By: Dr. Jerry Bergman
Montpelier, OH
Some people, given the enormity in size and distance of our universe, question how the Genesis creation account could be true.
So let us look at the other side, the secular story, of the creation of the universe. I have an interest in this area because I taught astronomy at the college level and what follows is what we taught. Eminent cosmologist, the late Cambridge University Professor Steven Hawking is “one of the most celebrated and respected personalities of our century . . . the Einstein of our time.”
He spent the last two decades of his life attempting to produce a rational explanation for his naturalistic origin of the universe belief.
The main problem he had to overcome is, in his words, “the universe is so well suited to life that it can appear to be designed.”
Evolutionists believe it was not designed, but rather evolved, so need to explain the origin of a universe that looks like it was designed but was not.
Both the evolutionists and creationists agree that in the beginning there was nothing, no matter, energy, space, or time.
Evolutionists teach that the universe began with an infinitely hot and dense single point called a ‘singularity’ smaller than a molecule.
This singularity exploded at unimaginable speeds over the next 13.7 billion years to produce the cosmos existing today. How nothing produced the singularity, and where it came from, and why it banged is unknown.
Hawking believed that, just as life had evolved, similarly the universe evolved by a process akin to how life on Earth evolved.
What caused the Big Bang’s evolution that produced our Earth is unknown. In short, this Big Bang scenario has created far more questions than it solves. If the universe follows the laws of physics, it is, therefore, largely independent of how we conceptualize the universe.
Hawking explains that religion was the only answer to the question of where matter and life came from until modern science began developing about 200 years ago.
Now, he informs us, science has shown that the religion side is wrong. In Hawking’s words, “science provides better and more consistent answers, but people will always cling to religion, because it gives comfort, and they do not…understand science.”
Hawking, in his newest book, explains how life was created without God as follows: “somehow, some atoms came to be arranged in the form of molecules of DNA. As DNA reproduced itself, there would have been random errors, many of which would have been harmful, and a few errors would have been favorable to the survival of the species—these would have been chosen by Darwinian natural selection.”
Thus, he concludes, humans, and all life, are the result of chance mutations causing billions of mistakes.
The science of genetics has documented that 99.9 percent of such mutation mistakes are ultimately harmful.
Furthermore, they add up to produce genetic meltdown of the organism, causing cancer or other diseases, and death, not progressive evolution.
Hawking has proceeded with his creative musings specifically to support his preconceived conclusion, namely, to bolster his belief that the universe created itself out of nothing. This violates the Law of Causality, that for every event there must exist a sufficient cause. In contrast to this approach, he should determine from the evidence which view is correct, creative design or evolutionary chance.
According to the Bible, the Earth was designed for life (Ps. 115:16; Isa. 45:18) and the universe was created to support that role.
This Big Bang cosmology is widely taught in schools and books. One typical example is a book published for children titled Why? Over 1,111 Answers to Everything.
In answer to the question “What is the Big Bang” the book’s answer is: “The ‘big bang’ is the name for the leading theory behind the birth of everything: atoms, light, gravity, gases, stars, planets, galaxies and even time itself.
And … scientists have found plenty of evidence to back up the big bang theory” (page 82). The text adds that, before the big bang “nothing, nada, zip” existed (page 83).
The article then dogmatically outlines the scenario mentioned above without ever so much as hinting about the many problems with the big bang.
Students reading this, and many other references including their textbooks, will conclude that the big bang is a proven fact.
Nor will they hear the other side in public schools because the American courts have ruled that only one side, the non-theistic side, can be taught in public schools. My short introductory paragraphs above would not be allowed.
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Dr. Bergman is a multi-award-winning teacher and author. He has taught in the science and psychology area for over 40 years at the University of Toledo Medical College, Bowling Green State University, and other colleges. His 9 degrees include a Doctorate from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. He has over 1,800 publications in both scholarly and popular science journals that have been translated into 13 languages. His publications are in over 2,400 college libraries in 65 countries. Bergman has spoken over 2,000 times at colleges and churches in America, Canada, Europe, the South Sea Islands, and Africa.