To know the mighty works of God, to comprehend His wisdom and majesty and power; to appreciate, in degree, the wonderful workings of His laws, surely all this must be a pleasing and acceptable mode of worship to the Most High, to whom ignorance cannot be more grateful than knowledge
The more I study nature, the more I stand amazed at the work of the Creator. Science brings men nearer to God.
Yet even in earthly matters I believe that ‘the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead,’ and I have never seen anything incompatible between those things of man which can be known by the spirit of man which is within him, and those higher things concerning his future, which he cannot know by that spirit.
As I try to discern the origin of that conviction, I seem to find it in a basic notion . . . enunciated first in the Western world by the ancient Hebrews: namely, that the universe is governed by a single God, and is not the product of the whims of many gods, each governing his own province according to his own laws. This monotheistic view seems to be the historical foundation for modern science .
Those laws [of nature] are within the grasp of the human mind; God wanted us to recognize them by creating us after his own image so that we could share in his own thoughts.
As we conquer peak after peak we see in front of us regions full of interest and beauty, but we do not see our goal, we do not see the horizon; in the distance tower still higher peaks, which will yield to those who ascend them still wider prospects, and deepen the feeling, the truth of which is emphasized by every advance in science, that ‘Great are the Works of the Lord'.
The best data we have (concerning the Big Bang) are exactly what I would have predicted, had I nothing to go on but the five books of Moses, the Psalms, the Bible as a whole.
The resurrection of Jesus, which transformed completely the thought and the lives of those who witnessed it, testified to me that the Holy Spirit that searches an open heart has the power and the love to free us from conformity and transform us by the renewing of our mind.
It is evident that an acquaintance with natural laws means no less than an acquaintance with the mind of God therein expressed.
Faith is necessary for the scientist even to get started, and deep faith is necessary for him to carry out his tougher tasks. Why? Because he must have confidence that there is order in the universe and that the human mind - in fact his own mind - has a good chance of understanding this order.
A scientific discovery is also a religious discovery. There is no conflict between science and religion. Our knowledge of God is made larger with every discovery we make about the world.
But the context of religion is a great background for doing science. In the words of Psalm 19, ‘The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament showeth his handiwork’. Thus scientific research is a worshipful act, in that it reveals more of the wonders of God’s creation.
It is our proud office to tend the fleshly tabernacle of the immortal spirit, and our path, if rightly followed, will be guided by unfettered truth and love unfeigned. In pursuit of this noble and holy calling I wish you all God-speed.
We cannot in any better manner, glorify the Lord and Creator of the Universe, than that, in all things, however small soever they appear to our naked eyes, but which yet have received the gift of life, and power of increase, we contemplate the display of his Omniscience and Perfections with the utmost admiration.
This most beautiful system of the sun, planets, and comets could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an Intelligent and Powerful Being.
Without God to draw aside the curtain, I would be helpless. Only alone can I draw close enough to God to discover His secrets.
I am also a person of religious faith. I attend church; I sing in the gospel choir; I go to Sunday school; I pray regularly; I try to “do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with my God.” […] To many people, this makes me a contradiction—a serious scientist who seriously believes in God. But to many more people, I am someone just like them.”
Apes, after all, unlike man, have not produced great prophets, philosophers, mathematicians, writers, poets, composers, painters and scientists. They are not inspired by the divine spark which manifests itself so evidently in the spiritual creation of man and which differentiates man from animals
For myself, faith begins with the realization that a supreme intelligence brought the universe into being and created man. It is not difficult for me to have this faith, for it is incontrovertible that where there is a plan there is intelligence. An orderly, unfolding universe testifies to the truth of the most majestic statement ever uttered: 'In the beginning God ... .'
The purpose of science is to develop, without prejudice or preconception of any kind, a knowledge of the facts, the laws, and the processes of nature. The even more important task of religion, on the other hand, is to develop the consciences, the ideals, and the aspirations of mankind.
In the first place, a scientist, more than other scholars, spends his time observing nature. It is his task to help to unravel the mysteries of nature. He comes to marvel at these mysteries. Hence, it is not hard for a scientist to admire the greatness of the creator of nature. From this it is only a step to adore God.
You may fly to the ends of the world and find no God but the Author of Salvation. You may search the Scriptures and not find a text to stop you in your explorations….
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In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth
Genesis 1:1 (ESV)
These are some of the most famous words that have ever been written. However, the familiarity of this statement should not allow us to miss how profound and unique this statement is among religions and human thought.
First of all this is a Creator who is outside of the creation. There is nothing about a being that is created out of something else, as is the case with many other origin stories. This tells about one Supreme Being who is responsible for creation out of nothing. The early Hebrew in which Genesis 1 was written did not have a word for universe as we understand it today. So, the heavens and the earth would have been the best way to describe what we now call our universe.
Additionally, this passage is clear and consistent throughout the Bible in stating that there was one beginning to our physical universe. Other religions are oftentimes not as clear about their origin stories or have their origin stories from beings who were already part of the universe.
This passage is also the beginning of the unique story of how the Creator values the creation and made man and woman the pinnacle of creation. And the Bible points out that this is both a privilege and a responsibility that we have as human beings.
Combining the Genesis 1 origin story with the findings of science also shows the benefits of cross-pollination between science and the Bible. For example, Einstein’s general theory of relativity was the theoretical foundation of the Big Bang theory. It is also the theory that explains that the Big Bang was not only the beginning of the universe, but it was the beginning of space and time itself. Because as finite creatures we live within space and time, then we really cannot fully comprehend what it means to say something exists beyond space and time. But through combining general relativity with Biblical passages like Genesis 1:1, we have the added insight from science that the Bible is telling us about an event that is beyond space and time from a truly an unfathomable and breathtaking God. The Scriptures themselves remind us of this.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:9
(ESV)
Videos about the Big Bang and the creation of the Universe
Playlist
8 Videos
| YouTube Title | Description of Video |
|---|---|
| Testing Genesis with Advanced Science | Presentation in Vancouver by Dr. Hugh Ross about each of the days creation and how the Biblical description is being shown to be more and more accurate as science progresses in its understanding of the history of the earth. |
| Space, Time, and How New Scientific Discoveries Prove the Presence of God (Plus Q&A) | Dr. Hugh Ross of Reasons to Believe covers many of the latest advances in science and how they correlate very well with Biblical descriptions of creation. Includes object lesson of how a God who can operate in multiple dimensions can easily intervene in time and space in ways that seem supernatural to us. |
| The Big Bang to Present Day in 3 Min | Film clips of the different stages of the evolution of the universe and the earth. The total time is a little over 3 minutes. |
| The Entire History of the Universe in 8 Minutes | Visualizations with a timeline of the evolution of the universe over the past 13.7 billion years. It includes audio summary over these time frames. |
| Origins of the Universe 101 | National Geographic | Covers the basic physics of the Big Bang and describes the different epochs and what happened in each epoch |
| The Beginning of Everything - The Big Bang | Mentions where the theory of the Big Bang came from and then covers a high level description of the physics of the Big Bang with simple conceptual visualizations. |
| Evolution of the Universe in 3 Minutes | Focuses mainly on the evolution of the universe from a physics and chemical perspective. |
| A Brief History of the Study of the Universe | A university lecture of about 1.5 hours by U.S. Navy Lt. Commander Fulvia M. Fiorani that that covers what we know about the universe today and then covers the historical backdrop of how the universe has been understood through the centuries. |