Genesis Versus The Big Bang Theory

Explaining the mysteries of science by reading the bible

Part One:

Genesis Versus The Big Bang Theory

Let me get right to the crux of this intense ongoing debate between the scientific community and the religious community with this simple statement. The Big Bang Theory and the Book Of Genesis are one in the same. That's right folks, both beliefs  conclude with the same final result. (I will just let that sink in for a moment or two, or three.) (I am not referring to the Star Trek Genesis episode nor the CBS hit comedy, The Big Bang Theory)

Also, let me state that I am a born and raised Roman Catholic, educated in the 1960's at a Catholic school. (With mean nasty Nuns) I understand and agree that evolution and the natural selection of species is correct. I also understand and agree that the Earth is billions of years old, not the 5-7 thousand years old some religious communities believe. Mother nature is more than a woman tasting butter. Things happen for a reason. The sun rises and sets, and the Earth is not the center of the universe. Nor is it flat.

This will not become a science versus religion debate but merely an attempt to offer a new path for both concepts. To perhaps think outside of each beliefs rigid system.

Let us begin:

Creation:

What was the catalyst that created the universe?

Scientific Community Belief:
The scientific community state that in the beginning, before there was a universe, there was a mass of extreme dense energy. Roughly 14 billion years ago, an unknown catalyst caused the mass of extreme energy to detonate and rapidly expand creating matter and the elements of the known universe. From the initial "Big Bang" the universe continued to expand evolving into stars, planets, solar systems, and galaxies. This was billions of years in the making to finally arrive at the present where humankind exists. The universe continues to expand and age as we live and breathe.

Religion Belief:
If you look closely at the holy bible and read Genesis, it expresses the same story of the Big Bang theory. (Now hold on just a minute, don't go yelling and tossing things at the computer screen) Seriously, it does. Genesis begins, In the beginning, there was nothingness, emptiness, only God existed. God then created the heavens and the earth, day and night, the sea, the land, the fish, animals, birds, and finally man and woman. God said onto man, be fruitful and multiply. God did all this in only six days. On the seventh day, He rested. The catalyst was God. God created the universe.

Both stories are eerily similar. (Extreme energy being the catalyst for the scientific community and God being the catalyst for the religious belief) However, there are two nagging variances that separate the scientific community and the religious community. These two variances are: Time, as in, the amount of time it took to create the universe, and second, God versus the extreme energy.

So let us look at time. We, as an educated race of beings believe we understand time in our plane of existence. One day equals 24 hours. Thirty days equals one month. One thousand years equals a millennium. Our science proves the universe is roughly 14 billion years old. Using that logic backed by science, a mere six days Genesis speaks of to create the universe is pure poppycock. Or is it?

The Book of Genesis indeed offers a much shorter timeline. Six days compared to 14 billion years. This is where science gets the better of us. When theologians and scientists attempt to understand the mystery of God, the supreme being, or whatever you may want to call Him, Her, It, our feeble minds cannot comprehend creation concepts.

Genesis states that God was floating in the void and created the universe and the earth on day one. Then the day and night, then the waters, fish, animals, and man. All in six days. To understand Genesis you have to ask yourself a question. How does God measure a day? To a supreme being that always was and always shall be, perhaps one day equals billions of years. So, in God's perspective, 6 days may equal 12 billion years. Add in the two billion years for the one day God rested on day 7 and it equals 14 billion years. The same amount of time for Genesis and the Big Bang.

Point Of Parliamentary Procedure:
Thousands of years ago, humankind could not comprehend an enormous time line such as 14 billion years. It would have to be explained in a manner that would be understood. Humankind would have no concept in a measurement of time consisting of 14 billion years. However, they would certainly understand 6 days. 

 Another example: In the 1700's, no human could comprehend a trillion dollar debt, or an individual being a billionaire. Today, these terms are not only understandable, but commonplace. Time must be put into perspective just as everything else. 

I recall one humorous movie, Austin Powers, where the villain of the movie, Doctor Evil, was awoken from the 1960's and found himself in the modern world.  He promptly put the world in peril and ransomed the world for (One Million Dollars.....) The leaders of the world laughed at the minuscule amount.

So in essence,  the bible took some liberties to explain how long it took for God to create the universe to allow comprehension. 

Now we can agree both stories have correct time lines. Both roughly stating 14 billion years. All we have to do now is figure out the Energy versus God problem.

Energy Versus God:

Scientific Community Belief:
The Big Bang Theory is predicated on the belief that at one time before the universe existed, a mass of unknown energy exploded and formed the universe as we know it. In the beginning, there was nothing, and then, there was something accelerating faster than the speed of light breaking several laws of physics along the way. (I think I saw this sleight of hand trick in Las Vegas at the Penn And Teller show) 

No one really knows where that unknown mass came from or how it ignited and exploded. They just believe it did because it is the logical thought process.

Religious Community Belief:
The belief is, in the beginning, there was nothingness, only God. Then God created the universe. The mass of energy was God. God created the mass, and with his power, ignited the creation of the universe as we know it. 

No one really knows where God came from or how he became into existence. They just believe he was and always will be because it is their belief. 

Conclusion:
In essence, if you believe in the Big Bang Theory, you believe in God. If you believe in God, you also believe in the Big Bang Theory.

I could be wrong. This is after all, the home of the 99 cent news story. Bazinga!

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A Genesis Story - With A Twist

And God saw that it was good. And on the seventh day, God rested. And on the eighth day Adam and Eve set up house in the Garden of Eden.

We all know the story of Adam and Eve. The first two humans to set foot upon the Earth. God put them there, in the Garden of Eden, after he created the earth, oceans, land, sky, heavens, animals, birds, and the fish in the sea. God told Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply. The rest is history. Or is it..

The Grassy Knoll Institute has another version of this biblical event. Perhaps Aliens in search of fuel, food, and natural resources landed on this third planet from the sun. Upon investigation, they found a very primitive mammal life. Humans in their utmost infancy. Almost indistinguishable from the apes that they fought for dominance. Perhaps the aliens took a liking to the humans. Sort of on the line as pets. Adhering to standard protocol, several experiments would have been conducted on the wildlife. Enhancements discussed. These enhancements would give humans an edge on the evolutionary chain. They would choose a male and female of the species.

The aliens, after surveying the landscape of the earth, decided an increase in brain capacity to raise the intellect for their two subjects would be the best enhancement. The surgery was performed, brain capacity increased that triggered the human male and female nervous systems to quicken responses from the brain to the body. A sense of awareness and cognitive reasoning was expanded. Add a little alien DNA to develop vocal cords for speech and the transformation was complete. As the humans awoke, they were studied and evaluated to make sure the enhancements had taken hold, and then released back into the wild to be fruitful and multiply.

This scenario explains the fabled missing link of the human species. One day, humans were just another species struggling to survive. The next day, the dominant species of the planet with domain over the fish in the sea, the animals on the land, and the birds in the sky. These two humans, we'll call them Adam and Eve for the sake of not having better names, immediately knew that they had been altered. They were aware of each other on a very personal and intimate level unlike ever before. They could communicate with hand and eye gestures, and soon by voice and finally a crude spoken language.

Adam and Eve became mates and had offspring. Many offspring. These children maintained the genetic enhancements from their parents and carried on the new seed to the existing herd. The alien seed had been planted, the human race would advance in leaps and bounds with every generation and would soon create social order and a written language. Tools would become more elaborate and with every generation, improvements made. The aliens changed the course of Earths evolution and Mankind's destiny forever.

And on the seventh Millennium, the aliens rested.

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Adam And Eve

Adam And Eve, The Nuns Version

In the last episode, I thought I had escaped punishment from the sadistic Catholic nuns but alas I was wrong. I vowed revenge against these nuns and I would start extracting it right now.

So there I was, (Circa, 1966) in religion class listening to the lesson taught by the nuns. This particular lesson was about Adam and Eve, the first human beings God created and put into the Garden of Eden and then given dominion over all the animals of the earth, the fish in the sea, and the birds in the sky. The lesson continued and the nun revealed that Adam and Eve had two children, Cain and Abel. This was my chance, the start of my revenge. I would quietly wait until the nun asked if there were any questions. Then I would strike.

Of course the nun finished the lesson and indeed asked that fateful question. Slowly, indignantly, I raised my hand cautiously, not wanting to make the nun suspicious. The stage was set. The nun slowly scanned the classroom defiantly looking for raised hands. Only a single hand was raised. Mine. The nun narrowed her scan and rotated her head towards my upright hand and began to speak. “It looks like Patrick has a question for the class,” she said. OK, I thought to myself, perspiring a little, anticipating the outcome of my question.

Out it came. Loud and clear. Thee ultimate classic religious question of all time. Before i asked the question, I needed a little back story to fortify my stance so I began by saying.... The bible said Cain and Abel had children. If God only created Adam and Eve, and they had only two sons, Cain and Abel, then who were their wives, and who were the mothers of their children?

The gauntlet had been dropped. The nun stared at me in disbelief. The classroom was as quiet as a tomb. All the sound and motion had been quickly sucked away. It was a moment suspended in time. The nun was frozen in her place.

My question had implied that the Catholic religion was based on incest and the real reason why we are all considered brothers and sisters was because Eve had to be the mother to Cain and Abel’s children.

A minute later, which felt more like an hour, the nun descended upon me, grabbing me by my arm, lifting me from my school desk, and briskly and quietly dragged me out of the room and of course down to the principles office. Sacrilege was the only word the nun spoke to me. In an instant, a gaggle of nuns gathered, and murmuring became more prominent. I was told to sit in the chair and wait for the Pastor to speak to me.

Fifteen minutes later, the Pastor made his entrance, ever looking like Count Dracula with his black loose flowing cape with a bright blood red satin inset. A black buttoned up collarless shirt, and slicked back black hair completed the ensemble. If he had said “Good evening”, I probably would have fainted.

Our talk began the usual way with the Pastor lecturing me on upsetting my class room and the nuns with such questions but to put my mind at ease, he would answer my question for me. He explained that Adam and Eve was a parable of sorts to explain Gods creation of man and the completion of Genesis. Besides, the Pastor asked me, “Don’t you remember the story of Noah and his great ark and how God flooded the earth for man had sinned and had to be punished and only spared Noah, his wife, and his three sons and wives?” The Pastor continued and explained that if I reread the story, I would understand that God cleansed the earth of mans sin and what happened between Eve and her sons did not matter anymore.

Feeling satisfied, the Pastor said the only thing left to do was call home to my parents to give them a progress report on my days activities and that I could return to my class and resume my learning.

As I got up from my chair, something had dawned on me about the story of Noah and his ark and the selection of two sets of animals each to preserve them after the waters have receded. If all the people on the earth perished in the great flood then……

Before I finished my thought, I reeled around looking for the Pastor to ask just one more question but a nun, who I recognized as the hall monitor nun came into the room and was told to escort me back to my cell, err, class room. The Noah question would have to wait for now. Enough damage had been instilled on the nuns for one day. I again would lay in the weeds waiting for the right time to strike. And strike I would. But that is yet another story, another legend.

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