The Big Bang Theory is the dominant scientific theory about the origin of the universe. According to the big bang, the universe was created sometime between 10 billion and 20 billion years ago from a cosmic explosion that hurled matter and in all directions. In 1927, the Belgian priest Georges Lemaitre was the first to propose that the universe began with the explosion of a primeval atom. His proposal came after observing the red shift in distant nebulas by astronomers to a model of the universe based on relativity. Years later, Edwin Hubble found experimental evidence to help justify Lemaitre's theory. He found that distant galaxies in every direction are going away from us with speeds proportional to their distance. The big bang was initially suggested because it explains why distant galaxies are traveling away from us at great speeds. The theory also predicts the existence of cosmic background radiation (the glow left over from the explosion itself). The Big Bang Theory received its strongest confirmation when this radiation was discovered in 1964 by Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson, who later won the Nobel Prize for this discovery. Although the Big Bang Theory is widely accepted, it probably will never be proven; consequentially, leaving a number of tough, unanswered questiions
Theism vs. Atheism: In general, theists attribute the origin of the universe to some sort of transcendent, intelligent Designer. Atheists envision a natural, undirected process by which universes spring into existence spontaneously. Prior to the 20th century most atheists believed the universe was eternal. This changed however as discoveries throughout the 20th Century rendered that view untenable. Einstein’s theory of gravity (which has been thoroughly validated by extensive experimental confirmation) and Hubble’s astronomical observations preclude an eternal universe. We now know beyond a reasonable doubt that the universe began at some point in the finite past. Now we understand that there are only two legitimate options for the origin of the universe: (1) Someone made the universe (Intelligent Design), or (2) The universe made itself (Random Chance). The third option, the universe has always been here, is no longer a feasible alternative -- it contradicts empirical science. No other scientifically plausible theories for the origin of the universe have ever been proposed. The implications of various 20th century discoveries have put atheists in an awkward position. Logic now requires that they identify an uncontrolled mechanism by which the universe could have initiated, designed, created and developed itself without an Intelligent Director. Otherwise, intellectual honesty requires the necessity of a Creator God.
Science and Religion disagree a lot over the fact on how the universe was created.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
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4 comments:
Nice post nick. Maybe if you split it up into different paragraphs it would be easier to understand but otherwise it was pretty good. Either way you did very well on explaining it.
Keri
Nick,
Lots of information. There was so much that you included. It's a good change of pace. But I agree with Keri, it would have been easier to read if you would have split it up into paragraphs or blocks of text.
Billy
Science is disagreed with by religion, as well as philosophy on most subjects. By the way, both religion and philosophy are pseudoscience, so it figures that they have issued with scientific fact. Do you know what empirical evidence is? You mention it within your article. Otherwise, you writing was interesting and well put together.
There is always a fine line when talking about science and religion. Good job in kind of showing how that controversy starts between the two subjects. Very well written post!
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