The Big Bang theory: How and Why
How and Why
The ‘How and Why’ view as it’s sometimes called, says that science and religion address different kinds of question. Science investigates questions relating to how nature works; religion is concerned with questions about the meaning and value of life. Those supporting this view argue that religious texts are intended to present religious messages and not scientific claims. They point out that some of the ideas in the Creation stories are now so well established that we forget they ever needed to be said. Here are two examples.
Good, good
The ancient Greeks believed that the world of matter is foul and impure. In their view, the spiritual realm was the more perfect place to be. In contrast the creation stories of Christianity, Islam and Judaism tell the reader many times that the world of matter was created by God and it is ‘good’.
God or gods
At the time when the Creation story was written down, many people believed that there were many gods. Some thought that the Sun and Moon were gods. One of the aims of the Creation story in Genesis was to tell people at the time to believe that there is ONE God and He created everything.
In the video below, Dr Jennifer Wiseman gives a Christian’s answer to the question, ‘What does science tell us and what does religion tell us about why we’re here?’ Prof Jim Al-Khalili then presents a Muslim perspective on the same question.
Did you know that people were debating the best way to interpret the Biblical account of Creation long before Galileo challenged the notion of an Earth-centred Universe … and long, long, before Darwin worked on the theory of evolution.
Augustine of Hippo (a 4th century Bishop and Philosopher) argued that the Biblical account is allegorical not literal, on the basis that it then fitted better with a bigger theological picture of the nature of God.
In the Bible, the text says that God made two lamps to shine in the sky – the Sun for daytime and the Moon for night.
We now know that the Sun is a star and the Moon is a sphere of rock which reflects light. Why would the writer of the Creation story describe the Sun and Moon as lamps?
Bible scholars say the Bible is written in the language of appearance, setting out how things look to us. They also say that these lines were important for people at the time. Many people living at around that time believed that the Sun and Moon are gods.
The Creation story writer is saying, the Sun and Moon are not gods, they just beautiful ‘lamps’, created by God.