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In the News
In this regular feature the Alliance looks at a significant news story of interest to evangelicals and invites readers to comment.
Follow the links for selected stories and opinions from the world's media.

11 September 2008

The 'Big Bang'

There has been much coverage this week of the experiments taking place that will investigate the earliest moments of creation. On Wednesday, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) on the French-Swiss border successfully fired a stream of particles all the way round its 17 mile circumference. In due course, these particles will be fired in opposite directions, smashing into each other, and providing scientists with new information about the first moments of our universe.

All of this is very exciting, not least because it provides us with a wonderful opportunity to talk about our creator God. We must not forget that for some years science resisted the idea that the universe had any beginning at all. Rather, there were many who believed that the universe always existed. Of course, the opening chapters of Genesis make it abundantly clear that this is not the case. God created the universe from nothing, it has not always existed, and it is good that over the last 50 years or so science has come to recognise this.

The challenge that remains for our non-christian friends is how they explain this fact. Either the universe came into existence all by itself, which seems impossible, or God brought it into being. As Peter May says in his talk (see links), "Things do not suddenly pop into existence for no reason…Whatever begins to exist has a cause." The only possible explanation for that cause is God. And in any discussions we have about these experiments or the Big Bang that is probably a point worth making. 

Be Thinking : Two good reasons for believing in God by Dr Peter May 

Be Thinking : Advanced level talk by Prof William Lane Craig addressing the Big Bang

Faraday Institute: Reflections on the Big Bang

News articles

Times: 'Big Bang machine' is back on collision course after its glitches are fixed

BBC: Big Bang experiment starts well

Times: Scientists cheer as protons complete first circuit of Big Bang machine

 

Latest comments :
(The views below are the authors', and not necessarily those of the Evangelical Alliance.)

Written by Gareth Davison on 17 September 2008 at 11.38
In the article that refers to Peter May's talk (see links)

Peter cannot exept that the universe may have came into exictence by a force 'YET' unknown to science, a natural force, so he concludes that.............

"In the begining, God................"

Science 'HAS' Evidence, has therioes or 'models' that work, they have math to correctly pretict what they have discovered in their models. There have years of experience in thier field and the work of others before them.
What does Peter have to say his model of how the universe came into existence?

"In the begining, God........................" And that was written down by a man who believed he heared the voice of God, a man who lived about 4000 years ago.

Conclusion.
Peter takes this man's 4000 year old 'belief' over all of modern day's 'Evidence'!
Written by Gareth Davison on 17 September 2008 at 11.14
Evidence and belief 'ARE' different.

"We must not forget that for some years science resisted the idea that the universe had any beginning at all. "

That is because there was no evidence.

"Of course, the opening chapters of Genesis make it abundantly clear that this is not the case."

Are you saying a couple of lines in a book written 1000 years ago hold up more than all the science than today. All the experiments, all the correct predictions, all the maths and all the formula's?

"God created the universe from nothing, it has not always existed, and it is good that over the last 50 years or so science has come to recognise this."

No, science has not come to recognise this (the genesis 'story')!

"Either the universe came into existence all by itself, which seems impossible, or God brought it into being. As Peter May says in his talk (see links), "Things do not suddenly pop into existence for no reason?Whatever begins to exist has a cause."

Well IF god created our most complex universe then god must be evenmore complex, therefore god is a million, billion fold less likely to have 'popped' into existence.
That argument is the most weakest argument by religion.

This belief should not be taught as fact as evangelical chistians clearly do!
Written by Phil Almond on 16 September 2008 at 21.13
It is not easy to harmonise a wholly trustworthy Bible with the generally accepted understanding of the history of the universe (starting with the Big Bang) and of the chronology of the fossil record and life on earth. The two biggest problems are animal predation before the appearance of man, and the implications of Romans 8:19-23. On the assumption that 'ktisis' means sub-human nature (I know there is a big debate about that) the question to be faced by systematic Christian doctrine is when, by whom, why and with what if any observable effect the whole 'ktisis' was enslaved to corruption.

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Date Created: 11 September 2008
Last Modified: 18 September 2008

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