Big Bang Theory and the Origin of the Universe - Assignment Example

? Original Creation of the Earth Introduction The universe is said to have been initially inflated (the "Big Bang and later cooledbecoming very small and extremely hot. The following are some of the evidences that support the big bang theory. Firstly, a rational man is known to believe that the universe had a beginning. Secondly, galaxies appear to be moving away from us at a speed which is proportional to their distance. This observation goes hand in hand with the expansion of the universe and suggests that the universe was once compacted (Delsemme, 1998). Thirdly, the earth’s core is very hot supporting the fact that there was a bang. Fourth is the abundance of the "light elements" Helium and Hydrogen found in the observable universe supports the Big Bang model of origins. There has been an argument between the six-day creation theory and evolution theory, big bang theory and other scientific theories on the origin of the universe. According to the holy bible, the book of genesis explains the six-day creation theory stating what was created by God from the first day to the last day. On the first day God created light; day and night, on the second day He created the sea and heavens, on the third day He created the land and vegetation, on the fourth day He created the sun, moon and stars, on the fifth day He created sea creatures and birds and on the last day He created land creatures and man (Kelly, 1997). The above order of creation explains the six-day creation theory for the origin of the universe. Old Earth view Old earth creationism is a general term for a number of types of creationism which includes; gap creationism, progressive creationism and evolutionary creationism. Gap creationism assumes that life was immediately created on the earth that existed there before. On the other hand Progressive creationism explains the belief that God allows natural processes to affect the development of all living things (Delsemme, 1998). Evolutionary creationism assumes that through God’s power the universe and life evolved Young earth view The young earth explains that the universe, the earth and all living things on earth, was created by God. According to genesis creation narrative, Christians believe that God created the earth in six-24 hour days. The first characteristics and beliefs of the young earth creationists is that the bible is accurate. Secondly they believe that the book of Genesis is strictly literal. Thirdly, they believe that the earth is young approximately six thousand to ten thousand years old. Fourthly, they highly oppose the evolution theory. Last but not least, they believe that Adam and Eve are the universal ancestors of all human beings (Kelly, 1997). Comparison between the old earth creation view and young earth creation view Similarities: First and foremost, both the young and old earth creationists believe that God created the universe. Secondly, both oppose naturalism as they view it as philosophical pre-supposition of evolution. In addition, both deny that all forms of life were made by natural processes without supernatural intervention. Last but not least, both believe that Adam and Eve were the literal people and the ancestors of the entire human race (Kelly, 1997). Differences: According to the young earth creationists, Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning, God created the heavens and earth” is a summary of what God created in the six days of creation while the old earth creationists claim that this describes that God created the universe through the big bang event that brought forth all matter and heavenly bodies. Secondly, according to the young earth creationists these words “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters and let it separates the waters from the waters.” And God made the expanse and separated the waters... And it was so. (Gen. 1:6-8) believe that God created the atmosphere and separated the heavenly water from terrestrial water in a day. On the other the old earth creationists believe that the events took place over a long period of time. Thirdly, Genesis 1:9-13 states that God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth."... And the earth brought forth vegetation... plants... and trees (Singh, 2004). Young-earth creationists believe that God caused dry land to appear and then created mature forms of all the plant life on the earth. On the contrary, old-earth creationists believe that God caused dry land to emerge from the water-covered earth over a long period of time through plate-tectonics and other geological processes. Then, once the conditions were right, God caused plants to sprout, grow, and develop. Lastly, young earth creationists believe that creation was accomplished in 144 hours—six successive 24-hour days whereas old-earth creationists allow for millions or even billions of years (Singh, 2004). Conclusion In conclusion, the teaching on the doctrines of creation is the pillar of Christian faith. The old earth creationists and the young earth creationists have a common belief that there’s a God, that the universe was created out of nothing, that God created all forms of life, that Adam and eve were God’s special creation and lastly, the book of Genesis creation is not mythical but historical (Singh, 2004). Though these are debates on the time creation, the exact method of creation is still a moot question despite the scientific and biblical evidence that supports the supernatural creation of the universe References Delsemme, A. H. (1998). Our cosmic origins: From the big bang to the emergence of life and intelligence. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Kelly, D. F. (1997). Creation and change: Genesis 1.1-2.4 in the light of changing scientific paradigms. Fearn: Mentor. Singh, S. (2004). Big bang: The origin of the universe. New York: Fourth Estate. Read More