God Thought: The Awesome Scientist
"Yes, the universe had a beginning. Yes, the universe continues to evolve. And yes, everyone of our body's atoms is traceable to the big bang and to the thermonuclear furnaces within high-mass stars."
-Neil DeGrasse Tyson & Donald Goldsmith: Origins
I recently posted that the more I learn about science, the more I learn about God. However, to some humans the separation of theology and science is imperative-an 'either or' effect on both sides of the aisle that I personally stand at odds with. If fusion between theology and science isn't capable, then God-the ultimate scientist- will eventually experiment itself out of our lives and into the past. As drastic as that sounds, I don't see it ever happening. A growing field in Religious Studies/Theology is the connection between science and religion, and how the two can coexist without discrediting one another. But how? Science is rooted in provable, observational evidence that has been tested repeatedly with the same conclusions; whereas religion is rooted in belief and faith-with arguable evidence of human to divine connection. I argue here that science and religion do not have to be separate entities that we must choose between, but rather both can be in harmony with one another. Some will claim that I'm 'picking and choosing' what to believe in regards to my faith. Yea, but most everyone does when it comes to their faith and scriptures. Also, I realize that this is my own understanding of the Divine and my ecumenical, modern, and mystic beliefs are the context from which I read the bible and other religious scriptures.
"In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep." Genesis 1.1-2
"By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return." Genesis 3.19
"All will go to the same place. All are from Dust and to Dust all shall return." Ecclesiastes 3.20
"...high-mass stars explode in death, scattering their chemically enriched guts throughout the galaxy."Origins
Astrophysicists theorize that the beginning of the universe(s) started with a big bang. An explosion that resulted in matter and anti-matter slamming into each other causing destruction of both; however, to every billion anti-matter particles there was a billion plus one, causing photon or energy particles to form. But nothing was there before this massive explosion, the universe was simply a formless void-sound familiar?. As the universe(s) started to expand- and, by the way it is still expanding- matter slammed into itself sparking the first creations; thus resulting in stars and planets. These elements make up planet earth and everything on it, including us humans.
Now, let's bring religion into this phenomenon! In Genesis- though I acknowledge that it was written for and during a different context- describes this creation and evolution of the stars and our home planet Earth. Think of the procession of the first creation story in Genesis (yes, there are two creation accounts). The progression of the seven days long days represents a new creation that was seen as 'good' under God's microscope.
First came the heavens and the earth, the beginning of creation itself, the big bang, the formation of matter and energy. Second was the light, the source of energy, elements burning and forming stars that burn bright, giving off life creating heat/light. Third was the formation of night and day, the darkness that surrounds our solar system, dark matter possibly? Fourth was the waters which life itself evolved out of, H2O, elements we cannot live without, the ultimate life giving substance. From there Earth's hot center produced magma which cooled and turned into land, giving a new place for organisms to prosper. Plants, creatures, and creepy crawlers changed the atmosphere from carbon rich to oxygen rich. Out of those creatures, God evolved humans in 'our' image-in the image of the celestially divine elements from nature itself, from the all powerful God-head. Then the Great Scientist said, "That took a lot of energy, time to relax."
See, for me, Genesis isn't just the creation account of the earth, it's resembles the creation account of the very elements that make up who we are today. The "chemically rich guts" of the exploding stars are the star dust from which we are created, and when we die-which we inevitably will- we will return to. Those very elements go into the ground and enrich the food we eat and air we breath; supplementing a new life in a womb (reincarnation?).
Science and religion are compatible, and the creation story in Genesis can be used as an (ancient) way of understanding the divine behind creation-though the creation itself is the very divinity that it speaks of.
God thought, and from this explosion of chemicals and energy in its brain came a stream of consciousness that created life as we now know it-Nature.