God, and the Big Bang
In the past while, I have heard a great amount of talk on both sides, as to whether God created the universe, or whether there was a Big Bang, creating the universe out of almost nothing. Naturally, both sides are very sure of how right they are. More importantly, both sides are just as sure about how wrong the other side is.
What seems to be beyond so many people is the idea that maybe, just maybe, both sides could be correct.
Science does not try to explain the "Why" of things, but the "How". Likewise, Christianity explains the "Why" of things, but the "How" was explained in a way that the people of the time could understand.
Now, you're probably wondering how I could possibly believe that God, and the Big Bang, are at all inter-related.
Let me explain, first of all, what science tells us about the creation of the universe. Bear with me, I'm getting somewhere with this.
Scientific theory says that the universe was created roughly 14 billion years ago. There was a ball of pure energy, possibly the side of the head of a needle, that was so dense that it held all the matter and energy that existed in the entire universe.
When this ball of energy exploded, for whatever reason it did so, much of that energy coalesced into the basic building blocks of matter. In fact, they created two different types of matter. There was matter, and there was anti-matter. Both were created in roughly equal amounts, with matter winning out by just a tiny bit.
Now, if you don't know what happens if matter and anti-matter come in contact with each other, I'll explain. They explode. They destroy each other completely, becoming pure energy again. In fact, 1 kilogram of anti-matter, mixed with the same amount of matter, has more explosive power than a 40 megaton nuclear weapon.
So, here we have almost equal parts of matter and anti-matter, just after the Big Bang. Naturally, they come in contact with each other, and they destroy each other. The tiny, tiny little bit of matter that's left forms what's left of the universe. The universe you see out there today, that's so large you can't even imagine just how big it is, was made from a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of the matter and energy created from the Big Bang.
So, what we've established here is that the scientific world believes that the universe was created from a point of almost infinite energy. They don't try to explain why that energy exploded, or where that energy came from. They just admit it was there.
So, as a Christian, I look at the Big Bang theory, and it doesn't weaken my faith in the least. It strengthens my faith. The reason for that, is the fact that my faith tells me where that infinite amount of energy came from! The universe was created from nothing, was created in seconds, and within those seconds, all the rules for how the universe works were set in place.
The speed of light, the strength of gravity, the force that holds atoms together. According to scientists, if any of these forces had been changed in any way, the universe would have just collapsed back on itself, and we wouldn't be here.
So, suppose the scientists are right (and I believe they're fairly close to the truth of the how). Suppose all this did happen just the way they say it did. Doesn't that just reinforce your belief that God is amazing, and that he thought so far ahead that he could create the universe 14 billion years ago, knowing it would lead, eventually, to us?
Of course, the Bible tells us an entirely different story of the creation of the universe. At least, it does at first glance. It tells of God creating the universe out of nothing, that he formed the heavens and the earth. The Bible, however, doesn't explain "how" he did that. Is it not possible that, knowing that the people 2000-3000 years ago wouldn't be able to comprehend the concept of the Big Bang, so he explained it using far simpler terms? The Bible does this in several other places, using stories and parables in order to explain concepts, so why not here?
Think on the subject. Weigh it, and if you feel so inclined, comment on it for me. I would love to hear from you, and see what you think.
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