It is always interesting to me that conversations about science and religion at some point tend to veer towards the moment of creation. The reason? Well, I think that this topic is one of the very few left (maybe one of the last?) where the findings of science and the assertions of the Bible seem to converge…at least insofar as trying to use some scientific discovery to give evidential support for God’s existence or the accuracy or trustworthiness of the biblical text. (And, by the way, aside from the fact that interpreting the “Big Bang” theory as evidence for divine creation says nothing about what this “divine” being might be like or not like -- or if, indeed, there is more than one at work). There are those who have consistently tried to make the Creation accounts in the biblical text (i.e., Genesis 1 & 2) match what scientists have discovered over the years, including those who have concocted amazingly outlandish interpretations of the biblical text to do so. There are also those who attack what scientists have discovered or postulate about the beginning of the universe (e.g., young earth-ers). Yet, biblical apologists and many Christians in general, whatever their position on the “Big Bang” theory itself and the age of the universe, seem to put a lot of stock in the idea that the “singularity” had to come from “somewhere” and, thus, some “being” had to start the whole thing rolling. After all, there had to be a *free agent* to start it all since there was nothing material to do so…right? Well, as it turns out, it’s just not that simple. The truth is, you are within your rights to believe that a divine being started it all; but it is just as reasonable to believe that there was a non-divine “cause”. Now, I put “cause” in quotes here because the chain of “cause and effect” we experience in the macro-world is not so clear-cut in the quantum world. In the quantum world, there are effects that are spontaneous and not connected to any particular cause. This phenomenon has been tested and documented many, many times. The “singularity” however gets even weirder since all known laws of physics and quantum mechanics break down at the singularity. Therefore, saying that it is not known what “caused” the singularity or the Big Bang does not automatically default to divine explanations. It simply means that our concepts of cause-and-effect break down at that point so that we have no known reference for understanding it. Far from being a stopping point for scientific discovery, it is the stuff science is made for: challenge, new horizons for discovery, theories, failures, successes, etc… Indeed, there are many new theories on the rise that exploit things known and reach into the unknown, attempting to tie together what is understood with that which is yet not. New ways to test quantum theories and ideas are within reach – theories which could revolutionize our understanding of the universe and where it might have “come from”. My whole point here is not to get into detail about which theories say what, but simply to say that the beginning of the known universe is not a fool-proof argument for either God’s existence or the validity of the biblical text. Actually, based upon the incredible success of natural science over the last few centuries, there is probably more reason to think that there is some natural explanation than a supernatural one for why there is something rather than nothing. That being suggested, belief in God and the divine inspiration of the Bible are purely matters of faith – not science.

Christianity in particular and religion in general are of particular interest to me since I was raised in a Christian home, went into the ministry at age 16, did my undergrad and graduate studies in biblical studies (I graduated with my M.Div. from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY). About 5 years ago, I started seriously reconsidering my beliefs -- why I believed what I did and just WHAT I believed. Although I had been into apologetics since I was a teenager, I was simply not satisfied that many of my quesitons had been satisfactorily answered. I have always been a seeker and a kind of academic nut. While in seminary, I found myself studying archeology, ancient Near Eastern religions and, in particular, I focused quite a bit on the Genesis creation accounts and the Primeval History (Chs. 1-11) -- where they came from and how they were influenced by other ANE myths and stories. I swung to the left quite a bit, but a divorce caused me run back to my traditional roots (the psychological reasons for this we can discuss in another blog, perhaps). After I remarried, I went back into the pastoral ministry. For years and years, while pastoring sizable churches, certain questions continued to vex me. I felt silly giving stock (if yet still sophisticated) answers to my parishioners who also had similar questions. Finally, while still pastoring a 1st Baptist Church in Illinois, I decided to venture outside Christian books and articles (including those that "taught" about the "other side"...you know, those apologetics books that supposedly teach you about evolution, etc., but really only tell you part of the story, or distort it in some way). What I began to read (when I read with an open mind and honest intentions) astounded me. I couldn't get enough. I read many recent books on evolution, the human brain, cosmology (though that is a subject I had read on in the past), the historical Jesus, the evolution of the New Testament church, took several psychology courses from a local university, and on I could go. I found myself slowly but surely changing. The feeling it evoked in me was a mix of exhileration and trepidation; it was both thrilling and terrifying. Part of me wanted to run back to my traditions. Part of me knew I could never go back. The transformation from within was amazing. Since then, I continue to read, to seek. I am not an atheist, yet no longer am I a Christian either. I am glad to be where I'm at -- still seeking -- and paradoxically hope that I will never feel I have captured the truth; for, truth is not something to be grasped, but sought after.

Although I believe the evidence for a naturalistic worldview is quite strong, thr truth of the matter is that there is no way to prove or disprove the existence of God. Belief in any supernatural realm or entity is purely a matter of faith.