God was behind Big Bang, universe no accident: Pope

Yahoo News ^ | January 6, 2011 | Philip Pullella

[starlifter]

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – God's mind was behind complex scientific theories such as the Big Bang, and Christians should reject the idea that the universe came into being by accident, Pope Benedict said on Thursday.

"The universe is not the result of chance, as some would want to make us believe," Benedict said on the day Christians mark the Epiphany, the day the Bible says the three kings reached the site where Jesus was born by following a star.

[bunkerhill7]

God Gives Us More Bang Than the Buck

[Alex Murphy]

While the pope has spoken before about evolution, he has rarely delved back in time to discuss specific concepts such as the Big Bang, which scientists believe led to the formation of the universe some 13.7 billion years ago.

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[campaignPete R-CT]

Y’ol general relativity pope.

[PfromHoGro]

Well D’uh.

[Invincibly Ignorant]

I’m not Catholic but I agree with the Pope on this item. I suppose those interpreting Genesis literally arent going to like this especially.

[starlifter]

I don't care what you say. That's just funny. :)

[mc5cents]

There is a wonderful explanation of how creation actually follows the biblical 6 days formula in Dinesh D’Souza’s book “Whats So Great About Christianity”. Of course a biblical “day” is not a “calendar” day.

[Pontiac]

Some atheists say science can prove that God does not exist

Have at it boys.

You can’t prove a negative.

[Heartlander]

"We are not some casual and meaningless product of evolution. Each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed, each of us is loved, each of us is necessary."
-Pope Benedict XVI

[sipwine]

What a beautiful quote...

[oh8eleven]

We are not some casual and meaningless product of evolution.
But, but, I thought ...

[RingerSIX]

...the day the Bible says the three kings reached the site where Jesus was born...

I don't think the Bible says there were three kings. It says there were three types of gift IIRC.

[pieceofthepuzzle]

“Have at it boys. You can’t prove a negative.”

It's really the anti-intellectual position that readily embraces the idea that there is no reason for existence. What existed before the ‘big bang’, if indeed the big bang theory is definitively accurate? Are the ‘laws’ of physics, which humans formulated to explain what we observe of the universe, immutable? Are they the same everywhere? How many times in the future will ‘laws’ have to be revised to explain new observations/new phenomena? Anyone who says something as stupid as claiming to be able to prove God doesn't exist doesn't qualify as a scientist in my book.

[Varda]

“We are not some casual and meaningless product of evolution.”

This means “We ARE a caused and meaningful product of evolution.” It’s a statement about theology and philosophy. Standard science is not being questioned here. The Church has no problem with the Primordial Soup idea.

[Nabber]

“There is a wonderful explanation of how creation actually follows the biblical 6 days formula in Dinesh D’Souza’s book “Whats So Great About Christianity”. Of course a biblical “day” is not a “calendar” day.”

Not sure if D’Souza quotes the Israeli physicist Gerald Schroeder, but Schroeder’s is a wonderful scientific explanation that should satisfy anyone with a basic High School understanding of science. See http://www.geraldschroeder.com/AgeUniverse.aspx

[allmendream]

Prov 16:33 The dice are cast into the lap, but every result is from the Lord.

Just because we observe a predictable pattern of randomness in physical phenomena does NOT mean that God is not in control of even these processes which we observe to be random.

Many seem to have a big bugaboo about randomness, as if God’s power stops at the casino door. IT DOES NOT!

[oh8eleven]

The Church has no problem with the Primordial Soup idea.
Only if life was started there as a result of Divine action, not some random combination of chemicals dumped by a passing comet.

[TexasAg]

Consider all matter and energy, every last bit ever in existence from every planet, star, rock, black hole, etc. Now compress it all into a spot smaller than the head of a pin, which then explodes with such force to create the entire vast universe. Tell me that isn’t proof of God’s existence.

[Pontiac]

It's really the anti-intellectual position that readily embraces the idea that there is no reason for existence.

The first thing that you learn in science as a young child is “Cause and Effect”. Indeed it is one of the first things that a baby learns; if you drop an object it falls to the floor. The cause; releasing the grip on an object. The effect; the object falls to the floor.

Well consider the Big Bang and the subsequent creation of the universe an effect; what then is the cause?

Science has as far as I know offered no answer to that question.

If the answer is not God then what is?