Was the "Big Bang" Really God?
W. C. Liu
For centuries, unbelieving
scientists have rejected and ridiculed the biblical version of the creation of
the universe. They have attempted to prove that the creation theory,
indeed even the Bible itself, is nothing but a legend with no scientific
foundation and no means of verification. They have during the past
centuries developed their own theories about the formation for the
universe. Unfortunately, none of the theories they have constructed is
able to satisfy scientists in the various fields of scientific investigation.
However, scientists, based upon Einstein's theory of general relativity, have
developed a theory called "Big Bang" which is currently gaining
increasing popularity.
Since the early part of this century,
scientists have been working their way backward to the moment of the creation
of the universe. By the 1940's they had come to within three minutes of
the titanic explosion that took place nearly 15 trillion years ago. By
1970 they had pushed the boundaries of knowledge to within about one
millisecond of the "Big Bang." Today they have come even closer - to
an interval so short that our concept of time itself may have to be redefined
before we go any farther. Scientists from various disciplines have
conducted successful experiments to support the "Big Bang"
theory. So far it seems that no one has proved it to be erroneous.
According to the "Big
Bang" theory, there was a tremendous cosmic explosion some 15 to 20
billion years ago. (1) After this inconceivable explosion the cosmic cloud and
dust resulting from it spread, and is still expanding outward at an astonishing
speed. On its way of expansion it condensed to form 10 billion galaxies,
each one a group of hundreds of billions of stars, including our own solar
system which is believed to be formed some five billion years ago. The
sun was formed by nuclear fusion to produce light for the satellite planets,
including the earth. Thus all matter and space itself came into
existence.
By accepting the "Big
Bang" theory scientists are 'satisfied' that the question of how the
universe was created is answered. However, they are now deeply troubled
by another question, namely, "what existed before the Big Bang?" To
this question Edward Tivnan in Newsweek Focus
summarized the general feeling as follows:
It came as a shock in the
scientific camp when Einstein's theory of general relativity led to what is now
accepted as the most likely scenario (for the beginning of the universe): the
'Big Bang,' a cosmic explosion in which the universe was born just short of 20
billion years ago. Suddenly, the newest story of Genesis looked
suspiciously like the oldest: a single, flashing act of creation. Fiat Lux (L. let there be light). Most astronomers and
physicists took the news badly. Einstein himself found the Possibility
‘irritating’..... Whether it's called God or not, scientists are increasingly
accepting the idea that what came before the big bang may be unknowable.(2)
Therefore, "most cosmologists
- scientists who study the structure and evolution of the universe - agree that
the biblical account of creation in imagining initial void,
may be uncannily close to the truth."(3)
In the beginning God created the
heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was
upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of
the water. And God said, "let there he light," and there was light. (Gen 1:1-3)
No matter how science advances,
human wisdom and intelligence are limited. For example, in time we simply
do not know what it means by no beginning, and in space, by no end. But
in the Bible there are several places that teach us that God is the one who has
no beginning and no end (Prov 8:22-23, Jn 17:5, Heb 7:3, Rev 21:6, 22:13).
It is likely that in time when
enough mystery is revealed to man, everybody, including the unbelieving
scientists will agree that the ultimate truth of the creation of the universe
of anything else is in the Word of God - the Holy Bible.
