Religion and Science
The Big Bang Theory & The Planets
In the 1920’s, Edwin Hubble observed that light from stars became redder the further
they travelled away from the earth. From this he deduced that the universe is expanding
outwards and, by measuring the red shift, he calculated the speed they were travelling
and the date when this movement must have begun.
Stephen Hawking said that an expanding universe does not rule out a creator, but it does
place limits on when he might have carried out his job.
In Genesis 1:1 God says "let there be light" as the first thing to be created, and scientists
now believe that the Big Bang first produced a gargantuan amount of light.
Galileo’s discovery that the movement of the planets was natural challenged the idea of
God’s control of the Universe.
The discovery that earth was round and not flat challenged Biblical views.
Theological Explanations for Creation
Creationists believe the Bible gives a factual account of God’s creation of the world in six
days.
Young Earth Creationism, first theorised by Bishop Ussher, is the belief that the Earth is
only 6,000 years old.
Scientists say that there is evidence for dinosaurs living millions of years before humans,
as well as geographical evidence to contradict the theory such as the discovery of
thousands of years old bacteria. Also, we can now see stars which are billions of light
years away, meaning that for the light to travel to Earth it must have been created
billions of years ago.
Charles Lyell noted how the Earth seemed to be ever changing and evolving.
Phillip Gosse said that fossils on the Earth were merely placed there by God in order to
test humankind's faith.
For other theologians, creation is an ongoing process in which God plays a part. This
view does not contradict God’s role at the start of creation, but places greater emphasis
on God’s role in the daily life of humans. The Genesis story is not a literal account of
creation, but a story designed to help people understand their relationship with God and
the natural world.
Darwin
Darwin’s famous work ‘On the Origin of Species’ was the result of observations made
during his voyage on the HMS Beagle across the Galapagos Archipelago.
Darwin’s assertion that different species had evolved from one common ancestor,
challenged the Church’s teaching that God created each species of animals and designed
humans to be like himself.
Changes in the species occurred through ‘natural selection’ with only those species who
were well adapted to their environment surviving to breed and pass their characteristics
on to the next generation. This conflicted with the account in Genesis of every being
created for a special purpose.
The Big Bang Theory & The Planets
In the 1920’s, Edwin Hubble observed that light from stars became redder the further
they travelled away from the earth. From this he deduced that the universe is expanding
outwards and, by measuring the red shift, he calculated the speed they were travelling
and the date when this movement must have begun.
Stephen Hawking said that an expanding universe does not rule out a creator, but it does
place limits on when he might have carried out his job.
In Genesis 1:1 God says "let there be light" as the first thing to be created, and scientists
now believe that the Big Bang first produced a gargantuan amount of light.
Galileo’s discovery that the movement of the planets was natural challenged the idea of
God’s control of the Universe.
The discovery that earth was round and not flat challenged Biblical views.
Theological Explanations for Creation
Creationists believe the Bible gives a factual account of God’s creation of the world in six
days.
Young Earth Creationism, first theorised by Bishop Ussher, is the belief that the Earth is
only 6,000 years old.
Scientists say that there is evidence for dinosaurs living millions of years before humans,
as well as geographical evidence to contradict the theory such as the discovery of
thousands of years old bacteria. Also, we can now see stars which are billions of light
years away, meaning that for the light to travel to Earth it must have been created
billions of years ago.
Charles Lyell noted how the Earth seemed to be ever changing and evolving.
Phillip Gosse said that fossils on the Earth were merely placed there by God in order to
test humankind's faith.
For other theologians, creation is an ongoing process in which God plays a part. This
view does not contradict God’s role at the start of creation, but places greater emphasis
on God’s role in the daily life of humans. The Genesis story is not a literal account of
creation, but a story designed to help people understand their relationship with God and
the natural world.
Darwin
Darwin’s famous work ‘On the Origin of Species’ was the result of observations made
during his voyage on the HMS Beagle across the Galapagos Archipelago.
Darwin’s assertion that different species had evolved from one common ancestor,
challenged the Church’s teaching that God created each species of animals and designed
humans to be like himself.
Changes in the species occurred through ‘natural selection’ with only those species who
were well adapted to their environment surviving to breed and pass their characteristics
on to the next generation. This conflicted with the account in Genesis of every being
created for a special purpose.
