Question:
Big Bang, Abiogensis and Evolutionary Theory?
2008-06-29 12:30:51 UTC
There is no doubt in the strength of ET, in particular speciest evolution.
As a Christian who accepts this I am curious to know what could disprove The Big Bang or Abiogensis.
I know that proving a 'creator' exists is impossible by design and is therefore not likely to be dis-proven.... but equally so can the scienctific theory of creation be disproven and if so what would do that.
This question is distinct t omy earlier question about Evolutionary Theory as I am focusing here on Creation.
I am genuinely interested in hearing and learning more about the science which opposes my faith.
Thirteen answers:
Dreamstuff Entity
2008-06-29 12:35:21 UTC
What could disprove the big bang? Formulate another theory to explain the following:





* Einstein's general theory of relativity implies that the universe cannot be static; it must be either expanding or contracting.



* The more distant a galaxy is, the faster it is receding from us (the Hubble law). This indicates that the universe is expanding. An expanding universe implies that the universe was small and compact in the distant past.



* The big bang model predicts that cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation should appear in all directions, with a blackbody spectrum and temperature about 3 degrees K. We observe an exact blackbody spectrum with a temperature of 2.73 degrees K.



* The CMB is even to about one part in 100,000. There should be a slight unevenness to account for the uneven distribution of matter in the universe today. Such unevenness is observed, and at a predicted amount.



* The big bang predicts the observed abundances of primordial hydrogen, deuterium, helium, and lithium. No other models have been able to do so.



* The big bang predicts that the universe changes through time. Because the speed of light is finite, looking at large distances allows us to look into the past. We see, among other changes, that quasars were more common and stars were bluer when the universe was younger.
2008-06-29 13:32:56 UTC
>I am curious to know what could disprove The Big Bang or Abiogensis.



Abiogenesis would be very difficult to disprove. About the only way to do so would be if we had extraterrestrial fossils proving that relatively complex life already existed within a VERY short time after it first COULD have existed (we're talking, like, under a million years here, to be realistic). Alternatively, if it could somehow be shown that the simplest life forms capable of surviving in an otherwise lifeless environment are also relatively complex. However the current state of scientific understanding suggests that both of these are extremely unlikely. Furthermore, they would still not prove the existence of God, all they would show is that the life in our universe probably traces itself back to some other universe.



The Big Bang is somewhat easier to disprove. All it would really take is for whatever mathematical/physical model that best explains observed phenomena about the Universe on a large scale to be of a nature that shows the Big Bang can't have happened. What such a model would be like I don't know, but we nevertheless have to be prepared for the development of such a theory just in case it does come along at some point.



>I know that proving a 'creator' exists is impossible by design



Not really. It might be fairly hard, but it's not impossible. What IS impossible, at least within the realm of empirical science, is to prove that a creator does NOT exist. I mean, how can you tell that the entire Universe wasn't created five minutes ago, with all life and all human memories and so on all intact, and that your memory of living for years is really just an illusion? You can't. Unfortunately, a lot of people either don't understand this or don't understand its implications, because I've seen people using arguments (especially to support creationism) that this principle renders invalid.



>but equally so can the scienctific theory of creation be disproven



Not with 100% certainty. Although most scientific evidence currently available suggests that YEC is not a good explanation for the formation of the world and the life that exists on it, as I mentioned above it is of such a nature that you can always keep claiming it could have happened. All those fossils in the ground? They support evolutionary theory and the 4.5 billion year age of the Earth enormously, but that doesn't mean God (or aliens, or whatever might have created us) couldn't have made the Earth with fake fossils already planted in the rock. And in fact, this is again an argument that I have seen some creationists use.
?
2016-05-26 03:11:42 UTC
Perhaps you would be wise to look more closely at your faith - Christianity is an amalgam of ideas and beliefs drawn together and selected into a creed over a period of two millenia. It has solidly opposed any scientific examination of its basic tenets (virgin birth, miracles etc.) and it has not given the world any explanation for the way life works or its complexity. It is not even the most popular religion! Science is essentially a method for examining evidence and it builds upon that evidence to provide a body of knowledge that is testable and verifiable. As a Christian you take on trust and faith a jumble of superstitions and untestable beliefs that do not explain even the smallest detail of how life works. Does the Bible have anything to say about photosynthesis? No. Genetic codes? No. The function of the liver? No. Anything even remotely practical that would offer an explanation of how things actually work? No. Don't worry about trying to disprove the Big Bang, science will do that if sufficient evidence is collected that indicates that the theory doesn't work. Try instead to prove the existence of your Christ using scientific method. Can't do it? At least you will have a rigorous method for testing the evidence. Now look in the Bible and try praying for an explanation as to to why plants have green foliage. Get anything? No...and that's why science is better than Christianity! Well, well,well, do I hear the noise of a cage being rattled? So you have a faith! Well whoop ti do. And you think that means you can say 'equally so can the scientific theory of creation be disproven'. Well maybe it can and maybe it can't. The point is that it will be scientific method that does it either way. If you want to learn more about science, do it the hard way by educating yourself, don't expect easy answers to come to you as if they were the tenets of a religion. And if you go round talking about 'the science which opposes my faith' expect to be taken to task for sloppy thinking. Any fool can be a Christian, it takes intelligence to be a scientist! Science doesn't oppose any faith, it has more important things to do, like finding out what the universe is really about. Perhaps you should try thinking instead of believing?
Silent
2008-06-29 12:36:14 UTC
Well, for one thing, there is no such thing as "the scientific theory of creation". Creationism is not a scientific theory; there is no evidence supporting it, and there is no way to test it or verify it.



Edit:

Natalie got all those thumbs down because she completely misrepresented the Big Bang theory. Like most people who reject the generally accepted scientific theories on the basis of religious belief, she doesn't actually understand what the Big Bang is. No one claims that "nothing" exploded.
ANDRE L
2008-06-29 12:43:45 UTC
A good rule of thumb is that, if science "opposes" a personal belief, then it is that belief that is in error. Science works on facts, evidence and honest and unbiased analysis of said data.

You have gotten examples of what actual evidence there is for the Big Bang theory. In oder to disprove BB, you would need another hypothesis that both explains the data and that does it better than the existing theory, and can itself be tested and falsified.
2008-06-29 12:39:32 UTC
The biggest problem we face is that it all happened a long time ago and we've got no first hand information. We have a universe that appears to be expanding from a single point which leads to the idea of big bang. The phrase was coined by Fred Hoyles to ridicule the notion. He liked the idea that matter passed in and out of existence - continuous creation. However, it's now mainstream. Whether it happened by accident or design is a matter of faith.



In the beginning, God made the heavens and the Earth - BANG!
2008-06-29 12:49:22 UTC
Hi dazzla,

as soon as one steps outside of conventional physics into quantum physics one gets the answers that you're seeking.



Quantum physics shows clearly that coherent matter (including physical life) is impossible without conscious direction. God is, therefore, proven as real. Whether God then started all creation with a big bang or in some other way is a question with no real importance.



Much more important is to find God within you which quantum physics irrefutably states is there.



Blessed be.



Karma Singh
Andymcj78 (Atheist)
2008-06-29 12:36:35 UTC
Big bang can't be challenged, confirmed or proven until science has a workable theory of quantum gravity. The time period after the big bang deals with periods of "Planck" time so small that our current understanding can tell us very little about what occurred. It's currently the best theory available and there is no plausible alternative.
2008-06-29 12:39:31 UTC
I don't think anything can be definitively disproven.



You go with what is most likely, given the facts...



The Big Bang and abiogenesis fit this description IMHO.
Freethinking Liberal
2008-06-29 12:37:06 UTC
Does all Christian school avoid teaching
2008-06-29 12:41:07 UTC
Well, something that can disprove the Big Bang Theory is, where did the stuff come from to make the explosion? They claim that 'nothing' exploded! That's impossible! Obviously, that's not scientific.
2008-06-29 12:37:16 UTC
Slightly satire but good science

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozbFerzjkz4



AronRa series

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnJX68ELbAY&feature=related



Rick Roll

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBGIQ7ZuuiU
2008-06-29 12:36:04 UTC
You can't be a true Christian if you accept evilution..can't be done.


This content was originally posted on Y! Answers, a Q&A website that shut down in 2021.
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