A very brief view of cosmology in history

A Multidisciplinary Contextualized Analysis of Select Passages From Genesis V2.0

[This is an excerpt from an exhaustive personal study of most of the first 9 chapters of the book of Genesis. This is a vastly expanded effort from the original version that can currently be found here downloadable for free. The purpose of this exercise is to compare a non-symbolic literal reading of the text to our current understanding of language, paleontology, and the physical sciences. Constructive discussion on the merits of this study is encouraged!]

Although science is considered to be a fact-based discipline, progress has always been either driven or impeded by popular consensus. The examples of ancient people believing the earth to be flat or the absolute center of the universe (geocentric model) are often mentioned. But even the scientific titans of the early 20th century believed the universe to be very different from what we accept as empirically true today.

Throughout history, the majority of people have held the belief that the universe has always existed. Nearly all scientists, philosophers, and even theologians around the world supported that view. Even into the 20th century, many of the most influential scientists believed in a universe with no beginning and no end. In 1917, Albert Einstein published Cosmological Considerations in the General Theory of Relativity [6] in which he claimed that the universe must be temporally infinite. It was only religious literalists who claimed that there was a time when nothing existed or that this existence may at some point end. That the Genesis creation account suggests a finite time universe made it easy to dismiss among the scientific community going back millennia.

The Genesis account is also one of the least fantastic of the creation legends. That this story features a creator involved in making the universe and its contents isn’t unique, but none are more literal and pedestrian. God made light, then a planet, some stars, and eventually people. This is a relatively dry and seemingly uninspired tale for what should be a motivating piece of religious legend. When compared to other origin stories, most seem to be an intricate tale with a variety of characters engaged in a fantastic melodrama. Anthropomorphized elements like a literal earth mother or varied gods forming the features or forces of creation are common. Allegories are typically found throughout.

Over the last 70 years, evidence like the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) which is a faint glow from the universe’s early moments, and observations of galaxy evolution have led science to accept a universe that is temporally finite. Due to this growing body of compelling data, a cosmic origin is now broadly accepted as scientifically true.

Despite modern science continuing to marginalize religious origin stories as wholly incompatible with cosmological reality, it seems the better we understand the beginning of the universe the more closely it mirrors the methodic procession that has always been present within the Bible. In fact, the Big Bang model of the universe which dominates current scientific theory was first proposed by the theoretical physicist and Belgian Catholic priest Georges Lemaître. After thousands of years of being categorized as fantasy, while our empirical knowledge increases so do parallels to the contents of the Bible.

One might claim that such intellectual bridging between the empirical sciences and theism seems contradictory. However, I am certainly not the first nor the most notable individual to make such a suggestion:

"This most beautiful system of the sun, planets, and comets, could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent Being." - Sir Isaac Newton [7, p. 388]

"I cannot see that science offers any disproof of the existence of God; in fact, it seems to me that the order and beauty of the universe bespeak an intelligence that is something more than human." - Arthur H. Compton [8, p. 145]

"All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force which brings the particle of an atom to vibration and holds this most minute solar system of the atom together. We must assume behind this force the existence of a conscious and intelligent mind. This mind is the matrix of all matter." - Max Planck [9]

"To me science and religion are both universal, and basically very similar. In fact, to make the argument clear, I should like to adopt the rather extreme point of view that their differences are largely superficial, and that the two become almost indistinguishable if we look at the real nature of each." - Charles H. Townes [10]

"It may seem bizarre, but in my opinion science offers a surer path to God than religion." - Paul Davies [11, p. 9]

"The God of the Bible is also the God of the genome. He can be known through the scriptures and through the study of nature." - Francis S. Collins [12, p. 211]

References:

[6] A. Einstein, “Kosmologische Betrachtungen zur allgemeinen Relativitätstheorie,” Sitzungsberichte Preuss. Akad. Wiss. Zu Berl., pp. 142–152, Feb. 1917.

[7] I. Newton, The mathematical principles of natural philosophy. London : Printed for Benjamin Motte, 1729. Accessed: May 24, 2025. [Online]. Available: http://archive.org/details/bub_gb_6EqxPav3vIsC

[8] Arthur H. Compton, The Freedom of Man. Yale University Press, 1935. Accessed: May 24, 2025. [Online]. Available: http://archive.org/details/freedomofman0000arth

[9] M. Planck, “‘Das Wesen der Materie’ [The Nature of Matter],” Florence, Italy, 1944.

[10] C. H. Townes, “The Convergence of Science and Religion,” Zygon®, vol. 1, no. 3, pp. 301–311, 1966, doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9744.1966.tb00464.x.

[11] Paul Davies, God And The New Physics. Penguin Adult, 2006. Accessed: May 24, 2025. [Online]. Available: http://archive.org/details/paul-davies-god-and-the-new-physics-penguin-adult

[12]Francis S. Collins, The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief. Free Press, 2006. Accessed: May 24, 2025. [Online]. Available: http://archive.org/details/francis-collins-language-of-god