Vatican Backs the Big Bang Theory

Based on the press reports, the Roman Catholic Church continues to accept the big bang model of universal origins, but the pope makes it clear that believers should still see a divine mind behind the bang.

“The universe is not the result of chance, as some would want to make us believe,” the pope said in a sermon this week, labeling some scientific theories “mind limiting” in that they “only arrive at a certain point . . . and do not manage to explain the ultimate sense of reality.”

Reuters reports that the pontiff also claimed, “In the beauty of the world, in its mystery, in its greatness and in its rationality . . . we can only let ourselves be guided toward God, creator of heaven and earth.” While it seems hard for any theist to disagree, a vocal group of atheistic scientists insist that—almost by definition—the purpose of science is to lead us away from God, who is seen as merely an intellectual “crutch” when we do not fully understand an aspect of the natural world (e.g., how the universe could supposedly create itself).

Obviously, we agree with the Catholic leader’s comments insofar as we see God as the ultimate Creator behind the universe. The question is, why push God “outside” the universe, only letting Him initiate the universe with a bang and then using billions of years of natural processes—including death and destruction—to create mankind? That sort of thinking leads Catholic biologist (and ardent evolutionist) Ken Miller to declare that he has “no idea” whether God intended to create humans, or whether it was a mere cosmic accident.

The evolutionary worldview turns the biblical worldview on its head, insisting that there was no purpose nor meaning in creation, and that we are merely a cosmic accident.

Yet Genesis—which Jesus quoted as fundamental truth—teaches not only that mankind did not evolve, but that God was intimately involved in all aspects of creation, including the astronomical bodies throughout the universe. Moreover, Genesis puts man at the center of creation, with the sun and moon serving as lights for us. Thus, the evolutionary worldview turns the biblical worldview on its head, insisting that there was no purpose nor meaning in creation, and that we are merely a cosmic accident. But if that is true, why did God even bother? Only the biblical worldview presents a coherent portrait of why we exist. Furthermore, the biblical worldview refutes the big bang. As AiG President Ken Ham wrote on his Friday blog: “The big bang has the sun and stars before the earth, but God said He made the earth before the sun and stars. Furthermore, the big bang has the earth beginning as a hot molten blob, but the Bible has the earth at the beginning covered with water.”