Science vs. Scripture "in the beginning"
Daniel JusticeThere has always seemingly been a clash in our culture between the Bible and the current scientific understanding. As an atheist and loudmouth anti-Christian I lived on this frontline for 21 years.
However, after surrendering to Christ and humbling myself before the Lord, I have been given a new understanding that I'd like to share with you today.
The Bible is the truth. And while Genesis is not a science textbook, I will make the case that it gives us insight into things that are not merely a poetic understanding or a polemic against Canaanite origin myths. But that in addition to those things the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is shown in the understanding, that perhaps goes beyond the possibility of human knowledge of the time of scripture's writing.
Let's look at what the best space/time cosmology says about the "singularity" that we refer to as "the Big Bang".
First, what is a singularity in this context?
A singularity in physics is a point (or sometimes a line/ring) in spacetime where certain physical quantities like; density, gravity, or spacetime curvature, become infinite. The laws of physics as we know them break down completely. It's not a "thing" you can touch or see directly; it's more like a mathematical prediction where our current theories (especially general relativity) stop making sense.
So the math says that everything in the universe; the space that makes up the universe, the matter and energy in it, and time itself were all spawned from something that is "unseen" in nature. All together. Impossible to see even.
Let's look at the first verse of the Bible and see where the Biblical account and the Scientific one differ.
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
Look at what the text is telling us.
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning (the first moment of time), God (who) created (spawned) the heavens (the space that makes up the universe) and the earth (matter).
The writer of Hebrews gives us further insight into this mystery.
Hebrews 11:3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
So what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. That sounds a lot like our singularity, or what Christians call "creation ex nihilo" (out of nothing).
So far, the Bible is inline with our math. Lucky guess? What comes next in our cosmological model?
From the earliest describable moments (Planck epoch), the universe was filled with pure energy in the form of radiation (photons/light) and quantum fields at temperatures exceeding 102710^{27}10^{27} Kelvin (really hot).
Light. The universe was filled with light.
What does the Bible say?
Genesis 1:3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.
Another dead ringer.
What happens after light in the model?
Around 10−3210^{-32}10^{-32}seconds (really short period after creation), the universe underwent cosmic inflation, a rapid exponential expansion driven by a hypothetical scalar field (the inflaton).
Surely, this is where our cosmological model and the Bible diverge. What's the Bible say happens after the light?
Genesis 1:6 And God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters."
Waters were often used as a metaphor in Jewish literature for chaos, the unknown, disorder, danger, or untamed forces.
The Bible says the universe was stretched into an expanse, a bubble of order in the midst of chaos/void (the waters). This sounds an awful lot like our "inflaton" period in the cosmological model, doesn't it?
Job 9:8 who alone stretched out the heavens and trampled the waves of the sea;
I don't believe the Bible and Science are contradicting each other as far as the data goes. I think that the philosophy of science has been tainted by the pride of men, rebellious against God. Their conclusions reflect that pride and rebellion, but their data and life's work often exposes the brilliance of the creation, described in the autobiography of God revealed in the Bible.
Christians today should not feel threatened by STEM sciences. They dive deep into the way the mind of the Creator works and how His design fits into the larger picture in the most beautiful of living puzzles. A breathtaking fractal of ecosystems, and natural laws, chemistry and physics that balance the order of the world into what we experience and take for granted daily.
Give the Bible the benefit of the doubt and keep going.
There is a mis attributed quote that makes the circles online often attributed to one scientist or another. I still like the quote and see it as a succinct explanation for my life.
"The first gulp out of the glass of natural science will likely render one an atheist, but at the bottom of the glass, God is waiting for you."
For those of you who would argue that the mathematical singularity doesn't constitute the beginning of time, or that the infinite regress continues to another universe I'll let your high priest speak for himself;
Stephen Hawking once wrote: “Events before the Big Bang are simply not defined, because there’s no way one could measure what happened at them. Since events before the Big Bang have no observational consequences, one may as well cut them out of the theory and say that time began at the Big Bang.”
I appreciate all of you taking the time to read my articles. You'll notice that I didn't address the timescales of young earth/old earth in this description. That's because the scientific model itself is in flux right now. If you'd like to learn more about that just look into the JWST (James Webb Space Telescope) and "earliest galaxies fully formed".
I am not arguing against other interpretations of the text of Genesis. I see points in both camps, and I've learned to see that scripture is often true on multiple levels. I really enjoy the content and evidence that "Answers in Genesis" and others present. In the hands of a God who can create the universe with a word, time is a plaything.
Psalm 19:1 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
I'll leave it at that. I love you all. God Bless