First that the term, “Big Bang”, refers to a model, or theory, of the conditions existing at the time of the universes creation and its subsequent development. It also plainly states that the theory, due to its lack of evidence and information as to the earliest instant of the universes creation, or expansion, cannot and does not even attempt to explain how or why such an initial instant can or did exist.
In essence, the theory simply states the universe had a point of creation, how and why science cannot explain and makes no attempt too. In summation, the theory simply says that the universe had a finite point of creation, an initial condition and that it has been expanding ever since.
What part of that disagrees with Genesis I ask? In fact, I find it to be a most beautiful and intuitive concept or visualization of how and when God created everything from nothing as the Bible plainly states.
Genisis1:1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3And God said,…
2 Peter 3:5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water.
John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
1 John1:1 The Word of Life That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.
And God said…and God Said etc. God spoke it all into existence with his word.
The Apostle Paul himself warned us not to engaged in useless arguments or genealogies.
1 Timothy 1: 4Don’t let them waste their time in endless discussion of myths and spiritual pedigrees. These things only lead to meaningless speculations, which don’t help people live a life of faith in God.
2 Timothy 2: 16 Avoid worthless, foolish talk that only leads to more godless behavior. 17 This kind of talk spreads like cancer…
Titus 3:9 But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless.
I would ask all the arguers to note that not one definition of the Big Bang theory said anything about the creation of specific suns, planets, flowers, kitty cats or humans. It is not a theory about the creation of life, humanity, the Angels, the earth or the moon. It is a theory about why, how and what may have happened in that instant long ago when God spoke and the universe flashed into existence. Note the theory also says nothing about whether or not that was all God was to do, build or create nor how and when he did. It simply attempts to describe the instant of creation. Surely there was more to come. How can one create a sword unless iron, carbon and steel exist first. How can one, even God, count earthly days until earth exists? How can one speak of light if nothing exists but darkness?
God created the physical laws that govern our world and universe. He set them in place and in motion. Science has clearly proven that the universe in expanding. After the discoveries of Edward Hubble in 1929 and those who came after him science has been able to show, based upon the red shifting of light, that the universe is expanding, that distance is proportional to an objects red shift, indicating that celestial bodies and galaxies have an apparent velocity, directly away from our point of reference. For something to expand outward it must first come from somewhere inward.
Anyone who has ever lit the fuse on a fire cracker and watched it explode should know all that is needed to know as to how things expand in a full 360 degrees around the point of detonation. Anyone who has ever tossed a stone into a placid pond can understand and visualize these principals of our physical world.
Knowing these things how can one possibly argue with the idea of a single finite point and time of origin, otherwise known as creation, by big Bang or some other means, except through sheer ignorance? How can one dispute that the universe is expanding, most certainly if the finite point of creation was explosion. Do they not accept that God created the universe at some specific, definitive, finite time and set it all into motion in accordance with the physical laws that he created? Do they not accept that in God all things are possible? Do they honestly believe that by their arguments, anger, pride and inflexible thinking that one person will come to Christ? Do they honestly think it matters?
Was, or is, the initial point of creation where the earth now rests in the galaxy? Is our spot of existence therefore the center of the universe? Who cares, and if someone chooses to believe one way or the other does it define him or her as a Christian or not as one? The premise is ridiculous I know, as none of these things defines a person in anyway.
I have heard it said by other wise intelligent well informed clergy men that the Big Bang is or would have been impossible because the Bible says that this was created before that, because the sun, the earth or the moon existed before another, because first there was day or first there was light, or first came this word before that word in this one sentence… How childishly ignorant! God can do anything! End of story!
God created the earth and the heavens where he chose too, when he chose too and how he chose too. We need argue no further about these matters, and as far being proof, or a yardstick of ones faith, Satan get thee behind me!
Did God use the mechanism of a Big Bang to create the universe? Does it matter? It is an interesting, even enticing question for scientists and lay-peoples to wonder and to probe yet it is a useless subject for Christian apologists and clergymen to waste time arguing over. What soul will be saved by reciting silly ridiculous arguments based upon things like which word came first in a sentence in Genesis? These arguments and I purposefully say arguments because they are illogical and often just plain stupid, drive people away from Christ, not to him. Need I say more?
Hebrews 1:3 The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.
Hebrews 4:4 And yet his work has been finished since the creation of the world. For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: "And on the seventh day God rested from all his work."
Psalm 74:17 It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth; you made both summer and winter.
Nehemiah 9:6 You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.
Psalm 104:24 How many are your works, O LORD! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.
John 1:3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
Acts 7:50 Has not my hand madeall these things?
So who can argue with God? If God so choose could he not use a hot dense center of immensely heavy mass and explode it to form the entire universe and all that exists within it? Surely, God can do as he chooses. Who is to say that that is not exactly what happened? Who is to say that it did not? Most importantly, what does it matter? God created the universe. Once again he did it when he wanted, where he wanted and for his own reasons. That says it all.
It has been said before that, science without faith is soulless, unimaginative, and ignorant of the truth, which is surely true. But alas so also is faith without science illogical, inobservant and ignorant of Gods truth.
Tim Wilkinson © 2009
